- 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-lat2:3.38.1-3.38.13
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-01
Despite the expiration of their term, the decemvirs maintain power, but face invasions by the Sabines and Aequi. To manage the crisis, the decemvirs convoke the senate, while the plebeians closely observe the senators' response to this summons.
idus Maiae venere. nullis subrogatis magistratibus1 privati pro decemviris neque animis ad imperium inhibendum inminutis neque ad speciem honoris insignibus prodeunt. id vero regnum haud dubie videri. deploratur in perpetuum libertas, nec vindex quisquam existit aut futurus videtur. nec ipsi solum desponderant animos, sed contemni coepti erant a finitimis populis imperiumque ibi esse, ubi non esset libertas, indignabantur.
The Ides of May came. With no successor magistrates elected, the decemvirs stepped forward as private citizens, with no loss of determination to exercise power, nor discarding the insignia of their office. Indeed, this seemed beyond doubt a monarchy. Liberty was lamented as lost forever, and no champion appeared, nor did any seem likely to appear in the future. And not only had they themselves lost heart, but they had begun to be despised by neighboring peoples, who felt indignant that empire should reside where liberty was not.
Sabini magna manu incursionem in agrum Romanum fecere lateque populati, cum hominum atque pecudum inulti2 praedas egissent, recepto ad Eretum, quod passim vagatum erat, agmine castra locant spem in discordia Romana ponentes:
The Sabines made an incursion with a large force into Roman territory, and after wide devastation, when they had carried off booty of men and cattle with impunity, they rallied their column, which had been dispersed far and wide, near Eretum, and pitched their camp, placing their hope in Roman discord:
eam inpedimentum dilectui fore. non nuntii solum, sed per urbem agrestium fuga trepidationem iniecit. decemviri consultant, quid opus facto sit,3 destituti inter patrum et plebis odia, addit terrorem insuper alium fortuna.
believing that this would prove an obstacle to the enlistment. Not only reports, but the flight of the country-people through the city struck terror. The decemvirs, left isolated between the hatred of the patricians and that of the plebeians, consulted on what needed to be done, while fortune added yet another terror on top.
aequi alia ex parte castra in Algido locant depopulanturque inde excursionibus Tusculanum agrum. legati ea ab Tusculo praesidium orantes nuntiant.
The Aequi from another quarter pitched camp on Mount Algidus, and from there devastated the Tusculan territory by incursions. Envoys from Tusculum reported these things, begging for aid.
is pavor perculit decemviros, ut senatum simul duobus circumstantibus urbem bellis consulerent.
This panic so struck the decemvirs that, with two wars simultaneously surrounding the city, they consulted the senate.
citari iubent in curiam patres haud ignari, quanta invidiae inmineret tempestas: omnes vastati agri periculorumque inminentium causas in se congesturos, temptationemque eam fore abolendi sibi magistratus, ni consensu resisterent imperioque inhibendo acriter in paucos praeferocis animi conatus aliorum conprimerent.
They ordered the patricians to be summoned to the curia, not unaware of how great a storm of unpopularity was impending: [knowing] that everyone would heap upon them the blame for the devastated lands and the imminent dangers, and that this would be an attempt to abolish their office, unless they resisted with one mind, and by vigorously exercising their authority against a few of the most defiant spirits, crushed the attempts of the rest.
postquam audita vox in foro est praeconis patres in curiam ad decemviros vocantis, velut nova res, quia intermiserant iam diu morem consulendi senatus, mirabundam plebem convertit, quidnam incidisset, cur ex tanto intervallo rem desuetam usurparent:
When the voice of the herald was heard in the forum summoning the senators to the curia to meet the decemvirs, it turned the attention of the wondering plebs, as if it were a novel event, because they had for a long time discontinued the custom of consulting the senate, to the question of what on earth had happened, and why, after so long an interval, they were reviving a disused practice:
hostibus belloque gratiam habendam, quod solitum quicquam liberae civitati fieret. circumspectare omnibus fori partibus senatorem raroque usquam noscitare;
they muttered that thanks were due to the enemy and to the war, because something customary to a free state was being done. They looked around for senators in all parts of the forum, but rarely recognized one anywhere;
curiam inde ac solitudinem circa decemviros intueri, cum et ipsi consensu invisum imperium et plebs, quia privatis ius non esset vocandi senatum, non convenire patres interpretarentur; iam caput fieri libertatem repetentium, si se plebs comitem senatui det et, quem ad modum patres vocati non coeant in senatum, sic plebs abnuat dilectum. haec fremunt plebes.
then they looked at the curia and the solitude around the decemvirs, since both the senators themselves, in unison, and the plebs interpreted that the fathers were not assembling because the hated power belonged to private citizens, who had no right to convoke the senate; and that now a beginning was being made by those who sought to reclaim liberty, if the plebs should ally themselves with the senate and, just as the summoned senators were not assembling in the senate, so the plebs should refuse the levy. Thus the plebs murmured.
patrum haud fere quisquam in foro, in urbe rari erant. indignitate rerum cesserant in agros suarumque rerum erant omissa publica cura, tantum ab iniuria se abesse rati, quantum4 a coetu congressuque inpotentium dominorum se amovissent. postquam citati non conveniebant, dimissi circa domos adparitores simul ad pignera capienda sciscitandumque, num consulto detrectarent, referunt senatum in agris esse. laetius id decemviris accidit, quam si praesentes detrectare imperium referrent.
Scarcely any of the patricians were in the forum, and they were rare in the city. Out of indignation at the state of affairs, they had retired to their estates, and neglecting public care, were occupied with their own private affairs, thinking that they were as far removed from injury as they had distanced themselves from the meeting and association of their impotent masters. When, after being summoned, they did not assemble, attendants were sent around to their houses, both to take pledges and to inquire whether they were refusing deliberately; they reported that the senate was in the country. This happened to be more pleasing to the decemvirs than if they had reported that the senators, being present, were refusing their authority.
iubent acciri omnes senatumque in diem posterum edicunt; qui aliquanto spe ipsorum frequentior convenit. quo facto proditam a patribus plebs libertatem rata, quod iis, qui iam magistratu abissent, privatisque, si vis abesset, tamquam iure cogentibus senatus paruisset.
They ordered them all to be summoned and proclaimed a meeting of the senate for the following day, which assembled in somewhat greater numbers than they had expected. In consequence of this, the plebs believed that liberty had been betrayed by the patricians, because the senate had obeyed those who had already left office and were private citizens, just as if they had a legal right to compel them, had force been lacking.
- 3.38.1nullis subrogatis magistratibus
Ablative absolute construction. subrogatis is the perfect passive participle of subrogo ('to elect in place of another'). This construction explains the situation where no successor magistrates were elected, leading to the decemvirs illegally extending their term.
- 3.38.3inulti
Nominative plural adjective, agreeing with the subject Sabini in a predicative sense, meaning 'unpunished' or 'with impunity'.
- 3.38.4quid opus facto sit
The construction opus est ('there is need of') followed by the ablative of a perfect participle (facto), forming an indirect question clause. It means 'what needs to be done' or 'what actions are required'.
- 3.38.11tantum ab iniuria se abesse rati, quantum...
The correlative construction tantum ... quantum ('as much ... as'). It means 'thinking that they were as far removed from injury as they had distanced themselves [from the meeting of the masters]'.