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), 42.23

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[1] Carthaginian ambassadors were at Rome at that time, and also Gulussa, the son of Masinissa. Between these, great disputes arose before the senate.

[2] The Carthaginians complained that, besides the land about which envoys from Rome had previously been sent¹ to review the situation on the ground, more than seventy towns and forts in Carthaginian territory had been siezed by force of arms during the past two years by Masinissa; this was a simple matter for him, since he was wholly reckless.

[3] The Carthaginians, enmeshed in the treaty, had kept quiet, said the envoys, for they were forbidden to campaign beyond their own boundaries;²

[4] for, even though they knew that if they were to drive out the Numidians, they would be fighting within their boundaries, they were discouraged by that quite definite article of the treaty by which they were expressly forbidden to wage war against allies of the Roman people.³

[5] But now the Carthaginians could no longer endure Masinissa's arrogance, cruelty and greed. They, the envoys, had been sent to beg the senate to grant one of the following three requests: either that the Romans should impartially draw the line between the possessions of their royal ally and those of the Carthaginian people;

[6] or that they should permit the Carthaginians to protect themselves by a righteous and proper war against unjust invasion; or,⁴ as a last resort, if favouritism outweighed truth with the Romans, that they should decide once and for all what gift of the possessions of others they wished to be given to Masinissa; the Romans would surely be more moderate in their giving, and the Carthaginians would know what they had given;

[7] for the Numidian himself would set no limit except in accordance with his own pleasure.

[8] If they were granted none of these requests, and some fault had been incurred by them since the peace granted them by Publius Scipio, let the Romans rather inflict punishment upon them.

[9] They preferred a safe slavery under Roman masters to a freedom exposed to the injustices of Masinissa; lastly, it was better for them to perish once than to drag out their existence at the whim of a most bitter torturer.

[10] With this speech they prostrated themselves in tears, and as they couched on the ground won as much ill-feeling against the king as pity for themselves.

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.) — 42.23 focus

[1] legati Carthaginienses eo tempore Romae erant et Gulussa, filius Masinissae. inter eos magnae contentiones in senatu fuere.

[2] Carthaginienses querebantur, praeter agrum, de quo ante legati ab Roma, qui in re praesenti cognoscerent, missi essent, amplius septuaginta oppida castellaque agri Carthaginiensis biennio proxumo Masinissam vi atque armis possedisse:

[3] id illi, cui nihil pensi sit, facile esse. Carthaginienses foedere inligatos silere;

[4] prohiberi enim extra fines efferre arma; quamquam sciant in suis finibus, si inde Numidas pellerent, se gesturos bellum, illo haud ambiguo capite foederis deterreri, quo diserte vetentur cum sociis populi Romani bellum gerere.

[5] sed iam ultra superbiam crudelitatemque et avaritiam eius pati non posse Carthaginienses. missos esse se, qui orarent senatum, ut trium harum rerum unam ab se impetrari sinerent:

[6] ut vel ex aequo inter regem socium populumque Carthaginiensem, quid cuiusque esset, disceptarent; vel permitterent Carthaginiensibus, ut adversus iniusta arma pio iustoque se tutarentur bello; vel ad extremum, si gratia plus quam veritas apud eos valeret, semel statuerent, quid donatum ex alieno Masisnissae vellent.

[7] modestius certe daturos eos, et se scituros, quid dedissent; ipsum nullum praeterquam suae libidinis arbitrio finem facturum.

[8] horum si nihil impetrarent, et aliquod suum post datam a P. Scipione pacem delictum esset, ipsi potius animadverterent in se.

[9] tutam servitutem se sub dominis Romanis quam libertatem expositam ad iniurias Masinissae malle;

[10] perire denique semel ipsis satius esse, quam sub acerbissimi carnificis arbitrio spiritum ducere. sub haec dicta lacrimantes procubuerunt stratique humi non sibi magis misericordiam quam regi invidiam conciliarunt.

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.) — 42.23 focus

[1]

legati Carthaginienses eo tempore Romae erant et Gulussa filius Masinissae. inter eos magnae contentiones in senatu fuere.

[2] Carthaginienses querebantur praeter agrum, de quo ante legati ¹ ab Roma, qui in re praesenti cognoscerent, missi essent, amplius septuaginta oppida castellaque agri Carthaginiensis biennio proxumo Masinissam vi atque armis possedisse:

[3] id illi, cui nihil pensi sit, facile esse. Carthaginienses foedere inligatos silere:

[5] sed iam ultra superbiam crudelitatemque et avaritiam eius non pati posse Carthaginienses. missos esse, qui orarent senatum, ut trium harum rerum unam ab se impetrari sinerent:

[6] ut vel ex aequo in socium populumque, quid cuiusque esset, disceptarent, vel permitterent Carthaginiensibus, ut adversus iniusta arma pio iustoque se tutarentur bello, vel ad extremum, si gratia plus quam veritas apud eos valeret, semel statuerent, quid donatum ex alieno Masinissae vellent.

[7] modestius certe daturos eos, et scituros, quid dedissent; ² ipsum nullam praeterquam suae libidinis arbitrio finem facturum.

[8] horum si nihil impetrarent, et aliquod suum post datam a P. Scipione pacem delictum esset, ipsi potius animadverterent in se.

