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), 32.7

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[1] While this was happening in Macedonia,¹ the other consul, Lucius Lentulus, who had remained at Rome, held the meeting for the election of censors.

[2] Although many distinguished men were candidates, Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus and Publius Aelius Paetus were elected censors.

[3] They selected the members of the senate in complete harmony with one another and without putting the brand of infamy² on any man, let the contract for the collection of the sales-tax at Capua and Puteoli and the port-duties of Castra,³ where there is now a town, and for this place enrolled three hundred colonists — for this number had been fixed by the senate — and sold the land of Capua at the foot of Mount Tifata.

[4] At this same time Lucius Manlius Acidinus, on his return from Spain, was prevented by Publius⁴ Porcius Laeca, tribune of the people, from entering the city in ovation,⁵ although the privilege had been granted him by the senate, and, entering the city as a private person, deposited in the treasury twelve hundred pounds of silver and about thirty pounds of gold.

[5] During the same year, Gnaeus Baebius Tamphilus, who had succeeded Gaius Aurelius, consul of the preceding year, as governor of the province of Gaul, rashly invaded the territory of the Insubrian Gauls and was cut off with almost his entire army;

[6] he lost more than six thousand seven hundred men; such a disaster was suffered in a war that no one any longer feared. This event summoned Lucius Lentulus the consul from the city.

[7] When he arrived in a province full of terror and had taken over a panic-stricken army, he roundly upbraided the praetor and ordered him to leave the province and return to Rome.

[8] Nor did the consul, even, accomplish anything worth recording, being recalled to Rome to hold the elections; the actual meetings were blocked by the plebeian tribunes Marcus Fulvius and Manius Curius, because they would

[9] not allow Titus Quinctius Flamininus to stand for the consulship immediately after the quaestorship:⁶

[10] the aedileship and praetorship, they said, were already treated with contempt, and the nobles, without passing through the offices in succession, and so giving proof of their worth, were aiming straight at the consulship and, leaping over the intermediate stages, were making the highest distinctions continuous with the lowest.

[11] -⁷ After being debated in the assembly,⁸ the matter was referred to the senate. The Fathers voted that it seemed proper that the right should reside in the people to elect anyone they chose who sought an office it was legally permissible to him to hold.⁹

[12] The tribunes yielded to the senate's will. Sextus Aelius Paetus and Titus Quinctius Flamininus were chosen consuls.

[13] Then the praetorian elections were held. The choice fell on Lucius Cornelius Merula, Marcus Claudius Marcellus, Marcus Porcius Cato, and Gaius Helvius, who had been plebeian aediles.¹⁰ By them the Plebeian Games were repeated, and a banquet to Jupiter was held on the occasion of the games.

[14] Also, the Roman Games were celebrated with great splendour by the curule aediles Gaius Valerius Flaccus (who was Flamen Dialis) and Gaius Cornelius Cethegus.

[15] Servius and Gaius Sulpicius Galba, pontiffs, died that year; in their place Marcus Aemilius Lepidus and Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio were appointed pontiffs.

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.) — 32.7 focus

[1] dum haec in Macedonia geruntur, consul alter L. Lentulus, qui Romae substiterat, comitia censoribus creandis habuit.

[2] multis claris petentibus viris creati censores P. Cornelius Scipio Africanus et P.

[3] Aelius Paetus. ii magna inter se concordia et senatum sine ullius nota legerunt et portoria venalicium Capuae Puteolisque, item Castrum portorium, quo in loco nunc oppidum est, fruendum locarunt colonosque eo trecentos — is enim numerus finitus ab senatu erat — adscripserunt et sub Tifatis Capuae agrum vendiderunt.

[4] sub idem tempus L. Manlius Acidinus ex Hispania decedens, prohibitus a P. Porcio Laeca tribuno plebis ne ovans rediret, cum ab senatu impetrasset, privatus urbem ingrediens mille ducenta pondo argenti, triginta pondo ferme auri in aerarium tulit.

