Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita, Benjamin Oliver Foster, Ph.D. (Editor), Frank Gardener Moore (Editor), Alfred C. Schlesinger, Ph.D. (Editor), 4.59

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[1]

interim tribunos militum in Volscum agrum ducere exercitum placuit; Cn. Cornelius unus Romae relictus.

[2] tres tribuni, postquam nullo loco castra Volscorum esse nec commissuros se proelio apparuit, tripertito ad devastandos fines discessere.

[3] Valerius Antium petit, Cornelius Ecetras; ¹ quacumque incessere, late populati sunt tecta agrosque, ut distinerent Volscos; Fabius, quod maxime petebatur, ad Anxur ² oppugnandum sine ulla populatione accessit.

[4] Anxur³ fuit, quae nunc Tarracinae sunt, urbs prona in paludes.

[5] Ab ea parte Fabius oppugnationem ostendit. circummissae quattuor cohortes cum C. Servilio Ahala cum imminentem ⁴ urbi collem cepissent, ex loco altiore, qua nullum erat praesidium, ingenti clamore ac tumultu moenia invasere.

[6] ad quem tumultum obstupefacti qui adversus Fabium urbem infimam tuebantur locum dedere scalas admovendi; plenaque hostium cuncta erant, et immitis diu caedes pariter fugientium ac resistentium, armatorum atque inermium fuit. cogebantur itaque victi,

[7] quia cedentibus spei nihil erat, pugnam inire, cum pronuntiatum repente, ne quis praeter armatos ⁵ violaretur, reliquam omnem multitudinem voluntariam exuit armis;

[8] quorum ad duo milia et quingenti vivi capiuntur. a cetera praeda Fabius militem abstinuit, donec denec collegae venirent,

[9] ab illis quoque exercitibus captum Anxur dictitans esse, qui ceteros Volscos a praesidio eius loci avertissent.

[10] qui ubi venerunt, oppidum vetere fortuna opulentum tres exercitus diripuere; eaque primum benignitas imperatorum plebem patribus conciliavit.

[11] additum deinde omnium maxime tempestivo principum in multitudinem ⁶ munere, ut ante mentionem ullam plebis tribunorumve decerneret senatus ut stipendium miles de publico acciperet, cum ante id tempus de suo quisque functus eo munere esset.

Ab urbe condita. Titus Livius (Livy). Benjamin Oliver Foster, Ph.D. (Editor), Frank Gardener Moore (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

Ab urbe condita (Latin) (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).)

Editions (2)

Ab urbe condita Perseus (Pars I-IV, Libri I-XL. Editio Stereotypica. Weissenborn, Wilhelm; Mueller, Moritz, editors. Leipzig: Teubner, 1884-1911.) — 4.59 focus

[1] interim tribunos militum in Volscum agrum ducere exercitum placuit;

[2] C. Cn. Cornelius unus Romae relictus. tres tribuni, postquam nullo loco castra Volscorum esse nec commissuros se proelio apparuit, tripertito ad devastandos fines discessere.

[3] Valerius Antium petit, Cornelius Ecetras; quacumque incessere, late populati sunt tecta agrosque, ut distinerent Volscos; Fabius, quod maxime petebatur, ad Anxur oppugnandum sine ulla populatione accessit. Anxur fuit,

[4] quae nunc Tarracinae sunt, urbs prona in paludes.

[5] ab ea parte Fabius oppugnationem ostendit. circummissae quattuor cohortes cum C. Cn. Servilio Ahala cum inminentem urbi collem cepissent, ex loco altiore, qua nullum erat praesidium, ingenti clamore ac tumultu moenia invasere.

[6] ad quem tumultum obstupefacti, qui adversus Fabium urbem infimam tuebantur, locum dedere scalas admovendi; plenaque hostium cuncta erant, et inmitis diu caedes pariter fugientium ac resistentium, armatorum atque inermium fuit.

[7] cogebantur itaque victi, quia cedentibus spei nihil erat, pugnam inire, cum pronuntiatum repente, ne quis praeter armatos violaretur, reliquam omnem multitudinem voluntariam exuit armis;

[8] quorum ad duo milia et quingenti vivi capiuntur. a cetera praeda Fabius militem abstinuit,

[9] donec collegae venirent, ab illis quoque exercitibus captum Anxur dictitans esse, qui ceteros Volscos a praesidio eius loci avertissent. qui ubi venerunt,

[10] oppidum vetere fortuna opulentum tres exercitus diripuere; eaque primum benignitas imperatorum plebem patribus conciliavit.

