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), 40.27

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[1] Aemilius, when no sign of relief was in sight anywhere, assuming that his troopers had been captured, decided that

[2] he should not wait longer before making trial of fortune for himself, and before the arrival of the enemy, who were conducting the siege rather slowly and half-heartedly, he formed his army at the four gates, so that when the signal was given they might sally forth in all directions at once.

[3] To the four attached¹ cohorts he added two² under the command of Marcus Valerius the lieutenant, and ordered them to attack from the porta praetoria.³

[4] At the dextra principalis he placed the hastati⁴ of the first legion; the principes of the same legion he posted in reserve. Marcus Servilius and Lucius Sulpicius, tribunes of the soldiers, were in command.

[5] The third legion was similarly disposed at the sinistra principalis.

[6] This one change was made: the principes were placed in the front line and the hastati in reserve; Sextus Julius Caesar and Lucius Aurelius⁵ Cotta, tribunes of the soldiers, commanded this legion.

[7] Quintus Fulvius Flaccus⁶ his lieutenant was posted with the right squadron at the porta quaestoria; two cohorts⁷ and the triarii of the two legions were ordered to guard the camp.

[8] The commander in person made the round of the gates to harangue the troops, and with whatever taunts he could find he worked the soldiers up to fighting pitch, now blaming the deceit of the enemy who, after seeking peace and

[9] being granted a truce, had come to besiege the camp while the truce was actually in effect, contrary to the law of nations, now showing how shameful it was for a Roman army to be besieged by Ligurians, brigands rather than regular soldiers.

[10]

With what face will any of you,

he went on,

if you escape from here under the

[11]

protection of anyone else and not by your own valour, meet, I shall not say those soldiers who conquered Hannibal, Philip, Antiochus, the greatest kings and commanders of our time, but those by whom these same Ligurians have so often, as they fled like sheep through pathless glades, been pursued and slaughtered?

[12]

A thing that Spaniards, Gauls, Macedonians or Carthaginians did not dare to do a Ligurian enemy now does —advances against a Roman rampart, of their own accord besets and besieges it:

[13]

an enemy whom, before this, we could scarcely discover, as they lurked and skulked, while we searched hidden defiles.

[14] The answer to this was a general shout from the troops, that the soldiers were not to blame since no one had given them the order to sally forth: let him give the signal and he would soon learn that both⁸ Romans and Ligurians were the same as they had been before.

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.) — 40.27 focus

[1] aemilius, postquam nihil usquam auxilii ostendebatur, interceptos credens equites, non ultra differendum ratus,

[2] quin per se fortunam temptaret, priusquam hostes venirent, qui segnius socordiusque oppugnabant, ad quattuor portas exercitum instruxit, ut signo dato simul ex omnibus partibus eruptionem facerent.

[3] quattuor extraordinariis cohortibus duas adiunxit praeposito M. Valerio legato, erumpere praetoria porta iussit.

[4] ad dexteram principalem hastatos legionis primae illstruxit; instruxit; principes ex eadem legione in subsidiis posuit: M. Servilius et L. Sulpicius tribuni militum his praepositi.

[5] tertia legio adversus sinistram principalem portam instructa est.

[6] id tantum mutatum: principes primi et hastati in subsidiis locati; Sex. Iulius Caesar et L. Aurelius Cotta tribuni militum huic legioni praepositi sunt.

[7] Q. Fulvius Flaccus legatus cum dextera ala ad quaestoriam portam positus; duae cohortes et triarii duarum legionum in praesidio castrorum manere iussi.

[8] omnes portas contionabundus ipse imperator circumiit, et, quibuscumque irritamentis poterat, iras militum acuebat,

[9] nunc fraudem hostium incusans, qui pace petita, indutiis datis, per ipsum indutiarum tempus contra ius gentium ad castra oppugnanda venissent:

[10] nunc, quantus pudor esset, edocens ab Liguribus, latronibus verius quam hostibus iustis, Romanum exercitum obsideri.

[11] “quo ore quisquam vestrum, si hine alieno praesidio, non vestra virtute evaseritis, occurret, non dico eis militibus, qui Hannibalem, qui Philippum, qui Antiochum, maximos aetatis nostrae reges ducesque,

[12] vicerunt, sed iis, qui hos ipsos Ligures aliquotiens pecorum modo fugientes per saltus invios consectati ceciderunt?

[13] quod Hispani, quod Galli, quod Macedones Poenive non audeant, Ligustinus hostis vallum Romanum subit, obsidet ultro et oppugnat, quem scrutantes ante devios saltus abditum et latentem vix inveniebamus.”

[14] ad haec consentiens reddebatur militum clamor, nullam militum culpam esse, quibus nemo ad erumpendum signum dedisset, daret signum:

[15] intellecturum eosdem, qui antea fuerint, et Romanos et Ligures esse.

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).) — 43.23 focus

[1]

Rex cum non ¹ minore vexatione iumentorum hominumque quam venerat in Macedoniam rediit; Appium tamen ab obsidione Phanotes fama ducentis ad Stratum Persei summovit.

