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Livy · History of Rome §32.28.1-32.28.12

Allocation of Provinces and Prorogation for Macedonia

Passage 1106 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

On the determination of provinces for the consuls and praetors, the tribunes' objection regarding the continuation of command in Macedonia, and the final decree on provinces and military reinforcements.

§32.28.1C. Cornelio et Q. Minucio consulibus omnium primum de provinciis consulum praetorumque actum.
When Gaius Cornelius and Quintus Minucius were consuls, first of all, the business of the provinces of the consuls and praetors was transacted.
§32.28.2prius de praetoribus transacta res, quae transigi sorte poterat.
The business of the praetors, which could be decided by lot, was settled first.
urbana Sergio, peregrina iurisdictio Minucio obtigit; Sardiniam Atilius, Siciliam Manlius, Hispanias Sempronius citeriorem, Helvius ulteriorem est sortitus.
The urban jurisdiction fell to Sergius, that between citizens and foreigners to Minucius; Atilius drew Sardinia, Manlius Sicily, Sempronius Nearer Spain, and Helvius Farther Spain.
§32.28.3consulibus Italiam Macedoniamque sortiri parantibus L. Oppius et Q. Fulvius tribuni plebis impedimento erant, quod longinqua provincia Macedonia esset, §32.28.4neque ulla alia res maius bello impedimentum ad eam diem fuisset, quam quod vixdum inchoatis rebus in ipso conatu gerendi belli prior consul revocaretur.
As the consuls were preparing to cast lots for Italy and Macedonia, Lucius Oppius and Quintus Fulvius, tribunes of the plebs, were a hindrance to them, on the ground that Macedonia was a distant province, and that nothing else had been a greater hindrance to the war up to that day than that, when matters were scarcely begun, in the very effort of conducting the war, the former consul was recalled.
§32.28.5quartum iam annum esse ab decreto Macedonico bello.
It was now the fourth year since the Macedonian war had been decreed.
quaerendo regem et exercitum eius Sulpicium maiorem partem anni absumpsisse.
Sulpicius had spent the greater part of the year in seeking the king and his army.
Villium congredientem cum hoste infecta re revocatum.
Villius, having engaged with the enemy, had been recalled without having accomplished anything.
§32.28.6Quinctium rebus divinis Romae maiorem partem anni retentum ita gessisse tamen res, ut, si aut maturius in provinciam venisset, aut hiems magis sera fuisset, potuerit debellare; §32.28.7nunc prope in hiberna profectum ita comparare dici bellum, ut, nisi successor impediat, perfecturus aestate proxima videatur.
Quinctius, though detained at Rome for the greater part of the year by religious duties, had nevertheless conducted affairs in such a way that, if he had either arrived in his province earlier, or if winter had been more delayed, he could have finished the war; now, having set out almost into winter quarters, he was said to be preparing for war in such a manner that, unless a successor should interfere, he seemed likely to finish it in the next summer.
§32.28.8his orationibus pervicerunt, ut consules in senatus auctoritate fore dicerent se, si idem tribuni plebis facerent.
By these speeches they prevailed upon the consuls to say that they would place themselves under the authority of the senate, if the tribunes of the plebs would do the same.
permittentibus utrisque liberam consultationem patres consulibus ambobus Italiam provinciam decreverunt, §32.28.9T. Quinctio prorogarunt imperium, donec successor ex senatus consulto venisset.
Both parties leaving free consultation to them, the senators decreed the province of Italy to both consuls, and prorogued the command of Titus Quinctius until a successor should arrive by decree of the senate.
consulibus binae legiones decretae et ut bellum cum Gallis Cisalpinis, §32.28.10qui defecissent a populo Romano, gererent.
Two legions each were decreed to the consuls, and they were ordered to conduct the war with the Cisalpine Gauls, who had revolted from the Roman people.
Quinctio in Macedoniam supplementum decretum, sex milia peditum, trecenti equites, sociorum navalium milia tria.
For Quinctius in Macedonia, a reinforcement was decreed: six thousand infantry, three hundred cavalry, and three thousand naval allies.
§32.28.11praeesse eidem, cui praeerat, classi L. Quinctius Flamininus iussus.
Lucius Quinctius Flamininus was ordered to command the same fleet which he had commanded before.
praetoribus in Hispanias octona milia peditum socium ac nominis Latini data et quadringeni equites, ut dimitterent veterem ex Hispaniis militem; et terminare iussi, qua ulterior citeriorve provincia servaretur.
To the praetors for the Spains, eight thousand infantry and four hundred cavalry of the allies and Latin name were given to each, so that they might dismiss the veteran soldiers from Spain; and they were ordered to define the boundaries by which the Farther or Nearer province should be kept.
§32.28.12Macedoniae legatos P. Sulpicium et P. Villium, qui consules in ea provincia fuerant, adiecerunt.
To Macedonia they added as legates Publius Sulpicius and Publius Villius, who had been consuls in that province.

Notes

  1. §32.28.3consulibus... parantibus — Dative of reference modified by the participle, forming a double dative construction with the predicative dative `impedimento`. It should not be confused with an ablative absolute.
  2. §32.28.4quod... revocaretur — The subjunctive is used because the clause expresses the reason as alleged by the tribunes (virtual indirect speech).
  3. §32.28.5quartum iam annum esse — Marks the beginning of a long passage in indirect speech (oratio obliqua) representing the arguments of the tribunes, without a formal verb of saying; hence the series of accusative with infinitive constructions.
  4. §32.28.6potuerit — Perfect subjunctive in a result clause (consecutive clause), representing an actual historical result. It stands for what would have been an unfulfilled past subjunctive (pluperfect) in a direct contrary-to-fact conditional clause.
  5. §32.28.8in senatus auctoritate fore — An idiomatic expression meaning "to abide by the decision/authority of the senate". `fore` is equivalent to `futurum esse` (future infinitive).
  6. §32.28.11qua... servaretur — Indirect question serving as the object of the infinitive `terminare`, using the subjunctive `servaretur`.

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §32.28.1-32.28.12. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:32.28.1-32.28.12

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