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Chapter 43 : C45 _M. Porcius Cato._ (2) Iam pauca aratro iugera regiae Moles relinquent, undique lat

C45

_M. Porcius Cato._ (2)

Iam pauca aratro iugera regiae Moles relinquent, undique latius Extenta visentur Lucrino Stagna lacu plata.n.u.sque caelebs 4 Evincet ulmos: tum violaria et Myrtus et omnis copia narium Spargent olivetis odorem Fertilibus domino priori; 8 Tum sp.i.s.sa ramis laurea fervidos Excludet ictus. Non ita Romuli Praescriptum et intonsi Catonis Auspiciis veterumque norma. 12 Privatus illis census erat brevis, Commune magnum: nulla decempedis Metata privatis opacam Porticus excipiebat Arcton. 16 Nec fortuitum spernere caespitem Leges sinebant, oppida publico Sumptu iubentes et deorum Templa novo decorare saxo. 20

HORACE, _Odes_, II. xv.

+Argument.+ 'Our palaces and fish-ponds and ornamental gardens are supplanting the cultivation of corn and vines and olives. +This is not the spirit of Romulus or of Cato.+ Their rule was private thrift, public magnificence; private houses of turf, public buildings and temples of hewn stone.' --W.

[Linenotes: 1. +Iam+ = _presently_.

1-2. +regiae moles+ = _princely piles_. +moles+, lit. _ma.s.ses_, of _huge buildings_.

2-4. +undique ... lacu+ = _and fish-ponds_ (+stagna+) _of wider extent than the L. lake will be sights to see_ (+visentur+).--Wickham.

4. +plata.n.u.s caelebs+ = _the bachelor plane_, so called because vines were not _wedded to it_ (i.e. trained upon it).--Gow.

6. +omnis copia narium+ = _all that is sweet to smell_. Lit. _all the fulness of the nostrils_.

10. +ictus+ (sc. _solis_). The point is that formerly trees were stripped to admit the sun to the vines and olives: nowadays the sun is excluded. --Gow.

11. +intonsi+ (= _antiqui_) = _old-fas.h.i.+oned_. Cf. Cic.'s use of _barbatus_.

13. +census erat brevis+ = _list of property was short_.

14. +commune+ (= t? ??????) = _the common (public) stock_.

14-15. +decempedis metata privatis+ = _measured with ten-foot rods for private owners_. In old days the +porticus+ were always _publicae_.

17. +fortuitum caespitem+ = _the chance-cut (handy) turf_.

20. +novo saxo+ = _with fresh-hewn stone_, i.e. hewn on purpose.

--W.]

+Parallel Pa.s.sages.+ Livy x.x.xix. 6. 40. 41; Sall.u.s.t, _Catiline_ 12, 13.

'Cato saw the greatness of Rome in the olden time, and he endeavoured without success to bring this old time back.' --Ihne.

C46

THIRD MACEDONIAN WAR, 171-168 B.C.

_Pydna (Aemilius Paulus), 168 B.C._ (1)

Movebat imperii maiestas, gloria viri, ante omnia aetas, quod maior s.e.xaginta annis iuvenum munia in parte praecipua laboris periculique capessebat. Intervallum, quod inter caetratos at phalanges erat, implevit legio, atque aciem hostium interrupit. A {5} tergo caetratis erat, frontem adversus clipeatos habebat: chalcaspides appellabantur.

Secundam legionem L. Albinus consularis ducere adversus leucaspidem phalangem iussus; ea media acies hostium fuit. In dextrum cornu, unde circa fluvium {10} commissum proclium erat, elephantos inducit et alas sociorum; et hinc primum fuga Macedonum est orta. Nam sicut pleraque nova commenta mortalium in verbis vim habent, experiendo, c.u.m agi, non quemadmodum agatur edisseri oportet, sine ullo {15} effectu evanesc.u.n.t, ita tum elephantorum impetum sustinere non poterant, et commenta Macedonum nomen tantum sine usu fuerunt. Elephantorum impetum subsecuti sunt socii nominis Latini, pepuleruntque laevum cornu. {20}

LIVY, xliv. 41.

