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), 35.6

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[1] At about the same time letters from the two consuls arrived at Rome, one from Lucius Cornelius reporting the battle with the Boii near Mutina, the other from Quintus Minucius from Pisa:

[2] the latter said that it had fallen to his lot to preside at the consular elections,¹ but so unsettled were conditions generally among the Ligures that he could not leave there without loss to the allies and danger to the state.

[3] If it pleased the Fathers, they should write to his colleague, who had finished his campaign, to return to Rome for the elections;

[4] if he protested against doing this, because the task had not fallen to him by lot, he would himself do the senate's bidding; only let the senate consider again and again whether an interregnum² would not be³ more advantageous to the state than his absence from his province at such a time.

[5] The senate entrusted to Gaius Scribonius the task of sending two commissioners from the senatorial order to Lucius Cornelius the consul, to deliver to him the letter forwarded by his colleague to the senate, and to inform him that if he did not

[6] come to Rome to elect the magistrates the senate, rather than take Quintus Minucius away from an unfinished war, would suffer an interregnum to begin. The commissioners who were sent brought back the reply that Lucius Cornelius would come to Rome to choose the magistrates.

[7] Regarding the despatches of Lucius Cornelius, which he had written after he had fought the battle with the Boii, a controversy broke out in

[8] the senate because his lieutenant, Marcus Claudius,⁴ had written privately to many senators that gratitude was due to the good fortune of the Roman people and the valour of the soldiers because the issue had been successful;

[9] but that by the action of the consul, both heavy losses of men had occurred and the army of the enemy had escaped, though there had been the opportunity to destroy it; the loss of men had been heavier since troops to replace the exhausted had come up too slowly from the reserve;

[10] the enemy had slipped from their hands both because the legionary cavalry had received their orders too ate and because they had not been permitted to pursue the fleeing enemy.

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.) — 35.6 focus

[1] eodem fere tempore duorum consulum litterae allatae sunt, L. Corneli de proelio ad Mutinam cum Bois facto et Q. Minuci a Pisis:

[2] comitia suae sortis esse; ceterum adeo suspensa omnia in Liguribus se habere, ut abscedi inde sine pernicie sociorum et damno rei publicae non posset.

[3] si ita videretur patribus, mitterent ad collegam, ut is, qui profligatum bellum haberet, ad comitia Romam rediret;

[4] si id facere gravaretur, quod non suae sortis id negotium esset, se quidem facturum, quodcumque senatus censuisset; sed etiam atque etiam viderent, ne magis e re publica esset interregnum iniri, quam ab se in eo statu relinqui provinciam.

[5] senatus C. Scribonio negotium dedit, ut duos legatos ex ordine senatorio mitteret ad L. Cornelium consulem,

[6] qui litteras collegae ad senatum missas deferrent ad eum et nuntiarent senatum, ni is ad magistratus subrogandos Romam veniret, potius quam Q. Minucium a bello integro avocaret, interregnum iniri passurum.

[7] missi legati renuntiarunt L. Cornelium ad magistratus subrogandos Romam venturum.

[8] de litteris L. Corneli, quas scripserat secundum proelium cum Bois factum, disceptatio in senatu fuit,

[9] quia privatim plerisque senatoribus legatus M. Claudius scripserat fortunae populi Romani et militum virtuti gratiam habendam, quod res bene gesta esset; consulis opera et militum aliquantum amissum et hostium exercitum, cuius delendi oblata fortuna fuerit, elapsum:

[10] milites eo plures perisse, quod tardius ex subsidiis, qui laborantibus opem ferrent, successissent; hostes e manibus emissos, quod equitibus legionariis et tardius datum signum esset et persequi fugientes non licuisset.

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).) — 30.6 focus

[1]

relucentem flammam primo vigiles Carthaginiensium, deinde excitati alii. nocturno tumultu cum conspexissent, ab eodem errore credere et ipsi sua sponte incendium ortum;

[2] et clamor inter caedem et volnera sublatus an ex trepidatione nocturna esset confusis ¹ sensum veri adimebat.

