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Livy · History of Rome §33.1.1-33.1.8

Quinctius Enters Thebes to Secure Boeotia

Passage 1119 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

Quinctius, aiming to win over the Boeotians, encamped near Thebes with King Attalus and entered the city, keeping his legionaries hidden behind, effectively seizing control of Boeotia.

§33.1.1haec per hiemem gesta; initio autem veris Quinctius Attalo Elatiam excito Boeotorum gentem incertis ad eam diem animis fluctuantem dicionis suae facere cupiens, profectus per Phocidem quinque milia ab Thebis, quod caput est Boeotiae, posuit castra.
These things were done during the winter; but at the beginning of spring, Quinctius, wishing to bring under his own control the nation of the Boeotians, which up to that day was wavering with uncertain minds, having summoned Attalus to Elatia, set out through Phocis and pitched camp five miles from Thebes, which is the capital of Boeotia.
§33.1.2inde postero die cum unius signi militibus et Attalo legationibusque, quae frequentes undique convenerant, pergit ire ad urbem, iussis legionis hastatis — ea duo milia militum erant — sequi se mille passuum intervallo distantibus.
From there on the following day, he proceeded to the city with the soldiers of a single company, and with Attalus and the embassies which had assembled in large numbers from all sides, having ordered the hastati of the legion—these were two thousand soldiers—to follow him at an interval of a mile.
§33.1.3ad medium ferme viae Boeotorum praetor Antiphilus obvius fuit; cetera multitudo e muris adventum imperatoris Romani regisque prospeculabatur.
At about the middle of the way, Antiphilus, the praetor of the Boeotians, met them; the rest of the multitude watched for the arrival of the Roman general and the king from the walls.
§33.1.4rara arma paucique milites circa eos apparebant; hastatos sequentes procul anfractus viarum vallesque interiectae occulebant.
Scattered arms and few soldiers appeared around them; the windings of the roads and the intervening valleys hid the hastati who were following at a distance.
§33.1.5cum iam adpropinquaret urbi, velut obviam egredientem turbam salutaret, tardius incedebat; causa erat morae, ut hastati consequerentur.
When he was already approaching the city, he marched more slowly, as if greeting the crowd that was coming out to meet him; the reason for the delay was to allow the hastati to catch up.
§33.1.6oppidani, ante lictorem turba acta, insecutum confestim agmen armatorum non ante, quam ad hospitium imperatoris ventum est, conspexere.
The townspeople, with the crowd driven before the lictor, did not see the armed column immediately following until they had arrived at the general's quarters.
§33.1.7tum velut prodita dolo Antiphili praetoris urbe captaque obstipuerunt omnes; et apparebat nihil liberae consultationis concilio, quod in diem posterum indictum erat Boeotis, relictum esse.
Then, as if the city had been betrayed by the treachery of the praetor Antiphilus and captured, everyone was struck with amazement; and it was apparent that no room for free consultation was left to the council of the Boeotians, which had been summoned for the following day.
§33.1.8texerunt dolorem, quem et nequiquam et non sine periculo ostendissent.
They concealed their grief, which they would have shown both in vain and not without danger.

Notes

  1. §33.1.1dicionis suae facere — An idiomatic expression using the genitive `dicionis suae` with `facere` to mean 'to bring under one's own control (dominion).' `dicionis` functions as a genitive of possession or characteristic.
  2. §33.1.2iussis legionis hastatis ... sequi se — An ablative absolute construction with `iussis` and `hastatis`. Since the verb `iubere` takes the construction 'to order someone (accusative) to do something (infinitive)' (`iubere aliquem facere`), the logical subject of the infinitive, originally in the accusative (`hastatos`), here becomes the ablative noun (`hastatis`) accompanying the infinitive `sequi`.
  3. §33.1.5ut hastati consequerentur — A noun clause introduced by `ut` that explains the content of `causa` (reason/cause), standing in apposition to it ('the reason ... was that the hastati should catch up').
  4. §33.1.8ostendissent — Subjunctive pluperfect in the relative clause `quem ... ostendissent`. It implies a contrary-to-fact condition: 'which they would have shown (if they had shown it, it would have been both in vain and not without danger).'

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §33.1.1-33.1.8. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:33.1.1-33.1.8

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