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Livy · History of Rome §31.47.1-31.47.7

Winter Withdrawal of Allied Fleets and Furius's Triumph

Passage 1074 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

After the capture of Oreus, the Roman and royal forces withdraw before winter, with Attalus and Apustius returning home. Meanwhile, the consul Aurelius is angered by the praetor Furius's achievements in his absence, leading Furius to travel to Rome to petition the senate for a triumph.

§31.47.1iam autumnale aequinoctium instabat; et est sinus Euboicus, quem Coela vocant, suspectus nautis.
Already the autumnal equinox was approaching; and the Euboean gulf, which they call Coela, is suspected by sailors.
itaque ante hiemales motus evadere inde cupientes Piraeum, unde profecti ad bellum erant, repetunt.
Therefore, wishing to escape from there before the winter storms, they returned to Piraeus, from where they had set out for the war.
§31.47.2Apustius triginta navibus ibi relictis super Maleum navigat Corcyram.
Apustius, having left thirty ships there, sailed around Malea to Corcyra.
regem statum initiorum Cereris, ut sacris interesset, tenuit; secundum initia et ipse in Asiam se recepit Agesimbroto et Rhodiis domum remissis.
The appointed time of the mysteries of Ceres detained the king, so that he might attend the sacred rites; after the mysteries, he himself also withdrew into Asia, having sent Agesimbrotus and the Rhodians home.
§31.47.3haec ea aestate terra marique adversus Philippum sociosque eius ab consule et legato Romanis adiuvantibus rege Attalo et Rhodiis gesta.
These were the things done that summer on land and sea against Philip and his allies by the Roman consul and lieutenant, with King Attalus and the Rhodians assisting.
§31.47.4consul alter C. Aurelius ad confectum bellum cum in provinciam venisset, haud clam tulit iram adversus praetorem, quod absente se rem gessisset.
When the other consul, Gaius Aurelius, had come into the province to a war already finished, he did not conceal his anger against the praetor because he had conducted the campaign in his absence.
§31.47.5misso igitur eo in Etruriam ipse in agrum hostium legiones induxit populandoque cum praeda maiore quam gloria bellum gessit.
Therefore, having sent him into Etruria, he himself led the legions into the enemy's territory, and by devastating it, waged war with greater plunder than glory.
§31.47.6L. Furius, simul quod in Etruria nihil erat rei, quod gereret, simul Gallico triumpho imminens, quem absente consule irato atque invidente facilius impetrari posse ratus est, Romam inopinato cum venisset, §31.47.7senatum in aede Bellonae habuit expositisque rebus gestis, ut triumphanti sibi in urbem invehi liceret, petit.
Lucius Furius, both because there was no business in Etruria for him to conduct, and at the same time eagerly desiring a Gallic triumph, which he thought could be more easily obtained while the consul was absent, angry, and envious, when he had come unexpectedly to Rome, held the senate in the temple of Bellona, and having set forth his achievements, requested that he might be allowed to enter the city in triumph.

Notes

  1. 31.47.2statum initiorum Cereris ... tenuit — The adjective "status" ("appointed" or "fixed") agrees with the accusative "statum," forming the noun phrase "statum initiorum Cereris" (the appointed time of the Ceres mysteries) which functions as the subject of the verb "tenuit" ("detained"). This inanimate subject structure explains the circumstances under which the king ("regem") remained to participate in the rites.
  2. 31.47.3gesta — The copula "sunt" is omitted after the perfect passive participle "gesta," which functions as the main verb of the clause ("these things were done").
  3. 31.47.4ad confectum bellum — An accusative phrase governed by the preposition "ad," literally translating to "to the finished war," which implies "to a war already brought to a conclusion." This indicates that when the consul arrived in his province, the operations had already been completed by the praetor.
  4. 31.47.6nihil erat rei, quod gereret — A partitive genitive construction where "nihil" is accompanied by "rei" (genitive singular of "res"), meaning "nothing of business/matter." The verb "gereret" in the relative clause introduced by "quod" is in the imperfect subjunctive, expressing purpose or characteristic ("for him to conduct").
  5. 31.47.7triumphanti sibi — The dative pronoun "sibi" combined with the present participle "triumphanti" serves as the complement of the impersonal verb "liceret," meaning "that it might be permitted for him, as one celebrating a triumph, to..."

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §31.47.1-31.47.7. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:31.47.1-31.47.7

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