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Livy · History of Rome §6.29.1-6.29.10

Defeat of Praeneste and Triumph of the Dictator

Passage 343 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

At the Allia, the Roman forces routed the Praenestines and captured their subordinate towns one after another, leading to the surrender of Praeneste itself. The dictator Quinctius dedicated a statue of Jupiter on the Capitol and resigned his office on the twentieth day.

§6.29.1his utrimque animis ad Aliam ventum est.
With these spirits on both sides they came to the Allia.
dictator Romanus, postquam in conspectu hostes erant instructi intentique, “videsne tu” inquit, “A. Semproni, loci fortuna illos fretos ad Aliam constitisse? nec illis di inmortales certioris quidquam fiduciae maiorisve quod sit auxilii dederint.
The Roman dictator, as soon as the enemy was in sight, drawn up and eager, said, "Do you see, Aulus Sempronius, that they have taken their stand at the Allia, relying on the fortune of the place? Nor have the immortal gods given them any more certain confidence or any greater help.
§6.29.2at tu, fretus armis animisque, concitatis equis invade mediam aciem; ego cum legionibus in turbatos trepidantesque inferam signa.
But do you, relying on arms and courage, charge the center of their line with your horses at full gallop; I with the legions will advance the standards against them when they are thrown into confusion and panic.
adeste, di testes foederis, et expetite poenas debitas simul vobis violatis nobisque per vestrum numen deceptis. ” non equitem, non peditem sustinuere Praenestini.
Be present, ye gods who witnessed the treaty, and demand the penalties due at once for the violation of yourselves and the deception of us through your divine power." The Praenestines could withstand neither horse nor foot.
§6.29.3primo impetu ac clamore dissipati ordines sunt; dein, postquam nullo loco constabat acies, terga vertunt consternatique et praeter castra etiam sua pavore praelati non prius se ab effuso cursu sistunt, quam in conspectu Praeneste fuit.
At the first charge and shout their ranks were broken; then, since their line stood firm in no place, they turned their backs and, in their panic, carried past even their own camp, they did not stop their headlong flight until Praeneste was in sight.
§6.29.4ibi ex fuga dissipata locum, quem tumultuario opere communirent, capiunt, ne, si intra moenia se recepissent, extemplo ureretur ager depopulatisque omnibus obsidio urbi inferretur.
There, from their scattered flight, they took a position which they might fortify with temporary works, lest, if they withdrew within the walls, the land should be immediately burned and, everything being devastated, siege should be laid to the city.
§6.29.5sed postquam direptis ad Aliam castris victor Romanus aderat, id quoque munimentum relictum, et vix moenia tuta rati oppido se Praeneste includunt.
But when the victorious Roman, having plundered the camp at the Allia, was at hand, that fortification also was abandoned, and thinking even the walls scarcely safe, they shut themselves up in the town of Praeneste.
§6.29.6octo praeterea oppida erant sub dicione Praenestinorum.
There were besides eight towns under the dominion of the Praenestines.
ad ea circumlatum bellum, deincepsque haud magno certamine captis Velitras exercitus ductus.
Against them the war was carried, and having captured them in succession with no great struggle, the army was led to Velitrae.
eae quoque expugnatae.
That also was taken by storm.
tum ad caput belli Praeneste ventum.
Then they came to Praeneste, the head of the war.
§6.29.7id non vi, sed per deditionem receptum est.
This was recovered not by force, but through surrender.
T. Quinctius semel acie victor, §6.29.8binis castris hostium, novem oppidis vi captis, Praeneste in deditionem accepto Romam revertit triumphansque signum Praeneste devectum Iovis Imperatoris in Capitolium tulit.
Titus Quinctius, victorious once in a pitched battle, having captured two camps of the enemy and nine towns by force, and having received Praeneste in surrender, returned to Rome, and celebrating a triumph, carried the statue of Jupiter Imperator, which had been brought from Praeneste, to the Capitol.
§6.29.9dedicatum est inter cellam Iovis ac Minervae tabulaque sub eo fixa, monumentum rerum gestarum, his ferme incisa litteris fuit: “Iuppiter atque divi omnes hoc dederunt, ut T. Quinctius dictator oppida novem caperet. ” die vicesimo, quam creatus erat, dictatura se abdicavit.
It was dedicated between the shrine of Jupiter and that of Minerva, and a tablet fixed beneath it, a monument of his achievements, was inscribed with nearly these words: "Jupiter and all the gods granted this, that Titus Quinctius the dictator should capture nine towns." On the twentieth day after he had been appointed, he resigned his dictatorship.

Notes

  1. 6.29.1nec illis di inmortales certioris quidquam fiduciae maiorisve quod sit auxilii dederint — dederint is a perfect subjunctive of potentiality (or future perfect indicative) expressing a confident negative prediction. certioris fiduciae and maioris auxilii are partitive genitives depending on the pronoun quidquam ('anything of...'). The relative clause quod sit uses the subjunctive to express characteristic or restriction ('such as to be...').
  2. 6.29.2vobis violatis nobisque per vestrum numen deceptis — violatis and deceptis are perfect participles agreeing with the pronouns vobis and nobis respectively, forming two parallel ablatives absolute. This construction represents the actions themselves as the cause: 'the violation of you (the gods) and the deception of us through your divine power.'
  3. 6.29.3non prius se ab effuso cursu sistunt, quam — A correlative construction of non prius... quam (priusquam, 'not... until'). prius appears as an adverb in the main clause, and quam introduces the subordinate clause. 'sistunt' with the reflexive pronoun se means 'to stop, halt'.
  4. 6.29.4ne, si intra moenia se recepissent, extemplo ureretur ager — A conditional clause (si... recepissent) is embedded within a negative clause of purpose (ne... ureretur). recepissent is in the pluperfect subjunctive, representing a future perfect action from a past point of view ('if they should have retreated'), following the sequence of tenses dependent on the past tense of the purpose clause (ureretur).

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §6.29.1-6.29.10. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:6.29.1-6.29.10

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