Humanitext Reader

Livy · History of Rome §30.45.1-30.45.7

Scipio's Triumph and the Cognomen Africanus

Passage 1027 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

Scipio returns to Rome via Sicily and celebrates an unprecedentedly magnificent triumph. King Syphax had died shortly before and received a public funeral, and Scipio became the first Roman general to be ennobled by the name of the nation he conquered.

§30.45.1pace terra marique parta, exercitu in naves inposito, in Siciliam Lilybaeum traiecit.
Peace having been secured on land and sea, and the army put on board the ships, he crossed over to Lilybaeum in Sicily.
§30.45.2inde magna parte militum navibus missa ipse per laetam pace non minus quam victoria Italiam, effusis non urbibus modo ad habendos honores, sed agrestium etiam turba obsidente vias, Romam pervenit triumphoque omnium clarissimo urbem est invectus.
Having sent a large part of the soldiers from there by ship, he himself reached Rome through an Italy rejoicing no less in peace than in victory, with not only the cities pouring out to show him honor, but also crowds of country folk blocking the roads; and he entered the city in the most brilliant triumph of all.
§30.45.3argenti tulit in aerarium pondo centum triginta tria milia.
He carried into the treasury one hundred and thirty-three thousand pounds of silver.
militibus ex praeda quadringenos aeris divisit.
From the booty he distributed four hundred asses to each of the soldiers.
§30.45.4morte subtractus spectaculo magis hominum quam triumphantis gloriae Syphax est, Tiburi haud ita multo ante mortuus, quo ab Alba traductus fuerat.
Syphax was snatched by death from the spectacle of the people rather than from the glory of the triumphing commander; he had died not long before at Tibur, to which place he had been transferred from Alba.
conspecta tamen mors eius fuit, quia publico funere est elatus.
Yet his death was noticeable, because he was carried out with a public funeral.
§30.45.5hunc regem in triumpho ductum Polybius, haudquaquam spernendus auctor, tradit.
Polybius, an author by no means to be despised, records that this king was led in the triumph.
secutus Scipionem triumphantem est pilleo capiti inposito Q. Terentius Culleo, omnique deinde vita, ut dignum erat, libertatis auctorem coluit.
Quintus Terentius Culleo followed Scipio in his triumph with a pileus placed on his head, and for the rest of his life, as was fitting, he revered him as the author of his liberty.
§30.45.6Africani cognomen militaris prius favor an popularis aura celebraverit an, sicuti Felicis Syllae Magnique Pompei patrum memoria, coeptum ab adsentatione familiari sit, parum compertum habeo.
Whether the military favor or the popular breeze first celebrated the surname of Africanus, or whether, like the "Lucky" of Sulla and the "Great" of Pompey within the memory of our fathers, it began from domestic flattery, I do not have well ascertained.
§30.45.7primus certe hic imperator nomine victae ab se gentis est nobilitatus; exemplo deinde huius nequaquam victoria pares insignes imaginum titulos claraque cognomina familiarum asciverunt.
This general was certainly the first to be ennobled by the name of the people conquered by him; afterwards, following his example, men by no means equal to him in victory assumed brilliant titles for their ancestral masks and famous surnames for their families.

Notes

  1. §30.45.2effusis non urbibus modo ad habendos honores, sed agrestium etiam turba obsidente vias — A parallel structure of two ablative absolute clauses: 'effusis ... urbibus' (passive perfect participle) and 'turba obsidente' (active present participle). In the former, 'urbibus' functions metonymically for the inhabitants of the cities and is accompanied by the gerundive of purpose 'ad habendos honores'. In the latter, the present participle 'obsidente' modifies 'turba' and takes 'vias' as its direct object.
  2. §30.45.4morte subtractus spectaculo magis hominum quam triumphantis gloriae Syphax est — The backbone of the main clause is 'Syphax est morte subtractus' ('Syphax was rescued/withdrawn by death'). 'spectaculo' is an ablative of separation (or dative) depending on the participle 'subtractus'. The phrase 'spectaculo magis hominum quam triumphantis gloriae' means 'from the spectacle of the common people rather than from the glory of the triumphing commander (i.e., being exhibited as part of his triumph)'. 'hominum' functions as a subjective (or objective) genitive, and 'triumphantis' is a genitive present participle referring to Scipio.
  3. §30.45.6parum compertum habeo — A periphrastic construction combining 'habeo' with the perfect passive participle 'compertum' (neuter accusative singular). In classical Latin, this emphasizes the present state of completed action ('I hold it as ascertained') rather than a simple perfect tense ('comperi'). This usage foreshadows the development of the compound perfect tense in Romance languages. The entire preceding indirect question clause (... celebraverit ... an ... coeptum ... sit) serves as the logical object of 'compertum'.

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §30.45.1-30.45.7. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:30.45.1-30.45.7

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.