[3] igitur pro se quisque inermes, ut quibus nihil hostile suspectum esset, omnibus. portis, qua cuique proximum erat, ea modo quae restinguendo igni forent portantes, in agmen Romanum ruebant.

[4] quibus caesis omnibus praeterquam hostili odio, etiam ne quis nuntius refugeret, ² extemplo Scipio neglectas ut in tali tumultuportas invadit;

[5] ignibusque in proxima tecta coniectis, effusa flamma primo velut sparsa pluribus locis reluxit, dein per continua serpens uno repente omnia ³ incendio hausit.

[6] ambusti homines ⁴ iumentaque foeda primum fuga, dein strage obruebant ⁵ itinera portarum. quos non oppresserat ignis ferro absumpti, binaque castra clade ⁶ una deleta.

[7] duces tamen ambo et ex tot milibus armatorum duo milia peditum et quingenti equites semermes, magna pars saucii adflatique incendio effugerunt.

[8] caesa aut hausta flammis ad ⁷ quadraginta milia hominum sunt, capta supra quinque milia, multi Carthaginiensium nobiles, undecim senatores;

[9] signa militaria centum septuaginta quattuor, equi Numidici supra duo milia septingentos ⁸ ; elephanti sex capti, octo ferro flammaque absumpti. Magna vis armorum capta; ea omnia imperator Volcano sacrata incendit.

Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn Perseus (Weissenborn, W.; Müller, H. J., editors. Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung, 1873-1883.) — 35.6 focus

[1]

eodem fere tempore duorum consulum litterae allatae sunt, L. Corneli de proelio ad Mutinam cum Bois facto et Q. Minuci a Pisis:

[2] comitia suae sortis esse; ceterum adeo suspensa omnia in Liguribus se habere, ut abscedi inde sine pernicie sociorum et damno rei publicae non posset.

[3] si ita videretur patribus, mitterent ad collegam, ut is, qui profligatum bellum haberet, ad comitia Romam rediret;

[5] senatus C. Scribonio negotium dedit, ut duos legatos ex ordine senatorio mitteret ad L. Cornelium consulem, qui litteras collegae ad senatum missas deferrent ad eum et nuntiarent senatum,

[6] ni is ad magistratus subrogandos Romam veniret, potius quam Q. Minucium a bello integro avocaret, interregnum iniri passurum.

[7] missi legati renuntiarunt L. Cornelium ad magistratus subrogandos Romam venturum.

[8] de litteris L. Corneli , quas scripserat secundum proelium cum Bois factum, disceptatio in senatu fuit, quia privatim plerisque senatoribus

[9] legatus M. Claudius scripserat fortunae populi Romani et militum virtuti gratiam habendam, quod res bene gesta esset; consulis opera et militum aliquantum amissum, et hostium exercitum, cuius delendi oblata fortuna fuerit, elapsum:

[10] milites eo plures ¹ perisse. quod tardius ex subsidiis, qui laborantibus opem ferrent, successissent; hostes e manibus emissos, quod equitibus legionariis et tardius datum signum esset et persequi fugientes non licuisset.

Translations (2)

History of Rome Perseus (Spillan, D.; Edmonds, Cyrus; McDevitte, William A., translators. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1849-1868. (Bohn's Classical Library)) — 35.6 focus

[1]

Letters from both the consuls arrived at Rome nearly at the same time. That of Lucius Cornelius gave an account of the battle fought with the Boians at Mutina;

[2] that of Quintus Minucius, from Pisae, mentioned, that

the holding of the elections had fallen to his lot, but that affairs in Liguria were in so uncertain a position, that he could not depart thence without bringing ruin on the allies, and material injury on the commonwealth.

[3]

He therefore advised that, if the senate thought proper, they should direct his colleague (as his war was decided) to return to Rome for the elections.

[4]

He said, if Cornelius should object to this, because that employment had not fallen to his lot, he would certainly do whatever the senate should order; but he begged them to consider again and again, whether it would not be more to the advantage of the republic, that an interregnum should take place, than that the province should be left by him in such a state.

