Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita, Benjamin Oliver Foster, Ph.D. (Editor), Frank Gardener Moore (Editor), Evan T. Sage, Ph.D. (Editor), Alfred C. Schlesinger, Ph.D. (Editor), 10.38

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[2] The following year brought with it a ¹ consul, Lucius Papirius Cursor, remarkable both for his father's glory and for his own, and a mighty war, with a victory such as no one, save Lucius Papirius, the consul's father, had until that day obtained over the Samnites.

and it happened that the enemy had made their preparations for the war with the same ² earnestness and pomp and all the magnificence of splendid arms, and had likewise invoked the assistance of the gods, initiating, as it were, their soldiers, in accordance with a certain antique form of oath.

[3] but first they held a levy throughout Samnium under this new ordinance, that whosoever of military age did not report in response to the proclamation of the generals, or departed without their orders, should forfeit his life to Jupiter.

[4] which done, they appointed all the army to meet at Aquilonia, where some forty thousand soldiers, the strength of Samnium, came together.

[5] there , at about the middle of the camp, they had enclosed an area, extending approximately two hundred feet in all directions, with wicker hurdles, and roofed it over with linen.

[6] in this place they offered sacrifice in accordance with directions read ³ from an old linen roll. The celebrant was one Ovius Paccius, an aged man, who claimed to derive this ceremony from an ancient ritual of the Samnites which the forefathers of those present had formerly employed when they had gone secretly about to get Capua away from the Etruscans. ⁴

[7] on the conclusion of the sacrifice, the general by his apparitor commanded to be summoned all those of the highest degree in birth and deeds of arms; and one by one they were introduced.

[8] besides other ceremonial preparations, such as might avail to strike the mind with religious awe, there was a place all enclosed, with altars in the midst and slaughtered victims lying about, and round them a guard of centurions ⁵ with drawn swords.

[9] The man was brought up to the altar, more like a victim than a partaker in the rite, and was sworn not to divulge what he should there see or hear.

[10] they then compelled him to take an oath in accordance with a certain dreadful form of words, whereby he invoked a curse upon his head, his household, and his family, if he went not into battle where his generals led the way, or if he either fled from the line himself or saw any other fleeing and did not instantly cut him down.

[11] some there were at first who refused to take this oath; these were beheaded before the altars, where they lay amongst the slaughtered victims —a warning to the rest not to refuse.

[12] when the leading Samnites had been bound by this imprecation, the general named ten of them and bade them choose every man another, and so to proceed until they had brought their number up to sixteen thousand. ⁶ These were ⁷ named the

Linen Legion,

from the roof of the enclosure wherein the nobles had been sworn, and were given splendid arms and crested helmets, to distinguish them from the rest.

[13] a little over twenty thousand ⁸ men composed another corps, which neither in physical appearance nor in martial renown nor in equipment was inferior to the Linen Legion. this was the size of the army, comprising their effective forces, which encamped at Aquilonia.

Ab urbe condita. Titus Livius (Livy). Benjamin Oliver Foster, Ph.D. (Editor), Frank Gardener Moore (Editor), Evan T. Sage, Ph.D. (Editor), Alfred C. Schlesinger, Ph.D. (Editor). Medford, MA. .

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The National Endowment for the Humanities.

Current edition Perseus

History of Rome (English) (Foster, Benjamin Oliver; Moore, Frank Gardener; Sage, Evan T.; Schlesinger, Alfred C., translators. Cambridge, Mass.; London: Harvard University Press; William Heinemann, Ltd., 1919-1959. (Loeb Classical Library))

Editions (3)

Ab urbe condita Perseus (Pars I-IV, Libri I-XL. Editio Stereotypica. Weissenborn, Wilhelm; Mueller, Moritz, editors. Leipzig: Teubner, 1884-1911.) — 10.38 focus

[1] sequitur hunc annum et consul insignis, L. Papirius Cursor, qua paterna gloria, qua sua, et bellum ingens victoriaque, quantam de Samnitibus nemo ad eam diem praeter L. Papirium, patrem consulis, pepererat.

[2] et forte eodem conatu apparatuque omni opulentia insignium armorum bellum adornaverant et deorum etiam adhibuerant opes, ritu quodam sacramenti vetusto velut initiatis militibus. dilectu per omne Samnium habito nova lege,

[3] ut, qui iuniorum non convenisset ad imperatorum edictum quique iniussu abisset, eius caput Iovi sacraretur, exercitus omnis Aquiloniam est indictus.

