Acilius's Triumph and the News of Defeat in Spain — Livy, History of Rome Book 37 (37.46.1–37.46.11), Latin & English

§37.46.1

dum haec ad Asia geruntur,¹ duo fere sub idem tempus cum triumphi spe proconsules de provinciis Romam redierunt, Q. Minucius ex Liguribus, M’. Acilius ex Aetolia. auditis utriusque rebus gestis Minucio negatus triumphus, Acilio magno consensu decretus; isque triumphans de rege Antiocho et Aetolis urbem est invectus.

While these things were being done in Asia, about the same time two proconsuls returned from their provinces to Rome with the hope of a triumph: Q. Minucius from the Ligurians, and M’. Acilius from Aetolia. Having heard the achievements of both, a triumph was denied to Minucius, but decreed to Acilius with great consensus; and he, triumphing over King Antiochus and the Aetolians, entered the city.

§37.46.3

praelata ad eo triumpho sunt signa militaria ducenta triginta, et argenti infecti tria milia pondo, signati tetrachmum Atticum centum decem tria milia, cistophori ducenta undequinquaginta,² vasa argentea caelata multa magnique ponderis;

In that triumph there were carried before him two hundred and thirty military standards, three thousand pounds of uncoined silver, one hundred and thirteen thousand coins of minted Attic tetradrachms, two hundred and forty-nine thousand cistophori, and many silver vessels of embossed work and of great weight;

§37.46.4

tulit et suppellectilem regiam argenteam ac vestem magnificam, coronas aureas, dona sociarum civitatium, quadraginta quinque, spolia omnis generis. captivos nobiles, Aetolos et regios duces, sex et triginta duxit.

he also displayed the royal silver furniture and magnificent clothing, forty-five golden crowns, which were gifts from the allied states, and spoils of every kind. He led thirty-six noble captives, Aetolian and royal generals.

§37.46.5

Damocritus, Aetolorum dux, paucos ante dies, cum e carcere noctu effugisset, ad ripa Tiberis consecutis custodibus, priusquam comprehenderetur, gladio se transfixit.

Damocritus, the general of the Aetolians, a few days before, when he had escaped from prison by night, having been overtaken by his guards at the bank of the Tiber, ran himself through with a sword before he could be captured.

§37.46.6

milites tantum, qui sequerentur currum, defuerunt; alioqui magnificus et spectaculo et fama rerum triumphus fuit.

Only the soldiers to follow the chariot were lacking; otherwise, the triumph was magnificent both as a spectacle and in the fame of his achievements.

§37.46.7

huius triumphi minuit laetitiam nuntius ex Hispania tristis, adversa pugna ad Bastetanis ductu L. Aemilii proconsulis apud oppidum Lyconem cum Lusitanis sex milia de Romano exercitu cecidisse,³ ceteros paventis intra vallum compulsos aegre castra defendisse et ad modum fugientium magnis itineribus ad agrum pacatum reductos.

The joy of this triumph was diminished by sad news from Spain: that in an unsuccessful battle against the Lusitanians in the territory of the Bastetani under the leadership of the proconsul L. Aemilius near the town of Lyco, six thousand of the Roman army had fallen, and that the rest, panic-stricken, had been driven inside the rampart and had with difficulty defended the camp, and had been led back by forced marches to the pacified territory in the manner of fugitives.

§37.46.9

haec ex Hispania nuntiata. ex Gallia legatos Placentinorum et Cremonensium L.

These were the reports from Spain. From Gaul, the praetor L. Aurunculeius introduced the envoys of the Placentines and Cremonenses to the senate.

§37.46.10

Aurunculeius praetor ad senatum introduxit. iis querentibus inopiam colonorum,⁴ aliis belli casibus, aliis morbo absumptis, quosdam taedio accolarum Gallorum reliquisse colonias, decrevit senatus, uti C. Laelius consul, si ei videretur, sex milia familiarum conscriberet, quae ad eas colonias dividerentur, et ut L. Aurunculeius praetor triumviros crearet ad eos colonos deducendos.

Upon their complaining of the scarcity of colonists, some having been carried off by the casualties of war, others by disease, and some having left the colonies out of weariness of their neighboring Gauls, the senate decreed that the consul C. Laelius, if it seemed good to him, should enlist six thousand families to be distributed among those colonies, and that the praetor L. Aurunculeius should create triumvirs for conducting those colonists.

§37.46.11

creati M. Atilius Serranus L. Valerius P. F. Flaccus L. Valerius C. F. Tappo.

There were created M. Atilius Serranus, L. Valerius Flaccus, son of Publius, and L. Valerius Tappo, son of Gaius.

Syntax notes4 items

37.46.1dum haec ad Asia geruntur
The textual reading ad Asia is grammatically irregular, likely representing a corruption of either in Asia or ad Asiam. Based on Livy's usage and the context, it is here interpreted as "while these things were being transacted in/around Asia."
37.46.3cistophori ducenta undequinquaginta
The numeral ducenta undequinquaginta (249) is understood with the ellipse of milia (thousands), meaning "249,000 cistophori," which is standard in Livy's tallies of war booty to match the scale of other large sums.
37.46.7adversa pugna ad Bastetanis ductu L. Aemilii proconsulis apud oppidum Lyconem cum Lusitanis sex milia de Romano exercitu cecidisse
This is an accusative with infinitive (A.c.I.) construction explanatory of nuntius. The subject of the infinitive cecidisse is sex milia, and ductu L. Aemilii proconsulis functions as an ablative absolute indicating the commander under whose leadership the defeat occurred.
37.46.10iis querentibus inopiam colonorum
An ablative absolute with the present participle querentibus ("on their complaining of..."). The following clauses, aliis... absumptis (ablative absolute) and quosdam... reliquisse (A.c.I.), function as indirect speech detailing the grounds of their complaints.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (2, latest 2026-09-22)

2026-09-22 AI review — source 2

urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:37.46.1-37.46.11