- 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-lat2:40.27.1-40.27.15
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-11
Realizing that no reinforcements are coming, Aemilius prepares for a decisive sally by positioning his troops at the four gates of the camp. Before launching the attack, he delivers a stirring speech to shame and inspire his soldiers, who respond with a unanimous demand for the signal to charge.
aemilius, postquam nihil usquam auxilii ostendebatur, interceptos credens equites,1 non ultra differendum ratus, quin2 per se fortunam temptaret, priusquam hostes venirent, qui segnius socordiusque oppugnabant, ad quattuor portas exercitum instruxit, ut signo dato simul ex omnibus partibus eruptionem facerent.
Aemilius, after no sign of help was shown anywhere, believing that the cavalry had been intercepted, and thinking that he must not delay any longer from trying fortune by himself before the enemy should arrive, who were attacking somewhat slowly and sluggishly, drew up his army at the four gates, so that, at a given signal, they might make a sally from all sides at once.
quattuor extraordinariis cohortibus duas adiunxit praeposito M. Valerio legato, erumpere praetoria porta iussit.
To four extraordinary cohorts he joined two, with the legate Marcus Valerius appointed to command them, and ordered them to burst forth from the praetorian gate.
ad dexteram principalem hastatos legionis primae instruxit; principes ex eadem legione in subsidiis posuit: M. Servilius et L. Sulpicius tribuni militum his praepositi.
At the right principal gate he drew up the hastati of the first legion; he placed the principes from the same legion in reserve: Marcus Servilius and Lucius Sulpicius, military tribunes, were placed in command of them.
tertia legio adversus sinistram principalem portam instructa est.
The third legion was drawn up opposite the left principal gate.
id tantum mutatum: principes primi et hastati in subsidiis locati; Sex. Iulius Caesar et L. Aurelius Cotta tribuni militum huic legioni praepositi sunt.
This only was changed: the principes were placed in the front line and the hastati in reserve; Sextus Julius Caesar and Lucius Aurelius Cotta, military tribunes, were placed in command of this legion.
Q. Fulvius Flaccus legatus cum dextera ala ad quaestoriam portam positus; duae cohortes et triarii duarum legionum in praesidio castrorum manere iussi.
The legate Quintus Fulvius Flaccus was posted with the right wing of the allies at the quaestorian gate; two cohorts and the triarii of the two legions were ordered to remain as a garrison for the camp.
omnes portas contionabundus ipse imperator circumiit, et, quibuscumque irritamentis poterat, iras militum acuebat, nunc fraudem hostium incusans, qui pace petita, indutiis datis, per ipsum indutiarum tempus contra ius gentium ad castra oppugnanda venissent:
The commander himself went around all the gates, addressing the men, and, with whatever incitants he could, whetted the anger of the soldiers, now denouncing the treachery of the enemy, who, after peace had been sought and a truce granted, had come during the very time of the truce, contrary to the law of nations, to attack the camp:
nunc, quantus pudor esset, edocens ab Liguribus, latronibus verius quam hostibus iustis, Romanum exercitum obsideri.
now pointing out how great a shame it was for a Roman army to be besieged by Ligurians, who were robbers rather than regular enemies.
“quo ore quisquam vestrum, si hinc alieno praesidio, non vestra virtute evaseritis, occurret, non dico eis militibus, qui Hannibalem, qui Philippum, qui Antiochum, maximos aetatis nostrae reges ducesque, vicerunt, sed iis,3 qui hos ipsos Ligures aliquotiens pecorum modo fugientes per saltus invios consectati ceciderunt?
”With what face will any of you, if you escape from here by someone else’s help and not by your own valour, meet—I do not say those soldiers who conquered Hannibal, Philip, and Antiochus, the greatest kings and commanders of our age, —but those who repeatedly pursued and slew these very Ligurians as they fled like cattle through pathless forests?
quod Hispani, quod Galli, quod Macedones Poenive non audeant,4 Ligustinus hostis vallum Romanum subit, obsidet ultro et oppugnat, quem scrutantes ante devios saltus abditum et latentem vix inveniebamus.”
What the Spaniards, what the Gauls, what the Macedonians or Carthaginians would not dare, a Ligurian enemy approaches the Roman rampart, and actually besieges and attacks it, whom we, when searching the remote forests before, could hardly find hidden and lurking.”
ad haec consentiens reddebatur militum clamor, nullam militum culpam esse, quibus nemo ad erumpendum signum dedisset, daret signum:
To this, a unanimous shout of the soldiers was returned, that there was no fault on the part of the soldiers, to whom no one had given the signal to burst out; let him give the signal:
intellecturum eosdem, qui antea fuerint, et Romanos et Ligures esse.
he would see that both the Romans and the Ligurians were the same as they had been before.
- 40.27.1interceptos credens equites
This is an accusative with infinitive construction (indirect speech) governed by 'credens', with the omission of 'esse' in the perfect passive infinitive (interceptos [esse] equites). In this context, 'equites' (cavalrymen) refers to the messengers sent out for help or communication mentioned in the previous chapter.
- 40.27.1non ultra differendum ratus, quin...
The construction consists of 'non differre quin' followed by the subjunctive. The impersonal gerundive 'differendum [esse]' is governed by 'ratus' (perfect participle of 'reor'), meaning 'thinking that there should be no further delay'. After expressions of delaying or preventing accompanied by a negative, 'quin' introduces the subjunctive ('temptaret').
- 40.27.11non dico eis militibus... sed iis
A structure where two dative antecedents, 'eis militibus' and 'iis', are placed in apposition as required by the verb 'occurret' (future indicative). The rhetorical formula 'non dico A, sed B' ('I do not say A, but B') emphasizes that if they escape by outside help, they will shamefully fail to face not only the great conquerors of Hannibal and Antiochus, but even those soldiers who routinely routed the Ligurians like cattle.
- 40.27.13quod Hispani... non audeant
The relative pronoun 'quod' is in the neuter accusative singular, with its antecedent being the entire action described in the main clause ('the Ligurian enemy approaches the Roman rampart, and actually besieges and attacks it'). The subjunctive 'audeant' is potential (or concessive), meaning 'what they would not dare to do'.
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-22)
- 2026-09-22 AI review — source 1