Sallust, Bellum Iugurthinum, Rev. John Selby Watson, M.A. (Translator), 29

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But when Jugurtha began, through his emissaries, to tempt him with bribes, and to show the difficulties of the war which he had undertaken to conduct, his mind, corrupted with avarice, was easily altered. His accomplice, however, and manager in all his schemes, was Scaurus; who, though he had at first, when most of his party were corrupted, displayed violent hostility to Jugurtha, yet was afterward seduced, by a vast sum of money, from integrity and honor to injustice and perfidy-Jugurtha, however, at first sought only to purchase a suspension of hostilities, expecting to be able, during the interval, to make some favorable impression, either by bribery or by interest, at Rome; but when he heard that Scaurus was co-operating with Calpurnius, he was elated with great hopes of regaining peace, and resolved upon a conference with them in person respecting the terms of it. In the mean time, for the sake of giving confidence¹ to Jugurtha, Sextus the quæstor was dispatched by the consul to Vaga, one of the prince's towns; the pretext for his journey being the receiving of corn, which Calpurnius had openly demanded from Jugurtha's emissaries, on the ground that a truce was observed through their delay to make a surrender. Jugurtha then, as he had determined, paid a visit to the consul's camp, where, having made a short address to the council, respecting the odium cast upon his conduct, and his desire for a capitulation, he arranged other matters with Bestia and Scaurus in secret; and the next day, as if by an evident majority of voices,² he was formally allowed to surrender. But, as was demanded in the hearing of the council, thirty elephants, a considerable number of cattle and horses, and a small sum of money, were delivered into the hands of the quæstor. Calpurnius then returned to Rome to preside at the election of magistrates,³ and peace was observed throughout Numidia and the Roman army.

Bellum Iugurthinum. Sallust. Rev. John Selby Watson, M.A. (Translator). New York and London. 1899.

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Current edition Perseus

Jugurthine War (English) (Sallust. Sallust, Florus, and Velleius Paterculus. Watson, J. S. (John Selby), translator. London: Harper & Brothers, 1899.)

Editions (2)

Bellum Iugurthinum Perseus (Sallust. C. Sallusti Crispi Catilina, Iugurtha, orationes et epistulae excerptae de historiis. Ahlberg, Axel Wilhelm, editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1919.) — 28 focus

1 At Iugurtha contra spem nuntio accepto, quippe quoi Romae omnia venire in animo haeserat, filium et cum eo duos familiaris ad senatum legatos mittit iisque uti Illis, quos Hiempsale interfecto miserat, praecipit, omnis mortalis pecunia aggrediantur. 2 qui postquam Romam adventabant, senatus a Bestia consultus est, placeretne legatos Iugurthae recipi moenibus, iique decrevere, nisi regnum ipsumque deditum venissent, uti in diebus proxumis decem Italia decederent. 3 consul Numidis ex senatus decreto nuntiari iubet. ita infectis rebus illi domum discedunt.

4 Interim Calpurnius parato exercitu legat sibi homines nobilis factiosos, quorum auctoritate quae deliquisset munita fore sperabat. in quis fuit Scaurus, quoius de natura et habitu supra memoravimus. 5 nam in consule nostro multae bonaeque artes et animi et corporis erant, quas omnis avaritia praepediebat: patiens laborum, acri ingenio, satis providens, belli haud ignarus, firmissumus contra pericula et insidias. 6 sed legiones per Italiam Regium atque inde Siciliam, porro ex Sicilia in Africam transvectae. 7 igitur Calpurnius initio paratis commeatibus acriter Numidiam ingressus est, multosque mortalis et urbis aliquot pugnando cepit. 29 1 sed ubi Iugurtha per legatos pecunia temptare bellique, quod administrabat, asperitatem ostendere coepit, animus aeger avaritia facile convorsus est. 2 ceterum socius et administer omnium consiliorum adsumitur Scaurus, qui tametsi a principio plerisque ex factione eius corruptis acerrume regem inpugnaverat, tamen magnitudine pecuniae a bono honestoque in pravom abstractus est. 3 sed Iugurtha primo tantummodo belli redimebat, existumans sese aliquid interim Romae pretio aut gratia effecturum. postea vero quam participem negoti Scaurum accepit, in maxumam spem adductus recuperandae pacis statuit cum iis de omnibus pactionibus praesens agere. 4 ceterum interea fidei causa mittitur a consule Sextius quaestor in oppidum Iugurthae Vagam. quoius rei species erat acceptio frumenti, quod Calpurnius palam legatis imperaverat, quoniam deditionis mora indutiae agitabantur. 5 igitur rex, uti constituerat, in castra venit, ac pauca praesenti consilio locutus de invidia facti sui atque uti in deditionem acciperetur, reliqua cum Bestia et Scauro secreta transigit. dein postero die quasi per saturam sententiis exquisitis in deditionem accipitur. 6 sed, uti pro consilio imperatum erat, elephanti triginta, pecus atque equi multi cum parvo argenti pondere quaestori traduntur. 7 Calpurnius Romam ad magistratus rogandos proficiscitur. in Numidia et exercitu nostro pax agitabantur.

