Humanitext Reader

Livy · History of Rome §41.4.1-41.4.8

Recapture of the Roman Camp and Defeat of the Istrians

Passage 1566 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

After the consul orders his standard-bearer Baeculonius to charge, Baeculonius throws the standard over the rampart and enters the gate first, leading to the successful recovery of the Roman camp. While the heavily intoxicated Istrians are slaughtered, their king escapes, and the Romans recover most of their property intact.

§41.4.1sub haec A. Baeculonium, signiferum suum, notae fortitudinis virum, inferre signum iussit.
Upon this, the consul ordered Aulus Baeculonius, his own standard-bearer, a man of well-known courage, to advance the standard.
ille, si se sequerentur, quo celerius fieret, facturum dixit; §41.4.2conisusque cum trans vallum signum traiecisset, primus omnium portam intravit.
He replied that if they would follow him, he would do so, in order that it might be done more quickly; and having exerted himself, when he had thrown the standard over the rampart, he was the first of all to enter the gate.
§41.4.3et parte alia T. et C. Aelii, tribuni militum tertiae legionis, cum equitatu adveniunt.
And in another part, Titus and Gaius Aelius, the military tribunes of the third legion, arrived with the cavalry.
confestim et quos binos oneraria in iumenta imposuerant secuti, et consul cum toto agmine.
Immediately those whom they had placed two by two on the beasts of burden followed, and also the consul with his entire army.
§41.4.4at Histrorum pauci, qui modice vino usi erant, memores fuerant fugae, aliis somno mors continuata est; integraque sua omnia Romani, praeterquam quod vini cibique absumptum erat, receperunt.
But of the Istrians, a few who had used wine moderately were mindful of flight; for the others, death was but a continuation of sleep; and the Romans recovered all their belongings intact, except what of the wine and food had been consumed.
§41.4.5aegri quoque milites, qui in castris relicti fuerant, postquam intra vallum suos senserunt, armis arreptis caedem ingentem fecerunt.
The sick soldiers also, who had been left in the camp, as soon as they perceived their comrades inside the rampart, seized their arms and made a great slaughter.
§41.4.6ante omnes insignis opera fuit C. Popili equitis; Sabello cognomen erat.
Before all, the service of Gaius Popilius, a cavalryman, was distinguished; his surname was Sabellus.
is pede saucio relictus longe plurimos hostium occidit.
Having been left behind with a wounded foot, he killed by far the greatest number of the enemy.
§41.4.7ad octo milia Histrorum sunt caesa, captus nemo, quia ira et indignatio immemores praedae fecit.
About eight thousand of the Istrians were slain, and no one was captured, because anger and indignation made them unmindful of plunder.
rex tamen Histrorum temulentus ex convivio, raptim a suis in equum impositus, fugit.
The king of the Istrians, however, drunk from the banquet, was hastily placed on a horse by his men and fled.
§41.4.8ex victoribus ducenti triginta septem milites perierunt, plures in matutina fuga quam in recipiendis castris.
Of the victors, two hundred and thirty-seven soldiers perished, more in the morning flight than in recovering the camp.

Notes

  1. §41.4.1quo celerius fieret — Adverbial clause of purpose. Because of the comparative celerius, quo is used instead of ut.
  2. §41.4.1facturum dixit — In indirect discourse introduced by dixit, the accusative with infinitive construction (se facturum esse) has both the subject pronoun se (referring to Baeculonium) and the infinitive esse omitted.
  3. §41.4.3quos binos oneraria in iumenta imposuerant — The demonstrative pronoun (such as eos) acting as the antecedent of the relative pronoun quos is omitted; this implicit antecedent serves as the subject of the main verb secuti [sunt] (which is also omitted). binos is a distributive numeral meaning 'two by two'.
  4. §41.4.4vini cibique absumptum erat — vini and cibique are partitive genitives modifying the neuter relative pronoun quod (the subject of absumptum erat).
  5. §41.4.7ira et indignatio immemores praedae fecit — The verb fecit is singular despite the compound subject ira and indignatio. This is because the two concepts are felt as a single combined idea, or due to grammatical attraction to the closer subject. immemores is a predicative adjective modifying the omitted object (the Romans) and governing the genitive praedae.

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §41.4.1-41.4.8. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:41.4.1-41.4.8

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