- 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-lat2:8.21.1-8.21.11
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-24
The bold reply of a Privernate envoy causes intense debate in the senate, but the consul and the moderate senators interpret it positively, leading to the grant of Roman citizenship to the Privernates and a colony being sent to Anxur.
cum ipsa per sese res anceps esset, prout cuiusque ingenium erat atrocius mitiusve suadentibus,1 tum incertiora omnia unus ex Privernatibus legatis fecit, magis condicionis, in qua natus esset, quam praesentis necessitatis memor, qui interrogatus a quodam tristioris sententiae auctore, quam poenam meritos Privernates censeret, “eam” inquit, “quam merentur qui se libertate dignos censent.”
While the matter itself was in its own nature critical, with those who advised being harsher or milder according to each one’s character, then one of the Privernate envoys made everything more uncertain, being more mindful of the condition in which he was born than of his present necessity, who, when asked by a certain author of a harsher opinion what punishment he thought the Privernates deserved, said, “That which they deserve who think themselves worthy of freedom.”
cuius cum feroci responso infestiores factos videret consul eos, qui ante Privernatium causam inpugnabant, ut ipse benigna interrogatione mitius responsum eliceret, “quid?
When the consul saw that those who had previously opposed the cause of the Privernates were made more hostile by his bold reply, in order that he himself might elicit a milder answer by a gentle questioning, he said, “What?
si poenam” inquit “remittimus vobis, qualem nos pacem vobiscum habituros speremus?” “si bonam dederitis” inquit, “et fidam et perpetuam;
If we remit the punishment for you, what kind of peace may we hope to have with you?” “If you give us a good one,” he said, “it will be both faithful and perpetual;
si malam, haud diuturnam.” tum vero minari, nec id ambigue, Privernatem quidam, et illis vocibus ad rebellandum incitari pacatos populos; pars mitior senatus ad meliora responsum trahere2 et dicere viri et liberi vocem auditam; an credi posse ullum populum aut hominem denique in ea condicione, cuius eum paeniteat, diutius, quam necesse sit, mansurum?3
if a bad one, it will not be of long duration.” Then indeed some threatened the Privernate, and that not ambiguously, and declared that by those words peaceful peoples were incited to rebellion; but the milder part of the senate interpreted the response in a better light, and said that the voice of a man and a freeman had been heard; for could it be believed that any people, or indeed any man, would remain in a condition which he regretted longer than was necessary?
ibi pacem esse fidam, ubi voluntarii pacati sint, neque eo loco, ubi servitutem esse velint,4 fidem sperandam esse.
There peace was faithful where men were voluntarily pacified, nor was fidelity to be hoped for in that place where they wished there to be slavery.
in hanc sententiam maxime consul ipse inclinavit animos, identidem ad principes sententiarum consulares, uti exaudiri posset a pluribus, dicendo eos demum, qui nihil praeterquam de libertate cogitent, dignos esse, qui Romani fiant.
To this opinion the consul himself especially inclined their minds, by saying repeatedly to the consulars, the leaders of opinion, so that he could be heard by the majority, that those alone who thought of nothing but freedom were worthy to become Romans.
itaque et in senatu causam obtinuere, et ex auctoritate patrum latum ad populum est, ut Privernatibus civitas daretur. eodem anno Anxur trecenti in coloniam missi sunt;
And so they won their cause in the senate, and on the authority of the fathers a proposal was brought to the people that citizenship should be given to the Privernates. In the same year, three hundred were sent as a colony to Anxur;
bina iugera agri acceperunt.
they received two iugera of land each.
- 8.21.1suadentibus
Present participle in the plural dative or ablative. Here, it is best interpreted as an ablative absolute with an omitted pronoun eis ('with people advising/suggesting'), explaining the atmosphere of the debate in relation to the preceding clause with prout.
- 8.21.5minari... incitari... trahere
In this series of infinitives, minari and trahere act as historical infinitives (equivalent to the imperfect indicative). On the other hand, the passive incitari is an infinitive in an accusative-with-infinitive construction (with pacatos populos as its subject) depending on minari or an implied verb of declaring or warning.
- 8.21.6an credi posse... mansurum
A rhetorical question in indirect speech. The accusative-with-infinitive clause ullum populum aut hominem... mansurum [esse] serves as the subject of credi, which depends on posse ('could it be believed that...').
- 8.21.7servitutem esse velint
The subject of the subjunctive velint is best understood as the rulers ('where they [the rulers] wish there to be slavery'), which best fits the context of the speech praising freedom and the moderate senators defending it.
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
- 2026-09-21 AI review — note 1