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Livy · History of Rome §36.42.1-36.42.8

Gaius Livius' Fleet Assembly and Advance

Passage 1322 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

Gaius Livius, the commander of the Roman fleet, arrives at the Piraeus after gathering allied ships from various ports. He is met by King Eumenes, takes over the fleet from his predecessor Atilius, and sails to Delus.

§36.42.1C. Livius praefectus Romanae classis, cum quinquaginta navibus tectis profectus ab Roma Neapolim, quo ab sociis eius orae convenire iusserat apertas naves, §36.42.2quae ex foedere debebantur, Siciliam inde petit fretoque Messanam praetervectus, cum sex Punicas naves ad auxilium missas accepisset et ab Reginis Locrisque et eiusdem iuris sociis debitas exegisset naves, lustrata classe ad Lacinium, altum petit.
Gaius Livius, the commander of the Roman fleet, having set out from Rome with fifty decked ships for Neapolis, where he had ordered the open ships which were due from the allies of that coast to assemble, then headed for Sicily. Having sailed through the strait past Messana, after he had received six Carthaginian ships sent to his assistance, and had requisitioned the ships due from the people of Rhegium, Locri, and the allies of the same status, he purified the fleet at Lacinium and headed for the open sea.
§36.42.3Corcyram, quam primam Graeciae civitatium adiit, cum venisset, percunctatus de statu belli — necdum enim omnia in Graecia perpacata erant — et ubi classis Romana esset,
When he had arrived at Corcyra, which was the first of the Greek cities he visited, he inquired about the state of the war—for not all parts of Greece were yet completely pacified—and where the Roman fleet was.
§36.42.4postquam audivit circa Thermopylarum saltum in statione consulem ac regem esse, classem Piraei stare, maturandum ratus omnium rerum causa, pergit protinus navigare Peloponnesum.
Upon hearing that the consul and the king were stationed near the pass of Thermopylae, and that the fleet was at the Piraeus, he thought that he must make haste for every reason, and proceeded straightway to sail to the Peloponnese.
§36.42.5Samen Zacynthumque, quia partis Aetolorum maluerant esse, protinus depopulatus Maleam petit, et prospera navigatione usus paucis diebus Piraeum ad veterem classem pervenit.
Having immediately plundered Same and Zacynthus because they had preferred to side with the Aetolians, he made for Malea, and, experiencing a favorable voyage, arrived in a few days at the Piraeus to join the old fleet.
§36.42.6ad Scyllaeum Eumenes rex cum tribus navibus occurrit, cum Aeginae diu incertus consilii fuisset, utrum ad tuendum rediret regnum — audiebat enim Antiochum Ephesi navales terrestrisque parare copias —, an nusquam abscederet ab Romanis, ex quorum fortuna sua penderet.
At Scyllaeum, King Eumenes met him with three ships, after he had long been undecided in his plans at Aegina, whether he should return to protect his kingdom—for he heard that Antiochus was preparing naval and land forces at Ephesus—or whether he should nowhere depart from the Romans, on whose fortune his own depended.
§36.42.7a Piraeo A. Atilius traditis successori quinque et viginti navibus tectis Romam est profectus.
From the Piraeus, Aulus Atilius, having handed over twenty-five decked ships to his successor, set out for Rome.
§36.42.8Livius una et octoginta constratis navibus, multis praeterea minoribus, quae aut apertae rostratae aut sine rostris speculatoriae erant, Delum traiecit.
Livius, with eighty-one decked ships and many smaller ones besides, which were either open vessels with beaks or scout-ships without beaks, crossed over to Delus.

Notes

  1. §36.42.1C. Livius praefectus Romanae classis — The main verb for the subject C. Livius does not appear in section 1, but is petit in section 2 (Siciliam inde petit and altum petit). profectus (having set out) in section 1 and praetervectus (having sailed past) in section 2 are participles. The sentence forms a long, complex structure, embedding several subordinate clauses (quo... iusserat, quae... debebantur, cum... accepisset et... exegisset) and an ablative absolute (lustrata classe).
  2. §36.42.6incertus consilii fuisset, utrum ad tuendum rediret regnum... an — The adjective incertus (uncertain of plan) takes the genitive of relation/specification consilii. It is followed by an indirect question clause introduced by utrum... an... using the imperfect subjunctive (rediret, abscederet) to express deliberation ('whether he should return... or...').

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §36.42.1-36.42.8. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:36.42.1-36.42.8

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