- 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-lat2:40.25.1-40.25.10
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-11
Lucius Aemilius Paulus invades Liguria, but is deceptively besieged in his camp by the enemy; he maintains a defensive stance while sending urgent requests for reinforcements to neighboring Roman commanders.
dum haec in Macedonia geruntur, L. Aemilius Paulus, prorogato ex consulatu imperio, principio veris in Ligures Ingaunos exercitum introduxit.
While these things were being done in Macedonia, Lucius Aemilius Paulus, his command having been prorogued after his consulship, led his army into the territory of the Ingaunian Ligurians at the beginning of spring.
ubi primum in hostium finibus castra posuit, legati ad eum per speciem pacis petendae speculatum venerunt. neganti Paulo1 nisi cum deditis pacisci se pacem, non tam id recusabant, quam tempore aiebant opus esse,2 ut generi agresti hominum persuaderetur.3
As soon as he pitched camp in the enemy’s territory, envoys came to him under the pretence of seeking peace, in order to spy. When Paulus denied that he would make peace except with those who surrendered, they did not so much refuse this, as they said that there was need of time so that the rustic class of people might be persuaded.
ad hoc decem dierum indutiae cum darentur, petierunt deinde, ne trans montes proximos castris pabulatum lignatumque4 milites irent: culta ea loca suorum finium esse. id ubi impetravere, post eos ipsos montes, unde averterant hostem, exercitu omni coacto, repente multitudine ingenti castra Romanorum oppugnare simul omnibus portis adgressi sunt.
When a truce of ten days was granted for this purpose, they then requested that the soldiers should not go beyond the mountains nearest to the camp to forage and gather wood, on the grounds that those places were cultivated areas of their own territory. When they obtained this request, behind those very mountains, from which they had diverted the enemy, having assembled their entire army, they suddenly with a huge multitude began to attack the Roman camp from all the gates at once.
summa vi totum diem oppugnarunt, ita ut ne efferendi quidem signa Romanis spatium5 nec ad explicandam aciem locus esset.
They attacked with the greatest force the whole day, so that the Romans had no time even to carry out their standards, nor space to deploy their battle line.
conferti in portis obstando magis quam pugnando castra tutabantur. sub occasum solis cum recessissent hostes, duos equites ad Cn. Baebium proconsulem cum litteris Pisas mittit, ut obsesso per indutias sibi6 quam primum subsidio veniret.
Crowded together in the gates, they defended the camp more by standing in the way than by fighting. When the enemy withdrew near sunset, Aemilius sent two horsemen with a letter to Pisa to the proconsul Cn. Baebius, so that he might come as a reinforcement as soon as possible to him who was besieged during a truce.
Baebius exercitum M. Pinario praetori eunti in Sardiniam tradiderat: ceterum et senatum litteris certiorem fecit obsideri a Liguribus L. Aemilium, et M. Claudio Marcello, cuius proxima inde provincia erat, scripsit, ut, si videretur ei, exercitum e Gallia traduceret in Ligures et L. Aemilium liberaret obsidione.
Baebius had already handed over his army to the praetor M. Pinarius, who was on his way to Sardinia; however, he both informed the senate by letter that L. Aemilius was besieged by the Ligurians, and wrote to M. Claudius Marcellus, whose province was the nearest from there, that, if it seemed good to him, he should transfer his army from Gaul to the Ligurians and free L. Aemilius from the siege.
haec sera futura auxilia erant.7 Ligures ad castra postero die redeunt. Aemilius cum et venturos scisset et educere in aciem potuisset, intra vallum suos tenuit, ut extraheret rem in id tempus, quo Baebius cum exercitu venire a Pisis posset.
These reinforcements were destined to be too late. The Ligurians returned to the camp the next day. Although Aemilius both knew that they would come and could have led his men out into a battle line, he kept his men within the rampart, in order to drag out the matter until the time when Baebius could arrive with his army from Pisa.
- 40.25.2neganti Paulo
The dative participle neganti agrees with Paulo and serves as the indirect object to the verb aiebant (they said) in the following sentence. It establishes the relationship of response to Paulus's refusal.
- 40.25.3tempore aiebant opus esse
The impersonal expression opus est (there is need) governs the ablative of the thing needed, which is tempore (time) here. The subject of aiebant is the envoys.
- 40.25.3ut generi agresti hominum persuaderetur
Since the intransitive verb persuadeo (to persuade) governs the dative (generi agresti), in the passive voice it must be used impersonally (persuaderetur, "it might be persuaded"), while retaining the dative object.
- 40.25.4pabulatum lignatumque
These are accusative supines (from pabulor and lignor) expressing purpose after the verb of motion irent ("to forage" and "to gather wood").
- 40.25.6ne efferendi quidem signa Romanis spatium
The genitive gerund efferendi modifies spatium (space, time), and taking signa (accusative) as its direct object. Romanis is the dative of possession.
- 40.25.7obsesso per indutias sibi
The dative of the reflexive pronoun sibi (referring to the main subject, Aemilius) is agreed with the perfect participle dative obsesso. Together with subsidio (dative of purpose), it forms a double dative construction ("as a reinforcement to himself who was besieged").
- 40.25.10haec sera futura auxilia erant
The combination of the future participle futura and the imperfect verb erant forms an active periphrastic conjugation, expressing what was destined or about to happen from a past point of view ("these reinforcements were destined to be too late").