Humanitext Reader

Livy · History of Rome §41.13.1-41.13.8

Expiation of Portents, Founding of Luna, and Claudius' Triumph

Passage 1575 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

Various portents are reported and expiated, official changes and the founding of a colony at Luna are recorded, and the consul Claudius celebrates a triumph over two nations, though the allies are dissatisfied with their diminished rewards.

§41.13.1prodigia eo anno nuntiata: in Crustumino avem sanqualem, quam vocant, sacrum lapidem rostro cecidisse, §41.13.2bovem in Campania locutam, vaccam aeneam Syracusis ab agresti tauro, qui a pecore aberrasset, initam ac semine adspersam.
The portents reported in that year were these: in the territory of Crustumerium, a bird which they call 'sanqualis' struck a sacred stone with its beak; in Campania a cow spoke; in Syracuse a bronze heifer was mounted and sprinkled with seed by a wild bull which had strayed from the herd.
§41.13.3in Crustumino diem unum in ipso loco supplicatio fuit, et in Campania bos alenda publice data, Syracusanumque prodigium expiatum editis ab haruspicibus dis, quibus supplicaretur.
In the territory of Crustumerium a thanksgiving of one day was held on the very spot; in Campania the cow was given to be maintained at public expense; and the Syracusan portent was expiated, the haruspices having designated the gods to whom prayers should be offered.
§41.13.4pontufex eo anno mortuus est M. Claudius Marcellus, qui consul censorque fuerat. in eius locum suffectus est pontifex filius eius M. Marcellus.
In that year died the pontiff Marcus Claudius Marcellus, who had been consul and censor; in his place his son, Marcus Marcellus, was co-opted as pontiff.
et Lunam colonia eodem anno duo milia civium Romanorum sunt deducta.
Also in the same year, a colony of two thousand Roman citizens was founded at Luna.
§41.13.5triumviri deduxerunt P. Aelius M. Aemilius Lepidus Cn. Sicinius; quinquagena et singula iugera et semisses agri in singulos dati sunt.
The triumvirs who led the colony were Publius Aelius, Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, and Gnaeus Sicinius; fifty-one and a half iugera of land were assigned to each man.
de Liguribus captus ager erat; Etruscorum ante quam Ligurum fuerat.
The land had been taken from the Ligurians; before it belonged to the Ligurians, it had been the property of the Etruscans.
§41.13.6C. Claudius consul ad urbem venit; cui, cum in senatu de rebus in Histria Liguribusque prospere gestis disseruisset, postulanti triumphus est decretus.
The consul Gaius Claudius came to the city; and when he had addressed the senate on his successful achievements in Istria and Liguria, a triumph was decreed to him upon his request.
§41.13.7triumphavit in magistratu de duabus simul gentibus.
He celebrated his triumph while still in office over two nations at the same time.
tulit in eo triumpho denarium trecenta septem milia et victoriatum octoginta quinque milia septingentos duos.
In that triumph he carried three hundred and seven thousand denarii and eighty-five thousand seven hundred and two victoriati.
militibus in singulos quini deni denarii dati, duplex centurioni, triplex equiti.
To each of the soldiers fifteen denarii were given, twice as much to a centurion, three times as much to a horseman.
§41.13.8sociis dimidio minus quam civibus datum.
To the allies, half as much as to the citizens was given.
itaque taciti, ut iratos esse sentires, secuti sunt currum.
Therefore, silent, so that you could perceive they were angry, they followed the chariot.

Notes

  1. 41.13.1avem sanqualem, quam vocant, sacrum lapidem rostro cecidisse — An accusative and infinitive (A.C.I.) construction representing the specific content of the portents (prodigia) following the main verb nuntiata [sunt]. The infinitives locutam and initam ac semine adspersam in 41.13.2 are similarly part of this A.C.I. structure, with esse omitted.
  2. 41.13.3editis ab haruspicibus dis, quibus supplicaretur — The phrase editis... dis is an ablative absolute. The relative clause quibus supplicaretur contains a subjunctive imperfect, which conveys a sense of purpose or obligation ('to whom prayers should be offered') as designated by the haruspices.
  3. 41.13.5Etruscorum ante quam Ligurum fuerat — Both Etruscorum and Ligurum are possessive genitives. In this context, they modify the omitted noun ager (land), meaning 'it had been the property of the Etruscans before it belonged to the Ligurians'.
  4. 41.13.8ut iratos esse sentires — The subjunctive imperfect sentires in the ut-clause uses an indefinite second-person singular subject ('you' in the sense of 'anyone' or 'one'). It expresses a past potential result or description: 'so that anyone present would have perceived that they were angry'.

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §41.13.1-41.13.8. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:41.13.1-41.13.8

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.