Ab Urbe Condita 1.49

Liv. 1.49.1Inde L. Tarquinius regnāre occēpit, cui Superbō cognōmen facta indidērunt, quia socerum gener sepultūrā prohibuit, Rōmulum quoque īnsepultum perīsse dictitāns, prīmōrēsque patrum, quōs Servī rēbus fāvisse crēdēbat, interfēcit;

Then Lucius Tarquinius began to reign, and his deeds gave him the surname Superbus, 'the Proud': he, the son-in-law, kept his father-in-law from burial, saying again and again that Romulus too had perished unburied, and he put to death the leading senators whom he believed to have favoured Servius' cause;

Note. Superbo cognomen ... indiderunt: the dative Superbo is attracted into the case of cui ('to whom deeds gave the surname Proud'). occepit is an old word for coepit. dictitans is a frequentative of dico, 'saying again and again'. Tarquinius Superbus, the seventh and last king, came to power by having his father-in-law Servius Tullius murdered.

Liv. 1.49.2cōnscius deinde male quaerendī regnī ab sē ipsō adversus sē exemplum capī posse, armātīs corpus circumsaepsit;

then, aware that the example of seizing a throne by wrongful means could be used against himself, he surrounded his person with armed men;

Note. conscius ... exemplum capi posse: conscius governs the indirect statement 'aware that the example could be taken'. male quaerendi regni: gerundive with regni, 'of a throne wrongly sought'. armatis: ablative of means, 'with armed men'.

Liv. 1.49.3neque enim ad iūs regnī quicquam praeter vim habēbat, ut quī neque populī iussū neque auctōribus patribus regnāret.

for he had no claim to the throne except force, since he was reigning without the people's command or the senators' approval.

Note. ut qui ... regnaret: ut qui with the subjunctive gives a reason, 'inasmuch as he ruled'. auctoribus patribus is an ablative absolute: under the old constitution the senators' approval (auctoritas patrum) confirmed the people's choice of king, and Tarquin had neither.

Liv. 1.49.4Eō accēdēbat, ut in cāritāte cīvium nihil speī repōnentī metū regnum tūtandum esset.

To this was added that, placing no hope in the affection of his citizens, he had to protect his throne by fear.

Note. Eo accedebat, ut ...: 'to this was added the fact that ...', a common idiom. reponenti is a dative of agent with the gerundive tutandum esset: 'he had to protect his throne'.

Liv. 1.49.4Quem ut plūribus incuteret, cognitiōnēs capitālium rērum sine cōnsiliīs per sē sōlus exercēbat perque eam causam occīdere, in exilium agere, bonīs multāre poterat nōn suspectōs modo aut invīsōs, sed unde nihil aliud quam praedam spērāre posset.

To strike this fear into as many as possible, he conducted trials on capital charges by himself, without advisers, and on that pretext he could kill, drive into exile and fine with the loss of their property not only men he suspected or hated, but those from whom he could hope for nothing except plunder.

Note. Quem: a connecting relative, = et eum (metum). The infinitives occidere, agere, multare all depend on poterat. bonis multare: 'to fine with (the loss of) their goods', ablative of the penalty. unde = a quibus.

Liv. 1.49.6Praecipuē ita patrum numerō inminūtō statuit nūllōs in patrēs legere, quō contemptior paucitāte ipsā ōrdō esset minusque per sē nihil agī indignārentur.

In particular, once the number of senators had been reduced in this way, he decided to appoint no one to the senate, so that the order might be held in more contempt through its very smallness and might resent less that nothing was done through it.

Note. quo contemptior ... esset: quo introduces a purpose clause containing a comparative. minus ... indignarentur: the senators would resent less being shut out of business, because there were so few of them.

Liv. 1.49.7Hic enim rēgum prīmus trāditum ā priōribus mōrem dē omnibus senātum cōnsulendī solvit, domesticīs cōnsiliīs rem pūblicam administrāvit;

For he was the first of the kings to break the custom handed down by his predecessors of consulting the senate about everything; he governed the state with advisers of his own household;

Note. consulendi: a gerund in the genitive with morem, governing senatum. domesticis consiliis: 'with household advisers', i.e. his family and friends instead of the senate.

Liv. 1.49.7bellum, pācem, foedera, societātēs per sē ipse, cum quibus voluit, iniussū populī ac senātūs fēcit dirēmitque.

war, peace, treaties and alliances he made and broke by himself, with whomever he wished, without the order of the people and senate.

Note. fecit diremitque: diremit is from dirimo, 'break off'. iniussu is found only in the ablative, 'without the order (of)'.

Liv. 1.49.8Latīnōrum sibi maximē gentem conciliābat, ut peregrīnīs quoque opibus tūtior inter cīvēs esset, neque hospitia modo cum prīmōribus eōrum, sed adfīnitātēs quoque iungēbat.

He set out above all to win over the Latin nation, so that he might also be safer among his citizens through strength from abroad, and he formed with their leading men not only ties of hospitality but also ties of marriage.

Note. ut ... tutior ... esset: purpose clause. hospitia were formal guest-friendships between families; adfinitates were ties by marriage.

Liv. 1.49.8Octāviō Mamiliō Tusculānō— is longē prīnceps Latīnī nōminis erat, sī fāmae crēdimus, ab Ulixe deaque Circā oriundus— eī Mamiliō fīliam nūptum dat perque eās nūptiās multōs sibi cognātōs amīcōsque eius conciliat.

To Octavius Mamilius of Tusculum (he was by far the foremost man of the Latin name and, if we believe the story, descended from Ulysses and the goddess Circe), to this Mamilius he gave his daughter in marriage, and through this marriage he won over many of Mamilius' kinsmen and friends.

Note. nuptum dat: the supine nuptum after a verb of giving expresses purpose, 'gives in marriage'. Tusculum's leading families claimed descent from Ulysses (Odysseus) and the goddess Circe through their son Telegonus, the legendary founder of the town. Livy's si famae credimus keeps his distance from the legend.