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Livy · History of Rome §10.44.1-10.44.9

Celebration of Victory, Military Rewards, and New Plans

Passage 528 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

Both Roman armies celebrated their victories, and the consuls rewarded the distinguished officers and soldiers. In the subsequent council of war, they decided to continue the campaign by besieging the remaining Samnite cities to thoroughly subdue the enemy, and both consuls set out for different targets.

§10.44.1laetitiam utriusque exercitus Romani auxit et ab altera parte feliciter gesta res.
The success achieved on the other side also increased the joy of each Roman army.
uterque ex alterius sententia consul captum oppidum diripiendum militi dedit, exhaustis deinde tectis ignem iniecit; eodemque die Aquilonia §10.44.2et Cominium deflagravere et consules cum gratulatione mutua legionum suaque castra coniunxere.
Each consul, with the other's consent, gave the captured town to his soldiers to plunder, and then, having emptied the dwellings, set fire to them; and on the same day Aquilonia and Cominium were burned to the ground, and the consuls joined their camps amid the mutual congratulations of the legions and of themselves.
§10.44.3in conspectu duorum exercituum et Carvilius suos pro cuiusque merito laudavit donavitque, et Papirius, apud quem multiplex in acie, circa castra, circa urbem fuerat certamen, Sp. Nautium, Sp. Papirium, fratris filium, et quattuor centuriones manipulumque hastatorum armillis aureisque coronis donavit: §10.44.4Nautium propter expeditionem, qua magni agminis modo terruerat hostes, iuvenem Papirium propter navatam cum equitatu et in proelio operam et nocte, qua fugam infestam Samnitibus ab Aquilonia clam egressis fecit, §10.44.5centuriones militesque, quia primi portam murumque Aquiloniae ceperant, equites omnes ob insignem multis locis operam corniculis armillisque argenteis donat.
In the sight of both armies, Carvilius praised and rewarded his men according to each one's merit, and Papirius, under whom there had been a manifold struggle in the line of battle, around the camp, and around the city, rewarded Spurius Nautius, Spurius Papirius, his brother's son, four centurions, and a maniple of hastati with armlets and golden crowns: Nautius on account of the expedition in which, in the manner of a great column, he had terrified the enemy; the young Papirius on account of the service he had rendered with the cavalry both in the battle and during the night in which he made the flight dangerous for the Samnites who had secretly departed from Aquilonia; the centurions and soldiers because they had been the first to capture a gate and the wall of Aquilonia; and all the cavalry, for their distinguished service in many places, he rewarded with horn-shaped ornaments and silver armlets.
consilium inde habitum.
A council of war was then held.
§10.44.6cum iam tempus esset deducendi de Samnio exercitus aut utriusque aut certe alterius, §10.44.7optimum visum, quo magis fractae res Samnitium essent, eo pertinacius et infestius agere cetera et persequi, ut perdomitum Samnium insequentibus consulibus tradi posset: §10.44.8quando iam nullus esset hostium exercitus, qui signis conlatis dimicaturus videretur, unum superesse belli genus, urbium oppugnationes, quarum per excidia militem locupletare praeda et hostem pro aris ac focis dimicantem conficere possent.
Since it was now time to withdraw the armies from Samnium, either both or certainly one of them, it seemed best that, the more the resources of the Samnites were broken, the more persistently and aggressively they should conduct the remaining operations and pursue them, so that a thoroughly subdued Samnium might be handed over to the succeeding consuls: since there was now no army of the enemy that seemed likely to fight in a pitched battle, only one kind of war remained—the siege of cities, through the destruction of which they could enrich the soldiers with booty and wear down an enemy fighting for their altars and hearths.
§10.44.9itaque litteris missis ad senatum populumque Romanum de rebus ab se gestis diversi Papirius ad Saepinum, Carvilius ad Veliam oppugnandam legiones ducunt.
Therefore, having sent dispatches to the senate and the Roman people concerning their achievements, they moved in different directions, Papirius leading his legions to besiege Saepinum, and Carvilius to Velia.

Notes

  1. §10.44.1captum oppidum diripiendum militi dedit — `diripiendum` is a gerundive (future passive participle) in a predicative use with the verb `dedit` to express purpose ("gave the captured town to the soldier to be plundered/for plundering").
  2. §10.44.6deducendi de Samnio exercitus — `exercitus` is the genitive singular (fourth declension) agreeing with the gerundive `deducendi` in a gerundive construction modifying `tempus`. If it were accusative plural governed by a gerund, it would read `deducendi exercitūs` (or alternatively the gerundive plural `deducendorum exercituum`). Thus, it literally means "of the withdrawing of the army".
  3. §10.44.7quo magis ... eo pertinacius — The relative adverb `quo` and the demonstrative adverb `eo`, each accompanying a comparative, form a correlative construction expressing proportion: "the more... the more..." (ablative of measure of difference).

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §10.44.1-10.44.9. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:10.44.1-10.44.9

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