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), 45.39

Search the Perseus Catalog for:

View: By Section

← Previous Next →

[1]

"Triumphs have been celebrated in recent years over Philip, the father of this king, and over Antiochus; both were still on the throne when the triumph was celebrated. Shall no triumph be celebrated over Perseus, who was taken prisoner and brought with his children to Rome?

[2] Nay, if while the other commanders were mounting the Capitol in the chariot, arrayed in their gold and purple, from ¹ below them Lucius Paulus, a lone citizen in the crowd of civilians, should ask them, ' Lucius Anicius, Gnaeus Octavius, do you consider yourselves more worthy of a triumph, or me? ' they would, I believe, yield him their place in the chariot and for very shame hand their regalia over to him.

[3] Do you prefer, fellow-citizens, to have Gentius rather than Perseus led in a triumph, and the celebration to be made for an appendage to the war rather than for the war itself?

[4] The legions from Illyricum will also enter the city crowned with laurel, and so will the sailors; shall the legions of Macedonia witness the triumphs of others after their own has been cancelled? What then shall become of so kingly a booty, of the spoils of so rich a victory?

[5] What, pray, shall be the hiding-place for all those thousand sets of arms stripped from the bodies of the enemy? Shall they be sent back to Macedonia? What of the golden statues, the marbles, the ivories, the paintings, the rare stuffs, all the embossed silver, all the gold, all the royal money?

[6] Shall they be carried to the treasury by night as if stolen? And what is more —that greatest of shows, royal prisoner of highest birth and greatest riches —where shall he be displayed to the people who have gained the victory?

[7] Many of us can recall what crowds were drawn by the sight of King Syphax as prisoner, an appendage to the war with Carthage. Shall our prisoner King Perseus, shall the king's sons, Philip and Alexander, names of such potency, —shall they be removed from the sight of the commonwealth?

[8] Lucius Paulus himself, twice consul, conqueror of Greece —all eyes are eager to behold him entering the city in his chariot; to this end we made him consul, that he might bring to an end the war which to ² nothing less than our great shame had dragged on through four years.

[9] When he was allotted this field of operations, when he left home, we marked him for victory and triumph with minds that read the future; and shall we deny him a triumph when he has won his victory?

[10] Nay more —shall we rob not only Paulus, but even the gods, of the honour that belongs to them? For it is to the gods too, not only to men, that we owe a triumph. ³ Your ancestors made the gods their starting-point in every important enterprise, and likewise resorted to them at the conclusion.

[11] When consul or praetor, his lictors in their military dress, sets out for his field of action and to war, he proclaims his vows upon the Capitol; when war has ended in victory, he returns in triumph to the same gods on the same Capitol, and brings them the well-earned gifts, as he promised them in his vows.

[12] No small part of a triumphal procession is formed by the sacrificial animals going ahead, which make it clear that the general is returning with thanksgiving to the gods for success on behalf of the commonwealth.

[13] Away with all those sacrificial victims which he has assigned to be led in the triumphal procession, and offer them up, some here, some there! I ask you! What of the banquet of the senate, which is not held on private property, nor on the unconsecrated land of the state, but on the Capitol-is this ceremony held for the pleasure of men, or in honour of the gods?

Will you play havoc with all these rites at the ⁴ instigation of Servius Galba? Will the gates be closed to the triumph of Lucius Paulus? Will King Perseus of Macedonia, together with his sons, the throng of other prisoners, and the spoils of Macedonia, be left behind in the Flaminian Circus?

[15]

Will Lucius Paulus go home from the gate as a private citizen, as if he were returning from his country house? You, centurion, and you, private, harken to what the senate decrees about General Paulus rather than what Servius Galba babbles, and harken too to my speech rather than his.

[16]

He has learned nothing except talk, and that of a slanderous and malicious sort; I have on twenty-three occasions challenged and fought an enemy; I brought back the spoils of every man with whom I duelled; I possess a body adorned with honourable scars, every one of them received in front.

He then stripped, it is said, and told in which war he had received each wound.

[17] While displaying these, he by chance uncovered what should have remained concealed, and the swelling of his groin raised a laugh among those nearby.

[18]

This too,

he then said, "at which you are laughing I got by sitting my horse through whole days and nights; and I feel no more shame or regret for this than for these wounds of mine, since it never hindered me from successfully conducting affairs of state at home or in the field. As a veteran soldier before young soldiers, I have displayed this body of mine which has often been marred by the sword; let Galba uncover his sleek and untouched person.

