Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita, Rev. Canon Roberts (Translator), 7.2

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[1] ¹² —The pestilence lasted into the following year. The new consuls were C. Sulpicius Peticus and C. Licinius

[2] Stolo. Nothing worth mentioning took place, except that in order to secure the peace of the gods a lectisternium was instituted, the third since the foundation of the

[3] City.³ But the violence of the epidemic was not alleviated by any aid from either men or gods, and it is asserted that as men's minds were completely overcome by superstitious terrors they introduced, amongst other attempts to placate the wrath of heaven, scenic representations, a novelty to a nation of warriors who had hitherto only had the games of the

[4] Circus. They began, however, in a small way, as nearly everything does, and small as they were, they were borrowed from abroad. The players were sent for from Etruria; there were no words, no mimetic action; they danced to the measures of the flute and practised graceful movements in Tuscan

[5] fashion. Afterwards the young men began to imitate them, exercising their wit on each other in burlesque verses, and suiting their action to their

[6] words. This became an established diversion, and was kept up by frequent practice. The Tuscan word for an actor is istrio, and so the native performers were called

[7] histriones. These did not, as in former times, throw out rough extempore effusions like the Fescennine verse, but they chanted satyrical verses quite metrically arranged and adapted to the notes of the flute, and these they accompanied with appropriate movements. Several years later Livius for the first time abandoned the loose satyrical verses and ventured to compose a play with a coherent

[8] plot. Like all his contemporaries, he acted in his own plays, and it is said that when he had worn

[9] out his voice by repeated recalls he begged leave to place a second player in front of the flutist to sing the monologue while he did the acting, with all the more energy because his voice no longer embarrassed

[10] him. Then the practice commenced of the chanter following the movements of the actors, the dialogue alone being left to their

[11] voices. When, by adopting this method in the presentation of pieces, the old farce and loose jesting was given up and the play became a work of art, the young people left the regular acting to the professional players and began to improvise comic verses. These were subsequently known as exodia (after-pieces), and were mostly worked up into the “Atellane

[12] Plays.” ⁴These farces were of Oscan origin, and were kept by the young men in their own hands; they would not allow them to be polluted by the regular actors. Hence it is a standing rule that those who take part in the Atellanae are not deprived of their civic standing, and serve in the army as being in no way connected with the

[13] regular acting. Amongst the things which have arisen from small beginnings, the origin of the stage ought to be put foremost, seeing that what was at first healthy and innocent has grown into a mad extravagance that even wealthy kingdoms can hardly support.

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

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

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.) — 7.2 focus

[1] et hoc et insequenti anno C. Sulpicio Petico C. Licinio Stolone consulibus pestilentia fuit.

[2] eo nihil dignum memoria actum, nisi quod pacis deum exposcendae causa tertio tur tum post conditam urbem lectisternium fuit.

[3] et cum vis morbi nec humanis consiliis nec ope divina levaretur, victis superstitione animis ludi quoque scaenici, nova res bellicoso populo — nam circi modo spectaculum fuerat — , inter alia caelaestis caelestis irae placamina instituti dicuntur.

[4] ceterum parva haec quoque, ut ferme principia omnia, et ea ipsa peregrina res fuit. sine carmine ullo, sine imitandorum carminum actu ludiones, ex Etruria acciti, ad tibicinis modos saltantes haud indecoros motus more Tusco dabant.

[5] imitari deinde eos iuventus simul inconditis inter se iocularia fundentes versibus coepere, nec absoni a voce motus erant.

[6] accepta itaque res saepiusque usurpando excitata. vernaculis artificibus, quia ister Tusco verbo ludio vocabatur, nomen histrionibus inditum;

[7] qui non, sicut ante, Fescennino versu similem inconpositum temere ac rudem alternis iaciebant, sed inpletas impletas modis saturas descripto iam ad tibicinem cantu motuque congruenti peragebant.

[8] Livius post aliquot annis, qui ab saturis ausus est primus argumento fabulam serere, idem scilicet, id quod omnes tur tum erant, suorum carminum actor,

[9] dicitur, cum saepius revocatus vocem obtudisset, venia petita puerum ad canendnum canendum ante tibicinem cum statuisset, canticum egisse aliquanto magis vigente motu, quia nihil vocis usus inpediebat.

