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Livy · History of Rome §1.22.1-1.22.7

Accession of Tullus Hostilius and Disputes with Alba

Passage 23 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

Following Numa's death, the warlike Tullus Hostilius is elected king, and a series of mutual plundering incidents between Rome and Alba Longa is utilized by Tullus to systematically lead both nations toward war.

§1.22.1Numae morte ad interregnum res rediit.
At the death of Numa, the state returned to an interregnum.
inde Tullum Hostilium, nepotem Hostili, cuius in infima arce clara pugna adversus Sabinos fuerat, regem populus iussit; §1.22.2patres auctores facti.
Thereupon the people chose Tullus Hostilius, the grandson of Hostilius, whose famous battle against the Sabines had been at the foot of the citadel, as king; the senators confirmed the choice.
hic non solum proximo regi dissimilis sed ferocior etiam quam Romulus fuit.
This man was not only unlike the last king, but was even more warlike than Romulus.
cum aetas viresque tum avita quoque gloria animum stimulabat.
Both his age and strength, and also his grandfather's glory, stimulated his mind.
senescere igitur civitatem otio ratus undique materiam excitandi belli quaerebat.
Thinking, therefore, that the state was growing old in inactivity, he sought on all sides some pretext for stirring up war.
forte evenit, §1.22.3ut agrestes Romani ex Albano agro, Albani ex Romano praedas in vicem agerent.
It happened by chance that Roman peasants drove off plunder from the Alban territory, and the Albans in turn from the Roman territory.
§1.22.4imperitabat tum C. Cluilius Albae.
Gaius Cluilius was then ruling at Alba.
utrimque legati fere sub idem tempus ad res repetendas missi.
On both sides, ambassadors were sent at about the same time to demand restitution.
Tullus praeceperat suis, ne quid prius quam mandata agerent; satis sciebat negaturum Albanum; ita pie bellum indici posse.
Tullus had instructed his men to do nothing else before carrying out their instructions; he knew well enough that the Alban would refuse, and that thus war could be declared with a clear conscience.
§1.22.5ab Albanis socordius res acta: excepti hospitio ab Tullo blande ac benigne, comiter regis convivium celebrant.
The business was conducted more sluggishly by the Albans; welcomed hospitably by Tullus with charm and kindness, they cordially attended the king’s banquet.
tantisper Romani et res repetiverant priores et neganti Albano bellum in tricesimum diem indixerant.
Meanwhile, the Romans had both demanded restitution first and, upon the Alban's refusal, had declared war to begin on the thirtieth day.
§1.22.6haec renuntiant Tullo.
They reported these things to Tullus.
tum legatis Tullus dicendi potestatem, quid petentes venerint, facit.
Then Tullus gave the ambassadors permission to speak and state what they had come to seek.
illi omnium ignari primum purgando terunt tempus: se invitos quicquam, quod minus placeat Tullo, dicturos, sed imperio subigi; res repetitum se venisse; ni reddantur, bellum indicere iussos.
Knowing nothing of all this, they first wasted time by making excuses, saying that they spoke unwillingly anything that might displease Tullus, but were compelled by orders; that they had come to demand restitution, and if it were not made, they were ordered to declare war.
§1.22.7ad haec Tullus “nuntiate” inquit “regi vestro regem Romanum deos facere testes, uter prius populus res repetentes legatos aspernatus dimiserit, ut in eum omnes expetant huiusce clades belli. ”
To this Tullus replied, "Tell your king that the king of Rome calls the gods to witness which of the two peoples first rejected and dismissed the ambassadors seeking restitution, so that all the disasters of this war may fall upon them."

Notes

  1. 1.22.1nepotem Hostili, cuius in infima arce clara pugna adversus Sabinos fuerat — The antecedent of the genitive relative pronoun cuius is the immediately preceding genitive Hostili (Hostus Hostilius), not the main object of the clause Tullum Hostilium. The phrase in infima arce combines the noun arx (citadel) with the superlative adjective infimus (lowest) to mean 'at the foot of the citadel'.
  2. 1.22.2cum aetas viresque tum avita quoque gloria — The correlative construction cum... tum... means 'not only A but also B'. Here, aetas viresque ('age and strength') acts as A, and avita quoque gloria ('also his grandfather's glory') acts as B, both serving as the subjects that stimulate the mind, with the verb stimulabat in the singular agreeing with the nearest subject.
  3. 1.22.4satis sciebat negaturum Albanum; ita pie bellum indici posse — This is an accusative and infinitive construction in indirect speech dependent on sciebat. negaturum is a future active infinitive with esse omitted, taking the accusative Albanum as its subject. The subsequent clause indici posse is likewise an infinitive clause dependent on sciebat, with bellum as the subject and posse as the governing verb with the present passive infinitive indici ('to be declared').
  4. 1.22.5Romani et res repetiverant priores — The nominative plural adjective priores agrees with the subject Romani, but functions adverbially in sense, meaning 'first' or 'before the others' (predicative adjective).
  5. 1.22.7ut in eum omnes expetant huiusce clades belli — The conjunction ut here introduces a subjunctive clause of wish or purpose with expetant. The verb expetere with in + accusative means 'to fall upon, visit (someone)' in an intransitive sense; its subject is the plural noun clades ('disasters', nominative plural of cladis), with belli depending on it.

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §1.22.1-1.22.7. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:1.22.1-1.22.7

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