- 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-lat2:8.18.1-8.18.13
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-24
Amidst the deaths of many leading citizens, a maidservant's disclosure revealed a widespread poisoning conspiracy by noble matrons, leading to mass executions. Viewing this unprecedented event as a prodigy, the Romans appointed a dictator to drive a nail to restore sanity to the state.
foedus insequens annus seu intemperie caeli seu humana fraude fuit, M. Claudio Marcello C. Valerio consulibus.
The following year, either due to the inclemency of the weather or human wickedness, was a disastrous one, in the consulship of Marcus Claudius Marcellus and Gaius Valerius.
Flaccum Potitumque varie in annalibus cognomen consulis invenio; ceterum in eo parvi refert, quid veri sit; illud pervelim — nec omnes auctores sunt — proditum falso esse, venenis absumptos,1 quorum mors infamem annum pestilentia fecerit;
I find the cognomen of the consul variously given in the annals as Flaccus and Potitus; however, in this matter, it is of little importance which is the truth; I should very much wish—though not all authors agree—that the story was falsely handed down that they were carried off by poison, whose deaths made the year infamous for pestilence;
sicut proditur tamen res, ne cui auctorum fidem abrogaverim, exponenda est.
yet the story must be set forth as it is handed down, so that I may not destroy the credit of any of the authors.
cum primores civitatis similibus morbis eodemque ferme omnes eventu morerentur, ancilla quaedam ad Q. Fabium Maximum aedilem curulem indicaturam se causam publicae pestis professa est, si ab eo fides sibi data esset, haud futurum noxae indicium.2
When the leading men of the state were dying of similar diseases and almost all with the same result, a certain maidservant declared to the curule aedile Quintus Fabius Maximus that she would disclose the cause of the public pestilence, if a pledge were given her by him that the disclosure would not bring her harm.
Fabius confestim rem ad consules, consules ad senatum referunt, consensuque ordinis fides indici data.
Fabius immediately reported the matter to the consuls, and the consuls to the senate, and by the consensus of that body, the pledge was given to the informant.
tum patefactum muliebri fraude civitatem premi matronasque ea venena coquere et, si sequi extemplo velint, manifesto deprehendi posse.
Then it was revealed that the state was being afflicted by female treachery, and that matrons were brewing those poisons, and if they wished to follow immediately, they could be caught in the act.
secuti indicem et coquentis quasdam medicamenta et recondita alia invenerunt.
Having followed the informant, they found some brewing the drugs and others hidden away.
quibus in forum delatis et ad viginti matronis, apud quas deprehensa erant, per viatorem accitis, duae ex eis, Cornelia ac Sergia, patriciae utraque gentis, cum ea medicamenta salubria esse contenderent, ab confutante indice bibere iussae, ut se falsum commentam arguerent,3 spatio ad conloquendum sumpto, cum summoto populo in conspectu omnium rem ad ceteras rettulissent, haud abnuentibus et illis bibere, epoto medicamento suamet ipsae fraude omnes interierunt.
When these were brought into the forum, and about twenty matrons, in whose possession they had been detected, were summoned by an usher, two of them, Cornelia and Sergia, both of patrician house, since they maintained that the drugs were wholesome, were ordered by the refuting informant to drink them, in order to prove that she had invented a falsehood. Having taken time to consult, when the crowd was removed and they had referred the matter to the others in the sight of all, and since those others also did not refuse to drink, they all drank the drug and perished by their own wickedness.
conprehensae extemplo earum comites magnum numerum matronarum indicaverunt; ex quibus ad centum septuaginta damnatae.
Their companions, being immediately arrested, informed against a great number of matrons; of these, about a hundred and seventy were condemned.
neque de veneficiis ante eam diem Romae quaesitum est.
Nor had there ever been an inquiry concerning poisoning in Rome before that day.
prodigii ea res loco habita captisque magis mentibus quam consceleratis similis4 visa; itaque memoria ex annalibus repetita in secessionibus quondam plebis clavum ab dictatore fixum alienatasque discordia mentes hominum eo piaculo conpotes sui fuisse, dictatorem clavi figendi causa creari placuit.
The affair was regarded as a prodigy, and seemed to be the work of minds crazed rather than criminal; therefore, memory having been recalled from the annals that in former times, during the secessions of the plebeians, a nail had been driven by a dictator, and that the minds of men, distracted by discord, had been restored to sanity by that expiation, it was resolved that a dictator should be appointed for the purpose of driving the nail.
creatus Cn. Quinctilius magistrum equitum L. Valerium dixit, qui fixo clavo magistratu se abdicaverunt.
Gnaeus Quinctilius, having been appointed, named Lucius Valerius master of the horse, and having driven the nail, they resigned their office.
- 8.18.2illud pervelim... proditum falso esse, venenis absumptos
The accusative and infinitive clause proditum falso esse serves as the object of pervelim ('I should very much wish'), within which venenis absumptos [esse] ('that they were carried off by poison') functions as the subject accusative.
- 8.18.4haud futurum noxae indicium
noxae is a dative of purpose or result ('to be a source of harm'). The entire phrase is an accusative and infinitive clause with indicium as the subject and futurum [esse] as the infinitive verb, representing the apodosis in indirect speech following the conditional clause.
- 8.18.8ab confutante indice bibere iussae, ut se falsum commentam arguerent
The ut clause expresses purpose or result. It implies that by drinking, they were commanded to prove whether they had fabricated a falsehood (falsum commentam [esse]). The feminine singular participle commentam agrees logically with utraque which represents the individual patrician women.
- 8.18.12captisque magis mentibus quam consceleratis similis
The adjective similis ('like, resembling') governs the dative case mentibus. The participle captis here means 'seized, distracted (by madness)', which is contrasted with consceleratis ('criminal, wicked'), suggesting the citizens viewed the event as a temporary madness rather than deliberate malice.
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
- 2026-09-21 AI review — translation 1