Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita, Rev. Canon Roberts (Translator), 2.8

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[1] Laws were passed which not only cleared the consul from suspicion but produced such a reaction that he won the people's affections, hence his sobriquet of Publicola.

[2] The most popular of these laws were those which granted a right of appeal from the magistrate to the people and devoted to the gods the person and property of any one who entertained projects of becoming king.

[3] Valerius secured the passing of these laws while still sole consul, that the people might feel grateful solely to him; afterwards he held the elections for the appointment of a colleague. The consul elected was Sp. Lucretius.

[4] But he had not, owing to his great age, strength enough to discharge the duties of his office, and within a few days he died. M. Horatius Pulvillus was elected in his place.

[5] In some ancient authors I find no mention of Lucretius, Horatius being named immediately after Brutus; as he did nothing of any note during his office, I suppose, his memory has perished. The temple of Jupiter on the Capitol had not yet been dedicated, and the consuls drew lots to decide which should dedicate it.

[6] The lot fell to Horatius. Publicola set out for the Veientine war. His friends showed unseemly annoyance at the dedication of so illustrious a fane being assigned to Horatius, and tried every means of preventing it.

[7] When all else failed, they tried to alarm the consul, whilst he was actually holding the door-post¹ during the dedicatory prayer; by a wicked message that his son was dead, and he could not dedicate a temple while death was in his house. As to whether he disbelieved the message, or whether his conduct simply showed extraordinary self-control, there is no definite tradition, and it is not easy to decide from the records.

[8] He only allowed the message to interrupt him so far that he gave orders for the body to be burnt; then, with his hand still on the door-post, he finished the prayer and dedicated the temple. These were the principal incidents at home and in the field during the first year after the expulsion of the royal family.

[9] The consuls elected for the next year were P. Valerius, for the second time, and T. Lucretius.

Ab urbe condita. Titus Livius (Livy). Rev. Canon Roberts (Translator). Medford, MA. 1997-10-28.

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Funding provided by The National Endowment for the Humanities.

Current edition Perseus

History of Rome (English) (Volumes 1-2. Roberts, Canon, Rev, translator. London, New York: J. M. Dent and Sons; E. P. Dutton and Co., 1912.)

Editions (3)

Ab urbe condita Perseus (Pars I-IV, Libri I-XL. Editio Stereotypica. Weissenborn, Wilhelm; Mueller, Moritz, editors. Leipzig: Teubner, 1884-1911.) — 2.8 focus

[1] latae deinde leges, non solum quae regni suspicione consulem absolverent, sed quae adeo in contrarium verterent, ut popularem etiam facerent. inde cognomen factum Publicolae est.

[2] ante omnes de provocatione adversus magistratus ad populum sacrandoque cum bonis capite eius, qui regni occupandi consilia inisset, gratae in vulgus leges fuere.

[3] quas cum solus pertulisset, ut sua unius in his gratia esset, tur tum demum comitia collegae subrogando habuit.

[4] creatus Sp. Lucretius consul, qui magno natu non sufficientibus iam viribus ad consularia munera obeunda intra paucos dies moritur. suffectus in Lucreti locum M. Horatius Pulvillus.

[5] apud quosdam veteres auctores non invenio Lucretium consulem; Bruto statim Horatium suggerunt; credo, quia nulla gesta res insignem fecerit consulatum, memoriam intercidisse. nondum dedicata erat in Capitolio Iovis aedes.

[6] Valerius Horatiusque consules sortiti, uter dedicaret. Horatio sorte evenit; Publicola ad Veientium bellum profectus.

[7] aegrius, quam dignum erat, tulere Valeri necessarii dedicationem tam incliti templi Horatio dari. id omnibus modis inpedire conati, postquam alia frustra temptata erant, postem iam tenenti consuli foedum inter precationem deum nuntium incutiunt mortuum eius filium esse, funestaque familia dedicare eum templum non posse.

[8] non crediderit factum, an tantum animo roboris fuerit, nec traditur certum, nec interpretatio est facilis; nihil aliud ad eum nuntium a proposito aversus, quam ut cadaver efferri iuberet, tenens poster postem precationem peragit et dedicat templum.