[5] eodem anno Cn. Baebius Tamphilus, qui ab C. Aurelio, consule anni prioris, provincial provinciam Galliam acceperat, temere ingressus Gallorum Insubrum finis prope cum toto exercitu est circumventus: supra sex milia et septingentos milites ainisit; amisit;

[6] tanta ex eo bello, quod iam timeri desierat, clades accepta est. ea res L. Lentulum consulem ab urbe excivit.

[7] qui ut in provinciam venit plenam tumultus, trepido exercitu accepto praetorem multis probris increpitum provincia decedere atque abire Romam iussit.

[8] neque ipse consul memorabile quicquam gessit, comitiorum causa Romam revocatus; quae ipsa per M. Fulviumn Fulvium et M’. Curium tribunes tribunos plebis impediebantur,

[9] quod T. Quinctium Flamininum consulatum ex quaestura petere non patiebantur:

[10] iam aedilitatem praeturamque fastidiri, nee nec per honorum gradus, documentum sui dantis, nobiles homines tendere ad consulatum, sed transcendendo media summa imis continuare.

[11] res ex campestri certamine in senatum pervenit. patres censuerunt, qui honorem, quem sibi capere per leges liceret, peteret, in eo populo creandi, quem velit, potestatem fieri aequum esse.

[12] in auctoritate patrum fuere tribuni. creati consules Sex. Aelius Paetus et T. Quinctius Flamininus.

[13] inde praetorum comitia habita. creati L. Cornelius Merula, M. Claudius Marcellus, M. Porcius Cato, C. Helvius, qui aediles plebis fuerant. ab iis ludi plebeii instaurati; et epulum lovis Iovis fuit ludorum causa.

[14] et ab aedilibus curulibus C. Valerio Flacco, famine flamine Diali, et C. Corneio Cornelio Cethego ludi Romani magno apparatu facti.

[15] Ser. et C. Sulpicii Galbae pontifices eo anno mortui sunt; in eorum locum M. Aemilius Lepidus et Cn. Cornelius Scipio pontifices suffecti sunt.

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).) — 30.7 focus

[1]

Hasdrubal ex fuga cum paucis Afrorum urbem proximam petierat, eoque omnes qui supererant vestigia ducis sequentes se contulerant; metu deinde ne dederetur Scipioni urbe excessit.

[2] mox eodem patentibus portis Romani accepti, nec quicquam hostile, quia voluntate concesserant in dicionem, factum. duae subinde urbes captae direptaeque. ea praeda et quae castris incensis ex igne rapta erat militi concessa est.

[3] Syphax octo milium ferme inde spatio ¹ loco munito ² consedit; Hasdrubal Carthaginem contendit, ne quid per metum ex recenti clade mollius consuleretur.

[4] quo tantus primo terror est adlatus ut omissa Utica Carthaginem crederent extemplo Scipionem obsessurum. ³

[5] senatum itaque sufetes, quod velut consulare imperium apud eos erat, vocaverunt.

[6] Ibi tribus sententiis certatum ⁴ ; una de pace legatos ad Scipionem decernebat, altera Hannibalem ad tuendam ab exitiabili bello patriam revocabat, tertia Romanae in adversis rebus constantiae erat;

[7] reparandum exercitum Syphacemque hortandum ne bello absisteret censebat. haec sententia, quia Hasdrubal praesens Barcinaeque omnes factionis bellum malebant, vicit.

[8] inde dilectus in urbe agrisque haberi coeptus, et ad Syphacem legati missi, summa ope et ipsum reparantem bellum, cum uxor non iam ut ante blanditiis, satis potentibus ad animum amantis,

[9] sed precibus et misericordia valuisset, plena lacrimarum obtestans ne patrem suum patriamque proderet isdemque flammis Carthaginem quibus castra conflagrassent absumi sineret.

[10] spem quoque opportune oblatam adferebant legati: quattuor milia Celtiberorum circa urbem nomine Obbam, ab conquisitoribus suis ⁵ conducta in Hispania, egregiae iuventutis, sibi occurrisse; et Hasdrubalem propediem adfore cum manu haudquaquam contemnenda.

