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Livy · History of Rome §27.3.1-27.3.9

Arson Conspiracy at Capua and Resettlement of Allies

Passage 849 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

This chunk describes the discovery and suppression of a plotting of arson in Capua, the resettlement of the displaced citizens of Acerrae and Nuceria, and the dispatch of grain and reinforcements to the citadel of Tarentum.

§27.3.1Capuae interim Flaccus dum bonis principum vendendis, agro, qui publicatus erat, locando — locavit autem omnem frumento — tempus terit, ne deesset materia in Campanos saeviendi, novum in occulto gliscens per indicium protractum est facinus.
Meanwhile at Capua, while Flaccus was wasting time in selling the property of the nobles and leasing the land which had been confiscated — however, he leased all of it for corn — so that there would be no lack of material for wreaking his wrath on the Campanians, a new plot, smoldering in secret, was brought to light by an informant.
§27.3.2milites aedificiis emotos, simul ut cum agro tecta urbis fruenda locarentur, simul metuens, ne suum quoque exercitum sicut Hannibalis nimia urbis amoenitas emolliret, in portis murisque sibimet ipsos tecta militariter coegerat aedificare.
He had forced the soldiers, who had been removed from the buildings, to build dwellings for themselves in military fashion along the gates and walls, partly so that the houses of the city might be leased out for profit together with the land, and partly fearing lest the excessive luxury of the city should soften his own army just as it had that of Hannibal.
§27.3.3erant autem pleraque ex cratibus ac tabulis facta, alia harundine texta, stramento intecta omnia, velut de industria alimentis ignis.
Most of these, moreover, were made of hurdles and boards, others woven with reeds, and all covered with thatch, as if on purpose to be fuel for fire.
§27.3.4haec noctis una hora omnia ut incenderent centum. septuaginta Campani principibus fratribus Blossiis coniuraverant.
A hundred and seventy Campanians, with the prominent Blossius brothers as their leaders, had conspired to set fire to all of these in a single hour of the night.
§27.3.5indicio eius rei ex familia Blossiorum facto, portis repente iussu proconsulis clausis, cum ad arma signo dato milites concurrissent, comprehensi omnes, qui in noxa erant, et quaestione acriter habita damnati necatique; indicibus libertas et aeris dena milia data.
When information of this matter was given by a slave from the household of the Blossii, the gates were immediately shut by order of the proconsul, and when the soldiers had run together to arms at a given signal, all who were involved in the guilt were arrested, and after a severe inquiry, were condemned and put to death; the informants were granted their freedom and ten thousand copper asses each.
§27.3.6Nucerinos et Acerranos querentes, ubi habitarent, non esse, Acerris ex parte incensis, Nuceria deleta, Romam Fulvius ad senatum misit.
Fulvius sent to the senate at Rome the Nucerians and Acerrans, who complained that they had no place to live, since Acerrae had been partially burned and Nuceria destroyed.
§27.3.7Acerranis permissum, ut aedificarent, quae incensa erant; Nucerini Atellam, quia id maluerant, Atellanis Calatiam migrare iussis traducti inter multas magnasque res,
The Acerrans were permitted to rebuild what had been burned; the Nucerians, since they had preferred it, were transferred to Atella, while the Atellans were ordered to migrate to Calatia.
§27.3.8quae nunc secundae nunc adversae occupabant cogitationes hominum, ne Tarentinae quidem arcis excidit memoria.
Amidst many great events, which at one time favorable, at another adverse, occupied the thoughts of men, not even the memory of the citadel of Tarentum was lost.
§27.3.9M. Ogulnius et P. Aquilius in Etruriam legati ad frumentum coemendum, quod Tarentum portaretur, profecti, et mille milites de exercitu urbano, par numerus Romanorum sociorumque eodem in praesidium cum frumento missi.
Marcus Ogulnius and Publius Aquilius set out as legates to Etruria to purchase grain to be carried to Tarentum, and a thousand soldiers from the city army, with an equal number of Romans and allies, were sent to the same place as a garrison along with the grain.

Notes

  1. §27.3.1bonis principum vendendis, agro ... locando — These are ablative gerundive constructions expressing the means or circumstances in which Flaccus was spending his time (`tempus terit`).
  2. §27.3.2milites aedificiis emotos — `emotos` is a perfect participle modifying `milites`, which functions as the accusative subject of the infinitive `aedificare` dependent on `coegerat`.
  3. §27.3.3alimentis ignis — `alimentis` is the dative plural of `alimentum` (nourishment, fuel), functioning either as a dative of purpose or in apposition to `ignis` (genitive).
  4. §27.3.5ex familia Blossiorum — In this context, `familia` refers not to "family" in the modern sense, but to the household slaves belonging to the Blossii.
  5. §27.3.6querentes, ubi habitarent, non esse — `non esse` implies a missing dative of possession (`sibi`). The clause `ubi habitarent` is a relative clause of characteristic or indirect question functioning as the subject of the infinitive.

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §27.3.1-27.3.9. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:27.3.1-27.3.9

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