[10] inde ad manum cantari histrionibus coeptum, diverbiaque tantum ipsorum voci relicta.

[11] postquam lege hac fabularum ab risu ac soluto ioco res avocabatur et ludus in artem paulatim verterat, iuventus histrionibus fabellarum actu relicto ipsa inter se more antiquo ridicula intexta versibus iactitare coepit; quae exodia postea appellata consertaque fabellis potissimum Atellanis sunt.

[12] quod genus ludorum ab Oscis acceptum tenuit iuventus nec ab histrionibus pollui passa est: eo institutum manet, ut actores Atellanarum nec tribu moveantur et stipendia, tamquam expertes artis ludicrae, faciant.

[13] inter aliarum parva principia rerum ludorum quoque prima origo ponenda visa est, ut appareret, quam ab sano initio res in hanc vix opulentis regnis tolerabilem insaniam venerit.

Ab urbe condita Perseus (Conway, Robert Seymour; Walters, Charles Flamstead; Johnson, Stephen Keymer, editors. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1914-1935. (Oxford Classical Texts)) — 7.2 focus

[1]

et hoc et insequenti anno C. Sulpicio Petico C. Licinio Stolone consulibus pestilentia fuit. eo nihil dignum memoria actum,

[2] nisi quod pacis deum exposcendae causa tertio tum post conditam urbem lectisternium fuit;

[3] et cum uis morbi nec humanis consiliis nec ope diuina leuaretur, uictis superstitione animis ludi quoque scenici—noua res bellicoso populo, nam circi modo spectaculum fuerat—inter alia caelestis irae placamina instituti dicuntur;

[4] ceterum parua quoque, ut ferme principia omnia, et ea ipsa peregrina res fuit. sine carmine ullo, sine imitandorum carminum actu ludiones ex Etruria acciti, ad tibicinis modos saltantes, haud indecoros motus more Tusco dabant.

[5] imitari deinde eos iuuentus, simul inconditis inter se iocularia fundentes uersibus, coepere; nec absoni a uoce motus erant.

[6] accepta itaque res saepiusque usurpando excitata. uernaculis artificibus, quia ister Tusco uerbo ludio uocabatur, nomen histrionibus inditum;

[7] qui non, sicut ante, Fescennino uersu similem incompositum temere ac rudem alternis iaciebant sed impletas modis saturas descripto iam ad tibicinem cantu motuque congruenti peragebant.

[8] Liuius post aliquot annis, qui ab saturis ausus est primus argumento fabulam serere, idem scilicet—id quod omnes tum erant—suorum carminum actor,

[9] dicitur, cum saepius reuocatus uocem obtudisset, uenia petita puerum ad canendum ante tibicinem cum statuisset, canticum egisse aliquanto magis uigente motu quia nihil uocis usus impediebat.

[10] inde ad manum cantari histrionibus coeptum diuerbiaque tantum ipsorum uoci relicta.

[11] postquam lege hac fabularum ab risu ac soluto ioco res auocabatur et ludus in artem paulatim uerterat, iuuentus histrionibus fabellarum actu relicto ipsa inter se more antiquo ridicula intexta uersibus iactitare coepit; unde exodia postea appellata consertaque fabellis potissimum Atellanis sunt;

[12] quod genus ludorum ab Oscis acceptum tenuit iuuentus nec ab histrionibus pollui passa est; eo institutum manet, ut actores Atellanarum nec tribu moueantur et stipendia, tamquam expertes artis ludicrae, faciant.

[13] inter aliarum parua principia rerum ludorum quoque prima origo ponenda uisa est, ut appareret quam ab sano initio res in hanc uix opulentis regnis tolerabilem insaniam uenerit.

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).) — 8.2 focus

[1]

cum de postulatis Samnitium T. Aemilius praetor senatum consuluisset reddendumque iis foedus patres censuissent,

[2] praetor Samnitibus respondit nec quo minus perpetua cum eis amicitia esset per populum Romanum stetisse, nec contradici quin, quoniam ipsos belli culpa sua contracti taedium ceperit, amicitia de integro reconcilietur;

[3] quod ad ¹ Sidicinos attineat, nihil intercedi quo minus Samniti populo pacis bellique liberum arbitrium sit.