[11] additum deinde omnium maxime tempestivo principum in multitudinem munere, ut ante mentionem ullam plebis tribunorumve decerneret senatus, ut stipendium miles de publico acciperet, cum ante id tempus de suo quisque functus eo munere esset.

Ab urbe condita Perseus (Conway, Robert Seymour; Walters, Charles Flamstead; Johnson, Stephen Keymer, editors. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1914-1935. (Oxford Classical Texts)) — 4.59 focus

[1]

interim tribunos militum in Volscum agrum ducere exercitum placuit; Cn. Cornelius unus Romae relictus.

[2] tres tribuni, postquam nullo loco castra Volscorum esse nec commissuros se proelio apparuit, tripertito ad devastandos fines discessere.

[4] Anxur³ fuit, quae nunc Tarracinae sunt, urbs prona in paludes.

[7] quia cedentibus spei nihil erat, pugnam inire, cum pronuntiatum repente, ne quis praeter armatos ⁵ violaretur, reliquam omnem multitudinem voluntariam exuit armis;

[8] quorum ad duo milia et quingenti vivi capiuntur. a cetera praeda Fabius militem abstinuit, donec denec collegae venirent,

[9] ab illis quoque exercitibus captum Anxur dictitans esse, qui ceteros Volscos a praesidio eius loci avertissent.

[10] qui ubi venerunt, oppidum vetere fortuna opulentum tres exercitus diripuere; eaque primum benignitas imperatorum plebem patribus conciliavit.

Translations (3)

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)) — 4.59 focus

[1]

Meantime it was determined that the military tribunes should lead the army into the country of the Volsci; only Gnaeus Cornelius was left in Rome.

[2] The three tribunes, on its appearing that the Volsci had no camp anywhere and did not propose to risk a battle, divided their army into three and advanced in different directions to lay waste the country.

[3] Valerius marched upon Antium, Cornelius against Ecetrae, and wherever they went they plundered farms and buildings far and wide, to divide the forces of the Volsci; Fabius led his troops to Anxur, the principal object of their attack, and laid siege to it, without doing any pillaging.

[4] Anxur, the Tarracinae of our day, ¹ was a city which sloped down towards the marshes.

[5] On this side Fabius threatened an assault, while four cohorts marched round under Gaius Servilius Ahala, and ² seizing the hill which overhangs the city, assailed the walls from this superior position, where there was no force to oppose them, with great noise and confusion.

[6] Hearing the din, the soldiers who were defending the lowest part of the town against Fabius were bewildered, and permitted him to bring up scaling-ladders; and soon the whole place was alive with enemies, who for a long time gave no quarter, slaughtering without distinction those who fled and those who resisted, the armed and the unarmed.

[7] And so the vanquished, since they could hope for no mercy if they yielded, were compelled to fight; when suddenly the command was given that none should be hurt but those who carried weapons. Thereupon, all the survivors voluntarily laid down their arms, and about twenty-five hundred of them were taken alive.

[8] Fabius made his soldiers leave the rest of the spoils until his colleagues could

[9] come up, saying that their armies had helped to capture Anxur by diverting the rest of the Volsci from the defence of that place.

[10] When they arrived, the three armies sacked the town, which long years of prosperity had filled with riches. It was this generous treatment on the part of their commanders which first reconciled the plebs to the patricians.

[11] In addition to this the senate then granted the people the most seasonable boon which has ever been bestowed on them by the chiefs of the state, when they decreed, without waiting for any suggestion by the plebs or their tribunes, that the soldiers should be paid from the public treasury, whereas till then every man had served at his own costs.

History of Rome Perseus (Spillan, D.; Edmonds, Cyrus; McDevitte, William A., translators. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1849-1868. (Bohn's Classical Library)) — 4.59 focus

[1]

In the mean time it was determined that the military tribunes should lead an army into the Volscian territory.

[2] Cneius Cornelius alone was left at Rome. The three tribunes, when it became evident that the Volscians had not established a camp any where, and that they would not venture an engagement, separated into three different parties to lay waste the country.

