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Livy · History of Rome §29.11.1-29.11.14

Embassy to King Attalus and the Consular Elections

Passage 954 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

The Roman Senate sends ambassadors to King Attalus of Pergamum in Asia to obtain the sacred stone of the Idaean Mother and transport it to Rome. Meanwhile, a dictator is appointed to hold elections in Rome, choosing new consuls and other public officials.

§29.11.1nullasdum in Asia socias civitates habebat populus Romanus; tamen memores Aesculapium quoque ex Graecia quondam hauddum ullo foedere sociata valetudinis populi causa arcessitum, §29.11.2tunc iam cum Attalo rege propter commune adversus Philippum bellum coeptam amicitiam esse, facturum eum, quae posset, populi Romani causa, legatos ad eum decernunt,
The Roman people as yet had no allied states in Asia; nevertheless, remembering that Aesculapius also had once been summoned from Greece, which at that time was not yet allied by any treaty, for the sake of the health of the people, and that at that time friendship had already been begun with King Attalus on account of the common war against Philip, and that he would do what he could for the sake of the Roman people, they decreed that ambassadors be sent to him, namely M.
§29.11.3M. Valerium Laevinum, qui bis consul fuerat ac res in Graecia gesserat, M. Caecilium Metellum praetorium, Ser. Sulpicium Galbam aedilicium, duos quaestorios, Cn.
Valerius Laevinus, who had been consul twice and had performed exploits in Greece, M. Caecilius Metellus of praetorian rank, Ser. Sulpicius Galba of aedilician rank, and two of quaestorian rank, Cn.
Tremellium Flaccum et M. Valerium Faltonem. §29.11.4iis quinque naves quinqueremes, ut ex dignitate populi Romani adirent eas terras, ad quas concilianda maiestas nomini Romano esset, decernunt. §29.11.5legati Asiam petentes protinus Delphos cum escendissent, oraculum adierunt consulentes, ad quod negotium domo missi essent, perficiendi eius quam sibi spem populoque Romano portenderet. §29.11.6responsum esse ferunt per Attalum regem compotes eius fore, quod peterent; cum Romam deam devexissent, tum curarent, ut ear, qui vir optimus Romae esset, hospitio acciperet. §29.11.7Pergamum ad regem venerunt.
Tremellius Flaccus and M. Valerius Faltonem. For them they decreed five quinquereme ships, so that they might approach in a manner worthy of the dignity of the Roman people those lands in which the majesty of the Roman name was to be established. When the ambassadors, on their way to Asia, had immediately gone up to Delphi, they approached the oracle, consulting what hope it portended to themselves and to the Roman people of accomplishing that business for which they had been sent from home. They say that response was made that they would obtain what they sought through King Attalus; that when they had conveyed the goddess to Rome, they should then see to it that the man who was the best in Rome should receive her with hospitality. They came to the king at Pergamum.
is legatos comiter acceptos Pessinuntem in Phrygiam deduxit sacrumque iis lapidem, quam matrem deum esse incolae dicebant, tradidit ac deportare Romam iussit.
He, having hospitably received the ambassadors, conducted them to Pessinus in Phrygia, and delivered to them the sacred stone which the inhabitants said was the mother of the gods, and bid them carry it to Rome. M.
§29.11.8praemissus ab legatis M. Valerius Falto nuntiavit deam adportari; quaerendum virum optimum in civitate esse, qui eam rite hospitio acciperet.
Valerius Falto, sent ahead by the ambassadors, announced that the goddess was being brought; and that they must seek the best man in the state to receive her with proper hospitality. Q.
§29.11.9Q. Caecilius Metellus dictator ab consule in Bruttiis comitiorum causa dictus, exercitusque eius dimissus, magister equitum L. Veturius Philo. §29.11.10comitia habita per dictatorem.
Caecilius Metellus was named dictator by the consul in the territory of the Bruttii for the purpose of holding the elections, and his army was disbanded; his master of the horse was L. Veturius Philo. The elections were held by the dictator.
consules facti M. Cornelius Cethegus, P. Sempronius Tuditanus absens, cum provinciam Graeciam haberet. §29.11.11praetores inde creati Ti.
Marcus Cornelius Cethegus and Publius Sempronius Tuditanus were elected consuls, the latter in his absence, since he had Greece as his province. Then praetors were elected: Ti. Claudius Nero, M.
Claudius Nero, M. Marcius Ralla, L. Scribonius Libo, * M. Pomponius Matho.
Marcius Ralla, L. Scribonius Libo, * M. Pomponius Matho.
comitiis perfectis dictator sese magistratu abdicavit.
When the elections were completed, the dictator abdicated his office.
ludi Romani ter, plebei septiens instaurati. §29.11.12curules erant aediles Cn. et L. Cornelii Lentuli;
The Roman Games were repeated three times, the Plebeian Games seven times. The curule aediles were Cn. and L.
Lucius Hispaniam provinciam habebat; absens creatus absens eum honorem gessit. §29.11.13Ti. Claudius Asellus et M. Iunius Pennus plebei aediles fuerunt.
Cornelius Lentulus; Lucius had Spain as his province; elected in his absence, he administered that office in his absence. Ti. Claudius Asellus and M. Junius Pennus were the plebeian aediles.
aedem Virtutis eo anno ad portam Capenam M. Marcellus dedicavit septumo decumo anno, postquam a patre eius primo consulatu vota in Gallia ad Clastidium fuerat.
In that year, M. Marcellus dedicated the Temple of Virtue at the Capene Gate, in the seventeenth year after it had been vowed by his father in his first consulship in Gaul at Clastidium. And the Flamen of Mars, M.
§29.11.14et flamen Martialis eo anno est mortuus M. Aemilius Regillus.
Aemilius Regillus, died in that year.

Notes

  1. §29.11.1memores — Nominative plural masculine adjective agreeing with the implied subject (the senators) of the main verb `decernunt` (§29.11.2). This `memores` governs three accusative and infinitive clauses: (1) `Aesculapium... arcessitum [esse]`, (2) `coeptam amicitiam esse`, and (3) `facturum eum...`. The overall structure of the sentence is "remembering (memores) [these things], they decree (decernunt) ambassadors to him."
  2. §29.11.4concilianda maiestas nomini Romano esset — Passive periphrastic conjugation consisting of the imperfect subjunctive `esset` and the gerundive `concilianda`, expressing necessity or obligation. The dative `nomini Romano` can be interpreted either as a dative of agent with the periphrastic ("to be won by the Roman name") or a dative of reference/advantage ("to be won for the Roman name"). It expresses purpose within the relative clause `ad quas...`.
  3. §29.11.6curarent — Imperfect subjunctive representing a command or exhortation in indirect speech (corresponding to an imperative or jussive subjunctive in direct speech), dependent on the indirect discourse introduced by `responsum esse ferunt`. Although the main verb `ferunt` is in the present tense, the secondary sequence (imperfect) is used because the context is historical and refers to a past response.
  4. §29.11.13vota fuerat — An unusual form of the pluperfect passive in the temporal clause introduced by `postquam`. The auxiliary `fuerat` is used instead of the standard `erat` (`vota erat`), emphasizing that the state of having been vowed was already fully completed in the past, prior to the dedication (`dedicavit`) in the main clause.

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §29.11.1-29.11.14. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:29.11.1-29.11.14

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