[9] tutam servitutem se sub dominis Romanis quam libertatem expositam ad iniurias Masinissae malle;

[10] perire denique semel ipsis satius esse, quam sub acerbissimi carnificis arbitrio spiritum ducere. sub haec dicta lacrimantis procubuerunt, stratique humi non sibi magis misericordiam quam regi invidiam concitarunt. interrogari Gulussam placuit,

Translations (2)

History of Rome Perseus (Spillan, D.; Edmonds, Cyrus; McDevitte, William A., translators. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1849-1868. (Bohn's Classical Library)) — 42.23 focus

[1]

There were at this time in Rome ambassadors from Carthage, and also Gulussa, son of Masinissa, between whom very warm words passed, in presence of the senate.

[2] The Carthaginians complained that,

besides the district, about which ambassadors were formerly sent from Rome, to determine the matter on the spot, Masinissa had, within the last two years, by force of arms, possessed himself of more than seventy towns and forts in the Carthaginian territories.

[3]

This was easy for him, who cared for nothing. But the Carthaginians, being tied down by treaty, were silent;

[4]

for they were prohibited from carrying arms beyond their own frontiers; and although they knew that if they forced the Numidians thence, they would wage the war within their own territory, yet they were deterred by another clause in the treaty, too clear to be mistaken, in which they were expressly forbidden to wage war against the allies of the Roman people.

[5]

But the Carthaginians could not longer endure his pride, his cruelty, and his avarice. They were sent,

they said,

to beseech the senate to grant them one of these three things:

[6]

either that they should fairly decide what belonged to each, as became an ally of both; or give permission to the Carthaginians to defend themselves in a just war against unjust attacks; or finally, if favour swayed more with them than the truth, to fix at once how much of the property of others they wished should be bestowed on Masinissa.

[7]

That the senate would certainly be more moderate in their grants, and they themselves would know the extent of them; whereas, he would set no limits but the arbitrary dictates of his own ambition.

[8]

If they could obtain none of these, and if they had, since the peace granted by Publius Scipio, been guilty of any transgression, they begged that the Romans themselves would rather inflict the punishment. They preferred a secure bondage under Roman masters, to a state of freedom exposed to the injustice of Masinissa.

[9]

It was better for them to perish at once, than to continue to breathe under the will of an executioner.

[10] After these words, they burst into tears, prostrated themselves on the ground, and, in this posture, excited both compassion for themselves, and no less displeasure against the king.

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.) — 42.23 focus

[1]

A deputation from Carthage was in Rome at that time, as was also Gulussa, Masinissa's son. There was a hot dispute between them in the senate-house.

[2] The grievance of the Carthaginians was that in addition to the territory which had been adjudicated on the spot by the Roman commissioners, Masinissa had during the last two years taken forcible possession of more than seventy towns and forts standing on Carthaginian soil; an easy matter for a man who had no scruples.

[3] As the Carthaginians were bound by their treaty they took no action, for they were forbidden

[4] to carry their arms outside their frontiers, though they knew quite well that if they were to drive the Numidians out, they would be warring within their own frontiers. They were, however, deterred by a clear clause in the treaty, which expressly forbade them to engage in war with the allies of Rome.

[5] But the Carthaginians declared that they could no longer endure his insolence and cruelty and avarice; and they explained that they were sent to implore the senate to grant them one of three things, either themselves to decide, as between a king and a people, both of whom were their allies, what belonged to each;

[6] or to leave the Carthaginians at liberty to defend themselves against unjust attacks in a just and righteous war; or, finally, if personal bias rather than truth swayed the senate, that they should settle once for all how much of other people's property they wished to make a present of to Masinissa.

[7] The senate would at all events make their gift a more moderate one if they were to know what they had given, whereas Masinissa would fix no limits other than what his greed and ambition might determine.

[8] If they were not to obtain any of these requests, and if they had in any way given offence since Scipio granted them peace, then let the Romans themselves punish them; they preferred the security of servitude under Roman masters rather than a liberty exposed to Masinissa's lawlessness.

[9] It would, in fact, be better for them to perish at once than to draw their breath at the will of a tyrant and a butcher.

[10] At these words they burst into tears and fell on their faces, and as they lay there prostrate they aroused not more pity for themselves than displeasure against the king.

Notes on the current edition

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

1. On the disputes between Masinissa and the Carthaginians, perhaps including this one, cf. XL. xvii. 1-6, xxxiv. 14, Polybius XXXI. 21, and Appian, Punic Wars, VIII. x. Polybius ( loc. cit.) says of previous disputes between these parties that

the Carthaginians always came off second best at Rome, not because they had no right on their side, but because the judges were convinced that it was in their own interest to decide against them

(tr. Paton, L.C.L.).

2. Cf. XXX. xxxvii. 4, Polybius XV. 18. 4.

3. One of the conditions of peace which had been imposed upon the Carthaginians by Scipio had been, according to Appian, Punic Wars, VIII. 54, mh/te Massana/ssh| mh/te a)/llw| (Pwmai/wn fi/lw| polemei=n, cf. below, xxv. 4.

4. B.C. 172

Titus Livius (Livy) Ab urbe condita 42.23

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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