- 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-lat2:7.40.1-7.40.19
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-25
Dictator Corvus and the rebel leader Quinctius confront each other; through Corvus's appeal and Quinctius's persuasion, the rebel soldiers are moved to seek peace without fighting.
ubi primum in conspectum ventum est1 etarma signaque agnovere, extemplo omnibus memoria patriae iras permulsit.
As soon as they came into each other’s sight and recognized the arms and standards, immediately the memory of their country soothed the anger in the minds of all.
nondum erant tam fortes ad sanguinem civilem nec praeter externa noverant bella, ultimaque rabies secessio ab suis habebatur; itaque iam duces, iam milites utrimque congressus quaerere2 ac conloquia:
They were not yet so hardened for civil bloodshed, nor did they know any wars except foreign ones, and secession from their own people was considered the ultimate madness; therefore now the leaders, now the soldiers on both sides began to seek meetings and conversations.
Quinctius, quem armorum etiam pro patria satietas teneret,3 nedum adversus patriam, Corvinus, omnes caritate cives, praecipue milites et ante alios suum exercitum, complexus.is ad conloquium processit.
Quinctius, whom a satiety of arms even for his country possessed, much less against his country, and Corvinus, who embraced all citizens with affection, especially the soldiers and his own army before others, both desired peace. He advanced to the conference.
cognito ei4 extemplo haud minore ab adversariis verecundia quam ab suis silentium datum. “Deos” inquit “inmortales, milites, vestros meosque ab urbe proficiscens ita adoravi veniamque supplex poposci, ut mihi de vobis concordiae partae gloriam, non victoriam darent.
As soon as he was recognized, silence was granted to him with no less respect from the adversaries than from his own men. He said: “Soldiers, departing from the city, I so adored the immortal gods, both yours and mine, and suppliantly begged their favor, that they might grant me the glory of peace achieved concerning you, not victory.
satis fuit eritque, unde belli decus pariatur; hinc pax petenda est. quod deos inmortales inter nuncupanda vota expoqosci, eius me conpotem voti vos facere potestis, si meminisse vultis non vos in Samnio nec in Volscis, sed in Romano solo castra habere, si illos colles, quos cernitis, patriae vestrae esse, si hunc exercitum civium vestrorum, si me consulem vestrum, cuius ductu auspicioque priore anno bis legiones Samnitium fudistis, bis castra vi cepistis.
There has been and will be enough source from which military glory may be obtained; from here, peace must be sought. What I begged of the immortal gods amid the pronouncing of vows, you are able to make me possessor of that vow, if you are willing to remember that you do not have your camp in Samnium nor among the Volscians, but on Roman soil; that those hills, which you see, are of your country; that this army consists of your fellow-citizens; and that I am your consul, under whose leadership and auspices in the previous year you twice routed the legions of the Samnites and twice took their camp by force.
ego sum M. Valerius Corvus, milites, cuius vos nobilitatem beneficiis erga vos, non iniuriis sensistis, nullius superbae in vos legis, nullius crudelis senatus consulti auctor, in omnibus meis imperiis in me severior quam in vos.
I am Marcus Valerius Corvus, soldiers, whose nobility you have experienced by benefits toward you, not by injuries; the author of no proud law against you, of no cruel decree of the senate; in all my commands more severe toward myself than toward you.
ac si cui genus, si cui sua virtus, si cui etiam maiestas, si cui honores subdere spiritus potuerunt, iis eram natus, id specimen mei dederam, ea aetate consulatum adeptus eram, ut potuerim tris et viginti annos natus consul patribus quoque ferox esse, non solum plebi.
And if birth, if his own virtue, if even majesty, if honors were able to inspire pride in anyone, I was born to those things, I had given such proof of myself, and I had obtained the consulship at such an age, that as a consul twenty-three years old I could have been haughty even toward the patricians, not only the plebeians.
quod meum factum dictumve consulis gravius quam tribuni audistis? eodem tenore duo insequentes consulatus gessi, eodem haec imperiosa dictatura geretur, neque in hos meos et patriae meae milites mitior quam in vos — horreo dicere — hostes ero.
What deed or word of mine as consul did you hear that was more harsh than that of a tribune? With the same tenor I conducted two subsequent consulships, with the same this imperious dictatorship will be conducted; nor shall I be gentler to these my and my country’s soldiers than to you—I shudder to say it—enemies.
vos prius in me strinxeritis ferrum quam in vos ego; istinc signa canent, istinc clamor prius incipiet atque impetus, si dimicandum est.
