- 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-lat2:44.31.1-44.31.15
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-12
The Roman army attacks the Illyrian stronghold of Scodra, routing the enemy forces. Cornered, King Gentius surrenders unconditionally and is taken into custody by the Romans.
deinceps et urbes regionis eius idem faciebant, adiuvante inclinationem animorum clementia in omnis et iustitia praetoris Romani.1
After that, the cities of that region one after another did the same, the clemency and justice of the Roman praetor toward all helping the inclination of their minds.
a Scodram inde ventum est, quod belli caput erat, non eo solum, quod Gentius eam sibi ceperat velut regni totius arcem, sed etiam quod Labeatium gentis munitissima longe est et difficilis aditu.
From there, they came to Scodra, which was the seat of the war, not only because Gentius had chosen it for himself as the citadel of his whole kingdom, but also because it is by far the most fortified of the Labeatian nation and difficult of access.
duo cingunt eam flumina, Clausal a latere urbis, quod in orientem patet, praefluens, Barbanna ab regione occidentis, ex Labeatide palude oriens.
Two rivers surround it: the Clausal, flowing past the side of the city which opens to the east, and the Barbanna, rising from the Labeatian lake from the western region.
hi duo amnes confluentes incidunt † Oriundi flumini, quod ortum ex monte Scordo, multis et aliis auctum aquis, mari Hadriatico infertur.
These two rivers, flowing together, fall into the river Oriundis, which, rising from Mount Scordus and increased by many other waters, is carried into the Adriatic Sea.
mons Scordus, longe altissimus regionis eius, ab oriente Dardanicam subiectam habet, a meridie Macedoniam, ab occasu Illyricum.
Mount Scordus, by far the highest of that region, has the Dardanian land lying beneath it on the east, Macedonia on the south, and Illyricum on the west.
quamquam munitum situ naturali oppidum erat gensque id tota Illyriorum et rex ipse tuebatur, tamen praetor Romanus, quia prima successerant prospere, fortunam totius rei principia secuturam esse ratus et repentinum valiturum terrorem, instructo exercitu ad moenia succedit.
Although the town was fortified by its natural situation and the whole nation of the Illyrians and the king himself defended it, yet the Roman praetor, because the first attempts had succeeded prosperously, thinking that the fortune of the whole affair would follow its beginnings, and that a sudden terror would prevail, drew up his army and approached the walls.
quod si clausis portis muros portarumque turris dispositi armati defendissent, vano cum incepto moenibus pepulissent Romanos:
But if, with the gates shut, the armed men posted there had defended the walls and the towers of the gates, they would have repulsed the Romans from the walls with their attempt rendered vain;
nunc porta egressi proelium loco aequo maiore animo commiserunt quam sustinuerunt.2
as it was, having gone out of the gate, they joined battle in an open place with more courage than they sustained it.
pulsi enim et fuga conglobati, cum ducenti amplius in ipsis faucibus portae cecidissent, tantum intulerunt terrorem, ut oratores extemplo ad praetorem mitteret Gentius Teuticum et Bellum, principes gentis, per quos indutias peteret, ut deliberare de statu rerum suarum posset.
For having been repulsed and crowded together in flight, when more than two hundred had fallen in the very entrance of the gate, they caused such terror that Gentius immediately sent Teuticus and Bellus, chief men of the nation, as envoys to the praetor, to ask through them for a truce, so that he might be able to deliberate on the state of his affairs.
triduo in hoc dato, cum castra Romana quingentos ferme passus ab urbe abessent, navem conscendit et flumine Barbanna navigat in lacum Labeatum, velut secretum locum petens ad consultandum, sed, ut apparuit, falsa spe excitus Caravantium fratrem multis milibus armatorum coactis ex ea regione, in quam missus erat, adventare.
Three days being granted for this, while the Roman camp was about five hundred paces from the city, he went on board a ship and sailed along the river Barbanna into the Labeatian lake, as if seeking a secret place for consultation, but, as it appeared, excited by the false hope that his brother Caravantius was approaching with many thousands of armed men collected from that region to which he had been sent.
qui postquam evanuit rumor, tertio post die navem eandem secundo amni Scodram demisit; praemissisque nuntiis, ut sibi appellandi praetoris potestas fieret, copia facta in castra venit.
After this rumor vanished, on the third day after, he sent the same ship down the river with the current to Scodra; and having sent messengers ahead to obtain permission to speak with the praetor, when the opportunity was granted, he came into the camp.
et principium orationis ab accusatione stultitiae orsus suae, postremo ad preces lacrimasque effusus, genibus praetoris accidens in potestatem sese dedit.
And having begun his speech with the accusation of his own folly, and finally bursting into prayers and tears, falling at the knees of the praetor, he surrendered himself into his power.
primo bonum animum habere iussus, ad cenam etiam invitatus in urbem ad suos redit. et cum praetore eo die honorifice est epulatus, deinde in custodiam C. Cassio tribuno militum traditus, vix gladiatorio accepto, decem talentis, ab rege rex, ut in eam fortunam recideret.3
Having been first bid to be of good cheer, and even invited to dinner, he returned into the city to his people. And on that day he feasted honorably with the praetor, then he was delivered into custody to Gaius Cassius, a military tribune—having received from the king (Perseus) barely ten talents, a gladiatorial sum, for a king (Gentius) to fall back into such a fortune!
- 44.31.1adiuvante inclinationem animorum clementia in omnis et iustitia praetoris Romani
An ablative absolute construction with the present participle 'adiuvante'. The nouns 'clementia' and 'iustitia' function as the logical subjects, and 'inclinationem' is the direct object of the participle.
- 44.31.8proelium loco aequo maiore animo commiserunt quam sustinuerunt
Meaning 'they joined battle with greater courage than they sustained it.' This contrasts their initial aggressive enthusiasm in attacking with their lack of endurance in holding the defensive line.
- 44.31.15vix gladiatorio accepto, decem talentis, ab rege rex, ut in eam fortunam recideret
The adjective 'gladiatorio' (with 'pretio' understood) refers to a paltry sum typical for hiring gladiators. The sentence expresses historical irony and exclamation: that a king (Gentius) fell into such absolute ruin after receiving a mere ten talents—a sum fit for gladiators—from another king (Perseus).