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Livy · History of Rome §29.5.1-29.5.9

Mago's Mobilization in Liguria and Roman Countermeasures

Passage 948 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

Laelius returned to Sicily to deliver Masinissa's message to Scipio, while Mago received reinforcements from Carthage and sought the cooperation of the Gauls and Ligurians to build up his army. In response, the Roman commander Livius joined forces with Lucretius to prepare for Mago's movements.

§29.5.1ab hoc sermone dimisso Masinissa Laelius postero die naves praeda onustas ab Hippone solvit revectusque in Siciliam mandata Masinissae Scipioni exposuit.
After Masinissa was dismissed from this conversation, Laelius on the following day set sail from Hippo with his ships laden with booty, and having sailed back to Sicily, he explained Masinissa’s messages to Scipio.
§29.5.2eisdem ferme diebus naves quae ab Carthagine ad Magonem missae erant, inter Albingaunos Ligures Genuamque accesserunt.
Around the same days, the ships which had been sent from Carthage to Mago arrived between the Albingauni Ligurians and Genua.
§29.5.3in iis locis tum forte Mago tenebat classem; qui legatorum auditis verbis iubentium exercitus quam maximos comparare, extemplo Gallorum et Ligurum — namque utriusque gentis ingens ibi multitudo erat — §29.5.4concilium habuit, et missum se ad eos vindicandos in libertatem ait, et, ut ipsi cernant, mitti sibi ab domo praesidia;
In those places Mago happened at that time to be keeping his fleet; and he, having heard the words of the envoys who ordered him to prepare as large armies as possible, immediately — for there was a huge multitude of both nations there — held a council, and said that he had been sent to restore them to liberty, and, as they themselves could see, that reinforcements were being sent to him from home; but that it lay in their power with how great forces, with how great an army that war should be waged.
sed quantis viribus, quanto exercitu id bellum geratur, in eorum potestate esse. §29.5.5duos exercitus Romanos, unum in Gallia, alterum in Etruria esse; satis scire Sp. Lucretium se cum M. Livio iuncturum; multa milia armanda esse, ut duobus ducibus, duobus exercitibus Romanis resistatur.
He said that there were two Roman armies, one in Gaul, the other in Etruria; that he knew well that Spurius Lucretius would join himself with Marcus Livius; and that many thousands must be armed, so that resistance might be made to two commanders and two Roman armies.
§29.5.6Galli summam ad id suam voluntatem esse dicere; sed cum una castra Romana intra fines, altera in finitima terra Etruria prope in conspectu habeant, si palam fiat auxiliis adiutum ab se esse Poenum, extemplo infestos utrimque exercitus in agrum suum incursuros: ea ab Gallis desideraret, quibus occulte adiuvari posset.
The Gauls said that their willingness for this was very great; but since they had one Roman camp within their borders and another in the neighboring land of Etruria almost in sight, if it should become openly known that the Carthaginian was aided by them with auxiliaries, immediately hostile armies from both sides would invade their territory; therefore, he should ask from the Gauls only such things by which he could be helped secretly.
§29.5.7Liguribus, quod procul agro urbibusque eorum castra Romana sint, libera consilia esse; illos armare iuventutem et capessere pro parte bellum aequum esse.
For the Ligurians, because the Roman camps were far from their territory and cities, there were free choices of counsel; it was fair that they should arm their youth and take up their share of the war.
Ligures haud abnuere, tempus modo duorum mensum petere ad dilectus habendos.
The Ligurians did not refuse, but asked only for a period of two months to hold levies.
interim Mago milites Gallos dimissis clam per agro.
Meanwhile, Mago, having secretly sent [messengers] through the territory,...
§29.5.8eorum mercede conducere; commeatus quoque omnis generis occulte ad eum a Gallicis populis mittebantur.
Gallic soldiers began to hire them for pay; provisions also of every kind were secretly being sent to him by the Gallic peoples.
§29.5.9M. Livius exercitum volonum ex Etruria in Galliam traducit iunctusque Lucretio, si se Mago ex Liguribus propius urbem moveat, obviam ire parat, si Poenus sub angulo Alpium quietus se contineat, et ipse in eadem regione circa Ariminum Italiae praesidio futurus.
Marcus Livius led his army of volunteer slaves from Etruria into Gaul, and having joined Lucretius, prepared to go to meet him if Mago should move himself from the Ligurians closer to the city; but if the Carthaginian should keep himself quiet under the corner of the Alps, he himself was also going to remain in the same region around Ariminum to protect Italy.

Notes

  1. 29.5.1ab hoc sermone dimisso Masinissa — Ablative absolute. Literally "Masinissa having been dismissed from this conversation," marking the conclusion of the dialogue before moving on to Mago's activities.
  2. 29.5.4ad eos vindicandos in libertatem — Gerundive construction expressing purpose. The preposition `ad` governs the accusative pronoun `eos` and the agreeing gerundive `vindicandos`, meaning "to restore them to liberty."
  3. 29.5.5satis scire Sp. Lucretium se cum M. Livio iuncturum — Accusative and infinitive construction in indirect speech. The subject of `satis scire` (Mago) is omitted, and its object clause has `Sp. Lucretium` as the subject with the future active infinitive `iuncturum [esse]`. The reflexive pronoun `se` refers to Lucretius, meaning "that Lucretius would join [himself] with Marcus Livius."
  4. 29.5.6ea ab Gallis desideraret, quibus occulte adiuvari posset — Subjunctive `desideraret` representing an imperative or hortatory subjunctive in indirect speech, adjusted to the imperfect subjunctive due to sequence of tenses following the historical infinitive `dicere`. The clause `quibus ... posset` is a relative clause of characteristic.
  5. 29.5.7dimissis clam per agro — Elliptical ablative absolute, where a noun like `nuntiis` (messengers) is implied with `dimissis`. `per agro` is a manuscript variant or irregularity for `per agros` (accusative plural), meaning "having secretly sent [messengers] through the countryside."
  6. 29.5.9et ipse ... futurus — Future active participle `futurus` used elliptically without the copula `erat` or `esset`, coordinate with the main verb `parat`, expressing the subject's intention or destined action ("he himself was going to be...").

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §29.5.1-29.5.9. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:29.5.1-29.5.9

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