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), 41.6

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

View: By Section

← Previous Next →

[1] The alarm in Histria having finally subsided, the senate passed a decree that the consuls should arrange between themselves which should come to Rome to hold the elections.

[2] When the tribunes of the people, Aulus Licinius Nerva and Gaius Papirius Turdus, were tearing the absent consul Manlius to pieces in their assemblies and proposing a bill that Manlius should not hold his command after the Ides of March —for the provincial commands of the consuls had already been prolonged for a year —¹

[3] that he might be able to plead his cause immediately upon his retirement from office, this measure was vetoed by their colleague Quintus Aelius, who after violent arguments prevailed to prevent its passing.²

[4] At about this time, when Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus and Lucius Postumius Albinus³ had returned to Rome from Spain, an audience before the senate was granted to them by the praetor Marcus Titinius, to be held in the temple of Bellona so that they might present an account of their achievements, claim the distinctions they deserved and ask that honour should be paid to the immortal gods.

[5] At the same time there was great confusion in Sardinia also, as was learned from dispatches from Titus Aebutius the praetor which had been brought to the senate by his son.

[6] The Ilienses,⁴ reinforced by auxiliaries of the Balari,⁵ had attacked the province while it was at peace, and could not be resisted since the army was weak and had lost a large number of its members as a result of a pestilence.

[7] Ambassadors of the Sardinians also brought the same news and begged that the senate should send aid to the towns at least —for the fields had already been abandoned in despair. This embassy and the whole question about what was to be done concerning Sardinia was postponed to the new administration.

[8] An equally pitiful embassy from the Lycians arrived,⁶ who complained of the cruelty of the Rhodians, under whose control they had been placed⁷ by Lucius Cornelius Scipio.⁸

[9] They said that they had been under the dominion of Antiochus; this slavery to the King, when compared with their present situation, seemed glorious liberty. They were not merely as a state oppressed by their government, but private citizens were suffering downright bondage.

[10] Their wives and children, they said, were abused; cruelty was wreaked upon their bodies and their backs; their reputations —a shameful procedure —were stained and dishonoured; and openly hateful acts were done merely for the sake of displaying an abuse of power, in order to leave no doubt that there was no distinction between themselves and slaves bought with money.⁹

[11] The senate, moved by this appeal, entrusted the Lycians with a letter for the Rhodians, stating that it was not their pleasure that the Lycians should be enslaved by the Rhodians nor any people who had been born in freedom by any other people;

[12] the Lycians had been placed under the administrative control and at the same time the protection of the Rhodians on the same conditions as the allied states enjoyed under the guardianship of the Roman people.

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.) — 41.6 focus

[1] sedato tandem Histrico tumultu senatus consultum factum est, ut consules inter se compararent, uter eorum ad comitia habenda Romam rediret.

[2] cum absentem Manlium tribuni plebis A. Licinius Nerva et C. Papirius Turdus in contionibus lacerarent rogationemque promulgarent, ne Manlius post idus Martias — prorogatae namque consulibus iam in annum provinciae erant — imperium retineret, ut causam extemplo dicere,

[3] cum abisset magistratu, posset, huic rogationi Q. Aelius collega intercessit magnisque contentionibus obtinuit, ne perferretur.

[4] per eos dies Ti. Sempronius Gracchus et L. Postumius Albinus ex Hispania Romam cum revertissent, senatus iis a M. Titinio praetore datus in aede Bellonae ad disserendas res, quas gessissent, postulandosque honores meritos et ut diis immortalibus haberetur honos.

[5] eodem tempore et in Sardinia magnum tumultum esse litteris T. Aebuti praetoris cognitum est, quas filius eius ad senatum attulerat.

[6] Ilienses adiunctis Balarorum auxiliis pacatam provinciam invaserant, nec eis invalido exercitu et magna parte pestilentia absumpto resisti poterat.

[7] eadem et Sardorum legati nuntiabant orantes, ut urbibus saltem — iam enim agros deploratos esse — opem senatus ferret. haec legatio totumque, quod ad Sardiniam pertinebat, ad novos magistratus reiectum est.

