Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita, Benjamin Oliver Foster, Ph.D. (Editor), Frank Gardener Moore (Editor), Alfred C. Schlesinger, Ph.D. (Editor), 8.34

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[1]

stabat cum eo senatus maiestas, favor populi, tribunicium auxilium, memoria absentis exercitus;

[2] ex parte altera imperium invictum populi Romani et disciplina rei militaris et dictatoris edictum pro numine semper observatum et Manliana imperia et posthabita filii caritas publicae utilitati iactabantur:

[3] hoc etiam L. Brutum, conditorem Romanae libertatis, antea in duobus liberis fecisse; nunc patres comes et senes faciles de alieno imperio spreto, tamquam rei parvae, disciplinae militaris eversae iuventuti gratiam facere.

[4] se tamen perstaturum in incepto, nec ei qui adversus dictum suum turbatis religionibus ac dubiis auspiciis pugnasset quicquam ex iusta poena remissurum.

[5] maiestas imperii perpetuane esset non ¹ esse in sua potestate:

[6] L. Papirium nihil de eius iure ² deminuturum ³ ; optare ne potestas tribunicia, inviolata ipsa, violet intercessione sua Romanum imperium, neu populus in se potissimum dictatore vim et ius ⁴ dictaturae exstinguat.

[7] quod si fecisset, non L. Papirium sed tribunos, sed pravum populi iudicium nequiquam posteros accusaturos, cum polluta semel militari disciplina non miles centurionis, non centurio tribuni, non tribunus legati, non legatus consulis, non magister equitum dictatoris pareat imperio,

[8] nemo hominum, nemo deorum verecundiam habeat, non edicta imperatorum, non auspicia observentur, sine commeatu vagi milites in pacato, in hostico errent, ⁵

[9] immemores sacramenti licentia sua se ⁶ ubi velint exauctorent,

[10] infrequentia deserantur signa neque conveniatur ad edictum nec discernatur interdiu nocte, aequo iniquo loco, iussu iniussu ⁷ imperatoris pugnent, et non signa, non ordines servent, latrocinii modo caeca et fortuita pro sollemni et sacrata militia sit;

[11] —

horum criminum vos reos in omnia saecula offerte, tribuni plebi, vestra obnoxia capita pro licentia Q. Fabi obicite.

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.) — 8.34 focus

[1] stabat cum eo senatus maiestas, favor populi, tribunicium auxilium, memoria absentis exercitus;

[3] conditorem Romanae libertatis, antea in duobus liberis fecisse; nunc patres comes et senes faciles de alieno imperio spreto, tamquam rei parvae, disciplinae militaris eversae iuventuti gratiam facere.

[4] se tamen perstaturum in incepto nec ei, qui adversus dictum suum turbatis religionibus ac dubiis auspiciis pugnasset, quicquam ex iusta poena remissurum.

[5] maiestas imperil imperii perpetuane esset, non esse in sua potestate;

[6] L. Papirium nihil eius deminuturum; optare, ne potestas tribunicia, inviolata ipsa, violet intercessione sua Romanum imperium, neu populus in se potissimum dictatore ius dictaturae extinguat.

[7] quod si fecisset, non L. Papirium, sed tribunos, sed pravum populi iudicium nequiquam posteros accusaturos, cum polluta semel militari disciplina non miles centurionis, non centurio tribuni, non tribunus legati, non legatus consulis, non magister equitum dictatoris pareat imperio,

[8] nemo hominum, nemo deorum verecundiam habeat, non edicta imperatorum, non auspicia observentur, sine commeatu vagi milites in pacato,

[9] in hostico errent, inmemores sacramenti licentia sola se, ubi velint, exauctorent,

[10] infrequentia deserantur signa neque conveniatur ad edictum nec discernatur, interdiu nocte, aequo iniquo loco, iussu iniussu imperatoris pugnent, et non signa, non ordines servent, latrocinii modo caeca et fortuita pro sollemni et sacrata militia sit; —

[11] “horum criminum vos reos in omnia saecula offerte, tribuni plebi, vestra obnoxia capita pro licentia Q. Fabi obicite.”

