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Livy · History of Rome §30.39.1-30.39.8

Misfortunes of Claudius' Fleet and Domestic Affairs in Rome

Passage 1021 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

Describes how the consul Claudius suffered severe damage to his fleet due to storms and returned to Rome as a private citizen, along with the appointment of a dictator, delays in elections, and the activities of the aediles in Rome.

§30.39.1Claudium consulem, profectum tandem ab urbe, inter portus Cosanum Loretanumque atrox vis tempestatis adorta in metum ingentem adduxit. §30.39.2Populonium inde cum pervenisset stetissetque ibi dum reliquum tempestatis exsaeviret, Ilvam insulam et ab Ilva Corsicam, a Corsica in Sardiniam traiecit.
The consul Claudius, having finally set out from the City, was brought into great terror between the ports of Cosa and Loretum by a fierce storm that assailed him. When he had arrived at Populonium from there and had stayed there until the rest of the storm spent its rage, he crossed over to the island of Ilva, and from Ilva to Corsica, and from Corsica to Sardinia.
ibi superantem Insanos montes multo et saevior et infestioribus locis tempestas adorta disiecit classem. §30.39.3multae quassatae armamentisque spoliatae naves, quaedam fractae.
There, as the fleet was doubling the Insani Mountains, a storm, much more violent and in more dangerous waters, assailed and dispersed it. Many ships were shattered and stripped of their tackle, and some were wrecked.
ita vexata ac lacerata classis Carales tenuit.
Thus battered and torn, the fleet reached Carales.
ubi dum subductae reficiuntur naves, hiems oppressit, circumactumque anni tempus, et nullo prorogante imperium privatus Ti. Claudius classem Romam reduxit.
While the ships, having been hauled ashore, were being repaired there, winter came upon them, and the year's term of office having rolled round, and as no one extended his command, Tiberius Claudius, now a private citizen, brought the fleet back to Rome.
M. Servilius, §30.39.4ne comitiorum causa ad urbem revocaretur, dictatore dicto C. Servilio Gemino in provinciam est profectus.
Marcus Servilius, lest he should be recalled to the City for the sake of the elections, appointed Gaius Servilius Geminus dictator and set out for his province.
dictator magistrum equitum P. Aelium Paetum dixit. §30.39.5saepe comitia indicta perfici tempestates prohibuerunt; itaque cum pridie idus Martias veteres magistratus abissent, novi suffecti non essent, res publica sine curulibus magistratibus erat.
The dictator named Publius Aelius Paetus master of the horse. Storms repeatedly prevented the appointed elections from being carried through; and so when the old magistrates had gone out of office on the day before the Ides of March, and no new ones had been elected in their place, the state was without curule magistrates.
T. Manlius Torquatus pontifex eo anno mortuus; §30.39.6in locum eius suffectus C. Sulpicius Galba.
Titus Manlius Torquatus, the pontiff, died that year; in his place Gaius Sulpicius Galba was elected.
ab L. Licinio Lucullo et Q. Fulvio aedilibus curulibus ludi Romani ter toti instaurati. §30.39.7pecuniam ex aerario scribae viatoresque aedilicii clam egessisse per indicem comperti damnati sunt, non sine infamia Luculli aedilis.
By the curule aediles Lucius Licinius Lucullus and Quintus Fulvius, the Roman Games were thrice celebrated anew in their entirety. Some scribes and attendants of the aediles, who were found by an informer to have secretly carried off money from the treasury, were condemned, not without disgrace to the aedile Lucullus.
P. Aelius Tubero §30.39.8et L. Laetorius aediles plebis vitio creati magistratu se abdicaverunt, cum ludos ludorumque causa epulum Iovi fecissent et signa tria ex multaticio argento facta in Capitolio posuissent.
Publius Aelius Tubero and Lucius Laetorius, having been elected plebeian aediles under a flawed auspice, resigned their office, after they had celebrated the games and, on account of the games, had held a feast for Jupiter, and had placed on the Capitol three statues made from silver collected from fines.
Cerialia ludos dictator et magister equitum ex senatus consulto fecerunt.
The Games of Ceres were celebrated by the dictator and the master of the horse in accordance with a decree of the senate.

Notes

  1. 30.39.2superantem — The present participle superantem (accusative singular) modifies classem (feminine accusative singular, the direct object of disiecit), describing the fleet in the act of doubling the Insani Mountains. Although some interpret it as modifying an implied eum (Claudius), it is syntactically more natural to refer to the fleet.
  2. 30.39.3nullo prorogante — An ablative absolute consisting of the pronoun nullo and the present participle prorogante. It expresses cause: "since no one extended [his command]." It refers to the constitutional practice of prorogatio, the extension of a magistrate's imperium.
  3. 30.39.7clam egessisse per indicem comperti damnati sunt — The nominative participle comperti (having been found out) modifies the subject (scribae viatoresque), taking the perfect infinitive egessisse (to have carried off) to form the construction "having been found to have carried off." The phrase per indicem (by an informer) modifies comperti.

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §30.39.1-30.39.8. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:30.39.1-30.39.8

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