[8] aeque miserabilis legatio Lyciorum, qui crudelitatem Rhodiorum, quibus ab L. Cornelio Scipione attributi erant, querebantur:

[9] fuisse se sub dicione Antiochi; eam regiam servitutem conlatam cum praesenti statu praeclaram libertatem visam. non publice tantum se premi imperio, sed singulos iustum pati servitium.

[10] iustos coniuges liberosque vexari; in corpus, in tergum saeviri; famam, quod indignum sit, maculari dehonestarique; et palam res odiosas fieri iuris etiam usurpandi causa, ne pro dubio habeant, nihil inter se et argento parata mancipia interesse.

[11] motus his senatus litteras Lyciis ad Rhodios dedit, nec Lycios Rhodiis nec ullos alii cuiquam, qui nati liberi sint, in servitutem dari placere;

[12] Lycios ita sub Rhodiorum simul imperio et tutela esse, ut in dicione populi Romani civitates sociae sint.

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).) — 43.6 focus

[1]

multarum simul Graeciae Asiaeque civitatium legati Romam convenerunt.

[2] primi Athenienses introducti; ii se, ¹ quod navium habuerint militumque

[3] P. Licinio consuli et C. Lucretio praetori misisse exposuerunt; quibus eos non usos frumenti sibi centum milia imperasse; quod, quamquam sterilem terram ararent, ² ipsosque etiam agrestis peregrino frumento alerent, tamen, ne deessent officio, ³ confecisse; et alia quae imperarentur praestare paratos esse.

[4] milesii nihil, quod ⁴ praestitissent, memorantes, si quid imperare ad bellum senatus vellet praestare se paratos esse polliciti sunt.

[5] alabandenses templum Urbis Romae se fecisse commemoravere ⁵ ludosque anniversarios ei divae instituisse; et coronam auream quinquaginta pondo,

[6] quam in Capitolio ponerent donum Iovi optimo maximo, attulisse et scuta equestria trecenta; ea, cui iussissent, tradituros. donum ut in Capitolio ponere et sacrificare liceret, petebant.

[7] hoc et ⁶ Lampsaceni, octoginta pondo coronam afferentes, petebant,

[8] commemorantes discessisse se a Perseo, ⁷ postquam Romanus exercitus ⁸ in Macedoniam venisset, cum sub dicione Persei et ante Philippi fuissent.

[9] pro eo et quod imperatoribus Romanis omnia praestitissent, id se tantum orare, ut in amicitiam populi Romani reciperentur, et, si pax cum Perseo fieret, ⁹ exciperentur, ne in regiam potestatem reciderent.

[10] ceteris legatis comiter responsum; Lampsacenos ¹⁰ in sociorum formulam referre Q. Maenius praetor iussus. munera omnibus in singulos binum milium aeris data. alabandenses scuta reportare ad A. Hostilium consulem in Macedoniam iussi.

[11] et ex Africa legati simul Carthaginiensium et Masinissae venerunt: legati Carthaginiensium ¹¹ tritici deciens centum milia et hordei quingenta ¹² indicantes se ad mare devecta habere, ut, quo senatus censuisset, deportarent;

[12] id munus officiumque suum scire minus esse quam pro meritis populi Romani et voluntate sua; sed saepe alias bonis in rebus utriusque populi se gratorum fideliumque socium ¹³ muneribus functos esse.

[13] item Masinissae legati tritici eandem summam polliciti et mille et ducentos equites, duodecim elephantos; et si quid aliud opus esset, uti imperaret senatus: aeque propenso animo et ea ¹⁴ et, quae ipse ultro pollicitus sit, praestaturum esse.

[14] gratiae et Carthaginiensibus et regi actae, ¹⁵ rogatique ut ea quae pollicerentur ¹⁶ ad Hostilium consulem in Macedoniam deportarent. legatis in singulos binum milium aeris munera missa.

Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn Perseus (Weissenborn, W.; Müller, H. J., editors. Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung, 1873-1883.) — 41.6 focus

[1]

sedato tandem Histrico tumultu senatus consultum factum est, ut consules inter se compararent, uter eorum ad comitia habenda Romam rediret.

