- 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-lat2:27.50.1-27.50.11
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-31
Describes Consul Nero's rapid return to his southern camp after defeating Hasdrubal, and depicts the transformation of the Roman citizens' emotions from intense anxiety to overwhelming joy upon receiving the first reports of victory.
Nero ea nocte, quae secuta est pugnam, profectus citatiore quam inde venerat agmine1 die sexto ad stativa sua atque ad hostem pervenit.
Nero set out on the night that followed the battle, and, with an army marching more rapidly than that with which he had come from there, arrived on the sixth day at his permanent camp and at the enemy.
iter eius frequentia minore, quia nemo praecesserat nuntius, laetitia vero tanta, vix ut compotes mentium2 prae gaudio essent, celebratum est.
His march was celebrated by a smaller crowd of people, since no messenger had gone ahead, but indeed with such great joy that they were scarcely masters of their minds on account of their gladness.
nam Romae neuter animi habitus satis dici enarrarique potest, nec quo3 incerta expectatione eventus civitas fuerat, nec quo victoriae famam accepit.
For at Rome neither state of mind can be sufficiently described or related, neither that in which the state had been in uncertain expectation of the outcome, nor that in which it received the rumor of victory.
numquam per omnis dies, ex quo Claudium consulem profectum fama attulit, ab orto sole ad occidentem aut senator quisquam a curia atque ab magistratibus abscessit aut populus e foro.
Never during all the days since the rumor brought word that the consul Claudius had set out did any senator depart from the senate-house and the magistrates, or the people from the forum, from sunrise to sunset.
matronae, quia nihil in ipsis opis erat, in preces obtestationesque versae, per omnia delubra vagae suppliciis votisque fatigare4 deos.
The matrons, since there was no help in themselves, turned to prayers and entreaties, and wandering through all the shrines, importuned the gods with supplications and vows.
tam sollicitae ac suspensae civitati fama incerta primo accidit duos Narnienses equites in castra, quae in faucibus Umbriae opposita erant, venisse ex proelio nuntiantes caesos hostes.
To a state so anxious and suspenseful, an uncertain rumor first came that two horsemen from Narnia had come to the camp, which was placed opposite the defiles of Umbria, bringing news from the battle that the enemy had been slain.
et primo magis auribus quam animis id acceptum erat ut maius laetiusque, quam quod mente capere aut satis credere possent,5 et ipsa celeritas fidem impediebat, quod biduo ante pugnatum dicebatur.
And at first, this was received more by the ears than by the minds, as being too great and too joyful for them to grasp in mind or sufficiently believe; and the very speed hindered belief, because it was said that the battle had been fought two days before.
litterae deinde ab L. Manlio Acidino missae ex castris adferuntur de Narniensium equitum adventu.
Then a letter was brought, sent by Lucius Manlius Acidinus from the camp, concerning the arrival of the Narnian horsemen.
hae litterae per forum ad tribunal praetoris latae senatum curia exciverunt; tantoque certamine ac tumultu populi ad fores curiae concursum est,6 ut adire nuntius non posset, sed traheretur a percunctantibus vociferantibusque, ut in rostris prius quam in senatu litterae recitarentur.
This letter, carried through the forum to the tribunal of the praetor, summoned the senate from the senate-house; and there was such a rush of the people to the doors of the senate-house with such competition and clamor that the messenger could not approach but was dragged about by those questioning and shouting, demanding that the letter should be read on the rostra before it was read in the senate.
tandem summoti et coerciti a magistratibus, dispensarique laetitia inter inpotentes eius animos potuit.7
At length they were removed and restrained by the magistrates, and it was possible for joy to be distributed among minds unable to control it.
in senatu primum, deinde in contione litterae recitatae sunt; et pro cuiusque ingenio aliis iam certum gaudium, aliis nulla ante futura fides erat, quam legatos consulumve litteras audissent.
The letter was read first in the senate, then in the assembly; and according to each man’s character, for some there was already certain joy, while for others there was to be no belief until they had heard the legates or the letter of the consuls.
- 27.50.1citatiore quam inde venerat agmine
The comparative citatiore agrees with agmine ('march', 'column'), which is an ablative of means or manner. quam inde venerat is a comparative clause meaning 'than [the march with which] he had come from there.' It describes the extreme speed of Nero's return.
- 27.50.2compotes mentium
The adjective compos ('master of', 'in possession of') regularly takes the genitive, here the plural mentium ('of minds'). compotes mentium means 'masters of their minds' or 'sane.' It is used in the consecutive ut clause to express that the people were almost out of their minds with joy.
- 27.50.3nec quo ... nec quo ...
The relative pronoun quo is in the ablative case, agreeing with the antecedent animi habitus ('state of mind'). It can be explained either as attraction to the case of the antecedent, or as an ablative of manner/attendant circumstance: 'neither [the state of mind] with which the state had been in uncertain expectation... nor that with which it received the news.'
- 27.50.5fatigare
A historical infinitive, equivalent to the imperfect indicative (here third-person plural fatigabant). The subject is the nominative noun matronae. It is used to present a vivid and continuous picture of the Roman matrons incessantly importuning the gods.
- 27.50.7ut maius laetiusque, quam quod mente capere aut satis credere possent
The comparative maius laetiusque followed by quam quod and the subjunctive (possent) expresses a restrictive or resultative nuance: 'too great and joyful for them to grasp or sufficiently believe.' The conjunction ut introduces a clause of reason or manner ('as being...', 'since it was...'), explaining why the citizens could not immediately believe the rumor.
- 27.50.9concursum est
An impersonal passive construction of the intransitive verb concurro ('to rush together', 'to flock'). Literally 'it was rushed together,' meaning 'the people rushed together.' It emphasizes the action of crowding itself rather than the specific actors.
- 27.50.10dispensarique laetitia inter inpotentes eius animos potuit
eius is a genitive referring to the preceding noun laetitia ('joy'). inpotentes eius means 'unable to control it' or 'powerless over it.' The passive infinitive dispensari ('to be distributed', 'to be managed') depends on potuit, indicating that the overwhelming emotion of joy could now be processed and shared in an orderly, measured fashion among the people.