Ab urbe condita Perseus (Conway, Robert Seymour; Walters, Charles Flamstead; Johnson, Stephen Keymer, editors. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1914-1935. (Oxford Classical Texts)) — 8.34 focus

[1]

stabat cum eo senatus maiestas, favor populi, tribunicium auxilium, memoria absentis exercitus;

[4] se tamen perstaturum in incepto, nec ei qui adversus dictum suum turbatis religionibus ac dubiis auspiciis pugnasset quicquam ex iusta poena remissurum.

[5] maiestas imperii perpetuane esset non ¹ esse in sua potestate:

[8] nemo hominum, nemo deorum verecundiam habeat, non edicta imperatorum, non auspicia observentur, sine commeatu vagi milites in pacato, in hostico errent, ⁵

[9] immemores sacramenti licentia sua se ⁶ ubi velint exauctorent,

[11] —

horum criminum vos reos in omnia saecula offerte, tribuni plebi, vestra obnoxia capita pro licentia Q. Fabi obicite.

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)) — 8.34 focus

[2] on his side were ranged the countenance of the senate, the favour of the populace, the assistance of the tribunes, the remembrance of the absent army.

his opponent urged the invincible authority of the Roman People, and military discipline, and the edict of a dictator —which had ever been revered as the will of Heaven —and the severity of Manlius, ¹ who had preferred the general good to the love he bore his son, even as Lucius Brutus, ² the founder of Roman liberty, had done before, in the case of his two children.

[3] but nowadays —the dictator proceeded —fathers were indulgent; and the older generation, little caring if another man's authority were flouted, excused the young for overturning military discipline, as a thing of no importance.

[4] he should nevertheless persist in his undertaking, nor remit an iota of his due punishment to one who had fought against his orders, while the rites of religion were confused and the auspices uncertain.

[5] whether the majesty of the ³ supreme authority were to endure or not was beyond his power to determine; but Lucius Papirius would do nothing to diminish it.

[6] he prayed that the tribunes might not employ their power —itself inviolate —to violate by their interference the authority of Rome; that the people might not single out the very time of his holding that office to extinguish the lawful might of the dictatorship.

[7] should they do so, it would not be Lucius Papirius, but the tribunes and the crooked judgment of the people, that posterity would censure, and censure without avail.

[8] for let military discipline be once broken, and soldier would not obey centurion, nor centurion tribune, nor tribune lieutenant, nor lieutenant consul, nor master of the horse dictator —none would have respect for men, none reverence for the gods;

[9] neither edicts of generals nor auspices would be regarded; the soldiers, without leave, would roam in hostile as in peaceful territory; with no thought of their oath they would quit the service by their own permission, when they pleased;

[10] the standards would be deserted, the men would not come together at command; they would fight without reference to night or day, to the advantage or disadvantage of the ground, to the orders or prohibition of the general; they would neither wait for the word nor keep to their ranks; blind and haphazard brigandage would supplant the time —honoured and hallowed ways of war.

[11] —

on such charges, tribunes of the plebs, expose yourselves to be arraigned through all the ages! let your own heads bear the guilt of the licence of Quintus Fabis!

History of Rome Perseus (Spillan, D.; Edmonds, Cyrus; McDevitte, William A., translators. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1849-1868. (Bohn's Classical Library)) — 8.34 focus

[1]

On his side stood the majesty of the senate, the favour of the people, the support of the tribunes, and regard for the absent army.

[2] On the other side were urged the inviolable authority of the Roman government and military discipline; the edict of the dictator, always observed as the mandate of a deity; the orders of Manlius, and his postponing even parental affection to public utility.

[3]

The same also,

said the dictator,

was the conduct of Lucius Brutus, the founder of Roman liberty, in the case of his two sons. That now fathers were become indulgent, and the aged indifferent in the case of the authority of others being despised, and indulge the young in the subversion of military order, as if it were a matter of trifling consequence.

[4]

For his part, however, he would persevere in his purpose, and would not remit the smallest part of the punishment justly due to a person who fought contrary to his orders, while the rites of religion were imperfectly ex- ecuted, and the auspices uncertain.

[5]

Whether the majesty of the supreme authority was to be perpetual or not, depended not on him; but Lucius Papirius would not diminish aught of its rights.

