- 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-lat2:4.60.1-4.60.9
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-29
The plebeians rejoice at the senate's decree on military pay, but the tribunes oppose it on grounds of taxation and inequality, offering protection to tax objectors. However, seeing the patricians and leading plebeians contribute first, the common people compete to pay, and the army departs for Veii.
nihil acceptum umquam a plebe tanto gaudio traditur. concursum itaque ad curiam esse prensatasque exeuntium manus et patres vere appellatos, effectum esse fatentibus, ut1 nemo pro tam munifica patria, donec quicquam virium superesset, corpori aut sanguini suo parceret.
It is recorded that nothing was ever received by the plebs with such great joy. Consequently, there was a rush to the senate-house, and the hands of those coming out were grasped, and they were called “fathers” indeed, with people confessing that it had been brought about that no one, as long as any strength remained, would spare his body or blood for so generous a fatherland.
cum commoditas iuvaret, rem familiarem saltem acquiescere2 eo tempore, quo corpus addictum atque operatum rei publicae esset, tum quod ultro sibi oblatum esset, non a tribunis plebis umquam agitatum non suis sermonibus efflagitatum, id efficiebat multiplex gaudium cumulatioremque gratiam rei.
While the convenience was pleasing—namely, that their private property at least was at rest at that time when their body was bound and dedicated to the public service—furthermore, the fact that it had been offered to them voluntarily, never having been agitated by the tribunes of the plebs nor demanded in their own conversations, made the joy manifold and the gratitude for the matter more abundant.
tribuni plebis communis ordinum laetitiae concordiaeque soli expertes negare tam id laetum patribus nec universis prosperum fore, quam ipsi crederent. consilium specie prima melius fuisse quam usu appariturum.
The tribunes of the plebs, alone sharing in none of the general joy and harmony of the orders, declared that this would not be as joyful to the patricians nor as prosperous for the whole body as they themselves believed. The plan, they said, would appear better at first sight than in actual practice.
unde enim eam pecuniam confici posse3 nisi tributo populo indicto? ex alieno igitur aliis largitos. neque id, etiamsi ceteri ferant, passuros eos, quibus iam emerita stipendia essent, meliore condicione alios militare, quam ipsi militassent, et eosdem in sua stipendia inpensas fecisse et in aliorum facere. his vocibus moverunt partem plebis.
For from where could that money be raised except by levying a tax on the people? Therefore, they had been generous to some from the property of others. And even if the rest should bear it, those whose service was already completed would not suffer others to serve on better terms than they themselves had served, and that they themselves should have paid expenses for their own service and should do so for that of others. By these speeches they moved a part of the plebs.
postremo indicto iam tributo edixerunt etiam tribuni auxilio se futuros, si quis in militare stipendium tributum non contulisset.
Finally, when the tax was already levied, the tribunes even proclaimed that they would be of assistance if anyone did not contribute the tax for the military pay.
patres bene coeptam rem perseveranter tueri; conferre ipsi primi et, quia nondum argentum signatum erat, aes grave plaustris quidam ad aerarium convehentes speciosam etiam conlationem faciebant.
The patricians perseveringly maintained the well-begun undertaking; they themselves contributed first, and, because silver was not yet coined, some of them, bringing heavy bronze in wagons to the treasury, made even their contribution a splendid sight.
cum senatus summa fide ex censu contulisset, primores plebis, nobilium amici, ex conposito conferre incipiunt. quos cum et a patribus conlaudari et a militari aetate tamquam bonos cives conspici vulgus hominum vidit,4 repente spreto tribunicio auxilio certamen conferendi est ortum.
When the senate had contributed with the greatest good faith according to their assessment, the leading men of the plebs, friends of the nobles, began to contribute by agreement. When the common people saw them both praised by the patricians and looked upon by those of military age as good citizens, suddenly, spurning the tribunes’ assistance, a rivalry in contributing arose.
et lege perlata de indicendo Veientibus bello exercitum magna ex parte voluntarium novi tribuni militum consulari potestate Veios duxere.
And when the law was passed for declaring war on the Veientes, the new military tribunes with consular power led to Veii an army that was for the most part voluntary.
- 4.60.1effectum esse fatentibus, ut
fatentibus is the ablative plural of the present participle of fateri, forming an ablative absolute with the omitted subject (the plebeians) meaning 'as they confessed that...'. effectum esse is an impersonal passive infinitive ('it had been brought about'), with the ut clause (ut... parceret) functioning as its subject.
- 4.60.2cum commoditas iuvaret, rem familiarem saltem acquiescere
The verb iuvaret (from iuvo, 'to please, help') takes the accusative and infinitive clause rem familiarem ... acquiescere as its object/subject structure, meaning 'while the convenience pleased them—namely, that their private property at least was at rest.'
- 4.60.4unde enim eam pecuniam confici posse
This is a rhetorical question in indirect discourse (oratio obliqua); hence, the indicative of a direct question (confici potest) is converted into the infinitive (confici posse).
- 4.60.7quos cum ... vulgus hominum vidit
quos is a relative connection (connecting relative) referring to the leading men of the plebs, serving as the subject of the passive infinitives conlaudari and conspici in an accusative and infinitive construction dependent on vidit inside the cum clause ('when the common people saw that they were praised...').