[11] igitur non benigne modo legatis respondit, sed ostendit etiam ⁶ multitudinem agrestium Numidarum, quibus per eosdem ⁷ dies arma equosque dedisset, et omnem iuventutem adfirmat ex regno exciturum;

[12] scire incendio, non proelio cladem acceptam; eum bello inferiorem esse qui armis vincatur.

[13] haec legatis responsa, et post dies paucos rursus Hasdrubal et Syphax copias iunxerunt. is omnis exercitus fuit triginta ferme milium ⁸ armatorum.

Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn Perseus (Weissenborn, W.; Müller, H. J., editors. Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung, 1873-1883.) — 32.7 focus

[1]

dum haec in Macedonia geruntur, consul alter L. Lentulus , qui Romae substiterat, comitia censoribus creandis habuit.

[2] multis claris petentibus viris creati censores P. Cornelius Scipio Africanus et P. Aelius Paetus .

[3] ii magna inter se concordia et senatum sine ullius nota legerunt et portoria venalicium Capuae ¹ Puteolisque, item Castrum portorium, quo in loco nunc oppidum est, fruendum locarunt colonosque eo trecentos — is enim numerus finitus ab senatu erat — adscripserunt et sub Tifatis Capuae agrum vendiderunt.

sub idem tempus L. Manlius Acidinus ex Hispania decedens, prohibitus a P. Porcio Laeca tribuno plebis ne ovans rediret,

[4] cum ² ab senatu impetrasset, privatus urbem ingrediens mille ducenta pondo argenti, triginta pondo ferme auri in aerarium tulit.

[5] eodem anno Cn. Baebius Tamphilus , qui ab C. Aurelio , consule anni prioris, provinciam Galliam acceperat, temere ingressus Gallorum Insubrum finis prope cum toto exercitu est circumventus:

[6] supra sex milia et septingentos milites amisit; tanta ex eo bello, quod iam timeri desierat, clades accepta est.

[7] ea res L. Lentulum consulem ab urbe excivit. qui ut in provinciam venit plenam tumultus, trepido exercitu accepto praetorem multis probris increpitum provincia decedere atque abire Romam iussit.

[8] neque ipse consul memorabile quicquam gessit, comitiorum causa Romam revocatus; quae ipsa per M. Fulvium et M'. Curium tribunos plebis impediebantur,

[9] quod T. Quinctium Flamininum consulatum ex quaestura petere non patiebantur:

[10] iam aedilitatem praeturamque fastidiri, nec per honorum gradus, documentum sui dantis, nobiles homines tendere ad consulatum, sed transcendendo media summa imis continuare.

[11] res ex campestri ³ certamine in senatum pervenit. patres censuerunt, qui honorem, quem sibi capere per leges liceret, peteret, in eo populo creandi, quem velit, potestatem fieri aequum esse.

[12] in auctoritate patrum fuere tribuni. creati consules Sex. Aelius Paetus et T. Quinctius Flamininus .

[13] inde praetorum comitia habita. creati L. Cornelius Merula , M. Claudius Marcellus , M. Porcius Cato , C. Helvius , qui aediles plebis fuerant. ab iis ludi plebeii instaurati; et epulum Iovis fuit ludorum causa.

[14] et ab aedilibus curulibus C. Valerio Flacco , flamine Diali, et C. Cornelio Cethego ludi Romani magno apparatu facti.

[15] Ser. et C. Sulpicii Galbae pontifices eo anno mortui sunt; in eorum locum M. Aemilius Lepidus et Cn. Cornelius Scipio pontifices suffecti sunt.

Translations (2)

History of Rome Perseus (Spillan, D.; Edmonds, Cyrus; McDevitte, William A., translators. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1849-1868. (Bohn's Classical Library)) — 32.7 focus

[1]

During the time of these transactions in Macedonia, the other consul, Lucius Lentulus, who had stayed at Rome, held an assembly for the election of censors.

[2] Out of many illustrious men who stood candidates, were chosen Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus and Publius Aelius Paetus.

