- 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-lat2:5.41.1-5.41.10
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-28
While the elderly former magistrates remaining in Rome await their death in their houses, the Gauls enter the city and gaze at their majestic figures with awe; however, when a Gaul strokes Papirius's beard, a conflict is provoked, initiating a general slaughter and destruction.
Romae interim satis iam omnibus ut in tali re ad tuendam arcem compositis turba seniorum domos regressi adventum hostium obstinato ad mortem animo expectabant.1
Meanwhile at Rome, since all preparations for defending the citadel had already been sufficiently made, as far as was possible in such a situation, the crowd of elders returned to their homes and awaited the arrival of the enemy with minds resolved upon death.
qui eorum curules gesserant magistratus, ut in fortunae pristinae honorumque ac virtutis insignibus morerentur, quae augustissima vestis est tensas ducentibus triumphantibusve, ea vestiti2 medio aedium eburneis sellis sedere.
Those of them who had held curule magistracies, in order that they might die in the insignia of their former fortune, honors, and virtue, arrayed themselves in the vestments which are the most majestic for those who lead the sacred chariots or celebrate triumphs, and sat on ivory chairs in the middle of their houses.
sunt qui M. Folio pontifice maximo praefante carmen devovisse eos se pro patria Quiritibusque Romanis tradant. Galli et quia interposita nocte a contentione pugnae remiserant animos et quod nec in acie ancipiti usquam certaverant proelio nec tum impetu aut vi capiebant urbem, sine ira, sine ardore animorum ingressi postero die urbem patente Collina porta in forum perveniunt circumferentes oculos ad templa deum arcemque solam belli speciem tenentem.
There are some who hand down that, with the Pontifex Maximus Marcus Folius reciting the formula beforehand, they devoted themselves for their country and the Roman citizens. The Gauls, both because they had relaxed their minds from the tension of battle during the intervening night, and because they had not fought any decisive battle anywhere in the field, nor were they then taking the city by storm or force, entered the city on the following day without anger or passion, and through the open Colline gate arrived in the Forum, casting their eyes around at the temples of the gods and at the citadel, which alone presented the appearance of war.
inde modico relicto praesidio, ne quis in dissipatos ex arce aut Capitolio impetus fieret, dilapsi ad praedam vacuis occursu hominum viis pars in proxima quaeque tectorum agmine ruunt, pars ultima, velut ea demum intacta et referta praeda, petunt;
From there, having left a moderate guard so that no attack from the citadel or the Capitol might be made upon them while they were dispersed, they scattered for plunder through streets empty of any meeting with men; some rushed in a body into the nearest houses, others headed for the furthest ones, as if those alone must be untouched and filled with booty.
inde rursus ipsa solitudine absterriti, ne qua fraus hostilis vagos exciperet, in forum ac propinqua foro loca conglobati redibant;
Then, frightened again by that very solitude, lest some hostile snare should catch them as they wandered, they returned in a body to the Forum and the places near the Forum.
ubi eos plebis aedificiis obseratis, patentibus atriis principum maior prope cunctatio tenebat aperta quam clausa invadendi;3
There, while the buildings of the plebeians were barred but the halls of the leading men stood open, an almost greater hesitation held them from invading the open places than the closed ones;
adeo haud secus quam venerabundi intuebantur in aedium vestibulis sedentes viros praeter ornatum habitumque humano augustiorem maiestate etiam, quam vultus gravitasque oris prae se ferebat, simillimos dis.4
to such a degree did they gaze, not otherwise than with worship, at the men sitting in the vestibules of the houses, who, besides their ornaments and attire more majestic than human, were extremely like gods even in the majesty which the gravity of their countenance and facial expression displayed.
ad eos velut ad simulacra versi cum starent, M. Papirius, unus ex iis, dicitur Gallo barbam suam, ut tum omnibus promissa erat, permulcenti scipione eburneo in caput incusso iram movisse atque ab eo initium caedis ortum, ceteros in sedibus suis trucidatos;
As they stood turned toward them as if toward statues, Marcus Papirius, one of them, is said to have provoked the anger of a Gaul who was stroking his beard—which was then grown long by everyone—by striking him on the head with his ivory staff, and from this the beginning of the slaughter arose, and the rest were butchered in their seats.
post principum caedem nulli deinde mortalium parci,5 diripi tecta, exhaustis inici ignes.
After the slaughter of the leading men, no mortal was then spared, the houses were plundered, and fire was set to them once they were emptied.
- 5.41.1turba seniorum domos regressi ... expectabant
Although the collective noun turba (singular feminine) is the grammatical subject, the participle regressi is masculine plural, and the verb expectabant is plural. This is an example of "agreement according to the sense" (constructio ad intellectum or synesis), matching the plural masculine reality of the elders.
- 5.41.2quae augustissima vestis est ... ea vestiti
The relative pronoun quae has the demonstrative pronoun ea (ablative singular feminine, modifying the omitted veste) of the main clause as its antecedent, agreeing in gender and number with the noun vestis within the relative clause. vestiti is a perfect participle used in a middle sense, taking the ablative ea ("dressed in it").
- 5.41.7aperta quam clausa invadendi
invadendi is the genitive of the gerund of invado, modifying the noun cunctatio ("hesitation to invade"). The neuter plural accusatives aperta and clausa function as the direct objects of this gerund invadendi, meaning "invading open places rather than closed ones."
- 5.41.8maiestate etiam ... simillimos dis
maiestate is an ablative of quality or respect, modifying the adjective simillimos ("extremely like"), which in turn modifies the men (viros) sitting in the vestibules ("extremely like the gods also in their majesty"). dis is the dative governed by the adjective similis.
- 5.41.10nulli deinde mortalium parci
parci is the present passive infinitive of parco (which governs the dative), used here as a historical infinitive. Since verbs governing the dative cannot be used personally in the passive, it takes an impersonal passive construction ("no mercy was shown to anyone"), thus retaining the dative nulli.