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Livy · History of Rome §42.7.1-42.7.10

Pacification of Corsica and Victory over the Ligurians

Passage 1597 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

In the same year, the praetor Gaius Cicereius defeated the Corsicans and exacted a tribute of wax, while the consul Marcus Popilius fought a fierce and bloody battle against the Ligurians near the town of Carystus, securing a hard-won victory.

§42.7.1in provinciis eo anno haec acta.
In the provinces that year, these things were done.
C. Cicereius praetor in Corsica signis conlatis pugnavit; septem milia Corsorum caesa, capti amplius mille et septingenti.
Gaius Cicereius the praetor fought a pitched battle in Corsica; seven thousand of the Corsicans were slain, and more than one thousand seven hundred were captured.
voverat in ea pugna praetor aedem Iunoni Monetae.
In that battle, the praetor had vowed a temple to Juno Moneta.
§42.7.2pax deinde data petentibus Corsis, et exacta cerae ducenta milia pondo.
Peace was then granted to the Corsicans at their request, and two hundred thousand pounds of wax were exacted.
ex Corsica subacta Cicereius in Sardiniam transmisit.
From subdued Corsica, Cicereius crossed over to Sardinia.
§42.7.3et in Liguribus in agro Statellati pugnatum ad oppidum Carystum.
And among the Ligurians, in the Statellane territory, a battle was fought near the town of Carystus.
eo se magnus exercitus Ligurum contulerat.
A large army of the Ligurians had gathered there.
§42.7.4primo sub adventum M. Popili consulis moenibus sese continebant; deinde, postquam oppidum oppugnaturum Romanum cernebant, progressi ante portas aciem struxerunt.
At first, upon the arrival of the consul Marcus Popilius, they kept themselves within the walls; then, after they saw that the Roman was about to assault the town, they marched out and drew up their battle line before the gates.
§42.7.5nec consul, ut qui id ipsum oppugnatione comminanda quaesisset, moram certamini fecit.
Nor did the consul delay the struggle, as one who had sought that very thing by threatening an assault.
pugnatum amplius tris est horas ita, ut neutro inclinaret spes.
The battle was fought for more than three hours in such a way that hope inclined to neither side.
§42.7.6quod ubi consul vidit nulla parte moveri Ligurum signa, imperat equitibus, ut equos conscendant ac tribus simul partibus in hostis, quanto maximo possent tumultu, incurrant.
When the consul saw this, that the standards of the Ligurians were not giving way in any part, he ordered the cavalry to mount their horses and charge the enemy from three sides at once with the greatest possible uproar.
§42.7.7pars magna equitum mediam traiecit aciem et ad terga pugnantium pervasit.
A large part of the cavalry broke through the middle of the battle line and made their way to the rear of those who were fighting.
inde terror iniectus Liguribus; §42.7.8diversi in omnes partes fugerunt, perpauci retro in oppidum, quia inde se maxime obiecerat eques.
From there, terror was struck into the Ligurians; they fled in different directions in all ways, very few back into the town, because the cavalry had thrown themselves most especially in their way there.
et pugna tam pervicax multos absumpserat Ligurum, et in fuga passim caesi sunt.
And a battle so obstinate had consumed many of the Ligurians, and they were slain everywhere in flight.
§42.7.9decem milia hominum caesa traduntur, amplius septingenti capti, signa militaria relata octoginta duo.
Ten thousand men are reported to have been slain, more than seven hundred captured, and eighty-two military standards brought back.
§42.7.10nec incruenta victoria fuit: amplius tria milia militum amissa, cum cedentibus neutris ex parte utraque primores caderent.
Nor was the victory bloodless: more than three thousand soldiers were lost, since, as neither side gave way, the foremost men on both sides fell.

Notes

  1. §42.7.4oppidum oppugnaturum Romanum — Romanum is the subject accusative of the future active participle oppugnaturum forming an accusative-with-infinitive construction (with esse omitted). It is in the singular, referring collectively to 'the Roman [general/army]'.
  2. §42.7.5ut qui id ipsum oppugnatione comminanda quaesisset — ut qui followed by the subjunctive pluperfect quaesisset forms a relative clause of characteristic or cause explaining the motivation of the subject ('as one who had...').
  3. §42.7.5neutro — Though identical in form to the dative/ablative of the adjective neuter, here it is used as an adverb meaning 'to neither side' (in neither direction), modifying the verb inclinaret.
  4. §42.7.9caesa traduntur — This is a nominative with infinitive (NCI) construction dependent on the passive verb traduntur. The perfect passive participle caesa (with esse omitted) agrees in gender and number with the subject decem milia (neuter plural).
  5. §42.7.10cedentibus neutris — An ablative absolute construction consisting of the present participle cedentibus and the ablative plural of the pronominal adjective neutris ('with neither side yielding'), forming the circumstantial background of the subsequent cum clause.

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §42.7.1-42.7.10. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:42.7.1-42.7.10

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