[19] Tribunes, call back the tribes, if you please, to the ⁵ voting; I [will join] you, soldiers ... ⁶

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.) — 45.39 focus

[1] triumphatum nuper de Philippo, patre huius, et de Antiocho est; ambo regnabant, cum de iis triumphatum est. de Perseo capto, in urbem cum liberis adducto non triumphabitur?

[2] quodsi in curru scandentis Capitolium, auratos purpuratosque, ex inferiore loco L. Paulus in turba togatorum unus privatus interroget “L. Anici, Cn. Octavi, utrum vos digniores triumpho esse an me censetis?” curru ei cessuri et prae pudore videntur insignia ipsi sua tradituri.

[3] et vos Gentium quam Persea duci in triumpho mavoltis, Quirites, et de accessione potius belli quam de bello triumphari?

[4] et legiones ex Illyrico laureatae urbem inibunt et navales socii: Macedonicae legiones suo abrogato triumphos alienos spectabunt? quid deinde tam opima praeda, tam opulentae victoriae spoliis fiet?

[5] quonam abdentur illa tot milia armorum detracta corporibus hostium? an in Macedoniam remittentur? quo signa aurea, marmorea, eburnea, tabulae pictae, textilia, tantum argenti caelati, tantum auri, tanta pecunia regia?

[6] an noctu tamquam furtiva in aerarium deportabuntur? quid? illud spectaculum maximum, nobilissimus opulentissimusque rex captus, ubi victori populo ostendetur?

[7] quos Syphax rex captus, accessio Punici belli, concursus fecerit, plerique meminimus. Perseus rex captus, Philippus et Alexander, filii regis, tanta nomina, subtrahentur civitatis oculis?

[8] ipsum L. Paulum, bis consulem, domitorem Graeciae, omnium oculi conspicere urbem curru ingredientem avent; ad hoc fecimus consulem, ut bellum per quadriennium ingenti etiam pudore nostro tractum perficeret.

[9] cui sortito provinciam, cui proficiscenti praesagientibus animis victoriam triumphumque destinavimus, ei victori triumphum negaturi sumus? et quidem non tantum eum, sed deos etiam suo honore fraudaturi?

[10] dis quoque enim, non solum hominibus, debetur triumphus. maiores vestri omnium magnarum rerum et principia exorsi a dis sunt et finem statuerunt.

[11] consul proficiscens praetorve paludatis lictoribus in provinciam et ad bellum vota in Capitolio nuncupat: victor perpetrato bello eodem in Capitolium triumphans ad eosdem deos, quibus vota nuncupavit, merita dona portans redit.

[12] pars non minima triumphi est victimae praecedentes, ut appareat dis grates agentem imperatorem ob rem publicam bene gestam redire.

[13] omnis illas victimas, quas † traducendo in triumpho vindicavit, † alias alios dente mactati. quid? illae epulae senatus, quae nec privato loco nec publico profano, sed in Capitolio eduntur, utrum hominum voluptatis causa an deorum hominumque auctore Servio Galba turbaturi estis? L. Pauli triumpho portae claudentur?

[14] rex Macedonum Perseus cum liberis et turba alia captivorum, spolia Macedonum, in circo Flaminio relinquentur? L. Paulus privatus tamquam rure rediens a porta domum ibit?

[15] † et tu, centurio, miles, quibus ab imperatore Paulo donatus decrevit potius quam Servius Galba fabulentur audis et hoc dicere me potius quam illum audi.

[16] ille nihil praeterquam loqui, et id ipsum maledice ac maligne, didicit: ego ter et viciens cum hoste ex provocatione pugnavi; ex omnibus, cum quibus manum conserui, spolia rettuli; insigne corpus honestis cicatricibus, omnibus adverso corpore exceptis, habeo.”

[17] nudasse deinde se dicitur et, quo quaeque bello volnera accepta essent, rettulisse. quae dum ostentat, adapertis forte, quae velanda erant, tumor inguinum proximis risum movit.

[18] tum “hoc quoque, quod ridetis,” inquit “in equo dies noctesque persedendo habeo, nec magis me eius quam cicatricum harum pudet paenitetque, quando numquam mihi impedimento ad rem publicam bene gerendam domi militiaeque fuit.

