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Livy · History of Rome §33.42.1-33.42.11

Creation of the Tresviri Epulones and Domestic Affairs

Passage 1160 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

Domestic affairs in Rome are described. It reports the creation of the tresviri epulones, disputes over the collection of unpaid taxes from priests, the election of new consuls and praetors, the distribution of grain, and the celebration of various games.

§33.42.1Romae eo primum anno tresviri epulones facti C. Licinius Lucullus tribunus plebis, qui legem de creandis iis tulerat, et P. Manlius et P. Porcius Laeca.
In Rome, in that year for the first time, three-man banquet commissioners were created: Gaius Licinius Lucullus, a tribune of the plebs, who had proposed the law for creating them, and Publius Manlius and Publius Porcius Laeca.
iis triumviris item ut pontificibus lege datum est togae praetextae habendae ius.
To these triumvirs, just as to the pontiffs, the right to wear the toga praetexta was granted by law.
§33.42.2sed magnum certamen cum omnibus sacerdotibus eo anno fuit quaestoribus urbanis, Q. Fabio Labeoni et L. Aurelio.
But in that year there was a great dispute between the urban quaestors, Quintus Fabius Labeo and Lucius Aurelius, and all the priests.
§33.42.3pecunia opus erat, quod ultimam pensionem pecuniae in bellum collatae persolvi placuerat privatis.
Money was needed, because it had been resolved that the last installment of the money contributed for the war should be paid back to private individuals.
§33.42.4quaestores ab auguribus pontificibusque quod stipendium per bellum non contulissent petebant.
The quaestors demanded from the augurs and pontiffs the contribution which they had not paid during the war.
ab sacerdotibus tribuni plebis nequiquam appellati, omniumque annorum, per quos non dederant, exactum est.
The tribunes of the plebs were appealed to in vain by the priests, and the money was exacted for all the years during which they had not paid.
§33.42.5eodem anno duo mortui pontifices, novique in eorum locum suffecti, M. Marcellus consul in locum C. Semproni Tuditani, qui praetor in Hispania decesserat, et L. §33.42.6Valerius Flaccus in locum M. Corneli Cethegi.
In the same year two pontiffs died, and new ones were substituted in their place: the consul Marcus Marcellus in place of Gaius Sempronius Tuditanus, who had died while praetor in Spain, and Lucius Valerius Flaccus in place of Marcus Cornelius Cethegus.
et Q. Fabius Maximus augur mortuus est admodum adulescens, priusquam ullum magistratum caperet; nec eo anno augur in eius locum est suffectus.
Also, Quintus Fabius Maximus, an augur, died at a very early age, before he had held any magistracy; nor was any augur substituted in his place in that year.
§33.42.7comitia inde consularia habita a M. Marcello consule.
After that, the consular comitia were held by the consul Marcus Marcellus.
creati consules L. Valerius Flaccus et M. Porcius Cato.
Lucius Valerius Flaccus and Marcus Porcius Cato were elected consuls.
praetores inde facti Cn. Manlius Volso, Ap. Claudius Nero, P. Porcius Laeca, C. Fabricius Luscinus, C. Atinius Labeo, P. Manlius.
Then Gnaeus Manlius Vulso, Appius Claudius Nero, Publius Porcius Laeca, Gaius Fabricius Luscinus, Gaius Atinius Labeo, and Publius Manlius were made praetors.
§33.42.8eo anno aediles curules, M. Fulvius Nobilior et C. Flaminius, tritici deciens centena milia binis aeris populo discripserunt.
In that year, the curule aediles, Marcus Fulvius Nobilior and Gaius Flaminius, distributed one million modii of wheat to the people at two asses per modius.
id C. Flamini honoris causa ipsius patrisque advexerant Siculi Romam; Flaminius gratiam eius communicaverat cum collega.
The Sicilians had brought this to Rome out of respect for Gaius Flaminius himself and his father; Flaminius shared the credit for this with his colleague.
§33.42.9ludi Romani et apparati magnifice sunt et ter toti instaurati aediles plebis Cn.
The Roman Games were both magnificently prepared and thrice repeated in their entirety.
Domitius Ahenobarbus et C. Scribonius Curio, multos pecuarios ad populi iudicium adduxerunt; §33.42.10tres ex his condemnati sunt; ex eorum multaticia pecunia aedem in insula Fauni fecerunt.
The plebeian aediles, Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus and Gaius Scribonius Curio, brought many graziers to trial before the people; three of these were condemned; with their fine money, they built a temple of Faunus on the island.
§33.42.11ludi plebei per biduum instaurati, et epulum fuit ludorum causa.
The Plebeian Games were repeated for two days, and there was a feast because of the games.

Notes

  1. §33.42.1togae praetextae habendae — A gerundive construction consisting of the noun `togae praetextae` and the gerundive `habendae`, agreeing in gender, number, and case (genitive singular). It modifies `ius` (the right of wearing the toga praetexta).
  2. §33.42.4tribuni plebis nequiquam appellati — The verb `sunt` is omitted from the perfect passive `appellati [sunt]`. Here, `appellare` is used in the legal sense of "to appeal to" or "to implore the protection of" a magistrate, accompanied by the agent `ab sacerdotibus` (by the priests), meaning that the priests appealed to the tribunes of the plebs in vain.
  3. §33.42.5et L. — The division between section 5 and section 6 occurs in the middle of a name, between the praenomen `L.` (at the end of §33.42.5) and the nomen `Valerius` (at the start of §33.42.6). Syntactically, the verb from the previous clause, `suffecti [sunt]`, continues here, and the sentence is to be understood as `L. Valerius Flaccus [suffectus est] in locum M. Corneli Cethegi`.
  4. §33.42.8binis aeris — A combination of the distributive numeral `binis` (two each) in the ablative and the plural of `aes` (bronze coin/as) in the ablative of price, forming a distributive price expression meaning "at two asses per modius".

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §33.42.1-33.42.11. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:33.42.1-33.42.11

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