[6]

He wished that the tribunitian office, inviolate itself, would not by its interposition violate the authority of the Roman government; nor the Roman people, to their own detriment particularly, annihilate the dictator and the rights of the dictatorship together.

[7]

But if this should be the case, not Lucius Papirius but the tribunes and the people would be blamed by posterity in vain; when military discipline being once dissolved, the soldier would no longer obey the orders of the centurion, the centurion those of the tribune, the tribune those of the lieutenant-general, the lieutenant-general those of the consul, nor the master of the horse those of the dictator.

[8]

No one would then pay any deference to men, no, nor even to the gods. Neither edicts of generals nor auspices would be observed.

[9]

The soldiers, without leave of absence, would straggle at random through the lands of friends and of foes; and regardless of their oath would, influenced solely by a wanton humour, quit the service whenever they might choose.

[10]

The standards would be unattended and forsaken: the men would neither assemble in pursuance of orders, nor would any distinction be made as to fighting by night or by day, on favourable or unfavourable ground, by order or without the the orders of the general; nor would they observe standards or ranks; the service, instead of being solemn and sacred, would be confused and the result of mere chance, like that of freebooters.

[11]

Render yourselves then, tribunes of the commons, accountable for all these evils to all future ages. Expose your own persons to these heavy imputations in defence of the licentious conduct of Quintus Fabius.

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.) — 8.34 focus

[1] He had on his side the support of the august and venerable senate, the sympathy of the people, the protection of the tribunes, and the remembrance of the absent army.

[2] On the other side were pleaded the unquestioned sovereign power of the Roman people and all the traditions of military discipline, the Dictator's edict which had ever been regarded as possessing divine sanction, and the example of Manlius who had sacrificed his affection for his son to the interests of the State.

[3] Brutus too, urged the Dictator, the founder of Roman freedom, had done this before in the case of his two children. Now fathers were indulgent, and aged men, easy-going in matters that do not touch themselves, were spoiling the young men, teaching them to despise authority and treating military discipline as of little importance.

[4] He declared his intention of adhering to his purpose, he would not abate a single jot of the punishment due to the man who had fought in defiance of his injunctions, while the auspices were doubtful and the religious sanction withheld.

[5] Whether the supreme authority of the Dictator was to remain unimpaired did not depend on him; he, L. Papirius, would do nothing to weaken its power.

[6] He sincerely hoped that the tribunes would not use their authority, itself inviolable, to violate by their interference the sovereignty of the Roman government, and that the people to whom the appeal had been made would not extinguish in his case especially Dictator and Dictatorship alike.

[7] “If it did, it will not be L. Papirius but the tribunes, the corrupt judgment of the people that posterity will accuse and accuse in vain.

[8] When the bond of military discipline has once been broken no soldier will obey his centurion, no centurion his military tribune, no military tribune his general, no Master of the Horse the Dictator.

[9] No one will have any reverence or respect for either men or gods, no observance will be shown to the orders of commanders or the auspices under which they acted.

[10] Without obtaining leave of absence soldiers will roam at will through friendly or hostile country; in total disregard of their military oath they will abandon their standards when and where they chose, they will refuse to assemble when ordered, they will fight regardless of day or night, whether the ground were favourable or unfavourable, whether their commander has given orders or not, keeping no formation, no order.

[11] Military service, instead of being the solemn and sacred thing it is, will resemble wild and disorderly brigandage. Expose yourselves, tribunes, to all future ages as the authors of these evils! Make yourselves personally responsible for the criminal recklessness of Q. Fabius!”

Notes on the current edition

Ab urbe condita

1. A.U.C. 429

2. nihil de eius iure s: nihil eius iure W: nihil eius MHTDLA s.

3. deminuturum s: diminuturum W: diminutum A 3 M.

4. dictatore vim et ius kreyssig : dictatorem ius s: dictatorem et ius W: dictatore ius duker : dictatore et ius H. J. Mueller ( and P? ).

5. errent F 3 A 2: errarent W.

6. sua se Walters and Conway: sola uase HTDLA: sola se MA 2 Gelenius : sola PFUT 2 : lacuna between sacramenti and uelint O: sola sua se alschefski : soluta se Madvig : sola qua se D 3.

7. iussu iniussu Gelenius s: iniussu W.

Titus Livius (Livy) Ab urbe condita 8.34

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

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