[19] ego hoc ferro saepe vexatum corpus vetus miles adulescentibus militibus ostendi:

[20] Galba nitens et integrum denudet. revocate, si videtur, tribuni, ad suffragium tribus; ego ad vos, milites,”

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).) — 45.39 focus

[1]

" triumphatum nuper de Philippo, patre huius, et de Antiocho est; ambo regnabant, cum de iis ¹ triumphatum est. de Perseo capto, in urbem cum liberis adducto ² non triumphabitur? quodsi in curru scandentis Capitolium,

[2] auratos purpuratosque, ex inferiore loco L. Paulus in turba ³ togatorum unus privatus interroget ' L. Anici, Cn. Octavi, utrum vos digniores triumpho esse an me censetis? ' curru ei cessuri et ⁴ prae pudore videntur insignia ipsi sua tradituri.

[3] et vos Gentium quam Persea duci in triumpho mavoltis, Quirites, et de accessione potius belli quam de bello triumphari?

[4] et legiones ex Illyrico laureatae urbem inibunt et navales socii; Macedonicae legiones suo abrogato triumphos alienos spectabunt? quid deinde tam opima praeda, ⁵ tam opulentae victoriae spoliis fiet?

[6] an noctu tamquam furtiva in aerarium deportabuntur? quid? illud spectaculum maximum, nobilissimus opulentissimusque rex captus, ubi victori populo ostendetur? ⁶

[7] quos Syphax rex captus, accessio Punici belli, concursus fecerit, plerique meminimus. Perseus rex captus, Philippus et Alexander, filii fiii regis, tanta nomina, subtrahentur civitatis oculis?

[9] cui sortito provinciam, cui proficiscenti praesagientibus animis victoriam triumphumque destinavimus, ei victori triumphum negaturi sumus? et quidem ⁹ non tantum eum, ¹⁰ sed deos etiam suo honore fraudaturi?

[10] dis quoque enim, non solum hominibus, debetur triumphus. ¹¹ maiores vestri omnium magnarum rerum et principia exorsi a dis sunt ¹² et finem statuerunt.

[11] Consul proficiscens praetorve paludatis lictoribus in provinciam et ad bellum vota in Capitolio nuncupat; victor perpetrato bello ¹³ eodem in Capitolium ¹⁴ triumphans ad eosdem deos, quibus vota nuncupavit, merita dona portans ¹⁵ redit.

[12] pars non minima triumphi est victimae praecedentes, ut appareat dis grates agentem imperatorem ob rem publicam bene gestam redire.

[13] omnis illas victimas, quas traducendas in triumphum dicavit, ¹⁶ alias alio abducentes mactate! ¹⁷ quid enim? ¹⁸ illae epulae senatus, quae nec private loco nec publico profano, sed in Capitolio eduntur, utrum hominum voluptatis causa an deorum honoris ¹⁹ fiunt?

quae omnia ²⁰ auctore Servio Galba turbaturi ²¹ estis?

[14]

L. Pauli triumpho portae claudentur? Rex Macedonum Perseus cum liberis et turba alia captivorum, spolia Macedonum, in circo Flaminio ²² relinquentur? L. Paulus privatus tamquam rure rediens a porta domum ibit?

[15]

et tu, centurio, miles, quid de imperatore Paulo senatus decrevit potius quam quid Servius Galba fabuletur, audi; et hoc ²³ dicere me potius quam illum audi.

[16]

ille nihil praeterquam loqui, et id ipsum ²⁴ maledice ac maligne, didicit; ego ter et viciens cum hoste provocato pugnavi; ²⁵ ex omnibus, cum quibus manum conserui, spolia rettuli; insigne corpus honestis cicatricibus, omnibus adverso corpore exceptis, habeo.

[17] nudasse deinde se dicitur et, quo quaeque bello volnera accepta essent, rettulisse. quae dum ostentat, adapertis forte, quae velanda erant, tumor inguinum proximis risum movit.

[18] tum

hoc quoque, quod ridetis

, inquit, "in equo dies noctesque persedendo habeo, nec magis me eius quam cicatricum harum pudet paenitetque, quando numquam mihi impedimento ad rem publicam bene gerendam domi militiaeque fuit.

[19] ego hoc ferro saepe vexatum corpus vetus miles adulescentibus militibus ostendi: Galba nitens et integrum denudet.

[20] revocate , si videtur, tribuni, ad suffragium ²⁶ tribus; ego ad vos, milites, . . .

Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn Perseus (Weissenborn, W.; Müller, H. J., editors. Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung, 1873-1883.) — 45.39 focus

[1]

victores conspici velle debebatis. triumphatum nuper de Philippo, patre huius, et de Antiocho est; ambo regnabant, cum de iis triumphatum est. de Perseo capto, in urbem cum liberis abducto non triumphabitur?

