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Livy · Ab Urbe Condita II

Ab Urbe Condita 2.57

The senate yields to the plebs

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Liv. 2.57.1Aegrē sēdāta ab Quīnctiō plēbs, multō aegrius cōnsul alter ā patribus.The plebs were calmed by Quinctius with difficulty, the other consul with much greater difficulty by the senators. Liv. 2.57.2Dīmissō tandem conciliō plēbis senātum cōnsulēs habent.When the assembly of the plebs had at last been dismissed, the consuls hold a meeting of the senate. Liv. 2.57.2Ubi cum timor atque īra in vicem sententiās variāssent, quō magis spatiō interpositō ab impetū ad cōnsultandum āvocābantur, eō plūs abhorrēbant ā certātiōne animī, adeō ut Quīnctiō grātiās agerent, quod eius operā mītigāta discordia esset.There, though fear and anger by turns had varied their opinions, the more they were drawn by the interval of time from impulse to deliberation, the more their minds recoiled from conflict, so much so that they thanked Quinctius because the discord had been calmed by his efforts. Liv. 2.57.3Ab Appiō petitur, ut tantam cōnsulārem maiestātem esse vellet, quanta esse in concordī cīvitāte posset.Appius is asked to be content that the consular majesty should be as great as it could be in a harmonious state. Liv. 2.57.3Dum tribūnī cōnsulēsque ad sē quisque omnia trahant, nihil relictum esse vīrium in mediō;While tribunes and consuls each dragged everything towards themselves, no strength was left in the middle; Liv. 2.57.3distractam lacerātamque rem pūblicam;the state had been torn apart and mangled; Liv. 2.57.3magis quōrum in manū sit, quam ut incolumis sit, quaerī.the question was in whose hands it should be rather than how it should be safe.

Liv. 2.57.4Appius contrā testārī deōs atque hominēs rem pūblicam prōdī per metum ac dēserī, nōn cōnsulem senātuī, sed senātum cōnsulī dēesse;Appius, on the other hand, called gods and men to witness that the state was being betrayed and abandoned through fear, that it was not the consul who was failing the senate, but the senate the consul; Liv. 2.57.4graviōrēs accipī lēgēs, quam in Sacrō monte acceptae sint.that harsher terms were being accepted than had been accepted on the Sacred Mount. Liv. 2.57.4Victus tamen patrum cōnsēnsū quiēvit.Overcome, however, by the senators' unanimity, he held his peace. Liv. 2.57.4Lēx silentiō perfertur.The law is carried without opposition.

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Grammar in this passage: ablative absolute ×2, gerunds and gerundives ×1, purpose clauses ×2, indirect statement ×3