[2] cum absentem Manlium tribuni plebis Licinius Nerva et C. Papirius Turdus in contionibus lacerarent rogationemque promulgarent, ne Manlius post idus Martias — prorogatae namque consulibus iam in annum provinciae erant — imperium retineret, uti causam extemplo dicere, cum abisset ¹ magistratu,

[3] posset, huic rogationi Q. Aelius collega intercessit magnisque contentionibus obtinuit, ne perferretur.

[5] eodem tempore et in Sardinia magnum tumultum esse literis T. Aebuti praetoris cognitum est, quas filius eius ad senatum adtulerat.

[6] Ilienses adiunctis Balarorum auxiliis pacatam provinciam invaserant, nec eis invalido exercitu et magna parte pestilentia absumpto resisti poterat.

[7] eadem et Sardorum legati nuntiabant orantes, ut urbibus saltem — iam enim agros deploratos ² esse — opem senatus ferret. haec legatio totumque, quod ad Sardiniam pertinebat, ad novos magistratus reiectum est.

[8] aeque miserabilis legatio Lyciorum, qui crudelitatem Rhodiorum, quibus ab L. Cornelio Scipione adtributi erant, querebantur:

[9] fuisse se sub dicione Antiochi; eam regiam servitutem conlatam cum praesenti statu praeclaram libertatem visam. non publice tantum se premi imperio, sed singulos iustum pati servitium.

[10] ipsos coniuges liberosque vexari; in corpus, in tergum saeviri, famam, quod indignum sit, maculari dehonestarique, et palam res odiosas fieri iuris etiam usurpandi causa, ne pro dubio habeant nihil inter se et argento parata mancipia interesse.

[11] motus his senatus litteras Lyciis ad Rhodios dedit, nec Lycios Rhodiis ³ nec ullos alii cuiquam, qui nati liberi sint, in servitutem dari placere;

[12] Lycios ita sub Rhodiorum simul imperio et tutela esse, ut in dicione populi Romani civitates sociae sint.

Translations (2)

History of Rome Perseus (Spillan, D.; Edmonds, Cyrus; McDevitte, William A., translators. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1849-1868. (Bohn's Classical Library)) — 41.6 focus

[1]

The alarm caused by the affairs of Istria being at length composed, a decree of the senate was passed, that the consuls should settle between themselves which of them should come to Rome, to preside at the elections.

[2] When two plebeian tribunes, Aulus Licinius Narva and Caius Papirius Turdus, in their harangues to the people, uttered severe reflections on Manlius, then abroad; and proposed the passing of an order, that although the government of their provinces had already been continued to the consuls for a year, yet Manlius should not hold command beyond the ides of March;

[3] in order that he might immediately, after going out of office, be brought to trial. Against this proposition, Quintus Aelius, another tribune, protested; and, after violent struggles, prevailed so far, as to prevent its being passed.

[4] About this time, when Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus and Lucius Postumius Albinus came home from Spain, an audience of the senate is granted to them, by Marcus Titinius the praetor, to speak of the services which they had rendered, and demand the honours they had merited, and also that thanksgiving should be offered to the immortal gods.

[5] At the same time also it was known, by the letters of Titus Aebutius the praetor, which his son brought to the senate, that there was great commotion in Sardinia.

[6] The Iliensians, having added to their forces Balearian auxiliaries, had invaded the province though at peace with them; nor could resistance be offered to them by a weak army, which had besides lost great numbers by a pestilence.

[7] Ambassadors from the Sardinians made the same representations, entreating the senate to send relief to their cities; for as to the country, it was already entirely ruined. This embassy, and every thing which referred to Sardinia, was referred to the new magistrates.

[8] There was an embassy from the Lycians, no less entitled to commiseration, who complained of the cruel treatment which they suffered from the Rhodians, to whose government they had been annexed by Lucius Cornelius Scipio.

[9]

They had formerly,

they said,

been under the dominion of Antiochus, and their bondage under that king, compared to their present condition, appeared an honourable state of liberty; that they were not only oppressed by acts of government, but individually underwent real slavery.