[2] quodsi in curru scandentis Capitolium, auratos purpuratosque, ex inferiore loco L. Paulus in turba togatorum unus privatus interroget ‘ L. Anici, Cn. Octavi, utrum vos digniores triumpho esse an me censetis?’, curru descensuri et prae pudore videntur insignia ipsi sua tradituri.

[3] et vos ¹ Gentium quam Persea duci in triumpho mavoltis, Quirites, et de accessione potius belli quam de bello triumphari?

[4] et legiones ex Illyrico laureatae urbem inibunt et navales socii; Macedonicae legiones suo abrogato triumpho alienos spectabunt? quid deinde tam opimae praedae, tam opulentae victoriae spoliis fiet?

[6] an noctu tamquam furtiva in aerarium deportabuntur? quid? illud spectaculum maximum, nobilissimus opulentissimus que rex captus, ubi victori populo ostendetur?

[7] quos Syphax rex captus, accessio Punici belli, concursus fecerit, plerique meminimus. Perseus rex captus, ² Philippus et Alexander, filii regis, tanta nomina, subtrahentur civitatis oculis?

[9] cui sortito provinciam, cui proficiscenti praesagientibus animis victoriam triumphumque destinavimus, ei victori triumphum negaturi sumus? et quidem non tantum eum sed deos etiam suo honore fraudaturi?

[10] dis quoque enim, non solum hominibus, debetur triumphus. maiores vestri omnium magnarum rerum et principia exorsi ab dis sunt et finem eum statuerunt.

[11] consul proficiscens praetorve paludatis lictoribus in provinciam et ad bellum vota in Capitolio ³ nuncupat; victor perpetrato bello eodem in Capitolium triumphans ad eosdem deos, quibus vota nuncupavit, merita dona portans redit.

[12] pars non minima triumphi est victimae praecedentes, ut appareat dis grates agentem imperatorem ob rem publicam bene gestam redire. omnis illas victimas, quas traducendas in triumpho dicavit, alias alio caedente mactate.

[13] quid? illae epulae senatus, quae nec privato loco nec publico profano, sed in Capitolio eduntur, utrum hominum voluptatis causa an deorum honoris ⁴ auctore Ser.

[14] Galba turbaturi estis? L. Pauli triumpho portae claudentur? rex Macedonum Perseus cum liberis et turba alia captivorum, spolia Macedonum, in circo Flaminio relinquentur? L. Paulus privatus tamquam rure rediens a porta domum ibit?

[15] et tu, centurio, miles, quibus ab imperatore Paulo do natus senatus decrevit potius quam quid Ser. Galba fabuletur, audi. et ⁵ hoc dicere me potius quam illum audi.

[16] ille nihil praeterquam loqui, et ipsum id maledice ac maligne, didicit; ego ter et viciens cum hoste per provocationem pugnavi; ex omnibus, cum quibus manum conserui, spolia rettuli; insigne corpus honestis cicatricibus, omnibus adverso corpore exceptis, habeo.

[17] ’ nudasse deinde se dicitur et, quo quaeque bello volnera accepta essent, rettulisse. quae dum ostentat, adapertis forte, quae velanda erant, tumor inguinum proximis risum movit.

[18] tum ‘hoc quoque, quod ridetis’ inquit, ‘in equo dies noctesque persedendo habeo, nec magis me eius quam cicatricum harum pudet paenitetque, quando numquam mihi impedimento ad rem publicam bene gerendam domi militiaeque fuit.

[19] ego hoc ferro saepe vexatum corpus vetus miles adulescentibus militibus ostendi; Galba nitens et integrum denudet.

[20] revocate, si videtur, tribuni, ad suffragium tribus; ego ad vos milites, .’

Translations (2)

History of Rome Perseus (Spillan, D.; Edmonds, Cyrus; McDevitte, William A., translators. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1849-1868. (Bohn's Classical Library)) — 45.39 focus

[1]

Triumphs have been lately celebrated over Philip, father of the present king, and over Antiochus. Both these triumphs over them took place when they were in possession of their thrones, and shall there be no triumph over Perseus, who has been taken prisoner, and, with his children, brought away to the city? But if Lucius Paullus, as a private citizen, should, amid the crowd of gowned citizens, interrogate, from the lower ground, those mounting to the Capitol in a chariot, and clad in gold and purple, —'Lucius Anicius, Cneius Octavius, whether do you esteem yourselves, or me, more deserving of a triumph?'