You will draw the sword against me sooner than I against you; from your side the trumpets will sound, from your side the shout and onset will first begin, if we must fight.
inducite in animum, quod non induxerunt patres avique vestri, non illi, qui in Sacrum montem secesserunt, non hi, qui postea Aventinum insederunt. expectate, dum vobis singulis, ut olim Coriolano, matres coniugesque crinibus passis obviae ab urbe veniant! tum Volscorum legiones, quia Romanum habebant ducem, quieverunt; vos, Romanus exercitus, ne destiteritis inpio bello!5
Resolve in your minds what your fathers and grandfathers did not resolve—neither those who seceded to the Sacred Mount, nor those who afterwards occupied the Aventine. Wait until mothers and wives with dishevelled hair come from the city to meet each of you, as once they did to Coriolanus! Then the legions of the Volscians, because they had a Roman leader, remained quiet; do you, a Roman army, not desert your country by an impious war!
T. Quincti, quocumque istic loco seu volens seu invitus constitisti, si dimicandum erit, tum tu in novissimos te recipito; fugeris etiam honestius tergumque civi dederis quam pugnaveris contra patriam;
Titus Quinctius, in whatever place you have taken your stand there, whether willingly or unwillingly, if we must fight, then do you retreat to the rear; you will even flee more honorably and show your back to a fellow citizen than fight against your country.
nunc ad pacificandum bene atque honeste inter primos stabis et conloquii huius salutaris interpres fueris. postulate aequa et ferte; quamquam vel iniquis standum est potius quam inpias inter nos conseramus manus.” T. Quinctius plenus lacrimarum ad suos versus “me quoque” inquit, “milites, si quis usus mei est, meliorem pacis quam belli habetis ducem.
Now for the purpose of peacemaking, you will stand well and honorably among the first and be the mediator of this salutary conference. Demand what is fair and receive it; although we must abide even by unfair terms rather than join impious hands among ourselves.” Titus Quinctius, full of tears, having turned to his men, said: “In me also, soldiers, if there is any use of me, you have a better leader for peace than for war.
non enim illa modo Volscus aut Samnis, sed Romanus verba fecit, vester consul, vester imperator, milites, cuius auspicia pro vobis experti nolite adversus vos velle experiri. qui pugnarent vobiscum infestius,6 et alios duces senatus habuit; qui maxime vobis, suis militibus, parceret, cui plurimum vos, imperatori vestro, crederetis, eum elegit.
For those words not a Volscian or a Samnite spoke, but a Roman, your consul, your commander, soldiers, whose auspices having experienced on your behalf, do not wish to experience against yourselves. Those who would fight against you more hostilely the senate had as other leaders; but him who would spare you most, his own soldiers, and whom you, your commander, would trust most, it chose.
pacem etiam qui vincere possunt volunt; quid nos velle oportet?
Even those who are able to conquer desire peace; what ought we to desire?
quin omissis ira et spe, fallacibus auctoribus, nos ipsos nostraque omnia cognitae permittimus fidei?”
Why do we not, dismissing anger and hope, deceitful advisers, entrust ourselves and all our things to a tried loyalty?”
- 7.40.1in conspectum ventum est
An impersonal passive construction using the third-person singular neuter passive of the intransitive verb venire, meaning "when they came within sight of one another."
- 7.40.2quaerere
quaerere is a historical infinitive, functioning as an imperfect (or perfect) indicative with the subjects duces and milites, meaning "began to seek." Before conloquia, a verb (such as iniere or again quaerere) is understood.
- 7.40.3quem armorum etiam pro patria satietas teneret
The subjunctive teneret in the relative clause is a subjunctive of characteristic or cause, explaining Quinctius's inner state and the reason why he sought peace.
- 7.40.4cognito ei
cognito functions as an ablative absolute, either impersonally or agreeing with a pronoun, meaning "when he [Corvus] was recognized," with ei as the dative of reference or agent depending on silentium datum.
- 7.40.12ne destiteritis inpio bello
destiteritis is a syncopated form of destitueritis (from destitueris/destituere, to abandon or desert) in the perfect subjunctive, which with ne expresses a prohibition: "do not desert [your country] by an impious war." Interpreting it from desistere (to cease) would yield "do not cease from an impious war," which contradicts the context.
- 7.40.16qui pugnarent vobiscum infestius
A relative clause with the subjunctive pugnarent, whose antecedent is alios duces in the following section (§7.40.17). The syntactic structure involves a hyperbaton across the section boundary.