- 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
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:44.38.1-44.38.11
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-12
The consul Paulus explains to Nasica and the soldiers his reasons for delaying the battle on the previous day, contrasting the disadvantages of fighting while fatigued with the strength of a well-rested army.
“P. Nasica, egregius adulescens, ex omnibus unus, quibus hesterno die pugnari placuit, denudavit mihi suum consilium; idem postea, ita ut transisse in sententiam meam videri posset, tacuit.
”Publius Nasica, an excellent young man, the only one out of all those who were pleased that a battle should be fought yesterday, disclosed his plan to me; the same man afterwards kept silent, so that he could seem to have gone over to my opinion.
quibusdam aliis absentem carpere imperatorem quam praesentem monere melius visum est.
To certain others, it seemed better to criticize the general in his absence than to advise him in his presence.
et tibi, P. Nasica, et quicumque idem, quod tu, occultius senserunt, non gravabor reddere dilatae pugnae rationem.
Both to you, Publius Nasica, and to whoever felt the same as you did, though more secretly, I shall not be reluctant to give the reason for delaying the battle.
nam tantum abest, ut me hesternae quietis paeniteat, ut servatum a me exercitum eo consilio credam.1 in qua me opinione sine causa esse ne quis vestrum credat, recognoscat agedum mecum, si videtur, quam multa pro hoste et adversus nos fuerint.
For so far am I from regretting yesterday’s rest, that I believe the army was saved by me through that decision. Lest any of you believe that I hold this opinion without reason, come, review with me, if you please, how many things were in favor of the enemy and against us.
iam omnium primum, quantum numero nos praestent, neminem vestrum nec ante ignorasse et hesterno die explicatam intuentis aciem animadvertisse certum habeo.
Now first of all, that they surpass us in number, I am certain that none of you was ignorant beforehand, and that you noticed it yesterday as you gazed upon their deployed line.
ex hac nostra paucitate quarta pars militum praesidio inpedimentis2 relicta erat; nec ignavissimum quemque relinqui ad custodiam sarcinarum scitis.
From this small force of ours, a fourth part of the soldiers had been left as a guard for the baggage; and you know that the most cowardly are not left for the custody of the baggage.
sed fuerimus omnes:3 parvom hoc tandem esse credimus, quod ex his castris, in quibus hac nocte mansimus, exituri in aciem hodierno aut summum crastino die, si ita videbitur, diis bene iuvantibus sumus?
But suppose we had all been present: do we believe it to be of little importance, pray, that we are to march out into battle from this camp, in which we remained last night, today or at latest tomorrow, if it shall seem best, with the gods kindly helping?
nihilne interest, utrum militem, quem neque viae labor eo die neque operis fatigaverit, requietum, integrum in tentorio suo arma capere iubeas atque in aciem plenum virium, vigentem et corpore et animo educas, an longo itinere fatigatum et onere fessum, madentem sudore, arentibus siti faucibus, ore atque oculis repletis pulvere, torrente meridiano sole, hosti obicias recenti, requieto, qui nulla re ante consumptas vires ad proelium adferat?
Does it make no difference whether you order a soldier who has been fatigued on that day neither by the labor of the march nor by that of the work, but is rested and fresh, to take up his arms in his own tent, and lead him out into the line full of strength, vigorous both in body and mind, or whether you expose him, worn out by a long march and exhausted by his burden, dripping with sweat, with jaws parched by thirst, his mouth and eyes filled with dust, under a scorching midday sun, to an enemy who is fresh and rested, who brings to the battle forces exhausted by nothing beforehand?
quis, pro deum fidem, ita conparatus, vel iners atque inbellis, fortissimum virum non vicerit?
Who, in the name of the gods, thus prepared, even if sluggish and cowardly, would not defeat the bravest man?
quid, quod4 hostes per summum otium instruxerant aciem, praeparaverant animos, stabant conpositi suis quisque ordinibus, nobis tunc repente trepidandum in acie instruenda erat et incompositis concurrendum?
What of the fact that the enemy had drawn up their line with the greatest leisure, had prepared their minds, and were standing arranged each in his own ranks, whereas we would then have had to hurry suddenly in drawing up our line and clash in disorder?”
- 44.38.4tantum abest, ut me hesternae quietis paeniteat, ut servatum a me exercitum eo consilio credam.
The impersonal verb paeniteat expresses regret, taking the person who regrets in the accusative (me) and the cause of regret in the genitive (hesternae quietis). The construction tantum abest, ut... ut... means 'so far is it from... that...', where the first ut-clause serves as the subject of abest, and the second introduces a clause of result.
- 44.38.6praesidio inpedimentis
This is a 'double dative' construction, combining the dative of purpose praesidio (as a guard) and the dative of reference inpedimentis (for the baggage).
- 44.38.7fuerimus omnes
The perfect subjunctive fuerimus is used here to express concession ('granted that we had all been present' or 'suppose we had all been').
- 44.38.11quid, quod
An idiomatic elliptical expression meaning 'what of the fact that...?' or 'furthermore, there is the fact that...', used to draw attention to the subsequent fact.