[4] ad quadraginta milia militur, quod roboris in Samnio erat, convenerunt.

[5] ibi mediis fere castris locus est consaeptus cratibus pluteisque et linteis contectus, patens ducentos maxime pedes in omnis pariter partis.

[6] ibi ex libro vetere linteo tecto sacrificatum, sacerdote Ovio Paccio quodam, homine magno natu, qui se id sacrum repetere adfirmabat ex vetusta Samnitium religione, qua quondam usi maiores eorum fuissent, cum adimendae Etruscis Capuae clandestinum cepissent consilium.

[7] sacrificio perfecto per viatorem imperator acciri iubebat nobilissimum quemque genere factisque; singuli introducebantur.

[8] erat cum alius apparatus sacri, qui perfundere religione animum posset, tur tum in loco circa omni contecto arae in medio victimaeque circa caesae et circumstantes centuriones strictis gladiis.

[9] admovebatur altaribus magis ut victima quam ut sacri particeps adigebaturque iure iurando, quae visa auditaque in eo loco essett,

[10] non enuntiaturum.. enuntiaturum. dein iurare cogebant diro quodam carmine in execrationem capitis familiaeque et stirpis conposito, nisi isset in proelium, quo imperatores duxissent, et si aut ipse ex acie fugisset aut, si quem fugientem vidisset, non extemplo occidisset.

[11] id primo quidam abnuentes iuraturos se obtruncati circa altaria sunt, iacentes deinde inter stragem victimarum documento ceteris fuere, ne abnuerent.

[12] primoribus Samnitium ea detestatione obstrictis decem nominati ab imperatore; eis dictum, ut vir virum legerent, donec sedecim milium numerum confecissent. ea legio linteata ab integumento consaepti, in quo sacrata nobilitas erat, appellata est; his arma insignia data et cristatae galeae, ut inter ceteros eminerent. paulo plus viginti milium alius exercitus fuit

[13] nec corporum specie nec gloria belli nec apparatu linteatae legioni dispar. hic hominum numerus, quod roboris erat, ad Aquiloniam consedit.

Ab urbe condita Perseus (Conway, Robert Seymour; Walters, Charles Flamstead; Johnson, Stephen Keymer, editors. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1914-1935. (Oxford Classical Texts)) — 10.38 focus

[1]

sequitur hunc annum et consul ¹ insignis, L. Papirius Cursor, qua paterna gloria qua sua, et bellum ingens victoriaque quantam de Samnitibus nemo ad eam diem praeter L. Papirium patrem consulis ² pepererat.

[2] et forte eodem conatu apparatuque omni opulentia insignium armorum bellum adornaverant, et deorum etiam adhibuerant opes, ritu quodam sacramenti vetusto velut initiatis militibus, dilectu per omne Samnium habito nova lege,

[3] ut qui iuniorum non convenisset ad imperatorum edictum quique iniussu abisset eius caput ³ Iovi sacraretur. ⁴

[4] tum exercitus omnis Aquiloniam est indictus. ad quadraginta ⁵ milia militum, quod roboris in Samnio erat, convenerunt.

[5] ibi mediis fere castris locus est consaeptus cratibus pluteisque et linteis contectus, patens ducentos maxime pedes in omnes pariter partis.

[6] ibi ex libro vetere linteo lecto ⁶ sacrificatum sacerdote Ovio ⁷ Paccio quodam, homine magno natu, qui se id sacrum petere adfirmabat ex vetusta Samnitium religione, qua quondam usi maiores eorum fuissent, cum adimendae Etruscis Capuae clandestinum cepissent consilium.

[7] sacrificio perfecto per viatorem imperator acciri iubebat nobilissimum quemque genere factisque; singuli introducebantur.

[8] erat cum alius apparatus sacri qui perfundere religione animum posset, tum in loco circa omni contecto arae in medio victimaeque circa caesae et circumstantes centuriones strictis gladiis.

[9] admovebatur altaribus magis ut victima quam ut sacri particeps adigebaturque ⁸ iure iurando quae visa auditaque in eo loco essent, ⁹ non enuntiaturum.

[10] dein iurare cogebant diro quodam carmine, in exsecrationem capitis familiaeque et stirpis composite, nisi isset in—proelium quo ¹⁰ imperatores duxissent et si aut ipse ex acie fugisset aut si quem fugientem vidisset non extemplo occidisset.

