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Livy · History of Rome §35.21.1-35.21.11

Portents at Rome and Minucius' Campaign against Ligurians

Passage 1250 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

At Rome, various portents, a flood of the Tiber, and a falling rock from the Capitol prompted supplications, while in the territory of Pisa, Q. Minucius defeated the Ligurians and thoroughly devastated their territory.

§35.21.1praetoribus Fulvio et Scribonio, quibus ut ius dicerent Romae provincia erat, negotium datum, ut praeter eam classem, cui Baebius praefuturus erat, centum quinqueremes pararent.
To the praetors Fulvius and Scribonius, whose province it was to administer justice at Rome, the task was assigned to prepare one hundred quinqueremes, in addition to that fleet which Baebius was to command.
§35.21.2priusquam consul praetoresque in provincias proficiscerentur, supplicatio fuit prodigiorum causa.
Before the consul and the praetors set out for their provinces, a supplication was held on account of portents.
§35.21.3capram sex haedos uno fetu edidisse ex Piceno nuntiatum est et Arreti puerum natum unimanum, §35.21.4Amiterni terram pluvisse, Formiis portam murumque de caelo tacta et, quod maxime terrebat, consulis Cn.
It was reported from Picenum that a goat had brought forth six kids at one birth, and at Arretium that a boy had been born with only one hand; at Amiternum that it had rained earth; at Formiae that a gate and wall had been struck by lightning from heaven; and, what terrified people most of all, that a bull belonging to the consul Cn.
Domiti bovem locutum “Roma, cave tibi. ” §35.21.5ceterorum prodigiorum causa supplicatum est; bovem cum cura servari alique haruspices iusserunt.
Domitius had spoken, saying, "Rome, take care of yourself." On account of the other portents a supplication was made; but the haruspices ordered that the bull should be carefully kept and fed.
Tiberis infestiore quam priore anno impetu illatus urbi duos pontis, aedificia multa, §35.21.6maxime circa Flumentanam portam, evertit.
The Tiber, rushing into the city with a more violent force than in the preceding year, swept away two bridges and many buildings, especially around the Flumentan gate.
saxum ingens, sive imbribus seu motu terrae leniore, quam ut alioqui sentiretur, labefactatum in vicum Iugarium ex Capitolio procidit et multos oppressit.
A huge rock, loosened either by the rains or by an earthquake too gentle to be felt otherwise, fell from the Capitol into the Jugarian street and crushed many people.
in agris passim inundatis pecua ablata, villarum strages facta est.
In the fields, which were flooded everywhere, cattle were carried away and farmhouses were laid in ruins.
§35.21.7priusquam L. Quinctius consul in provinciam perveniret, Q. Minucius in agro Pisano cum Liguribus signis collatis pugnavit; novem milia hostium occidit, §35.21.8ceteros fusos fugatosque in castra compulit.
Before the consul L. Quinctius arrived in his province, Q. Minucius fought a pitched battle with the Ligurians in the territory of Pisa; he killed nine thousand of the enemy, and forced the rest, routed and put to flight, into their camp.
ea usque in noctem magno certamine oppugnata defensaque sunt.
This was assaulted and defended with great conflict until far into the night.
§35.21.9nocte clam profecti Ligures; prima luce vacua castra Romanus invasit; praedae minus inventum est, quod subinde spolia agrorum capta domos mittebant.
During the night, the Ligurians departed secretly; at dawn, the Romans entered the empty camp; less booty was found there because they had been sending the spoils taken from the fields back to their homes from time to time.
§35.21.10Minucius nihil deinde laxamenti hostibus dedit; ex agro Pisano in Ligures profectus castella vicosque eorum igni ferroque pervastavit.
Minucius then gave no respite to the enemy; marching from the territory of Pisa against the Ligurians, he laid waste to their forts and villages with fire and sword.
§35.21.11ibi praeda Etrusca, quae missa a populatoribus fuerat, repletus est miles Romanus.
There, the Roman soldiers were enriched with the Etruscan booty which had been sent home by the plunderers.

Notes

  1. 35.21.1quibus ut ius dicerent Romae provincia erat — The relative pronoun quibus refers back to praetoribus Fulvio et Scribonio. The clause ut ius dicerent functions as a substantive clause defining the content of the provincia (duty).
  2. 35.21.4pluvisse / tacta / locutum — These are infinitives in indirect discourse depending on "nuntiatum est" in §35.21.3. "Amiterni" is locative. "terram" is the subject accusative of "pluvisse". "tacta" and "locutum" are perfect infinitives with "esse" omitted.
  3. 35.21.6leniore, quam ut alioqui sentiretur — A comparative followed by "quam ut" and the subjunctive ("sentiretur") expresses result or disproportion: "too gentle to be felt otherwise" or "so gentle that it could not otherwise be felt".
  4. 35.21.9praedae minus — The partitive genitive "praedae" depends on the neuter comparative "minus": "less of booty" (less booty), serving as the subject of the passive verb "inventum est".
  5. 35.21.11praeda Etrusca — Ablative of means or instrument, depending on the passive verb "repletus est" (was filled or enriched with Etruscan booty).

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §35.21.1-35.21.11. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:35.21.1-35.21.11

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