+Context.+ Perseus, son of Philip, became King of Macedonia on the death of his father in 179 B.C. He did all he could to prepare for the inevitable struggle with Rome by strengthening Macedonia, posing as the Liberator of Greece, and forming marriage alliances with Seleucus of Syria (the successor of Antiochus), and Prusias of Bithynia. In 174 B.C., the Romans were informed that Perseus was secretly negotiating with Carthage, and after fruitless emba.s.sies war was declared. The Senate, after three years of unsuccessful warfare (171-168 B.C.), appointed L. Aemilius Paulus (son of the hero who died at Cannae) to the supreme command in Macedonia.

[Linenotes: 4. +caetratos+ = _Targeteers_, armed with the _small_ round s.h.i.+eld.

5-7. +A tergo ... habebat+ (sc. +legio prima+) = _the (first) Legion thus took the Targeteers in the rear, while it faced towards the s.h.i.+eldmen_. --Rawlins.

6. +clipeatos+ = _s.h.i.+eldmen_, armed with the _large_ round s.h.i.+eld.

7. +chalcaspides+ = _Brazen s.h.i.+elds_, Right Division of phalanx.

9. +leucaspidem+ = _White s.h.i.+elds_, Left Division of phalanx.

10. +in dextrum cornu+ (sc. +Romanum+), i.e. nearest to the sea.

13-15. +commenta ... oportet+ = lit. _the contrivances of men, though in theory_ (+in verbis+) _they had some importance_ (+vim+) _yet upon trial_ (+experiendo+) _when there is need of action and not of discussion_ (+edisseri+) _how to act_. . . .

17. +commenta Macedonum.+ Perh. with reference to Perseus'

contrivances (e.g. by the use of _dummy_ elephants) to prepare his men and horses to make a stand against _real_ elephants.]

C47

THIRD MACEDONIAN WAR, 171-168 B.C.

_Pydna (Aemilius Paulus), 168 B.C._ (2)

In medio secunda legio immissa dissipavit phalangem; neque ulla evidentior causa victoriae fuit, quam quod multa pa.s.sim proelia erant, quae fluctuantem turbarunt primo, deinde disiecerunt phalangem, cuius confertae et intentis horrentes {5} hastis intolerabiles vires sunt; si carptim aggrediendo circ.u.magere immobilem longitudine et gravitate hastam cogas, confusa strue implicantur: si vero aut ab latere aut ab tergo aliquid tumultus increpuit, ruinae modo turbantur. Sicut tum adversus catervatim {10} incurrentes Romanos et interrupta multifariam acie obviam ire cogebantur, et Romani, quac.u.mque data intervalla essent, insinuabant ordines suos. . . . Diu phalanx a fronte, a lateribus, ab tergo caesa est; postremo, qui ex hostium manibus elapsi erant, {15} inermes ad mare fugientes, quidam aquam etiam ingressi, ma.n.u.s ad eos, qui in cla.s.se erant tendentes, suppliciter vitam orabant; et c.u.m scaphas concurrere undique ab navibus cernerent, ad excipiendos sese venire rati, ut caperent potius quam occiderent, {20} longius in aquam, quidam etiam natantes, progressi sunt. Sed c.u.m hostiliter e scaphis caederentur, retro, qui poterant, nando repetentes terram, in aliam foediorem pestem incidebant. Elephanti enim, ab rectoribus ad litus acti, exeuntes obterebant {25} elidebantque.

LIVY, xliv. 41, 42.

[Linenotes: 1. +In medio ... immissa+ = _On the centre the second legion charged_ (+immissa+), i.e. into the interstices of the phalanx, which was not preserving its usual close order. --Rawlins.

