- 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
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:39.44.1-39.44.11
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-11
The censors Cato and Flaccus conducted a severe census, imposing high taxes on luxury goods, demolishing illegal structures, and re-leasing public contracts, which earned Cato lifelong political enmities.
in equitatu recognoscendo L. Scipioni Asiatico ademptus equus. in censibus quoque accipiendis tristis et aspera in omnes ordines censura fuit.
In the review of the cavalry, the horse was taken away from Lucius Scipio Asiaticus. In conducting the census, too, the censorship was severe and harsh against all classes.
ornamenta et vestem muliebrem et vehicula, quae pluris quam quindecim milium aeris essent, deciens tanto pluris quam quanti essent in censum referre iuratores1 iussi; item mancipia minora annis viginti, quae post proximum lustrum decem milibus aeris aut pluris eo venissent, uti ea quoque deciens tanto pluris quam quanti essent aestimarentur, et his rebus omnibus terni in milia aeris attribuerentur.2
The declarers were ordered to register in the census ornaments, women’s dress, and vehicles which were worth more than fifteen thousand asses, at ten times more than what their value was; likewise slaves under twenty years of age, which since the last lustrum had been sold for ten thousand asses or more, should also be valued at ten times more than what they were worth, and upon all these objects a tax of three asses per thousand asses should be imposed.
aquam publicam omnem in privatum aedificium aut agrum fluentem ademerunt; et quae in loca publica inaedificata immolitave privati habebant, intra dies triginta demoliti sunt.
They cut off all public water flowing into private buildings or land; and they demolished within thirty days whatever buildings or structures private individuals had built on public land.
opera deinde facienda ex decreta in eam rem pecunia, lacus sternendos lapide, detergendasque, qua opus esset, cloacas, in Aventino et in aliis partibus, qua nondum erant, faciendas locaverunt.3
They then contracted for public works to be done with the money decreed for that purpose: the paving of reservoirs with stone, the cleaning of sewers wherever necessary, and the construction of sewers on the Aventine and in other parts where there were none as yet.
et separatim Flaccus molem4 ad Neptunias aquas, ut iter populo esset, et viam per Formianum montem, Cato atria duo, Maenium et Titium, in lautumiis, et quattuor tabernas in publicum emit basilicamque ibi fecit, quae Porcia appellata est. et vectigalia summis pretiis, ultro tributa infimis5 locaverunt.
And individually, Flaccus contracted for a dike at the waters of Neptune, so that there might be a passage for the people, and a road through the Formian mountain; Cato bought for the public two halls, the Maenium and Titius, in the stone-quarries, and four shops, and built a basilica there, which was called the Porcian. And they leased the taxes at the highest prices, and contracted out the public works at the lowest.
quas locationes cum senatus precibus et lacrimis victus publicanorum induci et de integro locari iussisset, censores, edicto summotis ab hasta6 qui ludificati priorem locationem erant, omnia eadem paululum imminutis pretiis locaverunt.
When the senate, overcome by the prayers and tears of the tax-farmers, had ordered these leases to be cancelled and to be contracted anew, the censors, having by an edict excluded from the auction those who had trifled with the former lease, contracted for all the same things at slightly reduced prices.
nobilis censura fuit simultatiumque plena, quae M. Porcium, cui acerbitas ea adsignabatur, per omnem vitam exercuerunt. eodem anno coloniae duae, Potentia in Picenum Pisaurum in Gallicum agrum, deductae sunt. sena iugera in singulos data. diviserunt agrum coloniasque deduxerunt iidem tresviri, Q. Fabius Labeo, et M. et Q. Fulvii, Flaccus et Nobilior.
The censorship was famous and full of feuds, which harassed Marcus Porcius, to whom that severity was attributed, throughout his whole life. In the same year two colonies, Potentia in Picenum, and Pisaurum in the Gallic territory, were founded. Six iugera were given to each person. The land was divided and the colonies led out by the same triumvirs, Quintus Fabius Labeo, and Marcus and Quintus Fulvius, Flaccus and Nobilior.
consules eius anni nec domi nec militiae memorabile quicquam egerunt.
The consuls of that year did nothing memorable either at home or in war.
- 39.44.2iuratores
iuratores (literally 'those who swear') refers to the citizens who declare their property under oath in the census. They are the subject of the infinitive referre (to register, declare), functioning with the passive verb iussi [sunt] (were ordered).
- 39.44.3terni in milia aeris attribuerentur
This phrase means that a tax of 'three asses per thousand asses' was imposed. The distributive numeral terni (three each) serves as the subject representing 'three asses [of tax],' and attribuerentur (should be assigned or imposed) is used in the subjunctive as a dependent jussive.
- 39.44.5opera deinde facienda... locaverunt
The verb locare (to contract out, lease), taking accusative objects and gerundives (facienda, sternendos, detergendas, etc.), expresses the commissioning of public works ('to contract for something to be done'). The subject is the censors (censores) continued from the previous context.
- 39.44.6separatim Flaccus molem...
This describes the undertakings carried out individually by the colleague Flaccus; the singular verb locavit (implied from the plural locaverunt in the previous section) is omitted at the end. The accusatives molem (dike/jetty) and viam (road) are its objects.
- 39.44.7vectigalia summis pretiis, ultro tributa infimis
An antithesis showing the rigorous financial administration of the censors. They leased out the vectigalia (public revenues/taxes) at the highest prices (summis pretiis), and contracted for the ultro tributa (public works funded by the state Treasury/expenditures) at the lowest (infimis [pretiis]).
- 39.44.8summotis ab hasta
An ablative absolute construction. The word hasta (spear) refers to the 'auction,' from the Roman custom of setting up a spear at public sales. Thus, the phrase means 'having been removed from the auction.'
- 39.44.2pltrisquam
This is a textual corruption or typographical error for pluris quam (more than, worth more than) found in standard editions. The translation is based on this standard emendation.
Not located in the text
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (2, latest 2026-09-22)
- 2026-09-22 AI review — source 1
- 2026-09-21 AI review — source 1