Latin vocabulary for this passage (96 words)
aegrē, adv.ill, with difficulty
sēdō, -āre, -āvī, -ātussettle, calm, put down
ā, ab (prep. + abl.)away from, from; by (ā only before consonants)
plēbs, plēbis f.the common people
multō, adv.by much or far, much, far
cōnsul, -ulis m.consul (one of Rome's two chief magistrates)
alter, -era, -erumone or the other (of two); another, second
pater, patris, m.father
dīmittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missussend different ways, send forth or away, despatch; let slip, lose
tandem, adv.at length or last, finally
concilium, -ī n.meeting, council
senātus, -ūs m.senate
habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itushave, hold; consider
ubi, adv.where; conj., when
cum, conj.when, while, after; since; although
timor, -ōris, m.fear
atque, ac (conj.)and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants)
īra, -ae, f.anger, wrath
in, prep. with acc. and abl.with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
vicis (gen.), vicem f.change, turn; in vicem: in turn
sententia, -ae, f.opinion; purpose
variō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusvary; differ, disagree
quō, adv.to what place? whither? to which place, whither; for which reason, wherefore, therefore; quō ūsque, till when? how long?
magis, comp. adv.more, rather
spatium, -ī, n.space, interval; space of time, time
interpōnō, -ere, -posuī, -positumput between; bring forward (an excuse)
impetus, -ūs, m.attack; impetum facere, to charge
ad, prep. with acc.to, toward; at, near; for
cōnsultō, -āre, -āvī, -ātumdeliberate, take counsel; consult the interests of (+ dat.)
āvocō, -āre, -āvī, -ātuscall away, divert
eō (adv.)to that place, thither; to that point (usque eō); (with comparatives) by so much, all the (more)
plūs (adv.)more
abhorreō, -ēre, -uīshrink back from; be inconsistent with, be foreign to (ā + abl.)
certātiō, -ōnis f.contest, rivalry, competition
animus, -ī, m.mind; heart; spirit, courage
adeō (adv.)so far, to such a degree; so
ut, conj.as; when; that; ita ut, as
grātia, -ae, f.favor; gratitude, thanks; plur., thanks; grātiās agere, to give thanks, thank; grātiam referre, to return a favor, show gratitude, requite
agō, agere, ēgī, āctusdrive; do; pass, lead; grātiās agere, see grātia
quod, conj.that, in that, because
is, ea, id, dem. pron.this, that; he, she, it, they
opera, -ae, f.effort, work, labor
mītigō, -āre, -āvī, -ātussoften, calm, soothe
discordia, -ae f.disagreement, discord, strife
sum, esse, fuī, futūrusbe
petō, -ere, -īvī or -iī, -ītusseek, ask; attack
tantus, -a, -umso great or much
cōnsulāris, -eof a consul, consular; as noun: ex-consul; comitia cōnsulāria: the consular elections
maiestās, -ātis f.greatness, dignity, majesty
volō, velle, voluīwish
quantus, -a, -umhow great or much?
concors, -cordisof one mind, harmonious
cīvitās, -tātis, f.state
possum, posse, potuībe able, have power, can
dum, conj.while, as; as long as; until
tribūnus, -ī m.tribune (tribūnus mīlitum: senior officer of a legion)
que, enclitic conj.and
suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron.himself, herself, itself, themselves
quisque, quaeque, quidque, indef. pron.each
omnis, -eall, every
trahō, trahere, trāxī, trāctusdraw, drag
nihil, n., indecl.nothing
relinquō, -linquere, -līquī, -lictusleave behind, leave
vīs, vīs, f.violence, force; virtue, potency, efficacy; plur. vīrēs, -ium, strength; omnibus vīribus, with all one's strength, with might and main
medium, -ī n.the middle; in mediō: in the midst
distrahō, -ere, -trāxī, -tractuspull apart, tear asunder
lacerō, -āre, -āvī, -ātustear to pieces; squander, waste
rēs, reī, f.thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really
pūblicus, -a, -umpublic, of the state (rēs pūblica: the state)
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.who, which
manus, -ūs, f.hand
quam, adv.how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible
incolumis, -eunhurt, safe
quaerō, quaerere, quaesīvī, quaesītusseek; ask, inquire
contrā, prep, with acc.against, contrary to
testor, -ārī, -ātus sumbear witness, declare, call to witness
deus, -ī, m.god
homō, hominis, m.man
prōdō, -ere, -didī, -ditumhand down; betray
per, prep, with ace.through, by means of
metus, -ūs m.fear, dread
dēserō, -serere, -seruī, -sertusdesert
nōn, adv.not
sed, conj.but
dēsum, deesse, dēfuībe lacking, fail
gravis, -eheavy; severe, grievous, serious
accipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptustake to oneself, receive, accept; hear; suffer
lēx, lēgis f.law
sacer, sacra, sacrumsacred, holy
mōns, montis, m.mountain
vincō, -ere, vīcī, victumconquer, defeat
tamen, adv.however, yet, nevertheless
cōnsēnsus, -ūs, m.agreement, consent
quiēscō, -ere, quiēvī, quiētusrest, keep quiet
silentium, -ī n.silence; silentiō: in silence, quietly
perferō, -ferre, -tulī, -lātusbear through, bear, endure; weather
Livy, Ab Urbe Condita II. Latin text: B. O. Foster, Livy (Loeb, 1919–29), with some passages from W. Weissenborn and H. J. Müller (Teubner, 1884–1911), public domain; digital text from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA. Word analysis: drafted by our own tagger (trained on the hand-checked texts on this site), with every doubtful word checked by hand. English translation and section titles: written for this app, each checked against the Latin by a second reader.