[9] haec post exactos reges domi militiaeque gesta primo anno. inde P. Valerius iterum T. Lucretius consules facti.

Ab urbe condita Perseus (Conway, Robert Seymour; Walters, Charles Flamstead; Johnson, Stephen Keymer, editors. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1914-1935. (Oxford Classical Texts)) — 2.8 focus

[1]

latae deinde leges, non solum quae regni suspicione consulem absoluerent, sed quae adeo in contrarium uerterent ut popularem etiam facerent; inde cognomen factum Publicolae est.

[2] ante omnes de prouocatione aduersus magistratus ad populum sacrandoque cum bonis capite eius qui regni occupandi consilia inisset gratae in uolgus leges fuere.

[3] quas cum solus pertulisset, ut sua unius in his gratia esset, tum deinde comitia collegae subrogando habuit.

[4] creatus Sp. Lucretius consul, qui magno natu, non sufficientibus iam uiribus ad consularia munera obeunda, intra paucos dies moritur. suffectus in Lucreti locum M. Horatius Puluillus .

[5] apud quosdam ueteres auctores non inuenio Lucretium consulem; Bruto statim Horatium suggerunt; credo, quia nulla gesta res insignem fecerit consulatum, memoria intercidisse.

[6] nondum dedicata erat in Capitolio Iouis aedes; Ualerius Horatiusque consules sortiti uter dedicaret. Horatio sorte euenit: Publicola ad Ueientium bellum profectus.

[7] aegrius quam dignum erat tulere Ualeri necessarii dedicationem tam incliti templi Horatio dari. id omnibus modis impedire conati, postquam alia frustra temptata erant, postem iam tenenti consuli foedum inter precationem deum nuntium incutiunt, mortuum eius filium esse, funestaque familia dedicare eum templum non posse.

[8] non crediderit factum an tantum animo roboris fuerit, nec traditur certum nec interpretatio est facilis. nihil aliud ad eum nuntium a proposito auersus quam ut cadauer efferri iuberet, tenens postem precationem peragit et dedicat templum.

[9] haec post exactos reges domi militiaeque gesta primo anno.

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).) — 2.8 focus

[1]

latae deinde leges, non solum quae regni suspicione consulem absolverent, sed quae adeo in contrarium verterent ut popularem etiam facerent. inde cognomen factum Publicolae est.

[2] ante omnes de provocatione adversus magistratus ad populum sacrandoque cum bonis capite eius qui regni occupandi consilia inisset gratae in volgus leges fuere.

[3] quas cum solus pertulisset, ut sua unius in his gratia esset, tum demum ¹ comitia collegae subrogando habuit.

[4] creatus Sp. Lucretius consul, qui magno natu non sufficientibus iam viribus ad consularia munera obeunda intra paucos dies moritur. suffectus in Lucreti locum M. Horatius Pulvillus.

[5] apud quosdam veteres auctores non invenio Lucretium ² consulem; Bruto statim Horatium suggerunt; credo quia nulla gesta res insignem fecerit consulatum memoriam ³ intercidisse.

[6] nondum dedicata erat in Capitolio Iovis aedes. Valerius Horatiusque consules sortiti uter dedicaret. Horatio sorte evenit: Publicola ad Veientium bellum profectus.

[7] aegrius quam dignum erat tulere Valeri necessarii dedicationem tam incliti templi Horatio dari. id omnibus modis impedire conati, postquam alia frustra temptata erant, postem iam tenenti consuli foedum inter precationem deum nuntium incutiunt mortuum eius filium esse, funestaque familia dedicare eum templum non posse.

[8] non crediderit factum, an tantum animo roboris fuerit, nec traditur certum nec interpretatio est facilis; nihil aliud ad eum nuntium a proposito aversus, quam ut cadaver efferri iuberet, tenens postem precationem peragit et dedicat templum.

[9] haec post exactos reges domi militiaeque gesta primo anno.

Translations (2)

History of Rome Perseus (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)) — 2.8 focus

[1]

Laws were then proposed which not only cleared the consul from the suspicion of seeking kingly power, but took such an opposite turn that they even made him popular and caused him to be styled Publicola, the People's Friend.