[2]

I am confident they would yield him the chariot, and, through shame, themselves present to him their ensigns of honour. And do ye choose, citizens, that Gentius should be led in procession, rather than Perseus; do you wish to triumph over an accessary, rather than over the principal in the war? Shall the legions from Illyria, and the crews of the fleet, enter the city with laurel crowns; and shall the Macedonian legions, after being refused a triumph, be only spectators of other men's glories? What then will become of such a rich booty, the spoils of a victory so lucrative? Where shall be buried so many thousand suits of armour, stripped from the bodies of the enemy? shall they be sent back to Macedon? Where shall be lodged the statues of gold, of marble, and of ivory: the pictures, the tapestries, such a quantity of wrought silver and gold, and such a mass of royal money?

[3]

Shall they be conveyed to the treasury by night, as if they were stolen? What? when will that greatest of shows, the celebrated and powerful captive king, Perseus, be exhibited to the eyes of a victorious people? Most of us remember what a concourse the captured king Syphax, an auxiliary only in the Punic war, caused; and shall the captured king, Perseus, with his sons, Philip and Alexander, names so illustrious, be withdrawn from the eager gaze of the state?

[4]

All men are eagerly anxious to behold Lucius Paullus himself, twice consul, the conqueror of Greece, entering the city in his triumphal chariot. We made him consul for this very purpose, that he should finish a war which had been protracted for four years, to our great shame. When he obtained that province by lot, and when he was setting out for it, with presaging minds, we destined to him victory and triumph; and shall we now, when he is victorious, refuse him a triumph; shall we defraud, not only men, but the gods also of the honours due to them? For a triumph is due to the gods also, and not to men only: your ancestors commenced every business of importance with worshipping them, and ended all in the same manner.

[5]

The consul, or praetor, (when going to his province and to a war, dressed in his military robe, and attended by his lictors,) offers vows in the Capitol; and when he returns victorious, after bringing the war to a conclusion, carries in triumph to the Capitol, to the deities to whom he made the vows, the due offering of the Roman people. The victims that precede him are not the most immaterial part of the procession, —to demonstrate that the commander comes home with thanksgivings to the gods for the success granted to the state.

[6]

You may slay at sacrifices performed by different persons, all those victims, which he has claimed to be led in his triumph. Do you intend to interrupt those banquets of the senate which (whether they are meant for the gratification of men, or both of gods and men) are not partaken of either in any private or even public unconsecrated place, but only in the Capitol, —because such is the will of Servius Galba? Shall the gates be shut against the triumph of Lucius Paullus?

[7]

Shall Perseus, king of Macedon, with his children, the multitude of other captives, and the spoils of the Macedonians, be left behind on this side of the river? Shall Lucius Paullus, in a private character, go straight from the gate to his house, as if returning home from his country-seat? And do you, centurion, and you, soldiers, listen to the votes of the senate respecting your general, Paullus, rather than to what Servius Galba may invent? Listen to me, who say this, rather than to him. He has learned nothing, but to speak; and even that with rancour and malice.

[8]

I have three-and-twenty times fought against the enemy, on challenges; from every one with whom I engaged, I brought off spoils. I have my body plentifully marked with honourable scars, all received in front.

It is said that he then stripped himself, and men- tioned in what war each of his wounds was received; while he was showing these, he happened to uncover what ought to be concealed, and a swelling in his groins raised a laugh among those near him.

[9] He then said, "This too, which excites your laughter, I got by continuing days and nights on horseback; nor do I feel either shame or sorrow for it, any more than for these scars, since it never prevented me from rendering effectual service to the republic, either in peace or war. An aged soldier, I have shown to youthful soldiers this body of mine, often wounded by the weapons of the enemy. Let Galba expose his, which is sleek and unhurt. Tribunes, be pleased to call back the tribes to vote. Soldiers, I ¹

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.) — 45.39 focus

[1]

"Triumphs have been celebrated over Philip, this man's father, and over Antiochus; both were on the throne at the time. Shall there be no triumph over Perseus carried off as a prisoner and brought here with his children?

[2] Now, if while Anicius and Octavius were ascending the Capitol in their chariot, clad in gold and purple, L. Paulus standing as an ordinary citizen in the crowd were to ask them: 'Whom do you, L. Anicius and Cn. Octavius, think more deserving of a triumph, me or yourselves?' I think they would for very shame descend from their chariot and hand over their insignia of triumph to him.

