- 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-lat2:7.31.1-7.31.12
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-25
Rome initially refuses military aid to Campania to respect their older treaty with the Samnites, but the situation changes when the Campanians perform a total surrender of themselves to Rome; Rome then sends envoys to protect its new territory, but the Samnites defiantly order immediate plundering.
Submotis deinde legatis cum consultus senatus esset, etsi magnae parti1 urbs maxima opulentissimaque Italiae, uberrimus ager marique propinquus ad varietates annonae horreum populi Romani fore videbatur, tamen tanta utilitate fides antiquior fuit, responditque ita ex auctoritate senatus consul:
Then, when the ambassadors had been dismissed and the senate was consulted, although to a great part of them the greatest and most opulent city of Italy, with its extremely fertile land near the sea, seemed likely to become a granary of the Roman people against fluctuations in the grain supply, yet good faith was more ancient than such great utility, and the consul replied as follows on the authority of the senate:
“auxilio vos, Campani, dignos censet senatus; sed ita vobiscum amicitiam institui par est, ne qua vetustior amicitia ac societas violetur. Samnites nobiscum foedere iuncti sunt; itaque arma, deos prius quam homines violatura, adversus Samnites vobis negamus;
”The senate deems you worthy of aid, Campanians; but it is right that friendship be established with you in such a way that no older friendship and alliance be violated. The Samnites are joined to us by a treaty; therefore, we refuse you arms against the Samnites, which would violate gods before men.
legatos, sicut ius fasque est, ad socios atque amicos precatum mittemus, ne qua vobis vis fiat.” ad ea princeps legationis — sic enim domo mandatum attulerant —: “quando quidem” inquit “nostra tueri adversus vim atque iniuriam iusta vi non vultis, vestra certe defendetis;
We shall send ambassadors, as is human and divine law, to our allies and friends to request that no violence be done to you.” To this, the chief of the embassy—for they had brought such an instruction from home—said: “Since indeed you are unwilling to defend our property with just force against violence and injustice, you will certainly defend your own.
itaque populum Campanum urbemque Capuam, agros, delubra deum, divina humanaque omnia in vestram, patres conscripti, populique Romani dicionem dedimus, quidquid deinde patiemur, dediticii vestri passuri.”
Therefore, Conscript Fathers, we surrender the Campanian people and the city of Capua, the fields, the shrines of the gods, and all things divine and human into your power and that of the Roman people, so that whatever we suffer hereafter, we shall suffer as your surrenderers.”
sub haec dicta omnes, manus ad consules tendentes, pleni lacrimarum in vestibulo curiae procubuerunt.
Upon these words, all of them, stretching out their hands to the consuls, full of tears, prostrated themselves in the vestibule of the senate house.
commoti patres vice fortunarum humanarum, si2 ille praepotens opibus populus, luxuria superbiaque clarus, a quo paulo ante auxilium finitimi petissent, adeo infractos gereret animos, ut se ipse suaque omnia potestatis alienae faceret.
The Fathers were deeply moved by the turn of human fortunes, that a people so prepotent in resources, famous for luxury and pride, from whom neighboring peoples had shortly before sought aid, should bear spirits so broken that they made themselves and all their possessions subject to foreign power.
tum iam fides agi visa deditos non prodi; nec facturum aequa Samnitium populum censebant, si agrum urbemque per deditionem factam populi Romani oppugnarent. legatos itaque extemplo mitti ad Samnites placuit.
Now indeed it seemed that good faith was at stake, not to betray those who had surrendered; nor did they think the Samnite people would act justly if they attacked the territory and city of the Roman people, acquired through surrender. Therefore, it was decided that ambassadors be sent immediately to the Samnites.
data mandata, ut preces Campanorum, responsum senatus amicitiae Samnitium memor, deditionem postremo factam Samnitibus exponerent;
Instructions were given that they should set forth to the Samnites the entreaties of the Campanians, the response of the senate mindful of the friendship with the Samnites, and finally, the surrender that had been made;
peterent pro societate amicitiaque, ut dediticiis suis parcerent neque in eum agrum, qui populi Romani factus esset, hostilia arma inferrent;
they were to ask, in the name of alliance and friendship, that they spare those who had surrendered to them and not bring hostile arms into the territory which had become the property of the Roman people;
si leniter agendo parum proficerent, denuntiarent Samnitibus populi Romani senatusque verbis, ut Capua urbe Campanoque agro abstinerent.
if they accomplished little by acting gently, they should announce to the Samnites in the name of the Roman people and the senate that they must abstain from the city of Capua and the Campanian territory.
haec legatis agentibus in concilio Samnitium adeo est ferociter responsum, ut non solum gesturos se esse dicerent id bellum, sed magistratus eorum e curia egressi stantibus legatis3 praefectos cohortium vocarent iisque clara voce imperarent, ut praedatum in agrum Campanum extemplo proficiscerentur.
While the ambassadors were presenting these matters in the council of the Samnites, the response was so fierce that they not only declared they would wage that war, but their magistrates, having gone out of the senate house while the ambassadors were standing there, called the commanders of the cohorts and ordered them in a loud voice to set out immediately to plunder the Campanian territory.
- 7.31.1magnae parti
Dative of reference or judgment. Working with the copulative/passive verb videbatur (it seemed), it indicates the agents of the judgment: "to a great part [of the senators]."
- 7.31.6si
The conjunction si here does not introduce a conditional clause, but rather a noun clause expressing the cause or ground of emotion (after commoti), translated as "at the fact that" or "seeing that."
- 7.31.11stantibus legatis
An ablative absolute construction utilizing the present participle. It highlights the highly insulting and defiant diplomatic gesture: the Samnite magistrates issued their hostile orders "while the Roman ambassadors were [still] standing" right before them.
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
- 2026-09-21 AI review — translation 1