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Livy · History of Rome §42.19.1-42.19.8

Leasing of Campanian Land and Embassies from the East

Passage 1609 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

In Rome, the Campanian public land is reassessed and leased, while embassies from King Ariarathes and the Thracians are welcomed. Envoys are also dispatched to Asia and the islands to monitor the loyalty of the allies.

§42.19.1eodem anno, quia per recognitionem Postumi consulis magna pars agri Campani, quem privati sine discrimine passim possederant, recuperata in publicum erat, M. Lucretius tribunus plebis promulgavit, ut agrum Campanum censores fruendum locarent, quod factum tot annis post captam Capuam non fuerat, §42.19.2ut in vacuo vagaretur cupiditas privatorum.
In the same year, because, through the survey of the consul Postumius, a great part of the Campanian land, which private individuals had possessed here and there without distinction, had been recovered for the public treasury, Marcus Lucretius, tribune of the plebs, promulgated a proposal that the censors should lease the Campanian land to be enjoyed, which had not been done for so many years after the capture of Capua, so that the greed of private individuals had been wandering in a vacant space.
§42.19.3cum in expectatione senatus esset bello etsi non indicto, tamen iam decreto, qui regum suam, qui Persei secuturi amicitiam essent, legati Ariarathis puerum filium regis secum adducentes Romam venerunt; §42.19.4quorum oratio fuit, regem educendum filium Romam misisse, ut iam inde a puero adsuesceret moribus Romanis hominibusque.
While the senate was in expectation of which of the kings would follow their friendship and which would follow that of Perseus, though war had not yet been declared, yet already decreed, envoys of Ariarathes arrived in Rome, bringing with them the young son of the king; whose speech was that the king had sent his son to Rome to be educated, so that already from a boy he might become accustomed to Roman customs and men.
§42.19.5petere, ut eum non sub hospitum modo privatorum custodia, sed publicae etiam curae ac velut tutelae vellent esse.
They requested that they would be willing for him to be not only under the care of private hosts, but also under public concern and, as it were, guardianship.
§42.19.6ea legatio grata senatui fuit; decreverunt, ut Cn. Sicinius praetor aedis instruendas locaret, ubi filius regis comitesque eius habitare possent.
This embassy was pleasing to the senate; they decreed that the praetor Cnaeus Sicinius should contract for a house to be furnished, where the king's son and his companions might dwell.
et Threcum legatis, Maedis Cepnatisque et Astis societatem amicitiamque petentibus et, quod petebant, datum est, et munera binum milium aeris in singulos missa.
And to the envoys of the Thracians, the Maedi, Cepnati, and Asti, who were seeking alliance and friendship, both that which they sought was granted, and gifts of two thousand asses each were sent.
§42.19.7hos utique populos, quod ab tergo Macedoniae Threcia esset, adsumptos in societatem gaudebant.
They rejoiced that these peoples especially had been received into alliance, because Thrace lay at the back of Macedonia.
sed ut in Asia quoque et insulis explorata omnia essent, Ti. Claudium Neronem M. Decimium legatos miserunt.
But so that everything might be explored in Asia also and the islands, they sent Tiberius Claudius Nero and Marcus Decimius as envoys.
§42.19.8adire eos Cretam et Rhodum iusserunt, simul renovare amicitiam, simul speculari, num sollicitati animi sociorum ab rege Perseo essent.
They ordered them to visit Crete and Rhodes, at once to renew friendship, and at the same time to observe whether the minds of the allies had been solicited by King Perseus.

Notes

  1. 42.19.2ut in vacuo vagaretur — The clause introduced by `ut` with the imperfect subjunctive `vagaretur` expresses the result or consequence of the preceding negative statement `quod factum... non fuerat` (which had not been done). It explains how the lack of leasing allowed the greed of private individuals to roam unchecked in the unoccupied public lands.
  2. 42.19.3qui regum suam, qui Persei secuturi amicitiam essent — An indirect question detailing the content of `expectatione` (anticipation). `suam` refers to the friendship of the Romans (the senate). `secuturi... essent` uses the future active participle with the subjunctive of `esse` to express a future prospect or intention.
  3. 42.19.5vellent — A subjunctive in the clause introduced by `ut` dependent on the historical infinitive `petere` (they requested). The subject of `vellent` is the senators, indicating the envoys' request that the senate be willing to take the young prince under public care.
  4. 42.19.6aedis instruendas locaret — The gerundive `instruendas` agreeing with the object `aedis` (house) under the verb `locaret` (to contract out) forms a standard Roman administrative expression meaning 'to contract for a house to be furnished or equipped.'
  5. 42.19.7hos utique populos ... adsumptos in societatem gaudebant — An accusative and infinitive construction (with `esse` omitted with the participle `adsumptos`) serving as the object of `gaudebant` (they rejoiced), with `hos populos` acting as the subject of the infinitive clause.

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §42.19.1-42.19.8. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:42.19.1-42.19.8

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