- 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-lat2:9.39.1-9.39.11
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-22
The dictator Papirius, leading the newly raised legions, joins the consul Marcius, defeats the Umbrians, and wins a decisive victory over the elite Etruscan army in a fierce battle at Lake Vadimo, capturing their camp.
dictator postero die auspiciis repetitis pertulit legem; et profectus cum legionibus ad terrorem traducti silvam Ciminiam exercitus nuper scriptis1 ad Longulam pervenit acceptisque a Marcio consule veteribus militibus in aciem copias eduxit.
The dictator, having repeated the auspices on the following day, passed the law; and having set out with the legions recently enlisted on account of the terror concerning the army that had been led across the Ciminian forest, he arrived at Longula, and having received the veteran soldiers from the consul Marcius, he led his forces out into line of battle.
nec hostes detractare visi pugnam. instructos deinde armatosque, cum ab neutris proelium inciperet, nox oppressit. quieti aliquamdiu, nec suis diffidentes viribus nec hostem spernentes, stativa in propinquo habuere. **nam2 et cum Umbrorum exercitu acie depugnatum est; fusi tamen magis quam caesi hostes, quia coeptam acriter non tolerarunt pugnam;
Nor did the enemy seem to decline battle. Then, when they were drawn up and armed, before the battle could be begun by either side, night overtook them. Quiet for some time, neither distrusting their own strength nor despising the enemy, they kept their stationary camp nearby. For both a battle was fought in regular line with the army of the Umbrians—though the enemy were routed rather than slain, because they did not withstand the conflict which had been sharply begun—
et ad Vadimonis lacum Etrusci lege sacrata coacto exercitu, cum vir virum legisset,3 quantis numquam alias ante simul copiis simul animis dimicarunt;
and at the lake of Vadimo the Etruscans, having assembled an army under a sacred law, where each man had chosen his man, fought with such great forces and at the same time with such great courage as they never had before at any other time;
tantoque irarum certamine gesta res est, ut ab neutra parte emissa sint tela. gladiis pugna coepit et acerrime commissa ipso certamine, quod aliquamdiu anceps fuit, accensa est, ut non cum Etruscis totiens victis, sed cum aliqua nova gente videretur dimicatio esse.
and the conflict was carried on with such a great struggle of passions that no weapons were thrown from either side. The fight began with swords, and having been most fiercely joined, it was inflamed by the very struggle, which was for some time doubtful, so that the battle seemed to be not with the Etruscans so often vanquished, but with some new nation.
nihil ab ulla parte movetur fugae; cadunt antesignani, et, ne nudentur propugnatoribus signa, fit ex secunda prima acies. ab ultimis deinde subsidiis cietur miles;
No movement of flight was made from any part; the front-rank men fell, and, lest the standards should be left bare of defenders, the second line became the first. Then the soldiers were summoned from the furthest reserves;
adeoque ad ultimum laboris ac periculi ventum est, ut equites Romani omissis equis ad primos ordines peditum per arma, per corpora evaserint. ea velut nova inter fessos exorta acies turbavit signa Etruscorum;
and they came to such an extremity of labor and danger that the Roman knights, leaving their horses, made their way through arms and through bodies to the front ranks of the infantry. This line, arising as if new among the weary, threw the standards of the Etruscans into confusion;
secuta deinde impetum eorum, utcumque adfecta erat, cetera multitudo tandem perrumpit ordines hostium. tunc vinci pertinacia coepta et averti manipuli quidam, et, — ut semel dedere terga, etiam ceteri omnes capessere fugam.
then, following their onset, the rest of the multitude, in whatever state of exhaustion they were, at last broke through the ranks of the enemy. Then their obstinacy began to be overcome and certain maniples to turn away, and, as soon as they once turned their backs, all the rest also began to flee.
ille primum dies fortuna vetere abundantes Etruscorum fregit opes. caesum in acie, quod roboris fuit;4 castra eodem impetu capta direptaque.
That day for the first time broke the power of the Etruscans, which was overflowing with their ancient fortune. What there was of their strength was slain in the battle; their camp was taken and plundered by the same onset.
- 9.39.1ad terrorem traducti silvam Ciminiam exercitus nuper scriptis
nuper scriptis (recently enlisted) modifies the implied ablative plural 'legionibus'. 'ad terrorem' is followed by the genitive singular of the fourth-declension noun 'exercitus' (and its modifying participle 'traducti'), meaning 'on account of the terror concerning the army'. 'silvam Ciminiam' is an accusative of place through which, governed by the transitive force of the passive participle 'traducti'.
- 9.39.3nam
The conjunction 'nam' at the end of section 3 introduces the two parallel clauses in sections 4 and 5, marked by 'et... et...', which explain the reasons why the Romans 'neither distrusted their own strength nor despised the enemy' by citing historical engagements.
- 9.39.5cum vir virum legisset
A historical 'cum' clause with the pluperfect subjunctive. 'vir virum legere' (where each man chooses his man) refers to an ancient military recruitment custom under a sacred law, in which each selected soldier chooses his closest comrade, recursively forming an elite force bound by oath.
- 9.39.11quod roboris fuit
The relative pronoun 'quod' is followed by 'roboris', a partitive genitive of 'robur' (strength, flower of the army). Literally meaning 'what there was of strength', it functions substantively to refer to the core or elite force of the Etruscan army.