Humanitext Reader

Livy · History of Rome §4.14.1-4.14.7

The Slaying of Maelius by Ahala

Passage 212 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

The dictator Cincinnatus summons Maelius to the Forum, but Maelius resists and attempts to flee. The master of the horse, Servilius Ahala, pursues and kills him, and the dictator praises him for liberating the republic.

§4.14.1postero die dispositis praesidiis cum in forum descendisset conversaque in eum plebs novitate rei ac miraculo esset et Maeliani atque ipse dux eorum in se intentam vim tanti imperii cernerent, §4.14.2expertes consiliorum regni, qui tumultus, quod bellum repens aut dictatoriam maiestatem aut Quinctium post octogesimum annum rectorem rei publicae quaesisset, §4.14.3rogitarent, missus ab dictatore Servilius magister equitum ad Maelium “vocat te” inquit “dictator. ” cum pavidus ille, quid vellet, quaereret Serviliusque causam dicendam esse proponeret crimenque a Minucio delatum ad senatum diluendum, §4.14.4tunc Maelius recipere se in catervam suorum et primum circumspectans tergiversari, postremo, cum apparitor iussu magistri equitum duceret, ereptus a circumstantibus fugiensque fidem plebis Romanae inplorare et opprimi se consensu patrum dicere, quod plebi benigne fecisset; §4.14.5orare, ut opem sibi ultimo in discrimine ferrent neve ante oculos suos trucidari sinerent.
On the following day, having stationed guards, when he had gone down into the Forum, and the plebeians were turned toward him by the novelty and wonder of the matter, and the partisans of Maelius and their leader himself saw the force of so great a power directed against themselves, while those who were not privy to the plans of the kingdom, wondering what tumult or what sudden war had required either the dictatorial majesty or Quinctius, after his eightieth year, as the ruler of the republic, were asking, Servilius, the master of the horse, sent by the dictator to Maelius, said, "The dictator summons you." When the latter, terrified, asked what he wanted, and Servilius declared that he must plead his cause and clear himself of the charge brought before the senate by Minucius, then Maelius began to withdraw himself into the crowd of his followers and, at first looking around, to hesitate; finally, when an attendant, by order of the master of the horse, was leading him away, having been rescued by the bystanders and fleeing, he implored the protection of the Roman plebeians and cried out that he was being crushed by the consensus of the patricians because he had acted kindly toward the plebs; he begged them to bring him aid in this ultimate danger and not to permit him to be butchered before their eyes.
§4.14.6haec eum vociferantem adsecutus Ahala Servilius obtruncat respersusque cruore, stipatus caterva patriciorum iuvenum, dictatori renuntiat vocatum ad eum Maelium repulso apparitore concitantem multitudinem poenam meritam habere.
While he was vociferating these things, Servilius Ahala, having overtaken him, cut him down; and splattered with blood, surrounded by a crowd of young patricians, he reported to the dictator that Maelius, summoned to him, having repulsed the attendant and exciting the multitude, had received his merited punishment.
§4.14.7tum dictator “macte virtute” inquit, “C. Servili, esto liberata re publica. ”
Then the dictator said, "Well done in your valor, Gaius Servilius, let the republic be set free!"

Notes

  1. §4.14.3rogitarent — The verb rogitarent (imperfect subjunctive) is the last in a series of subordinate clauses introduced by cum in §4.14.1 (descendisset, esset, cernerent), and is coordinate with them. The main verb of the sentence is inquit.
  2. §4.14.4recipere se — The infinitive recipere and the subsequent tergiversari, inplorare, dicere, as well as orare in §4.14.5, are historical infinitives (infinitivus historicus). They are used with a subject in the nominative case (Maelius, fugiens) instead of the imperfect indicative to vividly portray a dramatic scene.
  3. §4.14.6vocatum ad eum Maelium ... poenam meritam habere — An accusative with infinitive (A.C.I.) construction in indirect speech introduced by the verb of reporting renuntiat. The subject of the infinitive is the accusative Maelium, modified by the participles vocatum and concitantem. The infinitive verb is habere, and repulso apparitore is an ablative absolute.
  4. §4.14.7macte virtute ... esto — A formulaic expression of congratulation or praise, meaning 'be increased/blessed in your valor' (i.e., 'well done!'). macte is the vocative case (or adverbial form) of mactus (blessed, honored), used with the ablative of means virtute and the second-person singular imperative esto.

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §4.14.1-4.14.7. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:4.14.1-4.14.7

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.