[5] The senate gave directions to Caius Scribonius to send two deputies of senatorian rank to the consul, Lucius Cornelius, to communicate to him the letter sent by his colleague to the senate, and to acquaint him, that if he did not come to Rome to elect new magistrates, the senate were resolved, rather than Quintus Minucius should be called away from a war, in which no progress had been made, to suffer an interregnum to take place.

[6] The deputies sent brought back his answer, that he would come to Rome, to elect new magistrates.

[7] The letter of' Lucius Cornelius, which contained an account of the battle with the Boians, occasioned a debate in the senate; for Marcus Claudius, lieutenant-general, in private letters to many of the senators, had written,

[8]

that they might thank the fortune of the Roman people, and the bravery of the soldiers, that the affair had been successful.

[9]

That the conduct of the consul had been the cause of a great many men being lost, and of the enemy's army, for the annihilation of which an opportunity had been offered, having made its escape. That what made the loss of men the greater was, the reinforcements, necessary to support them when distressed, coming up too late from the reserve; and that, what enabled the enemy to slip out of their hands was, the signal being given too tardily to the legionary cavalry, and their not being allowed to pursue the fugitives.

[10] It was agreed, that no resolution should be hastily passed on the subject; and the discussion was accordingly adjourned to a fuller meeting.

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.) — 35.6 focus

[1]

Despatches from the two consuls arrived in Rome almost on the same day. The one from L. Cornelius contained his report of the battle at Mutina;

[2] that from Q. Minucius, at Pisae, stated that the conduct of the elections had fallen to his lot, but the whole position in Liguria was so uncertain that it was impossible for him to leave without bringing ruin on the friendly tribes and injury to the interests of the republic.

[3] He suggested that if the senate thought proper they should send word to his colleague, who had practically brought the war in Gaul to a close, requesting him to return to Rome for the elections.

[4] If Cornelius objected on the ground that it was not part of his allotted duties, he was ready to do whatever the senate decided upon. But he begged them to give long and careful consideration to the question whether it would be more in the interest of the State that an interrex should be appointed than that he should leave his province in such a condition.

[5] The senate instructed C. Scribonius to send two commissioners of senatorial rank to L. Cornelius to show him the despatch which his colleague had sent to

[6] the senate, and to inform him that unless he came to Rome for the election of the new magistrates the senate would consent to the appointment of an interrex rather than call away Q. Minucius from a war which had hardly begun. The commissioners brought back word that L. Cornelius would come to Rome for the election of the new magistrates.

[7] The despatch which he had sent after his engagement with the Boii gave rise to a debate in the senate.

[8] M. Claudius had written unofficially to the majority of the senators stating that it was the good fortune of Rome and the valour of the soldiers that they had to thank for any success that had been gained.

[9] All the consul had done was to lose a large number of his men and let the enemy slip out of his hands when he had the chance of annihilating them.

[10] His losses were mainly due to the delay in bringing up the reserves to relieve the first line, who were being overpowered. The enemy were able to escape because he was too late in giving the order to the legionary cavalry, and so prevented them from following up the fugitives.

Notes on the current edition

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

1. If both consuls were ordered away from Rome, it was necessary for them to decide by lot which should return to preside at the elections.

2. This device had rarely been resorted to in recent years. Members of the senate were chosen in order to serve for five days each, and the interrex (the name survived from the period of the monarchy) either held the election or nominated another interrex. Minucius' proposal probably had some political motive, but the facts are unknown.

3. B.C. 193

4. The M. Marcellus of v. 1 above. Marcellus as consul had fought the Gauls with indifferent success, although he had been granted a triumph over the Insubres and Comenses (XXXIII. xxxvii. 10). We have no means of verifying either the account which Livy gives of the battle (which is on the whole sympathetic towards Cornelius) or Marcellus' less favourable interpretation, which may have been inspired partly by jealousy, partly by political rivalry. This, however, did not prevent Cornelius from leaving him in command, although there was a hostile explanation of this action: cf. viii. 1-5 and the note below.

Titus Livius (Livy) Ab urbe condita 35.6

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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