[11] id primo quidam abnuentes iuraturos se obtruncati circa altaria sunt; iacentes deinde inter stragem victimarum documento ceteris fuere ne abnuerent.

[12] primoribus Samnitium ea detestatione obstrictis, decem nominatis ab imperatore, eis dictum ut vir virum legerent donec sedecim milium numerum confecissent. ea legio linteata ab ¹¹ integumento consaepti, in quo ¹² sacrata nobilitas erat, appellata est; his arma insignia data et cristatae galeae, ut inter ceteros eminerent.

[13] paulo plus viginti milium alius exercitus fuit nec corporum specie nec gloria belli nec apparatu linteatae legioni dispar. ¹³ hic hominum numerus, quod roboris erat, ad Aquiloniam ¹⁴ consedit.

Ab urbe condita Perseus (Livy in Fourteen Volumes. Foster, Benjamin Oliver; Moore, Frank Gardener; Schlesinger, Alfred C., editors. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann, Ltd., 1919-1959 (printing).) — 10.38 focus

[1]

[3] ut qui iuniorum non convenisset ad imperatorum edictum quique iniussu abisset eius caput ³ Iovi sacraretur. ⁴

[4] tum exercitus omnis Aquiloniam est indictus. ad quadraginta ⁵ milia militum, quod roboris in Samnio erat, convenerunt.

[5] ibi mediis fere castris locus est consaeptus cratibus pluteisque et linteis contectus, patens ducentos maxime pedes in omnes pariter partis.

[7] sacrificio perfecto per viatorem imperator acciri iubebat nobilissimum quemque genere factisque; singuli introducebantur.

[8] erat cum alius apparatus sacri qui perfundere religione animum posset, tum in loco circa omni contecto arae in medio victimaeque circa caesae et circumstantes centuriones strictis gladiis.

[9] admovebatur altaribus magis ut victima quam ut sacri particeps adigebaturque ⁸ iure iurando quae visa auditaque in eo loco essent, ⁹ non enuntiaturum.

[11] id primo quidam abnuentes iuraturos se obtruncati circa altaria sunt; iacentes deinde inter stragem victimarum documento ceteris fuere ne abnuerent.

Translations (2)

History of Rome Perseus (Spillan, D.; Edmonds, Cyrus; McDevitte, William A., translators. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1849-1868. (Bohn's Classical Library)) — 10.38 focus

[1]

In the next year, we find a consul, distinguished by the united splendour of his own and his father's glory, Lucius Papirius Cursor, as also a war of vast importance, and a vic- tory of such consequence, as no man, excepting Lucius Papirius, the consul's father, had ever before obtained over the Samnites.

[2] It happened too that these had, with the same care and pains as on the former occasion, decorated their soldiers with the richest suits of splendid armour; and they had, likewise, called in to their aid the power of the gods, having, as it were, initiated the soldiers, by administering the military oath, with the

[3] solemn ceremonies practised in ancient times, and levied troops in every part of Samnium, under an ordinance entirely new, that

if any of the younger inhabitants should not attend the meeting, according to the general's

[4]

proclamation, or shall depart without permission, his head should be devoted to Jupiter.

[5] Orders being then issued, for all to assemble at Aquilonia, the whole strength of Samnium came together, amounting to forty thousand men. There a piece of ground, in the middle of the camp, was enclosed with hurdles and boards, and covered over-head with linen cloth, the sides being all of an equal length, about two hundred feet.

[6] In this place sacrifices were performed, according to directions read out of an old linen book, the priest being a very old man, called Ovius Paccius, who affirmed, that he took these ceremonials from the ancient ritual of the Samnites, being the same which their ancestors used, when they

[7] had formed the secret design of wresting Capua from the Etrurians.

[8] When the sacrifices were finished, the general ordered a beadle to summon every one of those who were most highly distinguished by their birth or conduct: these were introduced singly. Besides the other exhibitions of the solemnity, calculated to impress the mind with religious awe, there were, in the middle of the covered enclosure, altars erected, about which lay the victims slain, and the centurions stood around with their swords drawn.

[9] The soldier was led up to the altars, rather like a victim, than a performer in the ceremony, and was bound by an oath not to divulge what he should see and hear in that place.

[10] He was then compelled to swear, in a dreadful kind of form, containing execrations on his own person, on his family and race, if he did riot go to battle, whithersoever the commanders should lead; and, if either he himself fled from the field, or, in case he should see any other flying, did not immediately kill him.

