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Livy · History of Rome §37.57.1-37.57.15

Events in Spain, Bononia Colony, and Censorship Race

Passage 1384 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

The transition of command in Spain due to the death of the praetor Baebius is described, along with Aemilius Paulus' victory over the Lusitanians. It also records the establishment of a colony at Bononia and the prosecution and withdrawal of Glabrio from the censorship candidacy following Cato's testimony.

§37.57.1per eos dies, quibus haec gesta sunt, legati Massiliensium nuntiarunt L. Baebium praetorem in provinciam Hispaniam proficiscentem ab Liguribus circumventum, §37.57.2magna parte comitum caesa vulneratur ipsum cum paucis sine lictoribus Massiliam perfugisse et intra triduum exspirasse.
During those days in which these things were being done, the envoys of the Massilians announced that the praetor Lucius Baebius, while setting out for his province of Spain, had been surrounded by the Ligurians, and that, a large part of his companions having been slain, he himself, wounded, had fled with a few attendants without lictors to Massilia, and had died within three days.
§37.57.3senatus ea re audita decrevit, uti P. Iunius Brutus, qui propraetor in Etruria esset, provincia exercituque traditis uni, cui videretur, ex legatis, ipse in ulteriorem Hispaniam proficisceretur, eaque ei provincia esset.
The senate, upon hearing of this matter, decreed that Publius Junius Brutus, who was propraetor in Etruria, having handed over his province and army to whichever of his lieutenants he saw fit, should himself set out for Farther Spain, and that this should be his province.
§37.57.4hoc senatus consultum litteraeque a Sp. Postumio praetore in Etruriam missae sunt, profectusque in Hispaniam est P. Iunius propraetor.
This decree of the senate and letters were sent to Etruria by Spurius Postumius the praetor, and Publius Junius the propraetor set out for Spain.
§37.57.5in qua provincia prius aliquanto, quam successor veniret, L. Aemilius Paulus, qui postea regem Persea magna gloria vicit, cum priore anno haud prospere rem gessisset, tumultuario exercitu collecto signis collatis cum Lusitanis pugnavit.
In which province, some time before his successor arrived, Lucius Aemilius Paulus—who afterwards defeated King Perseus with great glory—although he had conducted affairs with little success in the previous year, having collected a hastily raised army, fought in a pitched battle with the Lusitanians.
§37.57.6fusi fugatique hostes; caesa decem octo milia armatorum; duo milia trecenti capti et castra expugnata.
The enemy were routed and put to flight; eighteen thousand armed men were slain; two thousand three hundred were captured, and their camp was taken by storm.
huius victoriae fama tranquilliores in Hispania res fecit.
The fame of this victory made affairs in Spain more tranquil.
§37.57.7eodem anno ante diem tertium Kal. Ianuarias Bononiam Latinam coloniam ex senatus consulto L. Valerius Flaccus M. Atilius Serranus L. Valerius Tappo triumviri deduxerunt.
In the same year, on the third day before the Kalends of January, Lucius Valerius Flaccus, Marcus Atilius Serranus, and Lucius Valerius Tappo, as triumvirs, established the Latin colony of Bononia in accordance with a decree of the senate.
§37.57.8tria milia hominum sunt deducta; equitibus septuagena iugera, ceteris colonis quinquagena sunt data.
Three thousand men were led thither; seventy iugera of land were given to each of the cavalrymen, fifty to the other colonists.
ager captus de Gallis Bois fuerat; Galli Tuscos expulerant.
The land had been taken from the Boian Gauls; the Gauls had expelled the Etruscans.
§37.57.9eodem anno censuram multi et clari viri petierunt.
In the same year, many distinguished men sought the censorship.
quae res, tamquam in se parum magni certaminis causam haberet, aliam contentionem multo maiorem excitavit.
This matter, as if it did not in itself contain cause for a sufficiently great contest, excited another much greater contention.
§37.57.10petebant T. Quinctius Flamininus P. Cornelius Cn. F. Scipio L. Valerius Flaccus M. Porcius Cato M. Claudius Marcellus M’. Acilius Glabrio, qui Antiochum ad Thermopylas Aetolosque devicerat.
Those seeking it were Titus Quinctius Flamininus, Publius Cornelius Scipio, son of Gnaeus, Lucius Valerius Flaccus, Marcus Porcius Cato, Marcus Claudius Marcellus, and Manius Acilius Glabrio, who had utterly defeated Antiochus and the Aetolians at Thermopylae.
§37.57.11in hunc maxime, quod multa congiaria distribuerat, quibus magnam partem hominum obligarat, favor populi se inclinabat.
Towards him especially, because he had distributed many largesses, by which he had obligated a large part of the people, the favor of the populace was inclining.
§37.57.12id cum aegre paterentur tot nobiles, novum sibi hominem tantum praeferri, P. Sempronius Gracchus et C. Sempronius Rutilus, tribuniplebis, ei diem dixerunt, quod pecuniae regiae praedaeque aliquantum captae in Antiochi castris neque in triumpho tulisset, neque in aerarium rettulisset.
Since so many nobles bore it with impatience that a "new man" should be preferred so far above them, Publius Sempronius Gracchus and Gaius Sempronius Rutilus, tribunes of the plebs, appointed a day of trial for him, on the ground that he had neither carried in his triumph nor returned to the treasury a considerable amount of the royal money and booty captured in Antiochus' camp.
§37.57.13varia testimonia legatorum tribunorumque militum erant.
There were varying testimonies of the envoys and military tribunes.
M. Cato ante alios testis conspiciebatur; cuius auctoritatem perpetuo tenore vitae partam toga candida elevabat.
Marcus Cato was conspicuous as a witness above the others; but his authority, acquired by the unbroken course of his life, was diminished by his white toga.
§37.57.14is testis, quae vasa aurea atque argentea castris captis inter aliam praedam regiam vidisset, ea se in triumpho negabat vidisse.
He, as a witness, denied that he had seen in the triumph those gold and silver vessels which he had seen in the captured camp among the other royal booty.
§37.57.15postremo in huius maxime invidiam desistere se petitione Glabrio dixit, quando, quod taciti indignarentur nobiles homines, id aeque novus competitor intestabili periurio incesseret.
Finally, chiefly to bring odium upon him, Glabrio declared that he was withdrawing from his candidacy, since a competitor, who was equally a "new man," was attacking him with detestable perjury—a thing at which the noblemen were silently indignant.

Notes

  1. §37.57.2vulneratur — Although the provided text reads 'vulneratur' (third-person singular present passive indicative), in the context of indirect speech (the accusative and infinitive construction following 'nuntiarunt') and as a participle modifying the subject 'ipsum' (Baebius himself), it is naturally interpreted as 'vulneratum' (perfect passive participle accusative), which is the standard reading in critical editions.
  2. §37.57.13elevabat — Meaning 'to lighten,' hence here 'to diminish, weaken, detract from' authority or reputation. It indicates that because Cato was currently campaigning for the censorship (signified by 'toga candida,' the white toga worn by candidates), his credibility as a witness was compromised by his political ambition.
  3. §37.57.15in huius maxime invidiam — Meaning 'chiefly to cast odium or bring unpopularity (invidia) upon him,' where the demonstrative pronoun 'huius' refers to Marcus Cato, the prominent witness mentioned previously.

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §37.57.1-37.57.15. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:37.57.1-37.57.15

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