Bellum Iugurthinum Perseus (Sallust. Bellum Iugurthinum. (No bibliographic information found).) — 29 focus

Sed ubi Iugurtha per legatos pecunia temptare bellique, quod administrabat, asperitatem ostendere coepit, animus aeger auaritia facile conuersus est. Ceterum socius et administer omnium consiliorum assumitur Scaurus, qui tametsi a principio plerisque ex factione eius corruptis acerrime regem impugnauerat, tamen magnitudine pecuniae a bono honestoque in prauum abstractus est. Sed Iugurtha primo tantummodo belli moram redimebat, existimans sese aliquid interim Romae pretio aut gratia effecturum. Postea vero quam participem negoti Scaurum accepit, in maximam spem adductus recuperandae pacis statuit cum iis de omnibus pactionibus praesens agere. Ceterum interea fidei causa mittitur a consule Sextius quaestor in oppidum Iugurthae Vagam. Cuius rei species erat acceptio frumenti, quod Calpurnius palam legatis imperauerat, quoniam deditionis mora indutiae agitabantur. Igitur rex, uti constituerat, in castra venit, ac pauca praesenti consilio locutus de invidia facti sui atque uti in deditionem acciperetur, relicua cum Bestia et Scauro secreta transigit. Dein postero die quasi per saturam sententiis exquisitis in deditionem accipitur. Sed, uti pro consilio imperatum erat, elephanti triginta, pecus atque equi multi cum paruo argenti pondere quaestori traduntur. Calpurnius Romam ad magistratus rogandos proficiscitur. In Numidia et exercitu nostro pax agitabatur.

Notes on the current edition

The Jugurthine War

1. XXIX. For the sake of giving confidence]

Fidei causâ.

"In order that Jugurtha might have confidence in Bestia, Sextius the quæstor was sent as a sort of hostage into one of Jugurtha's towns."

Cortius.

2. As if by an evident majority of voices]

Quasi per saturam exquisitis sententiis.

"The opinions being taken in a confused manner," or, as we say, in the lump. The sense manifestly is, that there was (or was said to be) such a preponderating majority in Jugurtha's favor, that it was not necessary to ask the opinion of each individual in order. Satura, which some think to be always an adjective, with lanx understood, though lanx, according to Scheller, is never found joined with it in ancient authors, was a plate filled with various kinds of fruit, such as was annually offered to the gods. "Lanx plena diversis frugibus in templum Cereris infertur, quæ satura nomine appellatur," Acron. ad Hor. Sat i. 1, init. "Lanx, referta variis multisque primitiis, sacris Cereris inferebatur," Diomed., iii. p. 483. "Satura, cibi genus ex variis rebus conditum," Festus sub voce. See Casaubon. de Rom. Satirâ, ii. 4; Kritzius ad h. 1., and Scheller's Lex. v., Satur. In the Pref. to Justinian's Pandects, that work is called opus sparsim et quasi per saturam collectum, utile cum inutilibus mixtim.

3. To preside at the election of magistrates]

Ad magistratus rogandos.

The presiding magistrate had to ask the consent of the people, saying Velitis, jubeatis—rogo Quirites.

Sallust Bellum Iugurthinum 29

Rev. John Selby Watson, M.A. (Translator)

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