[3] These, acting together in perfect harmony, read the list of the senate, without passing a censure on any one member; they also let to farm the port-duties at Capua, and at Puteoli, and of the fort situate were the city now stands; enrolling for this latter place three hundred colonists, that being the number fixed by the senate; they also sold the lands of Capua, which lie at the foot of Mount Tifata.

[4] About the same time, Lucius Manlius Acidinus, on his return from Spain, was hindered from entering the city in ovation by Marcus Portius Laeca, plebeian tribune, notwithstanding he had obtained permission of the senate: coming, then, into the city in a private character, he conveyed to the treasury one thousand two hundred pounds' weight of silver, and about thirty pounds' weight of gold.

[5] During this year, Cneius Baebius Tamphilus, who had succeeded to the government of the province of Gaul, in the room of Caius Aurelius, consul of the year preceding, having, without proper caution, entered the territories of the Insubrian Gauls, was surprised with almost the whole of his army.

[6] He lost above six thousand six hundred men, —so great a loss was received from a war which had now ceased to be an object of apprehension.

[7] This event called away the consul, Lucius Lentulus, from the city; who, arriving in the province, which was filled with confusion, and taking the command of the army, which he found dispirited by its defeat, severely reprimanded the praetor, and ordered him to quit the province and return to Rome.

[8] Neither did the consul himself perform any considerable service, being called home to preside at the elections, which were obstructed by Marcus Fulvius and Manius Curius, plebeian tribunes, who

[9] wished to hinder Titus Quinctius Flamininus from standing candidate for the consulship, after passing through the office of quaestor.

[10] They alleged, that

the aedileship and praetorship were now held in contempt, and that the nobility did not make their way to the consulship through the regular gradations of offices, thus affording a trial of themselves; but, passing over the intermediate steps, pushed at once from the lowest to the highest.

[11] From a dispute in the Field of Mars, the affair was brought before the senate, where it was voted,

that when a person sued for any post, which by the laws he

[12]

was permitted to hold, the people had the right of choosing whoever they thought proper.

To this decision of the senate the tribunes submitted, and thereupon Sextus Aelius Paetus and Titus Quinctius Flamininus were elected consuls.

[13] Then was held the election of praetors. The persons chosen were, Lucius Cornelius Merula, Marcus Claudius Marcellus, Marcus Porcius Cato, and Caius Helvius, who had been plebeian aediles. By these the plebeian games were repeated, and, on occasion of the games, a feast of Jupiter was celebrated.

[14] The curule aediles, also, Caius Valerius Flaccus, who was flamen of Jupiter, and Caius Cornelius Cethegus, celebrated the Roman games with great magnificence.

[15] Servius and Caius Sulpicius Galba, pontiffs, died this year; in their room were substituted Marcus Aemilius Lepidus and Cneius Cornelius Scipio, as pontiffs.

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.) — 32.7 focus

[1]

.During these occurrences in Macedonia the other consul, L. Lentulus, who had remained in Rome, conducted the election of censors.

[2] Amidst several candidates of distinction the choice of the electors fell upon P. Cornelius Scipio Africanus and P. Aelius Paetus.

[3] They worked together in perfect harmony, and revised the roll of the senate without disqualifying a single member. They also leased out to contractors the customs dues at Capua and Puteoli and the harbour dues at the Castra Hannibalis, where a town now stands. Here they sent 300 colonists-the number fixed by the senate-and also sold the land belonging to Capua which lay at the foot of Mount Tifata.

[4] L. Manlius Acidinus, who left Spain about this time, was prevented by P. Porcius, a tribune of the plebs, from enjoying an ovation on his return, though the senate had granted it to him. He entered the City in an unofficial capacity, and brought into the treasury 1200 pounds' weight of silver and 30 pounds of gold.

[5] During the year Cn. Baebius Tamphilus, who had succeeded C. Aurelius in the command in Gaul, invaded the country of the Insubrian Gauls, but owing to his want of caution he was surprised, and very nearly lost the whole of his army. His actual losses amounted to 6700 men, and this great defeat occurred in a quarter which was no longer a cause of apprehension.

