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Livy · History of Rome §10.42.1-10.42.7

Capture of Aquilonia by Papirius

Passage 526 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

Upon discovering that his men had scaled the walls of Aquilonia, the consul Papirius ordered his main forces into the city to secure its complete capture, marking a decisive victory with staggering enemy casualties and fulfilling a unique vow made in the heat of battle.

§10.42.1haec primo ignorare consul et intentus recipiendo exercitui esse; iam enim praeceps in occasum sol erat et adpetens nox periculosa et suspecta omnia etiam victoribus faciebat.
At first, the consul was ignorant of these things and intent on recovering his army; for already the sun was sinking rapidly toward the west, and the approaching night made everything dangerous and suspect, even for the victors.
§10.42.2progressus longius ab dextra capta castra videt, ab laeva clamorem in urbe mixtum pugnantium ac paventium fremitu esse: et tum forte certamen ad portam erat.
Having advanced further, he saw on the right the captured camp, and on the left that there was a clamor in the city, mixed with the noise of those fighting and those in panic; and just then, as it happened, there was a struggle at the gate.
§10.42.3advectus deinde equo propius, ut suos in muris videt nec iam integri quicquam esse, quoniam temeritate paucorum magnae. rei parta occasio esset, acciri quas receperat copias signaque in urbem inferri iussit.
Then, riding his horse closer, when he saw his men on the walls and realized that there was no longer any room for turning back, since the rashness of a few had produced an opportunity for a great achievement, he ordered the forces he had recovered to be summoned and the standards to be carried into the city.
§10.42.4ingressi proxima, ea parte, quia nox adpropinquabat, quievere.
Having entered the nearest parts, they rested in that place because night was approaching.
nocte oppidum ab hostibus desertum est.
During the night, the town was abandoned by the enemy.
§10.42.5caesa illo die ad Aquiloniam Samnitium milia viginti trecenti quadraginta, capta tria milia octingenti septuaginta, signa militaria nonaginta septem.
On that day, twenty thousand three hundred and forty of the Samnites were slain near Aquilonia, three thousand eight hundred and seventy were captured, and ninety-seven military standards were taken.
§10.42.6ceterum illud memoriae traditur, non ferme alium ducem laetiorem in acie visum seu suopte ingenio seu fiducia bene gerundae rei.
For the rest, it is handed down to memory that scarcely any other commander was seen more cheerful in battle, whether from his own natural disposition or from confidence in managing the affair successfully.
§10.42.7ab eodem robore animi neque controverso auspicio revocari a proelio potuit et in ipso discrimine, quo templa deis inmortalibus voveri mos erat, voverat Iovi Victori, si legiones hostium fudisset, pocillum mulsi, priusquam temetum biberet, sese facturum.
By the same strength of mind, he could not be recalled from battle even by a disputed auspice; and in the very crisis, when it was customary for temples to be vowed to the immortal gods, he had vowed to Jupiter Victor that, if he routed the legions of the enemy, he would offer a small cup of honey-wine before he drank any strong wine himself.
id uotum discordi fuit, et auspicia in bonum verterunt.
This vow was pleasing to the gods, and the auspices turned out well.

Notes

  1. 10.42.1ignorare — Historical infinitive, functioning with an imperfect meaning. The subject is the nominative consul.
  2. 10.42.1recipiendo exercitui — Dative of the gerundive construction, serving as a complement to the adjective intentus (intent upon), meaning "for recovering the army."
  3. 10.42.3nec iam integri quicquam esse — Accusative with infinitive clause dependent on videt. The subject is quicquam (anything), with the neuter genitive integri functioning as a partitive genitive, meaning "that there was no longer anything untouched," i.e., "that there was no room for retreat."
  4. 10.42.7sese facturum — Accusative with future active participle (sese facturum [esse]) expressing the content of the vow, dependent on voverat. Here, facere is used in a religious sense meaning "to make an offering" or "to perform a sacrifice."
  5. 10.42.7discordi — The reading discordi fuit found in many manuscripts is generally interpreted as a corruption or conflation of diis cordi fuit ("it was pleasing to the gods"). The phrase cordi esse acts as a dative of purpose/double dative meaning "to be dear to," which aligns with the subsequent favorable turn of the auspices.

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §10.42.1-10.42.7. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:10.42.1-10.42.7

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