[2] Above all, the law about appealing from the magistrates to the people, and the one that pronounced a curse on the life and property of a man who should plot to make himself king, were welcome to the commons.

[3] When he had carried through these measures alone, that he might enjoy without a rival all the favour arising out of them, he finally held an election to choose a colleague for the unexpired term.

[4] The choice fell upon Spurius Lucretius, who by reason of his great age was no longer strong enough for the duties of the consulship, and died within a few days. They elected in Lucretius's place Marcus Horatius Pulvillus.

[5] In some ancient authorities I do not find ¹ Lucretius given as consul, but Brutus is followed immediately by Horatius; I suppose that because no exploit lent distinction to Lucretius's consulship men forgot it.

The temple of Jupiter on the Capitol had not yet been dedicated.

[6] Valerius and Horatius the consuls drew lots to determine which should do it. Horatius received the lot, and Publicola set out to conduct the war against the Veientes. With more bitterness than was reasonable, the friends of Valerius resented that the dedication of so famous a temple should be given to Horatius.

[7] They tried in all sorts of ways to hinder it, but their schemes all came to naught. Finally, when the consul's hand was on the door-post and he was in the midst of his prayers to the gods, they broke in upon the ceremony with the evil tidings that his son was dead, averring that whilst the shadow of death was over his house he could not dedicate a temple.

[8] Whether he did not believe the news to be true, or possessed great fortitude, we are not informed with certainty, nor is it easy to decide. Without permitting himself to be diverted from his purpose by the message, further than to order that the body should be buried, he kept his hand upon the doorpost, finished his prayer, and dedicated the temple.

[9] Such were the achievements, at home and in the field, of the first year after the expulsion of the kings.

History of Rome Perseus (Spillan, D.; Edmonds, Cyrus; McDevitte, William A., translators. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1849-1868. (Bohn's Classical Library)) — 2.8 focus

[1]

After this laws were passed, which not only cleared him of all suspicions of aiming at the regal power, but had so contrary a tendency, that they made him popular. From thence he was surnamed Poplicola.

[2] Above all, the laws regarding an appeal to the people against the magistrates, and that devoting the life and property of any one who should form a design of assuming regal authority, were grateful to the people.

[3] And after he had passed these while sole consul, so that the merit in them was exclusively his own, he then held an assembly for the election of a new colleague.

[4] Sp. Lucretius was elected consul, who being very old, and his strength being inadequate to discharge the consular duties, dies in a few days. M. Horatius Pulvillus was substituted in the room of Lucretius. In some old writers I find no mention of Lucretius as consul; they place Horatius immediately after Brutus.

[5] I believe that, because no important event signalized his consulate, it has been unnoticed. Jupiter's temple in the Capitol had not yet been dedicated; the consuls Valerius and Horatius cast lots which should dedicate it.

[6] It fell by lot to Horatius. Publicola departed to the war of the Veientians. The friends of Valerius were more annoyed than they should have been, that the dedication of so celebrated a temple should be given to Horatius. ¹

[7] Having endeavoured by every means to prevent that, when all other attempts had been tried in vain, when the consul was now holding the door-post during his offering of prayer to the gods, they suddenly announce to him the shocking intelligence that his son was dead, and that his family being defiled ² he could not dedicate the temple.

[8] Whether he did not believe the fact, or possessed such great firmness of mind, is neither handed down for certain, nor is a conjecture easy. Diverted from his purpose at this intelligence in no other way than to order that the body should be buried, ³ he goes through the prayer, and dedicates the temple. These were the transactions at home and abroad the first year after the expulsion of the kings.

[9] After this P. Valerius, a second time, and Titus Lucretius, were elected consuls.

Notes on the current edition

History of Rome, books 1-10, 21-45

1. The dedication of temples was usually conducted by the supreme magistrate. He laid his hand on the doorpost, thus symbolically handing over the building to the god, whilst he recited after the Pontifex the dedicatory prayer. This touching with the hand was a symbolical act in all transfers of property, manumission of slaves, and consecration of sacrificial victims.

Titus Livius (Livy) Ab urbe condita 2.8

Rev. Canon Roberts (Translator)

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