§28.45.1minus aequis animis auditus est Scipio, quia vulgatum erat, si apud senatum non obtinuisset, ut provincia Africa sibi decerneretur, ad populum extemplo laturum.
Scipio was heard with less favorable minds, because it had been commonly reported that, if he did not obtain from the senate that the province of Africa should be decreed to him, he would immediately bring the matter before the people.
§28.45.2itaque Q. Fulvius, qui consul quater et censor fuerat, postulavit a consule, ut palam in senatu diceret, permitteretne patribus, ut de provinciis decernerent, staturusque eo esset, quod censuissent, an ad populum laturus.
Therefore Q. Fulvius, who had been consul four times and censor, demanded of the consul that he should declare openly in the senate whether he would permit the senators to decide concerning the provinces, and whether he would stand by what they should determine, or whether he would bring it to the people.
§28.45.3cum Scipio respondisset se quod e re publica esset facturum, tum Fulvius: §28.45.4“non ego ignarus, quid responsurus facturusve esses, quaesivi, quippe cum prae te feras temptare te magis quam consulere senatum, et, ni provinciam tibi, quam volueris, extemplo decernamus, paratam rogationem habeas.
When Scipio had answered that he would do what was for the good of the commonwealth, then Fulvius said: "I did not ask because I was ignorant of what you were going to answer or do, especially since you openly show that you are testing rather than consulting the senate, and, unless we immediately decree to you the province which you want, you have a proposal ready.
§28.45.5itaque a vobis, tribuni plebis, postulo” inquit, “ut sententiam mihi ideo non dicenti, quod, etsi in meam sententiam discedatur, non sit ratum habiturus consul, §28.45.6auxilio sitis. ” inde altercatio orta, cum consul negaret aequum esse tribunos intercedere, quo minus suo quisque loco senator rogatus sententiam diceret.
Therefore, tribunes of the plebs," he said, "I demand of you that you assist me, who for this reason am not expressing my opinion: because, even if a division should be made in favor of my opinion, the consul will not hold it valid," "you should be of assistance to me." Thence an altercation arose, since the consul denied that it was fair for the tribunes to intervene to prevent any senator, when asked in his turn, from expressing his opinion.
tribuni ita decreverunt: §28.45.7“si consul senatui de provinciis permittit, stari eo, quod senatus censuerit, placet, nec de ea re ferri ad populum patiemur; si non permittit, qui de ea re sententiam recusabit dicere, auxilio erimus. ” §28.45.8consul diem ad conloquendum cum conlega petiit.
The tribunes decreed thus: "If the consul leaves it to the senate concerning the provinces, it is our pleasure that there should be adherence to what the senate shall have decided, and we will not suffer a proposal to be brought to the people concerning that matter; if he does not leave it, we will be of assistance to anyone who shall refuse to express his opinion on that matter." The consul requested a day to confer with his colleague.
postero die permissum senatui est.
On the following day, it was left to the senate.
provinciae ita decretae: alteri consuli Sicilia et triginta rostratae naves, quas C. Servilius superiore anno habuisset, permissumque, ut in Africam, si id e re publica esse censeret, traiceret; §28.45.9alteri Bruttii et bellum cum Hannibale cum eo exercitu, quem mallet ex duobus, qui ibiessent.
The provinces were thus decreed: to one consul, Sicily and thirty war-ships which C. Servilius had had the previous year, and it was permitted that he should cross over into Africa if he should judge it to be for the good of the commonwealth; to the other, the Bruttii and the war with Hannibal, with whichever of the two armies that were there he should prefer.
L. Veturius et Q. Caecilius sortirentur inter se compararentve, uter in Bruttiis duabus legionibus, quas consul reliquisset, rem gereret, imperiumque in annum prorogaretur cui ea provincia evenisset.
L. Veturius and Q. Caecilius were to draw lots or arrange between themselves which of them should conduct affairs in the Bruttii with the two legions which the consul should have left, and the command should be prorogued for a year for whichever of them that province should fall to.
§28.45.10et ceteris praeter consules praetoresque, qui exercitibus provinciisque praefuturi erant, prorogata imperia.