[3] Would you rather, Quirites, see Gentius led in triumph than Perseus? Would you rather see a triumph over an episode of the war than over the war itself? The legions from Illyria will enter the City in triumph wearing their laurel wreaths; so will the seamen of the fleet.

[4] Are the legions from Macedonia going to watch the triumph of others after their own has been denied? What will become of the royal booty, the spoils of such a rich victory? Where will the many thousands of arms and armour stripped from the bodies of the slain be stored?

[5] Are they to be sent back to Macedonia? Where are the statues of gold and marble and ivory to go, the paintings, the embroidery, the mass of gold and silver plate, the immense sum of money that belonged to the king?

[6] Will they be carried away to the treasury by night as though they were the proceeds of a robbery? Yes, and the greatest spectacle of all, a monarch once most famous and most wealthy, now a prisoner, where is he to be shown to the victorious people?

[7] Most of us remember the crowds that gathered to see the captive king Syphax, who played a subordinate part in the Punic war; Perseus, a captive monarch, and his sons Philip and Alexander-names borne by mighty monarchs-are they to be kept out of the sight of the citizens?

[8] All men's eyes are yearning to watch L. Paulus, consul now for the second time, the conqueror of Greece, entering the city in his chariot.

[9] It was for this that we made him consul that he might bring to an end a war which to our infinite shame had been dragging on for four years. Are we going to deny a triumph to the man to whom, when the ballot had allotted him the province, we destined with prescient minds victory and a triumph, as we watched him leave the City?

[10] Are we going to defraud not him alone but the gods as well? Your ancestors invoked them when they started upon any great enterprise, and they invoked them also when they had carried it through.

[11] When a consul or a praetor goes to his province with his lictors, wearing the paludamentum, he recites prayers in the Capitol; when the war is over and he returns as victor in triumph to the Capitol, he carries up the gifts which are their due to the same deities to whom he offered the prayers.

[12] Not the least important part of the procession is the victims which precede the chariot, so that all may see that the commander is coming back to offer thanks to the gods for the successes they have vouchsafed to the commonwealth.

[13] All those victims which he has destined for his triumphal procession you had better go and sacrifice for yourselves, each where and when he chooses. Are those solemn banquets to which the senators sit down, not in any private house nor in any unconsecrated public building, but in the Capitol itself-are they, I ask, intended to gratify men or to honour the gods, and are you going to interfere with them at the bidding of Servius Galba?

[14] Will the City gates be closed against L. Paulus' triumph? Is Perseus, the king of the Macedonians, with his children and all the other prisoners, the spoils of Macedonia, to be left in the Circus Flaminius?

[15] Is L. Paulus to go to his house like an ordinary citizen returning home from the country, whilst you, centurion and legionary, march wearing the decorations which Paulus has bestowed upon you?

"Listen to the decree of the senate, rather than to the romancing of Servius Galba.

[16] Listen to this that I am saying, rather than to him. He has learnt nothing but speech-making, and that only to insult and calumniate. I have fought three-and-twenty times in answer to challenges; from all whom I encountered I carried off the spoils. My body is covered with honourable scars, every one received in front." It is said that he then stripped himself and explained in what war each had been received.

[17] While making this display he uncovered what ought to be concealed, and a swelling in the groin evoked laughter amongst those nearest to him.

[18] He then continued: "This which you are laughing at I got from sitting on horseback night and day, and I am no more ashamed of this than of my other scars; it has never hindered me from serving the commonwealth faithfully, either at home or on the field of battle. As an old soldier I have often shown this body of mine, hacked with the sword, to the young ones.

[19] Let Galba strip and show his smooth skin with not a scar upon it. "Tribunes, call back, if you please, the tribes to vote . . . ."

Notes on the current edition

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

1. B.C. 167

2. B.C. 167

3. Elsewhere (XXVI. xxi. 3; XXXI. xlviii. 12) Livy makes use of the argument that thanksgivings must be followed by a triumph.

4. B.C. 167

5. B.C. 167

6. Plutarch, Aemilius xxxi. 6, supplies the conclusion, the bracketed words being suggested by this:

I shall come down and accompany (you) all and shall discover the base and ungrateful who prefer to be led in war by demagogues rather than generals.

Also missing is the date of the triumph, Nov. 27-29, C.I.L.2 I. i. p. 48, xxvii, and the description of most of the triumphal procession, cf. Diodorus XXXI. xiii.

Titus Livius (Livy) Ab urbe condita 45.39

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