- 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-lat2:45.1.1-45.1.11
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-13
It describes how rumors of the victory in Macedonia spread and caused joy in the circus even before the official messengers arrived, followed by the actual arrival of the courier and the official proclamation to the rejoicing public.
victoriae nuntii, Q. Fabius et L. Lentulus et Q. Metellus, quanta potuit adhiberi festinatio,1 celeriter Romam cum venissent, praeceptam tamen eius rei laetitiam invenerunt.
When the messengers of victory, Q. Fabius, L. Lentulus, and Q. Metellus, had arrived quickly in Rome, with all the speed that could be made, they nevertheless found the joy of that event already anticipated.
quarto post die, quam2 cum rege est pugnatum, cum in circo ludi fierent, murmur repente populi tota spectacula pervasit pugnatum in Macedonia et devictum regem esse;
On the fourth day after the battle with the king was fought, while the games were being held in the circus, a rumor suddenly spread among the people throughout the entire spectator stands, that a battle had been fought in Macedonia and the king had been utterly defeated;
dein fremitus increvit; postremo clamor plaususque velut certo nuntio victoriae allato est exortus.
then the murmur grew; finally a shout and applause broke out, as if a certain message of victory had been brought.
mirari magistratus et quaerere3 auctorem repentinae laetitiae; qui postquam nullus erat,4 evanuit quidem tamquam certae rei gaudium, omen tamen laetum insidebat animis.
The magistrates wondered and sought the author of this sudden joy; after it turned out to be no one, the joy as if for a certain fact indeed vanished, but a joyful omen remained in their minds.
quod postquam veris nuntiis Fabi Lentulique et Metelli adventu firmatum est, cum victoria ipsa, tum augurio animorum suorum laetabantur.
And when this was confirmed by the true messages upon the arrival of Fabius, Lentulus, and Metellus, they rejoiced both at the victory itself and at the presage of their own minds.
et altera traditur circensis turbae non minus similis veri laetitia. ante diem quintum decimum kalendas Octobres, ludorum Romanorum secundo die, C. Licinio consuli ad quadrigas mittendas escendenti tabellarius, qui se ex Macedonia venire diceret, laureatas litteras reddidisse dicitur.
Another story of joy of the circus crowd, no less likely to be true, is also handed down. On the fifteenth day before the Kalends of October, the second day of the Roman Games, a courier, who said he came from Macedonia, is said to have delivered a laurelled letter to the consul C. Licinius as he was mounting to start the chariots.
quadrigis missis consul currum conscendit et, cum per circum reveheretur ad foros publicos, laureatas tabellas populo ostendit.
After the chariots were started, the consul mounted his chariot, and, as he was driven back through the circus to the public seats, he showed the laurelled tablets to the people.
quibus conspectis repente inmemor spectaculi populus in medium decurrit. eo senatum consul vocavit recitatisque tabellis ex auctoritate patrum pro foris publicis denuntiavit populo L. Aemilium collegam signis conlatis cum rege Perseo pugnasse;
On seeing these, the people, suddenly forgetful of the spectacle, rushed down into the center. There the consul summoned the senate, and after the tablets were read, by the authority of the senators, in front of the public seats, he announced to the people that his colleague L. Aemilius had fought a pitched battle with King Perseus;
Macedonum exercitum caesum fusumque; regem cum paucis fugisse; civitates omnes Macedoniae in dicionem populi Romani venisse.
that the army of the Macedonians had been slaughtered and routed; that the king had fled with a few; and that all the cities of Macedonia had come under the dominion of the Roman people.
his auditis clamor cum ingenti plausu ortus; ludis relictis domos magna pars hominum ad coniuges liberosque laetum nuntium portabant.5
On hearing this, a shout arose with immense applause; leaving the games, a great part of the men carried the joyful news home to their wives and children.
tertius decimus dies erat ab eo, quo in Macedonia pugnatum est.
It was the thirteenth day from that on which the battle was fought in Macedonia.
- 45.1.1quanta potuit adhiberi festinatio
The noun festinatio is attracted into the relative clause. It is equivalent to cum tanta festinatione, quanta adhiberi potuit (with as much speed as could be made).
- 45.1.2quarto post die, quam
A separation of post and quam, equivalent to quarto die postquam (on the fourth day after...). Due to inclusive counting in Roman calendar style, it means the fourth day including the day of the battle.
- 45.1.4mirari magistratus et quaerere
Historical infinitives. Used with the nominative subject magistratus to describe the vivid occurrence of past events, equivalent to the imperfect indicative (mirabantur, quaerebant).
- 45.1.4qui postquam nullus erat
Relative connection (nexus relativus). The relative pronoun qui refers back to the antecedent auctorem in the previous clause. Nullus is used predicatively to mean 'non-existent' or 'no one'.
- 45.1.10magna pars hominum ... portabant
Construction according to sense (constructio ad sensum). The singular collective noun magna pars takes the plural verb portabant, reflecting the plural meaning of the subject (many people).