[2] Cleuas cum praesidio impigrorum iuvenum insecutus sub radicibus prope inviis montium ² ad mille hominum ex agmine impedito occidit, ad ducentos cepit.

[3] Appius superatis angustiis in campo quem Meleona vocant stativa dierum paucorum habuit. interim Cleuas assumpto Philostrato, qui quingentos ex ³ Epirotarum gente habebat, in agrum Antigonensem transcendit. ⁴ Macedones ad depopulationem profecti;

[4] Philostratus⁵ cum cohorte sua in insidiis loco ⁶ obscuro consedit. in palatos populatores cum erupissent ab Antigonea armati, ⁷ fugientes eos persequentes effusius in vallem insessam ab hostibus praecipitant.

[5] ibi ad mille ⁸ occisis, centum ferme captis, et ubique prospere gesta re prope stativa Appi castra movent, ne qua vis sociis suis ab Romano exercitu inferri possit.

[6] Appius nequiquam in his locis terens tempus, dimissis Chaonum Thesprotorumque ⁹ et si qui alii Epirotae erant praesidiis, cum Italicis militibus in Illyricum regressus, per Parthinorum ¹⁰ socias urbes in hiberna militibus divisis, ¹¹ ipse Romam sacrificii causa redit.

[7] Perseus ex Penestarum gente mille pedites, ducentos equites revocatos Cassandream, praesidio ut essent, misit.

[8] Ab Gentio eadem adferentes redierunt. nec deinde alios atque alios mittendo temptare eum destitit, cum appareret, quantum in eo praesidii esset, nec tamen impetrare ab animo posset, ut impensam in rem maximi ad omnia momenti faceret.

Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn Perseus (Weissenborn, W.; Müller, H. J., editors. Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung, 1873-1883.) — 40.27 focus

[1]

Aemilius, postquam nihil usquam auxilii ostendebatur, interceptos credens equites, non ultra differendum ratus, quin per se fortunam temptaret, priusquam hostes venirent, qui segnius socordiusque obpugnabant,

[2] ad quattuor portas exercitum instruxit, ut signo dato simul ex omnibus partibus eruptionem facerent.

[3] quattuor extraordinariis cohortibus duas adiunxit praeposito ¹ M. Valerio legato, erumpere praetoria porta iussit.

[4] ad dexteram principalem hastatos legionis primae instruxit; principes ex eadem legione in subsidiis posuit; M. Servilius et L. Sulpicius tribuni militum his praepositi.

[5] tertia legio adversus sinistram principalem portam instructa est;

[6] id tantum mutatum: principes primi et hastati in subsidiis locati; Sex. Julius Caesar et L. Aurelius Cotta tribuni militum huic legioni praepositi sunt.

[7] Q. Fulvius Flaccus legatus cum dextera ala ad quaestoriam portam positus; duae cohortes et triarii duarum legionum in praesidio castrorum manere iussi.

[8] omnes portas contionabundus ipse imperator circumiit, et quibuscumque irritamentis poterat,

[9] iras militum acuebat, nunc fraudem hostium incusans, qui pace petita, indutiis datis, per ipsum indutiarum tempus contra ius gentium ad castra obpugnanda venissent,

[10] nunc, quantus pudor esset, edocens, ab ² Liguribus, latronibus verius quam hostibus iustis, Romanum exercitum obsideri.

[11] “quo ore quisquam vestrum, si hinc alieno praesidio, non vestra virtute evaseritis, occurret, non dico eis militibus, qui Hannibalem, qui Philippum, qui Antiochum, maximos aetatis nostrae reges ducesque,

[12] vicerunt, sed iis, qui hos ipsos Ligures aliquotiens pecorum modo fugientes per saltus invios consectati ceciderunt?

[13] quod Hispani, quod Galli, quod Macedones Poenive non audeant, Ligustinus hostis vallum Romanum subit, obsidet ultro et obpugnat, quem scrutantes ante devios saltus abditum et latentem vix inveniebamus.

[14] ” ad haec consentiens reddebatur [militum] clamor, nullam militum culpam esse, quibus nemo ad erumpendum signum dedisset:

[15] daret signum; intellecturum eosdem, qui antea fuerint, et Romanos et Ligures esse.

Translations (2)

History of Rome Perseus (Spillan, D.; Edmonds, Cyrus; McDevitte, William A., translators. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1849-1868. (Bohn's Classical Library)) — 40.27 focus

[1]

Aemilius, when no aid appeared in any quarter, believing that his couriers had been intercepted, resolved to wait no longer, but to make a trial of fortune by himself;

[2] and for this purpose, before the coming of the enemy, who now made their attacks with less briskness and vigour, he drew up his troops at the four gates, that, on a signal being given, they might sally out from all sides at once.

[3] To four independent cohorts of auxiliaries, he added two others, and gave the command to Marcus Valerius, lieutenant-general, with orders to make his sally by the praetorian gate.

[4] At the right gate of the first cohort he formed the spearmen of the first legion, placing the first-rank men of the same legion in reserve: Marcus Servilius and Lucius Sulpicius, military tribunes, had the command of these.