[11] At first some, refusing to take the oath, were put to death round the altars, and ly- ing among the carcasses of the victims, served afterwards as a warning to others not to refuse it.

[12] When those of the first rank in the Samnite nation had been bound under these solemnities, the general nominated ten, whom he desired to choose each a man, and so to proceed until they should have filled up the number of sixteen thousand. This body, from the covering of the enclosure wherein the nobility had been thus devoted, was called the linen legion.

[13] They were furnished with splendid armour and plumed helmets, to distinguish them above the rest. They had another body of forces, amounting to somewhat more than twenty thousand, not inferior to the linen legion, either in personal appearance, or renown in war, or their equipment. This number, composing the main strength of the nation, sat down at Aquilonia.

History of Rome Perseus (Volumes 1-2. Roberts, Canon, Rev, translator. London, New York: J. M. Dent and Sons; E. P. Dutton and Co., 1912.) — 10.38 focus

[1] The year following was marked by the consulship of L. Papirius Cursor, who had not only inherited his father's glory but enhanced it by his management of a great war and a victory over the Samnites, second only to the one which his father had won.

[2] It happened that this nation had taken the same care and pains to adorn their soldiery with all the wealth of splendour as they had done on the occasion of the elder Papirius' victory. They had also called in the aid of the gods by submitting the soldiers to a kind of initiation into an ancient form of oath.

[3] A levy was conducted throughout Samnium under a novel regulation; any man within the military age who had not assembled on the captain-general's proclamation, or any one who

[4] had departed without permission, was devoted to Jupiter ¹ and his life

[5] forfeited. The whole of the army was summoned to Aquilonia, and 40,000 men, the full strength of Samnium, were concentrated there. A space, about 200 feet square, almost in the centre of their camp, was boarded off and covered all over with linen

[6] cloth. In this enclosure a sacrificial service was conducted, the words being read from an old linen book by an aged priest, Ovius Paccius, who announced that he was taking that form of service from the old ritual of the Samnite religion. It was the form which their ancestors used when they formed their secret design of wresting Capua from the

[7] Etruscans. When the sacrifice was completed the captain-general sent a messenger to summon all those who were of noble birth or who were distinguished for their military

[8] achievements. They were admitted into the enclosure one by one. As each was admitted he was led up to the altar, more like a victim than like one who was taking part in the service,

[9] and he was bound on oath not to divulge what he saw and heard in that place. Then they compelled him to take an oath couched in the most terrible language, imprecating a

[10] curse on himself, his family, and his race if he did not go into battle where the commanders should lead him or if he either himself fled from battle or did not at once slay any one whom he saw

[11] fleeing. At first there were some who refused to take this oath; they were massacred beside the altar, and their dead bodies lying amongst the scattered remains of the victims were a plain hint to the rest not to

[12] refuse. After the foremost men among the Samnites had been bound by this dread formula, ten were especially named by the captain-general and told each to choose a comrade-in-arms, and these again to choose others until they had made up the number of 16,ooo. These were called the “linen legion,” from the material with which the place where they had been sworn was covered. They were provided with resplendent armour and plumed helmets to distinguish them from the

[13] others. The rest of the army consisted of something under 20,000 men, but they were not inferior to the linen legion either in their personal appearance or soldierly qualities or in the excellence of their equipment. This was the number of those in camp at Aquilonia, forming the total strength of Samnium.

Notes on the current edition

Ab Urbe Condita With An English Translation, books 1-10, 21-45, with periochae 11-20

1. B.C. 293

2. The same, that is, as in the year 309 B.C. , when they had fought against the Romans, who were commanded by the elder Papirius (ix. xl. 2 ff.).

3. B.C. 293

4. At iv. xxxvii. 1 f. we were told how the Etruscan city of Volturnum was captured by the Samnites and renamed Capua.

5. These are called

armed priests

at chap. xli. § 3.

6. See ix. xxxix. 5, where this mode of selection is described as having been employed by the Etruscans.

7. B.C. 293

8. To be consistent with the total given in § 4, this number should be 24,000.

Titus Livius (Livy) Ab urbe condita 10.38

Benjamin Oliver Foster, Ph.D. (Editor), Frank Gardener Moore (Editor), Evan T. Sage, Ph.D. (Editor), Alfred C. Schlesinger, Ph.D. (Editor)

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