And to the others, besides the consuls and praetors who were to be in command of the armies and provinces, commands were prorogued.
§28.45.11Q. Caecilio sorti evenit ut cum consule in Bruttiis adversus Hannibalem bellum gereret.
To Q. Caecilius it fell by lot that he should conduct the war against Hannibal in the Bruttii along with the consul.
ludi deinde Scipionis magna frequentia §28.45.12et favore spectantium celebrati.
Then the games of Scipio were celebrated with a great crowd and the favor of the spectators.
legati Delphos ad donum ex praeda Hasdrubalis portandum missi M. Pomponius Matho et Q. Catius.
M. Pomponius Matho and Q. Catius were sent as ambassadors to Delphi to carry a gift from the spoils of Hasdrubal.
tulerunt coronam auream ducentum pondo et simulacra spoliorum ex mille pondo argenti facta.
They carried a golden crown of two hundred pounds weight, and representations of the spoils made of a thousand pounds of silver.
§28.45.13Scipio cum ut dilectum haberet, neque impetrasset neque magnopere tetendisset, ut voluntarios ducere sibi milites liceret, §28.45.14tenuit et, quia inpensae negaverat rei publicae futuram classem, ut quae ab sociis darentur ad novas fabricandas naves acciperet.
Scipio, since he had neither obtained permission to hold a levy nor had striven for it very greatly, carried his point that he should be allowed to lead volunteer soldiers, and, because he had denied that the fleet would be of any expense to the commonwealth, that he might accept what was given by the allies to build new ships.
Etruriae primum populi pro suis quisque facultatibus consulem adiuturos polliciti: §28.45.15Caerites frumentum sociis navalibus commeatumque omnis generis, Populonienses ferrum, Tarquinienses lintea in vela, Volaterrani interamenta navium et frumentum, §28.45.16Arretini tria milia scutorum, galeas totidem, pila gaesa hastas longas, milium quinquaginta summam pari cuiusque generis numero expleturos, secures rutra falces alveolos molas, quantum in quadraginta longas naves opus esset, §28.45.17tritici centum et viginti milia modium, et in viaticum decurionibus remigibusque conlaturos; §28.45.18Perusini Clusini Rusellani abietem in fabricandas naves et frumenti magnum numerum; abiete ex publicis silvis est usus.
First, the peoples of Etruria promised that they would assist the consul, each according to his means: the Caerites, grain for the naval allies and provisions of every kind; the Populonians, iron; the Tarquinians, canvas for sails; the Volaterrans, the internal timber-work of ships and grain; the Arretines, three thousand shields, as many helmets, javelins, Celtic javelins, long spears, intending to make up a total of fifty thousand with an equal number of each kind; axes, spades, sickles, basins, hand-mills, as many as were necessary for forty warships; a hundred and twenty thousand modii of wheat, and to contribute to the travel-money for the decurions and rowers; the Perusians, Clusians, and Rusellans, fir-wood for building ships and a great quantity of grain; he used fir-wood from the public forests.
§28.45.19Umbriae populi et praeter hos Nursini et Reatini et Amiternini Sabinusque omnis ager milites polliciti; Marsi Paeligni Marrucinique multi voluntarii nomina in classem dederunt.
The peoples of Umbria, and besides these the Nursians, Reatines, Amiternians, and all the Sabine territory promised soldiers; many volunteers from the Marsi, Paeligni, and Marrucini gave their names for the fleet.
§28.45.20Camertes cum aequo foedere cum Romanis essent, cohortem armatam sescentorum hominum miserunt.
The Camertians, since they were in an equal treaty with the Romans, sent an armed cohort of six hundred men.
§28.45.21triginta navium carinae, viginti quinqueremes, decem quadriremes, cum essent positae, ipse ita institit operi, ut die quadragesimo quinto, quam ex silvis detracta materia erat, naves instructae armataeque in aquam deductae sint.
When the keels of thirty ships, twenty quinqueremes and ten quadriremes, had been laid, he himself so urged on the work that on the forty-fifth day after the timber had been brought down from the forests, the ships, equipped and armed, were launched into the water.