[10]

That they themselves, their wives, and children, were abused alike by them; that cruelties were practised on their persons, and their character blotted and dishonoured, a circumstance which would excite the indignation of every one. They were openly treated with contemptuous insults, merely for the purpose of exercising an usurped prerogative, that they might not doubt that there was no difference between them and purchased slaves.

[11] The senate was highly displeased at such proceedings, and gave the Lycians a letter to the Rhodians, acquainting them, that

it was the will of the senate, that neither the Lycians should be subjected to the Rhodians as slaves, nor should any other men who were born free become the slaves of any one;

[12]

but that the Lycians should be under the government, and, at the same time, the protection of the Rhodians, in like manner as the allied states were subjected to the Roman people.

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.) — 41.6 focus

[1]

After the Histrian disturbance had at last quieted down, the senate passed a resolution that the consuls should arrange which of them was to come to Rome for the election.

[2] Two tribunes of the plebs, Licinius Nerva and C. Papirius Turdus, attacked Manlius in his absence and brought forward a motion that he should not retain his command after the Ides of March-the consuls had already had their administrations extended for a year-in order that he might be brought to trial immediately on quitting office.

[3] Their colleague, Q. Aelius, opposed the motion and after long and violent disputes prevented it from being carried.

[4] On their return from Spain, Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus and L. Postumius Albinus were received by the senate in the temple of Bellona. They gave a report of their administration and asked that honours should be paid to the immortal gods. News came from T. Aebutius, commanding in Sardinia, of a serious disturbance in that island.

[5] The Ilienses, in conjunction with the Balari, had invaded the province which was at peace, and owing to the weakened condition of the army, a large number of men having been carried off by the pestilence, no resistance could be offered.

[6] Envoys from Sardinia came with the same tale; they implored the senate to send assistance to the cities at all events; it was too late to save the fields.

[7] It was left to the consuls to decide what reply should be given to these envoys and to deal with the whole state of things in Sardinia.

[8] An equally tragic story was told by the Lycians, who had come to complain of the cruel tyranny of the Rhodians, under whose government they had been placed by L. Cornelius Scipio.

[9] They had been formerly under Antiochus and they assured the senate that their subjection under the king was glorious liberty compared with their present condition. It was not political oppression only under which they were suffering, but absolute slavery; they, their wives and children were the victims of violence;

[10] their oppressors vented their rage on their persons and their backs, their good name was besmirched and dishonoured, their condition rendered detestable in order that their tyrants might openly assert a legal right over them and reduce them to the status of slaves bought with money.

[11] Moved by this recital, the senate gave the Lycians a letter to hand to the Rhodians, intimating that it was not the pleasure of the senate that either the Lycians or any other men born free should be handed over as slaves to the Rhodians or any one else.

[12] The Lycians possessed the same rights under the suzerainty and protection of Rhodes that friendly states possessed under the suzerainty of Rome.

Notes on the current edition

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

1. B.C. 178

2. The charge against Manlius (vii. 7 below) was that he had left his province of Gaul without permission to undertake the Histrian campaign (cf. i. 1 above). The prorogation of the imperium before the elections was irregular and apparently designed to thwart the tribunes' plan of prosecuting Manlius.

3. For their appointment to the Spanish province cf. XL. xlvii. 1.

4. Cf. XL. xxxiv. 13 and the note.

5. A mountain tribe of Sardinia.

6. Concerning this embassy cf. Polybius XXV. iv. L.C.L. Vol. V, pp. 475 f., especially the finding of the Roman commissioners, sec. 5:

they found that the Lycians had not been handed over to Rhodes as a gift, but rather to be treated like friends and allies.

7. B.C. 178

8. The assignment of the Lycians to Rhodes was not the work of Scipio but of the commission, acting under orders from the senate, which concluded the treaty with Antiochus only after Scipio had left the province (XXXVII. lv.; XXXVIII. xxxix. 13).

9. With argento parata cf. Euripides' Alcestis 675: Ludo\n h)\ Fru/ga... a)rgurw/nhton se/qen. Polybius (XXVI. vii) gives a similar but less emotional account of the treatment of the Lycians.

Titus Livius (Livy) Ab urbe condita 41.6

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

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

Current edition Perseus

Notes on the current edition

Stable identifiers