- 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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- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:8.35.1-8.35.12
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-24
Dictator Papirius pardons Fabius in response to the entreaties of the Roman people, emphasizing that it is a favor to them rather than an acquittal. Later, the soldiers' resentment towards the dictator grows after a legate fails to rescue foragers out of fear of the dictator's severe edicts.
stupentes tribunos et suam iam vicem1 magis anxios quam eius, cui auxilium ab se petebatur, liberavit onere consensus populi Romani ad preces et obtestationem versus, ut sibi poenam magistri equitum dictator remitteret.
The consensus of the Roman people, turning to prayers and entreaties that the dictator would remit the punishment of the master of the horse for their sake, freed the astonished tribunes, who were now more anxious on their own account than for his sake whose aid was being sought from them, from their burden.
tribuni quoque inclinatam rem in preces subsecuti orare dictatorem insistunt, ut veniam errori humano, veniam adulescentiae Q. Fabi daret;
The tribunes also, following the turn of affairs towards prayers, persisted in entreating the dictator that he would grant pardon to human error, and pardon to the youth of Q. Fabius;
satis eum poenarum dedisse. iam ipse adulescens, iam pater M. Fabius contentionis obliti procumbere ad genua et iram deprecari2 dictatoris. tum dictator silentio facto “bene habet” inquit, “Quirites. vicit disciplina militaris, vicit imperii maiestas, quae in discrimine fuerunt, an ulla post hanc diem essent.
[asserting] that he had paid enough penalty. Now the young man himself, now his father M. Fabius, having forgotten the struggle, prostrated themselves at his knees and deprecated the anger of the dictator. Then the dictator, silence having been made, said: “It is well, ”Quirites. Military discipline has conquered, the majesty of command has conquered, which were in jeopardy whether any would exist after this day.
non noxae3 eximitur Q. Fabius, qui contra edictum imperatoris pugnavit, sed noxae damnatus donatur populo Romano, donatur tribuniciae potestati, precarium, non iustum auxilium ferenti.
Q. Fabius, who fought against the edict of the commander, is not exempted from punishment, but, condemned for his offense, is presented to the Roman people, is presented to the tribunician power, which brought a precarious, not a rightful assistance.
vive, Q. Fabi, felicior hoc consensu civitatis ad tuendum te quam qua paulo ante exsultabas victoria; vive, id facinus ausus, cuius tibi ne parens quidem, si eodem loco fuisset, quo fuit L. Papirius, veniam dedisset.
Live, Q. Fabius, happier in this consensus of the state to protect you than in the victory in which you were exulting a little before; live, having dared that deed for which not even your parent, if he had been in the same place in which L. Papirius was, would have given you pardon.
mecum, ut voles, reverteris in gratiam; populo Romano, cui vitam debes, nihil maius praestiteris, quam si hic tibi dies satis documenti dederit, ut bello ac pace pati legitima imperia possis.”
With me, as you wish, you shall return to favor; to the Roman people, to whom you owe your life, you can perform nothing greater than if this day shall have given you sufficient proof so that in war and in peace you can endure lawful commands.”
cum se nihil morari4 magistrum equitum pronuntiasset, degressum eum templo laetus senatus, laetior populus, circumfusi ac gratulantes hinc magistro equitum hinc dictatori, prosecuti sunt, firmatumque imperium militare haud minus periculo Q. Fabi quam supplicio miserabili adulescentis Manli videbatur. forte ita eo anno evenit, ut, quotiescumque dictator ab exercitu recessisset, hostes in Samnio moverentur. ceterum in oculis exemplum erat Q. Fabius M. Valerio legato, qui castris praeerat, ne quam vim hostium magis quam trucem dictatoris iram timeret.
When he had declared that he was in no way detaining the master of the horse, as he departed from the temple, the joyful senate and the more joyful people, crowding around and congratulating on one side the master of the horse and on the other the dictator, followed him; and the military command seemed to have been strengthened no less by the danger of Q. Fabius than by the miserable punishment of the young Manlius. By chance it so happened in that year that, as often as the dictator departed from the army, the enemy in Samnium moved. But Q. Fabius was an example before the eyes of M. Valerius the legate, who was in charge of the camp, lest he should fear any force of the enemy more than the grim wrath of the dictator.
itaque frumentatores cum circumventi ex insidiis caesi loco iniquo essent, creditum vulgo est subveniri eis ab legato potuisse, ni tristia edicta exhorruisset.5
Therefore, when the foragers, having been surrounded from ambush, were slain in an unfavorable place, it was commonly believed that help could have been brought to them by the legate, if he had not dreaded the harsh edicts.
ea quoque ira alienavit a dictatore militum animos, iam ante infensos, quod inplacabilis Q. Fabio fuisset et, quod suis precibus negasset, eius populo Romano veniam dedisset.
That anger also alienated the minds of the soldiers from the dictator, already hostile before, because he had been implacable to Q. Fabius, and had granted to the Roman people that pardon which he had denied to their own prayers.
- 8.35.1suam iam vicem
The noun vicem (accusative of vicis) is used adverbially with the possessive adjective suam to mean "on their own account" or "for their own sake."
- 8.35.3procumbere ... deprecari
Historical infinitives used instead of the imperfect indicative to describe vivid action. The subjects (adulescens, pater M. Fabius) remain in the nominative case.
- 8.35.5noxae
The genitive of the noun noxa (offense, penalty). In noxae eximitur, it functions as a genitive of separation; in noxae damnatus, it acts as a genitive of charge or penalty with a verb of condemning.
- 8.35.8nihil morari
Literally "to delay not at all," but here used as an official or judicial idiom with an accusative object to mean "not to detain further" or "to discharge/acquit."
- 8.35.11ni tristia edicta exhorruisset
A pluperfect subjunctive (exhorruisset) introducing a past counterfactual protasis. The apodosis is expressed by the infinitive subveniri... potuisse in indirect discourse, representing the past indicative potuit. Verbs of ability or possibility normally take the indicative in counterfactual apodoses.