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Livy · History of Rome §30.41.1-30.41.9

Distribution of Legions and Fleets by the Senate

Passage 1023 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

The senate's decree on the distribution of legions and fleets to the commanders. Scipio's command in Africa is prolonged, the praetors' forces are assigned, the command in Spain is arranged, the consul's fleet is organized, and the total military mobilization of fourteen legions is established.

§30.41.1P. Scipioni cum exercitibus, quos haberet, in provincia Africa prorogatum imperium.
Publius Scipio's command in the province of Africa was prolonged, together with the armies which he had.
praetoribus M. Valerio Faltoni duae legiones in Bruttiis, quibus C. Livius priore anno praefuerat, decretae; §30.41.2P. Aelius praetor duas legiones in Sicilia ab Cn. Tremellio acciperet; legio una M. Fabio in Sardiniam, quam P. Lentulus pro praetore habuisset, decernitur.
For the praetors, to Marcus Valerius Falto were decreed two legions in the Bruttii, which Gaius Livius had commanded the previous year; Publius Aelius, the praetor, was to receive two legions in Sicily from Gnaeus Tremellius; one legion was decreed to Marcus Fabius for Sardinia, which Publius Lentulus had held as propraetor.
§30.41.3M. Servilio prioris anni consuli cum suis duabus item legionibus in Etruria prorogatum imperium est.
For Marcus Servilius, the consul of the previous year, the command in Etruria was likewise prolonged, together with his own two legions.
§30.41.4quod ad Hispanias attineret, aliquot annos iam ibi L. Cornelium Lentulum et L. Manlium Acidinum esse; uti consules cum tribunis agerent, ut, si iis videretur, plebem rogarent, cui iuberent in Hispania imperium esse; §30.41.5is ex duobus exercitibus in unam legionem conscriberet Romanos milites et in quindecim cohortes socios Latini nominis, quibus provinciam obtineret; veteres milites L. Cornelius et L. Manlius in Italiam deportarent.
As far as the Spains were concerned, Lucius Cornelius Lentulus and Lucius Manlius Acidinum had already been there for several years; the consuls should negotiate with the tribunes so that, if it seemed good to them, they should propose to the plebs whom they would order to have command in Spain; that person should enlist the Roman soldiers from the two armies into one legion, and the allies of the Latin name into fifteen cohorts, with which he was to hold the province; and Lucius Cornelius and Lucius Manlius should bring back the veteran soldiers to Italy.
§30.41.6consuli quinquaginta navium classis ex duabus classibus, Cn. Octavi, quae in Africa esset, et P. Villi, quae Siciliae oram tuebatur, decreta, ut quas vellet naves deligeret.
To the consul was decreed a fleet of fifty ships from the two fleets, that of Gnaeus Octavius which was in Africa, and that of Publius Villius which was guarding the coast of Sicily, so that he might choose which ships he wished.
§30.41.7P. Scipio quadraginta naves longas, quas habuisset, haberet; quibus si Cn. Octavium, sicut praefuisset, praeesse vellet, Octavio pro praetore in eum annum imperium esset; §30.41.8si Laelium praeficeret, Octavius Romam decederet reduceretque naves, quibus consuli usus non esset.
Publius Scipio was to keep the forty warships which he had had; if he wished Gnaeus Octavius to command them just as he had done, Octavius should have command as propraetor for that year; if he should put Laelius in command, Octavius should depart for Rome and bring back the ships for which the consul had no use.
et M. Fabio in Sardiniam decem longae naves decretae.
And ten warships were decreed to Marcus Fabius for Sardinia.
§30.41.9et consules duas urbanas legiones scribere iussi, ut quattuordecim legionibus eo anno, centum navibus longis res publica administraretur.
And the consuls were ordered to enlist two city legions, so that the republic might be administered that year with fourteen legions and one hundred warships.

Notes

  1. 30.41.1praetoribus M. Valerio Faltoni — Although praetoribus is a dative plural, it is immediately followed by the singular M. Valerio Faltoni. It serves as an introductory dative of reference for the praetors as a group ("As for the praetors: to Marcus Valerius Falto..."), which is then followed by the assignments of other praetors (P. Aelius and M. Fabius in §30.41.2).
  2. 30.41.4quod ad Hispanias attineret, aliquot annos iam ibi L. Cornelium Lentulum et L. Manlium Acidinum esse — quod... attineret is a subjunctive of restriction ("as far as... was concerned"). The following accusative with infinitive clause L. Cornelium Lentulum... esse and the subsequent subjunctive clauses (agerent, rogarent, etc.) are in indirect discourse representing the decree of the senate, with the governing verb (such as "it was decreed") being implied.
  3. 30.41.4cui iuberent in Hispania imperium esse — The clause cui... imperium esse is an indirect question depending on iuberent (or embedded under rogarent). cui is a dative of possessor with imperium esse ("to whom there should be command"), meaning altogether "whom they [the plebs] should order to have command in Spain."
  4. 30.41.8quibus consuli usus non esset — The impersonal expression usus est ("there is need of") takes its object in the ablative (here the ablative plural relative pronoun quibus). consuli is a dative of reference or possessor ("for the consul"), meaning "for which the consul had no need."

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §30.41.1-30.41.9. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:30.41.1-30.41.9

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