[6] This incident called L. Lentulus out of the City. As soon as he reached the province, which was filled with disturbance, he took over the command

[7] of the demoralised army and after severely censuring the praetor ordered him to quit the province and go back to Rome. The consul himself, however, did nothing of any importance, as he was recalled to Rome to conduct the elections.

[8] These were delayed by two of the tribunes of the plebs, M. Fulvius and Manius Curius, who would not allow T. Quinctius Flamininus to be

[9] a candidate for the consulship as he was only quaestor at the time.

[10] They alleged that the offices of aedile and praetor were now looked down upon, the nobility did not rise through the successive posts of honour before trying for the consulship and so give proof of their efficiency, but passing over the intermediate steps made the highest immediately follow the lowest.

[11] The question passed from the Campus Martius to the senate, who passed a resolution to the effect that when any one was a candidate for an office of dignity which he might lawfully hold, it

[12] was right in such a case that the people should have the power to elect whom they would. The tribunes deferred to the authority of the senate.

[13] The consuls elected were Sex. Aelius Paetus and T. Quinctius Flamininus. At the subsequent election of praetors the following were returned: L. Cornelius Merula, M. Claudius Marcellus, M. Porcius Cato and C. Helvius. These had been plebeian aediles, and exhibited the Plebeian Games and celebrated the festival of Jupiter.

[14] The curule aediles-C. Valerius Flaccus, one of the Flamens of Jupiter, and C. Cornelius Cethegus-celebrated the Roman Games with great splendour.

[15] Two pontiffs-both members of the house of the Sulpicii, Servius and Caius-died this year. Their places were filled up by M. Aemilius Lepidus and Cnaeus Cornelius Scipio.

Notes on the current edition

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

1. Livy now records the events in Rome of the year 199 B.C.

2. The censors could determine also a citizen's classification on the census lists, and so could degrade an individual by placing him in a lower classification. This was accomplished by placing a particular mark ( nota) opposite his name on the rolls. But in Livy here, this reference is to membership of the Senate only.

3. Capua was not a port, and portoria venalicium can not then refer to customs-duties, but must mean some other form of tax on merchandise, most probably a sales-tax of some kind. The town meant in the next clause cannot be identified, but it has been conjectured that it was a town which grew out of one of Hannibal's semi-permanent camps (Pliny, N.H. III. 95). If so, it may have been a harbour, and potorium would have its ordinary meaning of a

port-tax.

My translation takes it thus, and regards Castrum as the shorter genitive of Castra. Possibly we should read Castrum Portorium (cf. Castrum Novum in XXXVI. iii. 6), but this leaves fruendum with no obvious construction. There is corruption in the text of the earlier part of the sentence, and perhaps it extends into this clause; in this case certainty as to the meaning is probably unattainable.

4. B.C. 199

5. Manlius, like Lentulus (XXXI. xx.), had commanded in Spain after the return of Scipio (XXVIII. xxxviii. 1), and the situations of the two men, with respect to a triumph, were similar. The opposition of Laeca is more successful than that of Sempronius in the other case.

6. Until the enactment of the lex Villia annalis in 180 B.C. (XL. xliv. 1), custom alone controlled the sequence in which the offices were held, though sect. 11 below suggests that there were certain legal conditions of eligibility. However, the later legislation that created the cursus honorum merely gave legal form to the prevailing practice, which was that the offices of quaestor, aedile, praetor, and consul should normally be held in that order.

7. B.C. 199

8. The centuriate assembly met in the Campus Martius: hence campestri.

9. The phrase per leges liceret may be rather negative in force:

it was not expressly forbidden.

No legislation fixing eligibility qualifications is known to us antedating the lex Villia (see note to sect. 9 above), and had there been age limits, Flamininus, who was about thirty years of age (XXXIII. xxxiii. 3), would probably have been excluded by them. The phrase then may refer to restrictions such as that which limited the tribunate to plebeians.

10. The clause refers to Cato and Helvius alone.

Titus Livius (Livy) Ab urbe condita 32.7

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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