- 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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- CTS URN
- urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:27.23.1-27.23.7
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-30
The consuls were delayed by a series of ominous prodigies that required extensive expiatory rituals. In response to a subsequent severe pestilence, the Apollonian Games were established by law to be celebrated annually on a permanently fixed date.
praetores in provincias profecti; consules religio1 tenebat, quod prodigiis aliquot nuntiatis non facile litabant.
The praetors set out for their provinces; religious scruples held back the consuls, because, after several prodigies had been reported, they could not easily obtain favorable omens.
et ex Campania nuntiata erant,2 Capuae duas aedes, Fortunae et Martis, et sepulcra aliquot de caelo tacta, Cumis — adeo minimis etiam rebus prava religio inserit deos — mures in aede Iovis aurum rosisse, Casini examen apium ingens in foro consedisse, et Ostiae murum portamque de caelo tactam, Caere vulturium volasse in aedem Iovis, Vulsiniis sanguine lacum manasse.
And from Campania it had been reported that at Capua two temples, of Fortune and of Mars, and several tombs had been struck by lightning; at Cumae—to such an extent does superstitious fear introduce the gods even into the most trivial matters—mice had gnawed gold in the temple of Jupiter; at Casinum a huge swarm of bees had settled in the forum; and at Ostia the wall and a gate had been struck by lightning; at Caere a vulture had flown into the temple of Jupiter; at Volsinii the lake had flowed with blood.
horum prodigiorum causa diem unum supplicatio fuit. per dies aliquot hostiae maiores sine litatione caesae, diuque non impetrata pax deum. in capita consulum re publica incolumi exitiabilis prodigiorum eventus vertit.3
Because of these prodigies, a supplication was held for one day. For several days larger victims were sacrificed without obtaining favorable omens, and for a long time the peace of the gods was not secured. While the state remained unharmed, the destructive outcome of the prodigies turned upon the heads of the consuls.
ludi Apollinares Q. Fulvio Ap. Claudio consulibus a P. Cornelio Sulla praetore urbano primum facti erant; inde omnes deinceps praetores urbani fecerant; sed in unum annum vovebant dieque incerta faciebant. eo anno pestilentia gravis incidit in urbem agrosque, quae tamen magis in longos morbos quam in perniciabiles evasit.
The Apollonian Games had first been celebrated by the urban praetor Publius Cornelius Sulla in the consulship of Quintus Fulvius and Appius Claudius; from then on, all successive urban praetors had celebrated them; but they would vow them for a single year and hold them on an uncertain date. In that year a severe pestilence fell upon the city and the fields, which, however, turned out to be lingering illnesses rather than fatal ones.
eius pestilentiae causa et supplicatum per compita tota urbe est, et P. Licinius Varus praetor urbanus legem ferre ad populum iussus, ut ii ludi in perpetuum in statam diem voverentur. ipse primus ita vovit, fecitque ante diem tertium idus Quintiles.4 is dies deinde sollemnis servatus.
Because of this pestilence, supplications were made at the crossroads throughout the entire city, and the urban praetor Publius Licinius Varus was ordered to propose a law to the people that those games should be vowed in perpetuity for a fixed day. He himself was the first to vow them in this manner, and he celebrated them on the third day before the Ides of July. That day was thereafter kept as a solemn festival.
- 27.23.1religio
Here, 'religio' can be interpreted either subjectively as 'religious scruples' or 'superstitious anxiety', or objectively as a 'religious obstacle' or 'ceremonial obligation'. It refers to the state of being detained by ritual duties, as the consuls had to obtain favorable omens in response to the reported prodigies.
- 27.23.2nuntiata erant
The verb 'nuntiata erant' (neuter plural) introduces a series of accusative with infinitive (A.c.I.) clauses as its grammatical subject: 'duas aedes... tacta [esse]', 'mures... rosisse', 'examen... consedisse', and 'murum portamque... tactam [esse]', with the infinitive 'esse' omitted in the passive forms.
- 27.23.4vertit
Used intransitively in the active voice, meaning 'to turn upon' or 'to fall upon'. It foreshadows the historical outcome (the death of both consuls in battle), indicating that the disastrous outcome predicted by the prodigies turned upon the persons (lit. 'heads') of the consuls (in capita consulum), while the state itself was preserved unharmed (re publica incolumi, ablative absolute).
- 27.23.7ante diem tertium idus Quintiles
A formulaic expression for 'three days before the Ides of July'. Due to the Roman practice of inclusive counting (counting both the start and end days), this designates July 13th. 'Quintiles' (the fifth month, counting from March) was the original name of the month later renamed 'Iulius' in honor of Julius Caesar.