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Livy · History of Rome §9.28.1-9.28.8

Poetelius's Victories and the Founding of Colonies

Passage 466 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

The Roman army winters at Bovianum, and the next year the newly appointed dictator Poetelius takes command, recovering Fregellae and capturing Nola. In the same year, colonies are established at Suessa and Pontiae, followed by Interamna in the next year.

§9.28.1consules egregia victoria parta protinus inde ad Bovianum oppugnandum legiones ducunt; ibique hiberna egerunt,
The consuls, having won a brilliant victory, immediately led their legions from there to besiege Bovianum; and they spent the winter there, until the dictator C.
§9.28.2donec ab novis consulibus, L. Papirio Cursore quintum, C. Iunio Bubulco iterum, nominatus dictator C. Poetelius cum M. Folio magistro equitum exercitum accepit.
Poetelius, nominated by the new consuls, L. Papirius Cursor for the fifth time and C. Iunius Bubulcus for the second time, took over the army with M. Folius as master of the horse.
§9.28.3is cum audisset arcem Fregellanam ab Samnitibus captam, omisso Boviano ad Fregellas pergit.
When he had heard that the citadel of Fregellae had been captured by the Samnites, he abandoned Bovianum and marched to Fregellae.
unde nocturna Samnitium fuga sine certamine receptis Fregellis praesidioque valido inposito in Campaniam reditum maxime ad Nolam armis repetendam.
Whence, upon the nightly flight of the Samnites, Fregellae was recovered without a struggle and a strong garrison was placed there, and they returned to Campania, chiefly to recover Nola by force of arms.
§9.28.4eo se intra moenia sub adventum dictatoris et Samnitium omnis multitudo et Nolani agrestes contulerant.
To that place, within the walls, just before the arrival of the dictator, the whole multitude of the Samnites and the rustics of Nola had betaken themselves.
§9.28.5dictator urbis situ circumspecto, quo apertior aditus ad moenia esset, omnia aedificia — et frequenter ibi habitabatur — circumiecta muris incendit;
The dictator, having surveyed the situation of the city, in order that the approach to the walls might be more open, set fire to all the buildings surrounding the walls—and these were densely inhabited; and not so long after, whether by the dictator Poetelius or by the consul C.
nec ita multo post, sive a Poetelio dictatore sive ab C. Iunio consule — nam utrumque traditur —, Nola est capta.
Iunius—for both versions are handed down—, Nola was captured.
§9.28.6qui captae decus Nolae ad consulem trahunt, adiciunt Atinam et Calatiam ab eodem captas, Poetelium autem pestilentia orta clavi figendi causa dictatorem dictum.
Those who attribute the glory of capturing Nola to the consul add that Atina and Calatia were captured by the same man, but that Poetelius was named dictator because of an outbreak of pestilence for the purpose of driving the nail.
Suessa §9.28.7et Pontiae eodem anno coloniae deductae sunt.
Suessa and Pontiae were led out as colonies in the same year.
Suessa Auruncorum fuerat; Volsci Pontias, insulam sitam in conspectu litoris sui, incoluerant.
Suessa had belonged to the Aurunci; the Volsci had inhabited Pontiae, an island situated in sight of their own coast.
§9.28.8et Interamnam Sucasinam ut deduceretur colonia, senati consultum factum est;
A decree of the senate was also passed that a colony should be led out to Interamna Sucasina; but the succeeding consuls, M.
sed triumviros creavere ac misere colonorum quattuor milia insequentes consules M. Valerius, P. Decius.
Valerius and P. Decius, created the triumvirs and sent four thousand colonists.

Notes

  1. 9.28.2donec ... accepit — The indicative perfect (accepit) is used after the conjunction donec to emphasize the actual occurrence of the historical event rather than a mere anticipated limit.
  2. 9.28.3reditum — An impersonal passive of an intransitive verb (with est omitted from reditum est). Although the subject is not explicitly expressed, it contextually refers to the movement of the Roman army or the dictator.
  3. 9.28.5quo apertior aditus ad moenia esset — Demonstrates the grammatical rule where quo (= ut eo, "so that thereby...") is used instead of ut in a purpose clause containing a comparative adjective (apertior).
  4. 9.28.6qui captae decus Nolae ad consulem trahunt, adiciunt — The antecedent of the relative pronoun qui (i.e., "those people") is omitted, and the entire qui-clause functions as the subject of the main verb adiciunt.
  5. 9.28.8senati consultum — The genitive form senati is used here, representing an archaic or alternative second-declension genitive ending for the fourth-declension noun senatus.

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §9.28.1-9.28.8. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:9.28.1-9.28.8

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