Decree of Triumphs and Galba's Opposition to Paulus — Livy, History of Rome Book 45 (45.35.1–45.35.9), Latin & English

§45.35.1

Romam primum reges captivi, Perseus et Gentius, in custodiam cum liberis abducti,¹ dein turba alia captivorum, tum quibus Macedonum denuntiatum erat, ut Romam venirent, principumque Graeciae;

To Rome, first the captive kings, Perseus and Gentius, were taken into custody along with their children; then another crowd of captives, and then those of the Macedonians who had been ordered to come to Rome, and the leading men of Greece.

§45.35.2

nam ii quoque non solum praesentes exciti erant, sed etiam, si qui apud reges esse dicebantur, litteris arcessiti sunt.

For they too had not only been summoned if they were present, but also, if any were said to have been with the kings, they were sent for by letters.

§45.35.3

Paulus ipso post dies paucos regia nave ingentis magnitudinis, quam sedecim versus remorum agebant, ornata Macedonicis spoliis non insignium tantum armorum, sed etiam regiorum textilium, adverso Tiberi ad urbem est subvectus, conpletis ripis obviam effusa multitudine.

A few days later, Paulus himself was carried up the Tiber to the city in a royal vessel of immense size, which sixteen banks of oars propelled, adorned with Macedonian spoils consisting not only of splendid arms but also of royal textiles, while the banks were filled with the crowd that poured out to meet him.

§45.35.4

paucos post dies Anicius et Octavius classe sua advecti. tribus iis omnibus decretus est ab senatu triumphus mandatumque Q. Cassio praetori, cum tribunis plebis ageret, ex auctoritate patrum rogationem ad plebem ferrent, ut iis, quo die urbem triumphantes inveherentur, imperium esset.

A few days later, Anicius and Octavius arrived with their fleet. A triumph was decreed by the senate for all three of them, and instructions were given to the praetor Quintus Cassius to negotiate with the tribunes of the plebs, so that on the authority of the senators they might propose a bill to the plebs that these commanders should have imperium on the day they entered the city in triumph.

§45.35.5

intacta invidia media sunt: ad summa ferme tendit. nec de Anici nec de Octavi triumpho dubitatum est; Paulum, cui ipsi quoque se conparare erubuissent,² obtrectatio carpsit.

Envy leaves mediocre things untouched and generally aims at the highest. There was no doubt about the triumph of Anicius or of Octavius; but detraction assailed Paulus, a man with whom they themselves would have blushed to compare themselves.

§45.35.6

antiqua disciplina milites habuerat; de praeda parcius, quam speraverant ex tantis regiis opibus, dederat nihil relicturis, si aviditati indulgeretur, quod in aerarium deferret.

He had kept his soldiers under ancient discipline; and he had distributed less of the booty than they had hoped for from such vast royal wealth, as they would have left nothing to be carried into the treasury if their greed had been indulged.

§45.35.7

totus Macedonicus exercitus imperatori ita neglegenter adfuturus³ comitiis ferendae legis.

Thus, the entire Macedonian army was going to show itself indifferent to its commander at the assembly for passing the law.

§45.35.8

sed eos Ser. Sulpicius Galba, qui tribunus militum secundae legionis in Macedonia fuerat, privatim imperatori inimicus, prensando ipse et per suae legionis milites sollicitando stimulaverat, ut frequentes ad suffragium adessent.

But Servius Sulpicius Galba, who had been a military tribune of the second legion in Macedonia and was a personal enemy of the commander, had stimulated them, by shaking hands himself and soliciting them through the soldiers of his own legion, to attend the voting in large numbers.

§45.35.9

imperiosum ducem et malignum antiquando rogationem, quae de triumpho eius ferretur, ulciscerentur.⁴ plebem urbanam secuturam esse militum iudicia. pecuniam illum dare non potuisse: militem honorem dare posse. ne speraret ibi fructum gratiae, ubi non meruisset.

They should take vengeance on their imperious and stingy leader by rejecting the bill which was being proposed concerning his triumph. The urban plebs would follow the judgment of the soldiers. He had not been able to give them money; the soldiers were able to give him honor. Let him not hope for the fruit of gratitude where he had not earned it.

Syntax notes4 items

45.35.1abducti
This sentence lacks a finite verb. The participle abducti must be understood with an omitted sunt (abducti sunt) as the predicate. The subsequent noun phrases introduced by dein and tum (turba, the antecedent of quibus, and principum) are also subject to this same implied action of being led to Rome.
45.35.5cui ipsi quoque se conparare erubuissent
The pluperfect subjunctive erubuissent in this relative clause (referring back to Paulum) carries the nuance of a potential or counterfactual result in the past: 'a man with whom they themselves would have blushed to compare themselves (had they tried to do so)'.
45.35.7adfuturus
The future participle adfuturus is used alone without esse to serve as a predicate expressing future intention or destiny from a past perspective ('was going to attend / support'). This is a characteristic feature of Livy's concise historical style.
45.35.9ulciscerentur
This subjunctive represents the beginning of the indirect speech (oratio obliqua) report of Galba's instigation. An imperative in direct speech becomes the imperfect subjunctive ulciscerentur following the past tense of the main verb stimulaverat. The subsequent sentences transition into indirect statements with accusative-and-infinitive constructions (secuturam esse, potuisse).

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-22)

2026-09-22 AI review — source 1

urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:45.35.1-45.35.9