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Livy · History of Rome §39.42.1-39.42.12

Spanish Triumphs and Cato's Expulsion of Flamininus

Passage 1489 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

Following the reports of military campaigns and triumphs in Spain, the narrative describes the censor Cato's removal of Flamininus from the senate and details Cato's speech concerning Flamininus's brutal murder of a Gaul in his province.

§39.42.1in Hispania ulteriore fractis proximo bello Lusitanis quietae res fuerunt: in citeriore A. Terentius in Suessetanis oppidum Corbionem vineis et operibus expugnavit, captivos vendidit: quieta deinde hiberna et citerior provincia habuit.
In Farther Spain, as the Lusitanians had been crushed in the previous war, things were quiet. In Nearer Spain, Aulus Terentius captured the town of Corbio in the territory of the Suessetani by means of penthouses and siege works, and sold the captives; thereafter, the nearer province also had a quiet winter quarters.
§39.42.2veteres praetores C. Calpurnius Piso et L.. Quinctius Romam redierunt.
The former praetors, Gaius Calpurnius Piso and Lucius Quinctius, returned to Rome.
utrique magno patrum consensu triumphus est decretus.
For both of them, a triumph was decreed with the great consensus of the senators.
§39.42.3prior C. Calpurnius de Lusitanis et Celtiberis triumphavit: coronas aureas tulit octoginta tres et duodecim milia pondo argenti.
First, Gaius Calpurnius triumphed over the Lusitanians and Celtiberians; he displayed eighty-three golden crowns and twelve thousand pounds of silver.
§39.42.4paucos post dies L.. Quinctius Crispinus ex iisdem Lusitanis et Celtiberis triumphavit: tantundem auri atque argenti in eo triumpho praelatum.
A few days later, Lucius Quinctius Crispinus triumphed over the same Lusitanians and Celtiberians; just as much gold and silver was carried before him in that triumph.
censores M. Porcius §39.42.5et L.. Valerius metu mixta exspectatione senatum legerunt; §39.42.6septem moverunt senatu, ex quibus unum insignem et nobilitate et honoribus, L.. Quinctium Flamininum consularem.
The censors, Marcus Porcius and Lucius Valerius, amidst expectation mixed with fear, revised the roll of the senate; they removed seven from the senate, among whom was one distinguished both by nobility and by offices held, the consular Lucius Quinctius Flamininus.
patrum memoria institutum fertur, ut censores motis senatu adscriberent notas.
It is said to have been established in the memory of our fathers that the censors should append marks of disgrace to those removed from the senate.
Catonis et aliae quidem acerbae orationes exstant in eos, quos aut senatorio loco movit aut quibus equos ademit, §39.42.7longe gravissima in L. Quinctium oratlo, qua si accusator ante notam, non censor post notam usus esset, retinere L.. Quinctium in senatu ne frater quidem T. Quinctius, si tum censor esset, potuisset.
Indeed, other bitter speeches of Cato are extant against those whom he either removed from their senatorial seats or from whom he took away their horses; by far the most severe is his speech against Lucius Quinctius, which, if he had used it as an accuser before the mark of disgrace, and not as a censor after the mark, not even his brother Titus Quinctius, even if he had been censor at the time, could have kept Lucius Quinctius in the senate.
§39.42.8inter cetera obiecit ei Philippum Poenum, carum ac nobile scortum, ab Roma in Galliam provinciam spe ingentium donorum perductum.
Among other things, he reproached him with Philip the Carthaginian, a dear and notorious minion, who had been led from Rome to the province of Gaul by the hope of huge gifts.
§39.42.9eum puerum, per lasciviam cum cavillaretur, exprobrare consuli saepe solitum, quod sub ipsum spectaculum gladiatorium abductus ab Roma esset, ut obsequium amatori venditaret.
This boy, when jesting in a playful mood, was said to have often reproached the consul because he had been carried away from Rome just before a gladiatorial show, in order to sell his compliance to his lover.
§39.42.10forte epulantibus iis, cum iam vino incaluissent, nuntiatum in convivio esse nobilem Boium cum liberis transfugam venisse; convenire consulem velle, ut ab eo fidem praesens acciperet.
It happened that while they were feasting and had already grown warm with wine, it was announced at the banquet that a noble Boian had come as a deserter with his children, wishing to meet the consul so that he might receive a pledge of protection from him in person.
§39.42.11introductum in tabernaculum per interpretem adloqui consulem coepisse.
Having been introduced into the tent, he began to address the consul through an interpreter.
inter cuius sermonem Quinctius scorto “vis tu,” inquit “quoniam gladiatorium spectaculum reliquisti, iam hunc Gallum morientem videre?” §39.42.12et cum is vixdum serio adnuisset, ad nutum scorti consulem stricto gladio, qui super caput pendebat, loquenti Gallo caput primum percussisse, deinde, fugienti fidemque populi Romani atque eorum, qui aderant, imploranti latus transfodisse.
In the middle of his speech, Quinctius said to his minion, "Would you like, since you missed the gladiatorial show, to see this Gaul die right now?" And when the other had scarcely nodded in earnest, at the minion's nod the consul, drawing the sword which hung above his head, first struck the head of the speaking Gaul, and then, as he was fleeing and imploring the protection of the Roman people and of those who were present, ran him through the side.

Notes

  1. 39.42.1fractis proximo bello Lusitanis — An ablative absolute construction expressing cause, presenting the defeat of the Lusitanians in the previous war as the reason for the tranquility in Farther Spain.
  2. 39.42.7qua si accusator ante notam, non censor post notam usus esset, retinere L. Quinctium in senatu ne frater quidem T. Quinctius, si tum censor esset, potuisset — The ablative relative pronoun `qua` refers to the antecedent `oratio` (speech) and serves as the object of `uti` (to use). The entire sentence is structured as a past contrary-to-fact conditional (pluperfect subjunctive): `si usus esset... potuisset` (if he had used... he would not have been able).
  3. 39.42.9eum puerum... exprobrare consuli saepe solitum — An accusative-with-infinitive construction of indirect speech reporting the content of Cato's speech. `eum puerum` is the subject accusative and `solitum [esse]` is the infinitive. The subjunctive `abductus esset` in the subordinate clause is due to the indirect discourse.
  4. 39.42.12consulem... percussisse... transfodisse — The main verb phrase of the accusative-with-infinitive construction in indirect speech, continuing from the previous section. `consulem` is the subject accusative, with which the perfect infinitives `percussisse` (struck) and `transfodisse` (pierced) agree.

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §39.42.1-39.42.12. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:39.42.1-39.42.12

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