Humanitext Reader

Livy · History of Rome §1.52.1-1.52.6

Renewal of the Latin Treaty and Mixed Force Organization

Passage 53 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

Tarquin proposes the renewal of the treaty with the Latins, securing their agreement through Roman dominance and intimidation. He then reorganizes their forces into mixed units to prevent independent command.

§1.52.1revocatis deinde ad concilium Latinis Tarquinius conlaudatisque, qui Turnum novantem res pro manifesto parricidio merita poena adfecissent, ita verba fecit: §1.52.2posse quidem se vetusto iure agere, quod, cum omnes Latini ab Alba oriundi sint, eo foedere teneantur, quo ab Tullo res omnis Albana cum coloniis suis in Romanum cesserit imperium; §1.52.3ceterum se utilitatis id magis omnium causa censere, ut renovetur id foedus, secundaque potius fortuna populi Romani ut participes Latini fruantur, quam urbium excidia vastationesque agrorum, quas Anco prius, patre deinde suo regnante perpessi sint, semper aut expectent aut patiantur.
Then, having recalled the Latins to the council and praised them for having inflicted the deserved punishment on Turnus, who was plotting a revolution, as for a manifest treason, Tarquin spoke as follows: He could indeed act by ancient right, because, since all the Latins were sprung from Alba, they were bound by that treaty by which, in the time of Tullus, all the Alban state with its colonies had passed under the Roman dominion; but he thought it more for the advantage of all that the treaty should be renewed, and that the Latins should share in and enjoy the good fortune of the Roman people, rather than that they should always either expect or suffer the destruction of their cities and the devastation of their lands, which they had endured first under the reign of Ancus, and then under that of his own father.
§1.52.4haud difficulter persuasum Latinis, quamquam in eo foedere superior Romana res erat, ceterum et capita nominis Latini stare ac sentire cum rege videbant, et Turnus sui cuique periculi, si adversatus esset, recens erat documentum.
The Latins were persuaded without difficulty, although in that treaty the Roman state was superior; but they saw both that the chiefs of the Latin name stood and felt with the king, and Turnus was a fresh warning to each of his own danger if he should oppose him.
§1.52.5ita renovatum foedus indictumque iunioribus Latinorum, ut ex foedere die certa ad lucum Ferentinae armati frequentes adessent.
Thus the treaty was renewed, and orders were given to the younger men of the Latins that, according to the treaty, they should assemble in arms in a body on a fixed day at the grove of Ferentina.
§1.52.6qui ubi ad edictum Romani regis ex omnibus populis convenere, ne ducem suum neve secretum imperium propriave signa haberent, miscuit manipulos ex Latinis Romanisque, ut ex binis singulos faceret binosque ex singulis; ita geminatis manipulis centuriones inposuit.
When they assembled from all the states according to the edict of the Roman king, in order that they might not have their own leader, nor a separate command, nor their own standards, he mixed the maniples of Latins and Romans, so as to make one out of two and two out of one; having thus doubled the maniples, he placed centurions over them.

Notes

  1. 1.52.1revocatis deinde ad concilium Latinis Tarquinius conlaudatisque — An ablative absolute construction `revocatis ... Latinis conlaudatisque`, where the noun `Latinis` in the ablative case functions as the logical subject for both perfect passive participles `revocatis` and `conlaudatis`.
  2. 1.52.2posse quidem se vetusto iure agere — The accusative with infinitive (AcI) construction in indirect speech. The infinitive `posse` and its subject accusative `se` (referring to Tarquinius) are introduced by the implied speaking action in the main verb `verba fecit`.
  3. 1.52.4persuasum Latinis — Since the verb `persuadeo` takes a dative object, its passive is used only impersonally. Here, `persuasum [est]` is an impersonal passive construction with the auxiliary verb `est` omitted, taking the dative `Latinis`.
  4. 1.52.6miscuit manipulos ex Latinis Romanisque, ut ex binis singulos faceret binosque ex singulis — A clause of purpose introduced by `ut`. The phrase `ex binis singulos ... binosque ex singulis` (one out of two, and two out of one) describes how he took two separate maniples (one Roman, one Latin), split them, and reorganized them into two new combined units consisting of half Romans and half Latins.

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §1.52.1-1.52.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:1.52.1-1.52.6

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