- 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
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- CTS URN
- urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:43.8.1-43.8.10
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-12
Gaius Lucretius is summoned and accused by the tribunes in the senate and assembly, whereupon the senate reassures the Chalcidian envoys with redemptive measures, leading to Lucretius's condemnation and fine by the popular assembly.
accersere in senatum Lucretium placuit,1 ut disceptaret coram purgaretque sese.
It was resolved to summon Lucretius into the senate, so that he might plead his cause in person and clear himself.
ceterum multo plura praesens audivit, quam in absentem iacta erant; et graviores potentioresque accessere accusatores duo tribuni plebis, M’. Iuventius Talna et Cn. Aufidius.
However, being present, he heard far more charges than had been cast against him in his absence; and two more weighty and powerful accusers joined, namely the tribunes of the plebs, Manius Iuventius Talna and Gnaeus Aufidius.
ii non in senatu modo eum lacerarunt, sed in contionem etiam pertracto multis obiectis probris diem dixerunt.
These men not only assailed him in the senate, but even, having dragged him before the public assembly and cast many insults upon him, appointed a day for his trial.
senatus iussu Chalcidensibus Q. Maenius praetor respondit, quae bene meritos sese et ante et in eo bello, quod geratur, de populo Romano dicant, ea et scire vera eos referre senatum2 et perinde ac debeant grata esse.
By order of the senate, the praetor Quintus Maenius replied to the Chalcidians: as to what they said they had well deserved of the Roman people, both in the past and in this war now being waged, the senate both knew that they reported the truth and held those services as grateful as they ought to be.
quae facta a C. Lucretio fierique ab L. Hortensio praetoribus Romanis querantur, ea neque facta neque fieri voluntate senatus quem non posse existimare, qui sciat3 bellum Persei et ante Philippo, patri eius, intulisse4 populum. Romanum pro libertate Graeciae, non ut ea a magistratibus suis socii atque amici paterentur?
As to the things which they complained had been done by Gaius Lucretius and were being done by Lucius Hortensius, the Roman praetors, these were neither done nor being done by the will of the senate; for who could not realize this, if he knew that the Roman people had waged war against Perseus, and before him against his father Philip, for the liberty of Greece, and not so that their allies and friends should suffer such things from Roman magistrates?
litteras se ad L. Hortensium praetorem daturos esse, quae Chalcidenses querantur acta, ea senatui non placere; si qui in servitutem liberi venissent, ut eos conquirendos primo quoque tempore restituendosque in libertatem curaret;5 sociorum navalium neminem praeter magistros, in hospitia deduci aequum censere.
They would send a letter to the praetor Lucius Hortensius, stating that the actions of which the Chalcidians complained were not pleasing to the senate; that if any free persons had been reduced to slavery, he should take care that they be sought out at the very first opportunity and restored to freedom; and that they considered it right that none of the naval allies, except the captains, should be quartered in private lodgings.
haec Hortensio iussu senatus scripta. munera binum milium aeris6 legatis missa et vehicula Micythioni publice locata, quae eum Brundisium commode perveherent.
These things were written to Hortensius by order of the senate. Gifts of two thousand asses each were sent to the envoys, and carriages were provided for Micythion at public expense, which might carry him comfortably to Brundisium.
C. Lucretium, ubi dies, quae dicta erat, venit, tribuni ad populum accusarunt multamque deciens centum milium aeris dixerunt.7
When the day which had been appointed arrived, the tribunes accused Gaius Lucretius before the people and proposed a fine of one million asses.
comitiis habitis omnes quinque et triginta tribus eum condemnarunt.
When the assembly was held, all thirty-five tribes condemned him.
- 43.8.1placuit
Used impersonally, with the infinitive phrase accersere... serving as its subject, meaning 'it was resolved/decided (by the senate) to...'
- 43.8.4quae bene meritos sese... dicant, ea et scire vera eos referre senatum
A complex nested structure of indirect discourse. The quae clause is governed by dicant, within which sese bene meritos [esse] is an accusative with infinitive. The subsequent ea is the antecedent of the quae clause (neuter plural accusative, modifying implied merita). The subject of scire is senatum, which governs the accusative with infinitive eos referre along with the predicate adjective vera ('that what they report is true').
- 43.8.5quem non posse existimare, qui sciat...
A rhetorical question embedded in indirect discourse (Maenius's reply). The direct question quis non potest existimare? ('who cannot think?') is rendered as an accusative quem with infinitive posse according to the rules of indirect speech. The qui clause takes the subjunctive sciat to express a condition ('anyone who should know...').
- 43.8.5bellum Persei et ante Philippo, patri eius, intulisse
An asymmetrical construction. In the idiom bellum inferre ('to wage war against'), the genitive Persei ('of Perseus') modifies bellum (the war against Perseus), whereas the dative Philippo ('against Philip') is directly governed by intulisse.
- 43.8.7si qui in servitutem liberi venissent, ut eos conquirendos... curaret
The construction of curaret + gerundives (conquirendos, restituendos) expressing obligation or an action to be performed: 'he should take care that they be sought out and restored' (i.e., 'he should have them sought out and restored').
- 43.8.8binum milium aeris
binum is the archaic genitive plural of the distributive numeral bini ('two each'), standing for binorum. It means 'of two thousand asses each' (for each envoy).
- 43.8.9multamque deciens centum milium aeris dixerunt
multam dicere is a legal idiom meaning 'to impose/propose a fine.' deciens centum milia (literally 'ten times one hundred thousand') is the standard Latin expression for 'one million', with aeris (genitive of aes, copper coin/as) indicating the currency.