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Livy · History of Rome §37.58.1-37.58.8

Election of Censors, Regillus' Triumph, and Scipio's Return

Passage 1385 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

The prosecution against Glabrio was dropped and Flamininus and Marcellus were elected censors, while Regillus celebrated a naval triumph. Scipio then returned and assumed the name Asiaticus, though opinions differed regarding the true scale and difficulty of his campaign.

§37.58.1centum milium multa irrogata erat; bis de ea certatum est; tertio, cum de petitione destitisset reus, nec populus de multa suffragium ferre voluit, et tribuni eo negotio destiterunt.
A fine of one hundred thousand asses had been proposed; twice the matter was debated; on the third occasion, when the accused had withdrawn from his candidacy, the people did not wish to vote on the fine, and the tribunes dropped the business.
§37.58.2censores T. Quinctius Flamininus M. Claudius Marcellus creati.
Titus Quinctius Flamininus and Marcus Claudius Marcellus were elected censors.
§37.58.3per eos dies L. Aemilio Regillo, qui classe praefectum Antiochi regis devicerat, extra urbem in aede Apollinis cum senatus datus esset, auditis rebus gestis eius, quantis cum classibus hostium dimicasset, quot inde naves demersisset aut cepisset, magno consensu patrum triumphus navalis est decretus.
During those days, when an audience with the senate was granted outside the city in the temple of Apollo to Lucius Aemilius Regillus, who had defeated the commander of King Antiochus with his fleet, after hearing of his achievements—with how great fleets of the enemy he had fought, and how many ships he had sunk or captured from them—a naval triumph was decreed by a great consensus of the senators.
§37.58.4triumphavit Kal. Februariis.
He celebrated his triumph on the Kalends of February.
in eo triumpho undequinquaginta coronae aureae translatae sunt, pecunia nequaquam pro specie regii triumphi, tetrachma Attica triginta quattuor milia ducenta, cistophori centum triginta duo milia trecenti.
In that triumph forty-nine golden crowns were carried; the money was by no means in proportion to the splendor of a royal triumph, consisting of thirty-four thousand two hundred Attic tetradrachms, and one hundred thirty-two thousand three hundred cistophori.
§37.58.5supplicationes deinde fuerunt ex senatus consulto, quod L. Aemilius in Hispania prospere rem publicam gessisset.
Then, thanksgivings were held in accordance with a decree of the senate, because Lucius Aemilius had successfully conducted the public business in Spain.
§37.58.6haud ita multo post L. Scipio ad urbem venit; qui ne cognomini fratris cederet, Asiaticum se appellari voluit.
Not long afterwards Lucius Scipio came to the city; and so that he might not yield to his brother’s cognomen, he wished to be called Asiaticus.
§37.58.7et in senatu et in contione de rebus ab se gestis disseruit.
He spoke of his achievements both in the senate and in the assembly.
erant qui fama id maius bellum quam difficultate rei fuisse interpretarentur: uno memorabili proelio debellatum, gloriamque eius victoriae praefloratam ad Thermopylas esse.
There were those who interpreted that the war had been greater in reputation than in the difficulty of the enterprise: that the war had been finished in a single memorable battle, and that the glory of that victory had been deflowered at Thermopylae.
§37.58.8ceterum vere aestimanti Aetolicum magis ad Thermopylas bellum quam regium fuit;
But to one estimating the matter truly, the war at Thermopylae was rather Aetolian than royal; for with what fraction of his forces did Antiochus fight there?
quota enim parte virium suarum ibi dimicavit Antiochus? in Asia totius Asiae steterunt vires ab ultimis Orientis finibus omnium gentium contractis auxiliis.
In Asia stood the strength of all Asia, with auxiliary forces assembled from all nations from the ultimate limits of the East.

Notes

  1. 37.58.1centum milium multa — The monetary unit "aeris" (of bronze asses) is omitted, meaning "a fine of one hundred thousand asses."
  2. 37.58.3L. Aemilio Regillo... triumphus navalis est decretus — The main structure of the sentence is "L. Aemilio Regillo... triumphus navalis est decretus" (a naval triumph was decreed for Lucius Aemilius Regillus). Interposed in the middle are the "cum" clause ("cum senatus datus esset"), an ablative absolute ("auditis rebus gestis eius"), and the indirect questions depending on it.
  3. 37.58.7uno memorabili proelio debellatum — An impersonal passive perfect infinitive "debellatum [esse]" (that the war had been brought to an end), forming part of the accusative with infinitive construction (indirect speech) dependent on the preceding verb "interpretarentur". The subsequent "gloriamque... praefloratam... esse" likewise belongs to this indirect speech.
  4. 37.58.8vere aestimanti — A "dative of the person judging". It is the dative case of the present participle "aestimanti" (estimating, judging), providing the perspective: "to one who estimates the matter truly."
  5. 37.58.8quota... parte — The interrogative adjective "quotus" is in the feminine ablative singular, agreeing with "parte", and means "with what small fraction". It forms a rhetorical question, implying "he fought with only a very small fraction of his forces."

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §37.58.1-37.58.8. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:37.58.1-37.58.8

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