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Livy · History of Rome §32.2.1-32.2.7

Carthaginian Tribute and Senate Responses to Petitions

Passage 1079 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

The Carthaginians deliver their first silver tribute, which they must supplement due to poor quality, and the senate responds to various petitions from the Carthaginians, Gades, Narnia, and Cosa.

§32.2.1Carthaginienses eo anno argentum in stipendium impositum primum Romam advexerunt.
In that year, the Carthaginians brought to Rome for the first time the silver imposed as tribute.
§32.2.2id quia probum non esse quaestores renuntiaverant, experientibusque pars quarta decocta erat, pecunia Romae mutua sumpta intertrimentum argenti expleverunt.
Because the quaestors had reported that it was not of standard quality, and upon assaying it a fourth part was lost in melting, they made up for the loss of the silver by borrowing money in Rome.
§32.2.3petentibus, deinde, ut, si iam videretur senatui, obsides sibi redderentur. centum redditi obsides; de ceteris, si in fide §32.2.4permanerent, spes facta.
Next, upon their requesting that, if it now seemed proper to the senate, their hostages should be restored to them, one hundred hostages were restored; regarding the rest, if they remained in their allegiance, hope was held out.
§32.2.5petentibus iisdem, qui non reddebantur obsides, ut ab Norba, ubi parum commode essent, alio traducerentur, concessum, ut Signiam et Ferentinum transirent.
When the same envoys requested that the hostages who were not restored should be transferred from Norba, where they were in uncomfortable circumstances, to some other place, permission was granted for them to remove to Signia and Ferentinum.
§32.2.6Gaditanis item petentibus remissum, ne praefectus Gadis mitteretur adversus id, quod iis in fidem populi Romani venientibus cum L. Marcio Septimo convenisset.
Likewise, at the request of the citizens of Gades, it was granted that no prefect should be sent to Gades, which would be contrary to what had been agreed upon with Lucius Marcius Septimus when they came under the protection of the Roman people.
et Narniensium legatis querentibus ad numerum sibi colonos non esse et immixtos quosdam non sui generis pro colonis se gerere, earum rerum causa tresviros creare L. Cornelius consul iussus.
And when envoys from Narnia complained that they did not have their full number of colonists, and that certain intruders of a different class were acting as colonists, the consul Lucius Cornelius was ordered to appoint three commissioners to deal with these matters.
§32.2.7creati P. et Sex. Aelii — Paetis fuit ambobus cognomen — et Cn. Cornelius Lentulus.
Publius and Sextus Aelius—both had the cognomen Paetus—and Gnaeus Cornelius Lentulus were appointed.
quod Narniensibus datum, ut colonorum numerus augeretur, id Cosani petentes non impetraverunt.
The concession which was granted to the Narnians, that the number of colonists should be increased, was requested by the people of Cosa, but they did not obtain it.

Notes

  1. 32.2.2experientibusque — `experientibus` is the dative plural present participle of `experior` (to test, assay). It functions here as a dative of reference or judgment ('to those assaying it', i.e., 'when they assayed it'), indicating the persons conducting the test.
  2. 32.2.3petentibus — `petentibus` is a present participle in the dative, referring to the Carthaginians. It functions as a dative of reference, indicating the persons making the request to whom the response (the return of the hostages, `redditi [sunt]`) was directed.
  3. 32.2.5concessum, ut — `concessum` is used impersonally (`concessum est`), with the `ut`-clause (`ut Signiam et Ferentinum transirent`) serving as the subject clause. `petentibus iisdem` is the dative of reference indicating to whom the permission was granted.
  4. 32.2.6Gadis — `Gadis` is the accusative plural of the third-declension place-name `Gades` (with `-is` for `-es`), expressing direction of motion ('to Gades') without a preposition.
  5. 32.2.6convenisset — `convenisset` is the subjunctive pluperfect of `convenire` (to be agreed upon) in a relative clause qualifying the antecedent `id`. The dative phrase `iis in fidem populi Romani venientibus` represents the parties with whom the agreement (`cum L. Marcio Septimo`) was made.
  6. 32.2.7quod... id — A proleptic structure where the antecedent `id` is placed after the relative clause `quod...`. The `ut`-clause (`ut colonorum numerus augeretur`) functions as an appositive explaining the content of `quod` (and thus of `id`).

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §32.2.1-32.2.7. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:32.2.1-32.2.7

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