[3] Valerius makes for Antium, Cornelius for Ecetrae. Wherever they came, they committed extensive devastations on the houses and lands, so as to separate the Volscians: Fabius, without committing any devastation, proceeded to attack Auxur, which was a principal object in view.

[4] Auxur is the town now called Tarracinae; a city built on a declivity leading to a morass: Fabius made a feint of attacking it on that side.

[5] When four cohorts sent round under Caius Servilius Ahala took possession of a hill which commanded the city, they attacked the walls with a loud shout and tumult, from the higher ground where there was no guard of defence.

[6] Those who were defending the lower parts of the city against Fabius, astounded at this tumult, afforded him an opportunity of applying the scaling ladders, and every place soon became filled with the enemy, and a dreadful slaughter continued for a long time, indiscriminately of those who fled and those who resisted, of the armed or unarmed.

[7] The vanquished were therefore obliged to fight, there being no hope for those who gave way, when a pro- clamation suddenly issued, that no persons except those with arms in their hands should be injured, induced all the remaining multitude voluntarily to lay down their arms; of whom two thousand five hundred are taken alive.

[8] Fabius kept his soldiers from the spoil, until his colleagues should come;

[9] affirming that Auxur had been taken by these armies also, who had diverted the other Volscian troops from the defence of that place.

[10] When they came, the three armies plundered the town, which was enriched with wealth of many years' accumulation; and this generosity of the commanders first reconciled the commons to the patricians.

[11] It was afterwards added, by a liberality towards the people on the part of the leading men the most seasonable ever shown, that before any mention should be made of it by the commons or tribunes, the senate should decree that the soldiers should receive pay out of the public treasury, whereas up to that period every one had discharged that duty at his own expense.

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.) — 4.59 focus

[1] Meantime¹ the consular tribunes decided to lead the army into the territory of the Volscians; Cnaeus Cornelius was left in charge of the City.

[2] The three tribunes ascertained that there was no camp of the Volscians anywhere, and that they would not risk a battle, so they divided into three separate forces to ravage the country.

[3] Valerius made Antium his objective; Cornelius, Ecetrae. Wherever they marched they destroyed the homesteads and crops far and wide to divide the forces of the Volscians. Fabius marched to Anxur, which was the chief objective, without losing time in devastating the country.

[4] This city is now called Terracina; it was built on the side of a hill and sloped down to the marshes. Fabius made a show of attacking the city on that side.

[5] Four cohorts were despatched with C. Servilius Ahala by a circuitous route to seize the hill which overhung the town on the other side. After doing so they made an attack amidst loud shouts and uproar from their higher position upon that part of the town where there was no defence.

[6] Those who were holding the lower part of the city against Fabius were stupefied with astonishment at the noise, and this gave him time to plant his scaling ladders. The Romans were soon in all parts of the city, and for some time a ruthless slaughter went on of fugitives and fighters, armed and unarmed alike.

[7] As there was no hope of quarter, the defeated enemy were compelled to keep up the fight, till suddenly an order was issued that none but those taken with arms should be injured. On this the whole of the population threw down their arms; prisoners to the number of 2500 were taken.

[8] Fabius would not allow his men to touch

[9] the other spoils of war until the arrival of his colleagues, for those armies too had taken their part in the capture of Anxur, since they had prevented the Volscians from coming to its relief.

[10] On their arrival the three armies sacked the town, which, owing to its long-continued prosperity, contained much wealth.

[11] This generosity on the part of the generals was the first step towards the reconciliation of the plebs and the senate.² This³ was followed by a boon which the senate, at a most opportune moment, conferred on the plebeians. Before the question was mooted either by the plebs or their tribunes, the senate decreed that the soldiery should receive pay from the public treasury. Previously, each man had served at his own expense.

Notes on the current edition

Ab urbe condita

1. Ecetras s: ecetram a 2: egitras PFUBL 3: egitrans ma : et girus H: et giras OEL: alteras et V.

2. ad Anxur s: ad ancxyr HDL: ad ancxir OE: ad anxyr D2: ad anxir P 2 FUa: ad ancxy M: ad anxi P: ad anxie B: wanting in V.

3. Anxur : anxyr MD 2: ancxyr HD: ancxir OELa: anxir B: anxii PFU: anxis V.

4. A.U.C. 348

5. armatos a s: armatus W .

6. in multitudinem L 4 a 3 Rhenanus : in multitudine W .

Titus Livius (Livy) Ab urbe condita 4.59

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

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