[4] foedere icto cum domum revertissent, extemplo inde exercitus Romanus deductus, annuo stipendio et trium mensum frumento accepto, quod pepigerat consul ut tempus indutiis daret quoad legati redissent.

[5] Samnites copiis iisdem quibus usi adversus Romanum bellum fuerant contra Sidicinos profecti, haud in dubia spe erant mature urbis hostium potiundae,

[6] cum ² ab Sidicinis deditio prius ad Romanos coepta fieri est; dein, postquam patres ut seram eam ultimaque tandem necessitate expressam aspernabantur, ad Latinos iam sua sponte in arma motos facta est.

[7] ne Campani quidem—adeo iniuriae Samnitium quam beneficii Romanorum memoria praesentior erat—his se armis abstinuere.

[8] ex his tot populis unus ingens exercitus duce Latino fines Samnitium ingressus plus populationibus quam proeliis cladium fecit; et quamquam superiores certaminibus Latini erant, haud inviti, ne saepius dimicandum foret, agro hostium excessere.

[9] id spatium Samnitibus datum est Romam legatos mittendi; qui cum adissent senatum, conquesti eadem se foederatos pati quae hostes essent passi,

[10] precibus infimis petiere ut satis ducerent Romani victoriam quam Samnitibus ³ ex Campano Sidicinoque hoste eripuissent, ne vinci etiam se ab ignavissimis populis sinerent;

[11] Latinos Campanosque, si sub dicione populi Romani essent, pro imperio arcerent Samniti agro, sin imperium abnuerent, armis coercerent.

[12] adversus haec responsum anceps datum, quia fateri pigebat in potestate sua Latinos iam non esse, timebantque, ne arguendo abalienarent:

[13] Campanorum aliam condicionem esse, qui non foedere sed per deditionem in fidem venissent; itaque Campanos, seu velint seu nolint, quieturos; in foedere Latinos nihil esse quod bellare cum quibus ipsi velint prohibeant.

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)) — 7.2 focus

[1]

The pestilence lasted during both this and the ¹ following year, the consulship of Gaius Sulpicius Peticus and Gaius Licinius Stolo.

[2] In the latter year nothing memorable occurred, except that with the object of appeasing the divine displeasure they made ² a lectisternium, or banquet to the gods, being the third in the history of the City; ³

[3] and when neither human wisdom nor the help of Heaven was found to mitigate the scourge, men gave way to superstitious fears, and, amongst other efforts to disarm the wrath of the gods, are said also to have instituted scenic entertainments.

[4] This was a new departure for a warlike people, whose only exhibitions had been those of the circus; but indeed it began in a small way, as most things do, and even so was imported from abroad. ⁴ Without any singing, without imitating the action of singers, players who had been brought in from Etruria danced to the strains of the flautist and performed not ungraceful evolutions in the Tuscan fashion.

[5] Next the young Romans began to imitate them, at the same time exchanging jests in uncouth verses, and bringing their movements into a certain harmony with the words.

[6] And so the amusement was adopted, and frequent use kept it alive. The native professional actors were called histriones, from ister, the Tuscan word for player; they no longer —as before —alternately

[7] threw off rude lines hastily improvised, like the Fescennines, ⁵ but performed medleys, full of musical measures, to melodies which were now written out to go with the flute, and with appropriate gesticulation.

Livius ⁶ was the first, some years later, to abandon ⁷ 364 saturae and compose a play with a plot.

[8] Like everyone else in those days, he acted his own pieces; and the story goes that when his voice, owing to the frequent demands made upon it, had lost its freshness, he asked and

[9] obtained the indulgence to let a boy stand before the flautist to sing the monody, while he acted it himself, with a vivacity of gesture that gained considerably from his not having to use his voice.

[10] From that time on actors began to use singers to accompany their gesticulation, reserving only the dialogue parts for their own delivery. When this type of performance had begun to wean

[11] the drama from laughter and informal jest, and the play had gradually developed into art, the young men abandoned the acting of comedies to professionals and revived the ancient practice of fashioning their nonsense into verses and letting fly with them at one another; this was the source of the after-plays which came later to be called exodia, and were usually combined with Atellan farces.