4-6. +fluctuantem ... vires sunt+ = _first demoralised the phalanx so as to make it waver_, (+fluctuantem+), _and then shattered it.

Its (aggressive) force, so long as it keeps close order and bristles with couched_ (+intentis+) _spears, is irresistible_ (+intolerabiles+).

6. +carptim aggrediendo+ = _by repeated hara.s.sing attacks_.

10. +ruinae modo+ = _in hopeless confusion_. --R.

17. +cla.s.se.+ The Roman fleet under Octavius was co-operating with the army.]

+Results of the Battle+. Perseus was captured, and his kingdom was divided into four independent parts. The Macedonian phalanx had fought its last great battle.

+Character of Paulus+. 'He was a model of the Roman of the best time. He was not, like his contemporary Cato, a onesided wors.h.i.+pper of everything old; but he was a Conservative in the best sense of the word, anxious to preserve old inst.i.tutions, but at the same time to improve them.'

--Ihne.

C48

THIRD PUNIC WAR, 149-146 B.C.

_Destruction of Carthage, 146 B.C._

Manilio deinde consule terra marique fervebat obsidio. Operti portus, nudatus est primus et sequens, iam et tertius murus, c.u.m tamen Byrsa, quod nomen arci fuit, quasi altera civitas resistebat. Quamvis profligato urbis excidio tamen fatale Africae nomen {5} Scipionum videbatur. Igitur in alium Scipionem conversa respublica finem belli reposcebat. Sed quem ad modum maxime mortiferi morsus solent esse morientium bestiarum, sic plus negoti fuit c.u.m semiruta Carthagine quam c.u.m integra. Compulsis {10} in unam arcem hostibus portum quoque mari Roma.n.u.s obstruxerat. Illi alterum sibi portum ab alia urbis parte foderunt, nec ut fugerent; sed qua nemo illos nec evadere posse credebat, inde quasi enata subito cla.s.sis erupit, c.u.m interim iam diebus, {15} iam noctibus nova aliqua moles, nova machina, nova perditorum hominum ma.n.u.s quasi ex obruto incendio subita de cineribus flamma prodibat. Deploratis novissime rebus triginta s.e.x milia virorum se dederunt quod minus credas--duce Hasdrubale. {20}

FLORUS, II. xv. 11-17 (sel.).

+Context.+ An Emba.s.sy was sent from Rome in 157 B.C. to inquire into the affairs of Africa. Among its members was M. Porcius Cato, who, astonished and alarmed at the flouris.h.i.+ng condition of Carthage, returned to Rome with the firm conviction that Carthage must be destroyed--_delenda est Carthago_. A pretext was soon found in the war (151 B.C.) between Carthage and Masinissa, King of Numidia, the ally of Rome. Though the Carthaginians surrendered all their arms and munitions of war, Rome declared that they would have to leave their city and settle ten miles from the sea. The Carthaginians resolved to die rather than give up the sacred soil of their country.

[Linenotes: 5. +profligato+ = _almost finished_.

6. +in alium Scipionem+, i.e. P. Corn. Scipio Aemilia.n.u.s Africa.n.u.s Minor, the younger son of Aemilius Paulus (of Pydna) and adopted by P. Scipio, the son of the conqueror of Hannibal.

12. +alterum portum+, i.e. they pierced the narrow strip of land separating the round naval port (Cothon) from the sea.

18. +deploratis+ = _was looked upon as lost_, lit. _wept for bitterly_.

20. +duce Hasdrubale:+ 'Hasdrubal seems to have deserved the name of _the last Carthaginian_ in the best sense of the word, as a representative of the intensity of the strength, endurance, and patriotism of his race.' --Ihne.]

'The plough was drawn over the site of destroyed Carthage, and a solemn curse was p.r.o.nounced against anyone who should ever undertake to build a new town on that spot.' --Ihne.

+Africa made a Roman Province.+