- Source
- Titi Livi ab urbe condita libri editionem priman, Pars I-IV, Libri I-XL. Editio Stereotypica. Weissenborn, Wilhelm; Mueller, Moritz, editors. Leipzig: Teubner, 1884-1911.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
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- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:26.16.1-26.16.13
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-28
The text presents alternative accounts of Appius Claudius's death and Taurea's execution at the surrender of Capua, and describes the subsequent settlement of Capua, where the Romans stripped the city of its political autonomy while preserving its physical structures and lands to balance Roman clemency and utility.
quia et quod ad supplicium attinet Campanorum et pleraque alia de Flacci unius sententia acta erant, mortuum Ap. Claudium sub deditionem Capuae1 quidam tradunt.
Since both what pertained to the punishment of the Campanians and most other things had been done according to the opinion of Flaccus alone, some report that Appius Claudius was already dead near the time of the surrender of Capua.
hunc quoque ipsum Tauream neque sua sponte venisse Cales neque sua manu interfectum,2 sed cum inter ceteros ad palum deligatus quiritaret, quia parum inter strepitus exaudiri possent quae vociferabatur, silentium fieri Flaccum iussisse;
They report also that this very Taurea had neither come to Cales of his own accord nor was slain by his own hand, but that when he was crying out, bound to the stake among the rest, because what he was shouting could scarcely be heard amid the noise, Flaccus ordered silence to be made;
tum Tauream illa, quae ante memorata sunt, dixisse, virum se fortissimum ab nequaquam pari ad virtutem occidi; sub haec dicta iussu proconsulis praeconem ita pronuntiasse: “lictor, viro forti adde virgas et in eum primum lege age.”
and that then Taurea spoke those words which have been mentioned before, saying that a most brave man was being slain by one who was by no means his equal in courage; immediately after these words, by order of the proconsul, the herald proclaimed: “Lictor, add the rods to the brave man, and execute the law on him first.”
lectum quoque senatus consultum, priusquam securi feriret, quidam auctores sunt; sed quia adscriptum in senatus consulto fuerit, si ei videretur, integram rem ad senatum reiceret, interpretatum esse, quid magis e re publica duceret, aestimationem sibi permissam.3
Some authors also assert that the decree of the senate was read before he struck with the axe; but because there had been added in the decree of the senate that, if it seemed good to him, he should refer the matter undecided to the senate, he interpreted that the decision of what he considered more to the advantage of the state was left to himself.
Capuam a Calibus reditum est Atellaque et Calatia in deditionem acceptae. ibi quoque in eos, qui capita rerum erant, animadversum.
They returned from Cales to Capua, and Atella and Calatia were received into surrender. There also, punishment was inflicted on those who had been the ringleaders.
ita ad septuaginta principes senatus interfecti, trecenti ferme nobiles Campani in carcerem conditi; alii per sociorum Latini nominis urbes in custodias dati variis casibus interierunt; multitudo alia civium Campanorum venum data.
Thus about seventy chief men of the senate were put to death, and nearly three hundred Campanian nobles were thrown into prison; others, placed under custody throughout the cities of the allies of the Latin name, perished by various fates; the rest of the multitude of Campanian citizens was sold into slavery.
de urbe agroque reliqua consultatio fuit quibusdam delendam censentibus urbem praevalidam, propinquam, inimicam. ceterum praesens utilitas vicit; nam propter agrum, quem omni fertilitate terrae satis constabat primum in Italia esse, urbs servata est, ut esset aliqua aratorum sedes.
Concerning the city and the land, there was remaining consultation, with some advising that a city so powerful, near, and hostile should be destroyed. But present utility prevailed; for on account of the land, which it was well established was the first in Italy in all fertility of soil, the city was preserved, so that there might be some habitation for husbandmen.
urbi frequentandae multitudo incolarum libertinorumque et institorum opificumque retenta; ager omnis et tecta publica populi Romani facta.
To keep the city populated, a multitude of inhabitants, freedmen, retailers, and artisans was retained; all the land and public buildings became the property of the Roman people.
ceterum habitari tantum tamquam urbem Capuam frequentarique placuit, corpus nullum civitatis nec senatum nec plebis concilium nec magistratus esse:
However, it was resolved that Capua should only be inhabited and populated as a city, but that there should be no body politic, nor senate, nor assembly of the plebs, nor magistrates:
sine consilio publico, sine imperio multitudinem, nullius rei inter se sociam, ad consensum inhabilem fore; praefectum ad iura reddenda ab Roma quotannis missuros.
for without a public council, and without authority, a multitude, allied with each other in nothing, would be incapable of agreement; they would send a prefect from Rome every year to administer justice.
ita ad Capuam res compositae consilio ab omni parte laudabili. severe et celeriter in maxime noxios animadversum; multitudo civium dissipata in nullam spem reditus;
Thus affairs at Capua were settled by a plan praiseworthy in every respect. Severe and speedy punishment was inflicted on the most guilty; the multitude of citizens was dispersed with no hope of return;
non saevitum incendiis ruinisque in tecta innoxia murosque, et cum emolumento quaesita etiam apud socios lenitatis species incolumitate urbis nobilissimae opulentissimaeque, cuius ruinis omnis Campania, omnes qui Campaniam circa accolunt populi ingemuissent;4
no cruelty was exercised by fires and ruins against harmless buildings and walls; and together with advantage, the appearance of leniency was also sought among the allies by leaving unharmed a most noble and wealthy city, at whose ruins all Campania and all the peoples who dwell around Campania would have groaned;
confessio expressa hosti, quanta vis in Romanis ad expetendas poenas ab infidelibus sociis et quam nihil in Hannibale auxili ad receptos in fidem tuendos esset.
a confession was forced from the enemy as to how great was the power in the Romans to exact punishment from unfaithful allies, and how there was no help in Hannibal for protecting those whom he had received into his protection.
- 26.16.1sub deditionem Capuae
The preposition "sub" with the accusative denotes temporal proximity, meaning "around the time of the surrender of Capua" or "immediately before/after the surrender."
- 26.16.2hunc quoque ipsum Tauream neque sua sponte venisse Cales neque sua manu interfectum
This is an accusative and infinitive construction dependent on "tradunt" from the preceding section, introducing an alternative account in indirect speech that Taurea neither came to Cales of his own free will nor died by his own hand.
- 26.16.4quid magis e re publica duceret, aestimationem sibi permissam
The clause "quid magis e re publica duceret" is an indirect question meaning "what he considered more to the advantage of the state." "Aestimationem" (judgment, decision) is the subject accusative of "permissam [esse]", forming an accusative and infinitive construction in indirect speech.
- 26.16.12cuius ruinis omnis Campania, omnes qui Campaniam circa accolunt populi ingemuissent
The subjunctive pluperfect "ingemuissent" (from "ingemesco") is used here in the apodosis of a past contrary-to-fact conditional sentence, expressing "(if the city had been destroyed) all Campania ... would have groaned (but in fact, they did not, as the city was saved)."
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
- 2026-09-21 AI review — source 1