[12] The Atellan was a species of comedy acquired from the Oscans, ⁸ and the young men kept it for themselves and would not allow it to be polluted by the professional actors; that is why it is a fixed tradition that performers of Atellan plays are not disfranchised, but serve in the army as though they had no connexion with the stage. ⁹

[13] Amongst the humble origins of other institutions it has seemed worth while to set down the early history of the play, that it might be seen how sober were the beginnings of an art that has nowadays reached a point where ¹⁰ opulent kingdoms could hardly support its mad extravagance.

History of Rome Perseus (Spillan, D.; Edmonds, Cyrus; McDevitte, William A., translators. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1849-1868. (Bohn's Classical Library)) — 7.2 focus

[1]

The pestilence continued both for this and the following year, Caius Sulpicius Peticus and Caius Licinius Stolo being consuls.

[2] During that year nothing worth recording took place, except that for the purpose of imploring the favour of the gods, there was a Lectisternium, the third time since the building of the city.

[3] And when the violence of the disease was alleviated neither by human measures nor by divine interference, their minds being broken down by superstition, among other means of appeasing the wrath of heaven, scenic plays also are said to have been instituted, a new thing to a warlike people (for hitherto there had been only the shows of the circus). But the matter was trivial, (as all beginnings generally are,) and even that itself from a foreign source.

[4] Without any poetry, or gesticulating in imitation of such poetry, actors were sent for from Etruria, dancing to the measures of a musician, and exhibited, according to the Tuscan fashion, movements by no means ungraceful.

[5] The young men afterwards began to imitate these, throwing out at the same time among each other jocular expressions in uncouth verses; nor were their gestures irrelevant to their language.

[6] Wherefore the matter was received with approbation, and by frequent use was much improved. To the native performers the name of histriones was given, because hister, in the Tuscan vocabulary, was the name of an actor,

[7] who did not, as formerly, throw out alternately artless and unpolished verses like the Fescennine at random, but represented medleys complete with metre, the music being regularly adjusted for the musician, and with appropriate gesticulation.

[8] Livius, who several years after, giving up medleys, was the first who ventured to digest a story with a regular plot, (the same being, forsooth, as all were at that time, the actor of his own pieces,) after having broken his

[9] voice from having been too repeatedly called on, and after having sought permission, is said to have placed a boy before the musician to chaunt, and to have performed the gesticulations with considerably freer movement, because the employment of his voice was no impediment to him.

[10] Thence commenced the practice of chaunting to the actors according to their manual gesticulations, and the dialogues only were left to their voice.

[11] When by this arrangement the business of the scenic performances was called away from laughter and intemperate mirth, and the amusement became gradually converted into an art, the young men, leaving to regular actors the performance of plays, began themselves, according to the ancient usage, to throw out ludicrous jests comprised in verses, which from that time were called exodia, and were collected chiefly from the Atellan farces.

[12] Which kind of amusement, received from the Osci, the young kept to themselves, nor did they suffer it to be debased by regular players. Hence it remains an established usage that the actors of the Atellan farces are neither degraded from their tribe, and may serve in the army, as if having no connexion with the profession of the stage.

[13] Among the trifling beginnings of other matters, it seemed to me that the first origin of plays also should be noticed; that it might appear how from a moderate commencement it has reached its present extravagance, scarcely to be supported by opulent kingdoms.

Notes on the current edition

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

1. Scenic Representations first introduced.

2. On the subject of Scenic Representations in earlier ages of the Reublic sonsult Mommsen, I. pp. 224 and 452.

3. See Livy's description of this in Vol. I. p. 305. That was the first institution of this peculiar solemnity in Rome; the second instance of its observance Livy has not mentioned, but he speaks of this as the third. It was essentially a banquet of the gods; richly covered couches were placed round tables which were loaded with offerings from the sacrifices which were going on in the temples and in private houses throughout the City. On these couches were laid either the emblems of the particular deity of draped wax effigies. Whether it was an importation from Greece or an old Italian rite seems doubtful.

4. These were “the old national drama immediately connected with the festive worship of the people in which it took its rise and which therefore retained a respectability which could be conceded to the performances of foreign histriones. Being free from all contact with the professional actor, the youn Roman could appear in the Atellan play without any forfeiture of his social position.” — Donaldson, Varronianus, p. 158.

Titus Livius (Livy) Ab urbe condita 7.2

Rev. Canon Roberts (Translator)

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