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Livy · History of Rome §32.27.1-32.27.8

Cato's Administration of Sardinia and Elections

Passage 1105 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

Describes the gratitude and offerings of King Attalus, the supply of provisions to the Roman army in Greece, Cato's financial reforms and suppression of usury in Sardinia, and the election of new consuls and praetors, the latter increased to six for the first time.

§32.27.1eodem anno legati ab rege Attalo coronam auream ducentum quadraginta sex pondo in Capitolio posuerunt gratiasque senatui egere, quod Antiochus legatorum Romanorum auctoritate motus finibus Attali exercitum deduxisset.
In the same year, ambassadors from King Attalus placed a golden crown of two hundred and forty-six pounds' weight on the Capitol and thanked the senate because Antiochus, moved by the authority of the Roman ambassadors, had withdrawn his army from the territory of Attalus.
§32.27.2eadem aestate equites ducenti et elephanti decem et tritici modium ducenta milia ab rege Masinissa ad exercitum, qui in Graecia erat, pervenerunt.
In the same summer, two hundred horsemen, ten elephants, and two hundred thousand modii of wheat from King Masinissa arrived for the army which was in Greece.
item ex Sicilia Sardiniaque magni commeatus et vestimenta exercitui missa.
Likewise, great supplies and clothing were sent to the army from Sicily and Sardinia.
§32.27.3Siciliam M. Marcellus, Sardiniam M. Porcius Cato obtinebat, sanctus et innocens, asperior tamen in faenore coercendo habitus;
Marcus Marcellus obtained Sicily, and Marcus Porcius Cato Sardinia; the latter was esteemed holy and blameless, yet somewhat too harsh in restraining usury.
§32.27.4fugatique ex insula faeneratores et sumptus, quos in cultum praetorum socii facere soliti erant, circumcisi aut sublati.
The usurers were driven from the island, and the expenses which the allies had been accustomed to incur for the maintenance of the praetors were either retrenched or abolished.
§32.27.5Sex. Aelius consul, ex Gallia comitiorum causa Romam cum redisset, creavit consules C. Cornelium Cethegum et Q. Minucium Rufum.
The consul Sextus Aelius, having returned from Gaul to Rome for the purpose of the elections, elected Gaius Cornelius Cethegus and Quintus Minucius Rufus as consuls.
§32.27.6biduo post praetorum comitia habita.
Two days later, the elections of the praetors were held.
sex praetores illo anno primum creati crescentibus iam provinciis et latius patescente imperio;
Six praetors were elected for the first time in that year, as the provinces were now increasing and the empire was extending more widely.
§32.27.7creati autem hi: L. Manlius Volso, C. Sempronius Tuditanus, M. Sergius Silus, M. Helvius, M. Minucius Rufus. L. Atilius — Sempronius et Helvius ex iis aediles plebis erant —;
The following were elected: Lucius Manlius Volso, Gaius Sempronius Tuditanus, Marcus Sergius Silus, Marcus Helvius, Marcus Minucius Rufus, and Lucius Atilius—of these, Sempronius and Helvius were plebeian aediles—.
§32.27.8curules aediles Q. Minucius Thermus et Ti. Sempronius Longus.
The curule aediles were Quintus Minucius Thermus and Tiberius Sempronius Longus.
ludi Romani eo anno quater instaurati.
The Roman Games were celebrated four times in that year.

Notes

  1. §32.27.1ducentum quadraginta sex pondo — pondo, originally an ablative of pondus (weight), is used here as an indeclinable noun/adverbial expression with numerals, meaning 'of pounds in weight.'
  2. §32.27.2tritici modium — modium is an archaic contracted form of the genitive plural modiorum (from modius, a measure of capacity), dependent on the numeral phrase ducenta milia.
  3. §32.27.3asperior tamen in faenore coercendo habitus — The verb esse is omitted (habitus [est]). The verb habeo in the passive voice means 'to be held, regarded as', taking the comparative adjective asperior in the nominative case as its predicate. 'in faenore coercendo' is a gerundive construction in the ablative case with the preposition in, meaning 'in restraining usury.'
  4. §32.27.6crescentibus iam provinciis et latius patescente imperio — This is a parallel construction of ablative absolute (denoting cause or circumstance) with the present participles crescentibus and patescente, explaining the background or reason why six praetors were elected for the first time.

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §32.27.1-32.27.8. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:32.27.1-32.27.8

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