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Livy · History of Rome §45.14.1-45.14.9

The Senate's Reply to Masgaba and Care for Misagenes

Passage 1740 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

The senate replied to Masgaba, praising his father Masinissa's loyalty and advising him to remain in Africa, and sent him off with gifts. Upon hearing that Masinissa's other son, Misagenes, had landed sick at Brundisium, they dispatched a quaestor to assist him.

§45.14.1responsum regulo est facere patrem eius Masinissam, quod virum gratum bonumque facere deceat, ut pretium honoremque debito beneficio addat. §45.14.2et populum Romanum ab eo bello Punico forti fidelique opera adiutum, et illum favente populo Romano regnum adeptum; aequatis iis postea trium regum bellis deinceps omnibus eum functum officiis. §45.14.3victoria vero populi Romani laetari eum regem mirum non esse, qui sortem omnem fortunae regnique sui cum rebus Romanis miscuisset.
The answer returned to the young prince was that his father Masinissa was doing what became a grateful and good man, so that he added value and honor to the debt of gratitude. And that the Roman people had been aided by his brave and faithful service in that Punic War, and that he had acquired his kingdom through the favor of the Roman people; and that after these benefits were equalized, he had subsequently performed all his duties in the successive wars of the three kings. Indeed, it was not surprising that the king rejoiced in the victory of the Roman people, since he had linked his entire fortune and that of his kingdom with the Roman cause.
grates deis pro victoria apud suos penates ageret; §45.14.4Romae filium pro eo acturum.
He should offer thanks to the gods for the victory at his own hearth; at Rome his son would act on his behalf.
gratulatum quoque satis suo ac patris nomine esse.
Sufficient congratulations had also been offered in his own and his father's name.
ipsum relinquere regnum et Africa excedere, praeterquam quod illi inutile esset, non esse e re publica populi Romani senatum censere. §45.14.5petenti Masgabae, ut Hanno, Hamilcaris filius, obses in locum exigeretur, responsum est haud aequum videri senatum a Carthaginiensibus obsides arbitrio Masinissae exigere. §45.14.6munera ex senatus consulto emere regulo quaestor iussus ex centum pondo argenti et prosequi eum Puteolos omnemque sumptum, quoad in Italia esset, praebere et duas naves conducere, quibus ipse comitesque eius in Africam deveherentur; §45.14.7et comitibus omnibus, liberis servisque, vestimenta data. §45.14.8haud ita multo post de altero Masinissae filio Misagene litterae adlatae sunt, missum cum ab L. Paulo post devictum Persea in Africam cum equitibus suis; navigantem dispersa classe in Hadriatico mari Brundisium tribus navibus aegrum delatum. §45.14.9ad eum cum isdem muneribus, quae data Romae fratri eius erant, L. Stertinius quaestor Brundisium missus iussusque curare, ut aedes hospitio
As for his leaving his kingdom and departing from Africa, the senate decided that, besides being useless to him, it was not to the advantage of the Roman republic. To Masgaba, who requested that Hanno, the son of Hamilcar, should be demanded as a hostage in his place, the answer was given that it did not seem right for the senate to demand hostages from the Carthaginians at the discretion of Masinissa. The quaestor was ordered, by a decree of the senate, to buy gifts for the young prince from one hundred pounds of silver, to escort him to Puteoli, to provide all his expenses as long as he was in Italy, and to hire two ships in which he and his companions might be conveyed to Africa; and clothing was given to all his companions, both free and slave. Not long afterwards, a letter was brought concerning Masinissa's other son, Misagenes, stating that he had been sent to Africa with his cavalry by Lucius Paulus after the defeat of Perseus; but that while sailing, his fleet being dispersed in the Adriatic Sea, he had been brought sick to Brundisium with three ships. To him the quaestor Lucius Stertinius was sent to Brundisium with the same gifts that had been given to his brother in Rome, and was ordered to take care that lodging...

Notes

  1. §45.14.1facere patrem eius Masinissam — Accusative with infinitive construction in indirect speech, serving as a noun clause after the main verb `responsum est`. `patrem eius Masinissam` is the subject of the infinitive `facere`.
  2. §45.14.2aequatis iis — Ablative absolute construction. The demonstrative pronoun `iis` refers to the mutual benefits/services between Rome and Masinissa mentioned in the preceding clauses.
  3. §45.14.3qui sortem omnem fortunae regnique sui cum rebus Romanis miscuisset — The relative clause `qui... miscuisset` with the subjunctive pluperfect `miscuisset` expresses the reason (characteristic or cause) regarding the antecedent `eum regem`.
  4. §45.14.4non esse e re publica populi Romani senatum censere — The main structure has `senatum censere` (the senate judges that...) as the governing infinitive clause in indirect speech, which takes the accusative and infinitive clause `[Masinissam] relinquere ... non esse e re publica` (negation of the impersonal expression `e re publica esse`, meaning "to be to the advantage of the state") as its object.
  5. §45.14.8post devictum Persea — A dominant participle construction (akin to "ab urbe condita") where the passive participle `devictum` agrees with the noun `Persea` (Greek accusative form) after the preposition `post`, meaning "after the defeat/conquest of Perseus."

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §45.14.1-45.14.9. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:45.14.1-45.14.9

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