- 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-lat2:42.63.1-42.63.12
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-12
As the news of the cavalry battle spreads through Greece and reveals the inclinations of the people, the praetor Lucretius vigorously attacks and destroys Haliartus in Boeotia, and takes Thebes without a fight, handing it over to the pro-Roman faction.
fama equestris pugnae vulgata per Graeciam nudavit voluntates hominum. non enim solum qui partis Macedonum erant, sed plerique ingentibus Romanorum obligati beneficiis, quidam vim superbiamque experti Persei, laeti eam famam accepere,1 non ob aliam causam quam pravo studio, quo etiam in certaminibus ludicris vulgus utitur, deteriori atque infirmiori favendo.2
The news of the cavalry battle, spread through Greece, laid bare the inclinations of men. For not only those who were of the Macedonian party, but the majority of those bound by the immense benefits of the Romans, and some who had experienced the violence and pride of Perseus, received that news with joy, for no other reason than that perverse enthusiasm which the common people display even in games, by favoring the worse and the weaker.
eodem tempore in Boeotia summa vi Haliartum Lucretius praetor oppugnabat; et quamquam nec habebant externa auxilia obsessi praeter Coronaeorum iuniores, qui prima obsidione moenia intraverant, neque sperabant, tamen ipsi animis magis quam viribus resistebant.
At the same time in Boeotia, the praetor Lucretius was attacking Haliartus with the greatest force; and although the besieged had no external aid except the younger men of the Coronaeans, who had entered the walls at the first siege, nor did they hope for any, yet they resisted more by spirit than by strength.
nam et eruptiones in opera crebro faciebant, et arietem admotum nunc saxis ingentibus, nunc libramento plumbi gravatum ad terram urguebant, et si qua declinare nequiverant ictum, pro diruto muro novum tumultuario opere, raptim ex ipsa ruinae strage congestis saxis, extruebant.
For they frequently made sallies against the siege works, and pressed the ram, when brought up, to the ground, weighing it down now with huge stones, now with a counterpoise of lead; and if in any place they had been unable to ward off the blow, they built a new wall in place of the demolished one by temporary work, hastily gathering stones from the ruins themselves.
cum operibus lentior oppugnatio esset, scalas per manipulos dividi praetor iussit, ut corona undique moenia adgressurus, eo magis suffecturam ad id multitudinem ratus, quod,3 qua parte palus urbem cingit, nec adtinebat oppugnari nec poterat.
Since the assault was rather slow with the siege works, the praetor ordered the ladders to be distributed among the maniples, intending to attack the walls from all sides in a circle, thinking that the multitude would be the more sufficient for this because in the part where the marsh surrounds the city, there was no need to attack nor was it possible.
ipse ab ea parte, qua duae turres quodque inter eas muri erat, corruerat, duo milia militum delectorum admovit, ut eodem tempore, quo ipse transcendere ruinas conaretur, concursu adversus se oppidanorum facto, scalis vacua defensoribus moenia capi parte aliqua possent.
He himself moved up two thousand select soldiers at that part where two towers and the wall between them had collapsed, so that at the same time when he himself should attempt to cross the ruins, a rush of the townspeople being made against him, the walls, left empty of defenders, might be captured in some part by ladders.
haud segniter oppidani vim eius arcere parant. nam super stratum ruinis locum fascibus aridis sarmentorum iniectis stantes cum ardentibus facibus accensuros eam se saepem minabantur, ut, incendio intersaepti ab hoste, spatium ad obiciendum interiorem murum haberent.
Not sluggishly did the townspeople prepare to ward off his force. For throwing dry bundles of brushwood over the place covered with ruins, they, standing with burning torches, threatened that they would set fire to that hedge, so that, cut off from the enemy by the fire, they might have space to throw up an inner wall.
quod inceptum eorum fors inpediit; nam tantus repente effusus est imber, ut nec accendi facile pateretur et extingueret accensa.
A stroke of fortune prevented this attempt of theirs; for so great a rain suddenly poured down that it did not easily allow the fire to be kindled, and extinguished what had been lit.
itaque et transitus per distracta fumantia virgulta patuit, et in unius loci praesidium omnibus versis moenia quoque pluribus simul partibus scalis capiuntur.
Therefore, both a passage lay open through the scattered, smoking brushwood, and, while all turned to the defense of a single place, the walls were also captured in several parts at once by ladders.
in primo tumultu captae urbis seniores inpubesque, quos casus obvios obtulit, passim caesi; armati in arcem confugerunt; et postero die, cum spei nihil superesset, deditione facta sub corona venierunt.4
In the first confusion of the captured city, the old men and children, whom chance threw in the way, were slaughtered everywhere; the armed men fled to the citadel; and on the next day, when no hope remained, having made a surrender, they were sold as slaves.
fuerunt autem duo milia ferme et quingenti. ornamenta urbis, statuae et tabulae pictae, et quidquid pretiosae praedae fuit, ad naves delatum; urbs diruta a fundamentis.
Now they were about two thousand five hundred. The ornaments of the city, statues and paintings, and whatever precious booty there was, were carried down to the ships; the city was demolished from its foundations.
inde Thebas ductus exercitus; quibus sine certamine receptis urbem tradidit exulibus et qui Romanorum partis erant; adversae factionis hominum fautorumque regis ac Macedonum familias sub corona vendidit. his gestis in Boeotia ad mare ac naves redit.
Thence the army was led to Thebes; which having been recovered without a contest, he delivered the city to the exiles and those who were of the Roman party; the families of the men of the opposite faction and of the supporters of the king and the Macedonians, he sold as slaves. These things having been done in Boeotia, he returned to the sea and the ships.
- 42.63.1non enim solum qui partis Macedonum erant, sed plerique ingentibus Romanorum obligati beneficiis, quidam vim superbiamque experti Persei, laeti eam famam accepere
The subject of the sentence consists of three contrasting groups: 1) "qui partis Macedonum erant," 2) "plerique ingentibus Romanorum obligati beneficiis," and 3) "quidam vim superbiamque experti Persei," all of which serve as the subject for the common verb phrase "laeti eam famam accepere."
- 42.63.2deteriori atque infirmiori favendo
The ablative of the gerund "favendo" expresses means or manner, taking the substantivized dative adjectives "deteriori atque infirmiori" as its object.
- 42.63.5eo magis suffecturam ad id multitudinem ratus, quod
The expression "eo magis... quod..." reinforces a causal relationship ("the more so because..."). "suffecturam [esse]" is an accusative with infinitive construction (with "multitudinem" as the subject accusative) dependent on "ratus" (the perfect participle of "reor," meaning "thinking that...").
- 42.63.10sub corona venierunt
"sub corona venire" (literally "to be sold under a crown") is an idiomatic expression for prisoners of war being sold into slavery at auction, where "venierunt" is the perfect tense of the irregular verb "veneo" ("to be sold"), not from "venio" ("to come").