[5] The third legion was drawn up opposite to the left gate of the first cohort, with this difference only, that here the first-rank men were posted in front, and the spearmen in reserve.

[6] Sextus Julius Caesar and Lucius Aurelius Cotta, military tribunes, had the command of this legion.

[7] Quintus Fulvius Flaccus, lieutenant-general, with the right wing of the allies, was posted at the quaestorian gate: and two cohorts, with the veterans of the two legions, were ordered to stay within to guard the camp.

[8] The general himself went round by all the gates, haranguing the troops, and excited the wrath of the soldiers by all the incentives that he could use; at one time declaiming against the treachery of the enemy, who after

[9] suing for peace, and obtaining a truce, had come during the very time of that truce, in violation of the law of nations, to attack his camp;

[10] at another, setting before them what a shame it was that a Roman army should be besieged by Ligurians, people more properly styled robbers than a regular enemy.

[11]

With what face,

continued he,

if you make your way hence by the assistance of others, and not by your own valour, will any of you meet, I do not say those soldiers that conquered Hannibal, or Philip, or Antiochus, the greatest kings and generals of the present age, but those who often drove those very Ligurians before them, flying like cattle through pathless forests, and put them to the sword?

[12]

What the Spaniards, the Gauls, the Macedonians, or Carthaginians, never dared to attempt, a Ligurian enemy dares:

[13]

he marches up to the trenches of a Roman camp, unexpectedly besieges and assaults it; although, formerly, we, searching carefully the recesses of the forests, were with difficulty able to find them lurking in their hiding-places.

This was answered by a general clamour,

that it was no fault of the soldiers, as no one had given them the order to sally forth.

[14]

Let him but give the order, and he should soon be convinced, that both the Romans and the Ligurians were the same that ever they were.

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.) — 40.27 focus

[1]

As there were no signs of assistance coming anywhere, Aemilius supposed that his mounted messengers had been intercepted, and felt that he ought not any longer to delay trying what Fortune had in store for him single-handed.

[2] The enemy's attacks showed less spirit and force, and before their next assault he drew up his army at the four gates in order that on the signal being given they might make a simultaneous sortie on all sides.

[3] To the four praetorian cohorts he added two others with M. Valerius, one of his staff officers, in command, and gave them orders to sally from the praetorian gate.

[4] At the southern gate he posted the hastati of the first legion; the principes of this legion being in reserve. M. Servilius and L. Sulpicius, both military tribunes, were in command of these.

[5] The third legion was similarly drawn up at the north gate, with this difference that the principes formed the front, the hastati the reserve.

[6] The military tribunes Sextius Julius Caesar and L. Aurelius Cotta were in command of this legion. Q. Fulvius Flaccus, a staff officer, was posted with the right division of allied troops at the quaestorian gate.

[7] Two cohorts and the triarii of the two legions were ordered to remain and guard the camp. The general visited all the gates to harangue his men and whet their rage against the enemy by everything that could exasperate them.

[8] He spoke bitterly of the treachery of the enemy who, after suing for peace and being allowed a suspension of arms, had come

[9] to attack the camp while the armistice was actually in force, in violation of all international law. He pointed out what a disgrace it was for a Roman army to be hemmed in by

[10] Ligurians, who could be more truly described as a horde of robbers than as a regular enemy.

[11] "If," he continued, "you get out of this with the help of others, and not by your own courage, with what face will any of you meet-I do not say the soldiers who defeated Hannibal, Philip or Antiochus, the greatest generals and monarchs of our time, but-those who have so often pursued and cut to pieces these very Ligurians as they fled like frightened cattle through their pathless forests?

[12] What the Spaniards, the Gauls, the Macedonians, the Carthaginians did not dare to do, this the Ligurian is doing today; he comes up to the Roman rampart and actually surrounds and attacks our camp.

[13] And yet, formerly, it was hard to discover him after a close search as he lurked in his trackless hiding-places!" His words were met by a unanimous shout of approval from the soldiers.

[14] It was no fault of theirs, they said; no one had given the signal for a sortie; let him give the signal now, he would soon learn that the Romans and the Ligurians were the same that they had always been.

Notes on the current edition

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

1. Additional cohorts, not forming part of the legionary organization: cf. XXXIV. xlvii, 3 and the note.

2. They probably belonged to the sinistra ala: cf. sect. 7 below and the note and XXXI. xxi. 7 and the note.

3. The rectangular camp was divided into four approximately equal sections by streets parallel to the sides and terminating in gates. The gate facing the enemy was the praetoria, the one opposite it the quaestoria or decumana, on the remaining sides were the dextra and sinistra principalis, right and left from the standpoint of a person facing the enemy.

4. The hastati, principes and triarii were respectively the first, second and third lines of a legion in battle-formation.

5. B.C. 181

6. This Flaccus was probably the cousin of the Flaccus who was in Spain (i. 2 above). He was praetor in 187 B.C. (XXXVIII. xlii. 4) and replaced his step-father as consul in 180 B.C. (xxxvii. 6 below).

7. They must also have belonged to the sinistra ala, but six of its cohorts are not accounted for here.

8. B.C. 181

Titus Livius (Livy) Ab urbe condita 40.27

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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