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42. The same year Lucius Duronius, who had been praetor the year before, returned from Illyricum to Brundisium with ten ships. Thence, leaving the ships in port, he went to Rome, and in the course of his narrative of what he had done there he pointed in no uncertain manner at Gentius, king of the Illyrians,1 as the cause of all the brigandage by sea: [2] from his kingdom, he said, came all the ships which had ravaged the coast of the upper sea; he had sent ambassadors about these matters, but there had been no opportunity to meet the king. [3] Envoys had come to Rome from Gentius, who said that at the time the Romans had come to interview the king he had [p. 133]happened to be ill in the farthest part of the kingdom:2 Gentius asked the senate not to believe the spurious charges which his enemies had made against him. [4] Duronius added to this a statement that many Roman citizens and allies of the Latin confederacy had suffered injury in his kingdom, and that Roman citizens were said to be detained at Corcyra.3 [5] It was decided that all these should be brought to Rome, that the praetor Gaius Claudius should investigate, and that until this was done a reply should not be given to King Gentius or his ambassadors.

[6] Among many others whom the pestilence of that year carried off a number of priests also died. Lucius Valerius Flaccus the pontiff died: also Quintus Fabius Labeo was chosen in his place. [7] Publius Manlius, who had only recently returned from Farther Spain, the triumvir epulo,4 died, and in his stead Quintus Fulvius the son of Marcus, who still wore the dress of boyhood,5 was coöpted triumvir. [8] In the matter of choosing a rex sacrificulus6 to replace Gnaeus Cornelius Dolabella, there was a dispute between Gaius Servilius the pontifex maximus and Lucius Cornelius Dolabella7 the duumvir navalis, whom the pontifex ordered to resign his office that he might install him in the priesthood.8 [9] When he refused to do this, the pontifex assessed a fine against the duumvir and about this act there was [p. 135]a contest before the assembly after he had appealed.9 10 When several tribes had already been called in to vote, were now ordering [10??] the duumvir to be obedient to the pontifex and the fine to be remitted if he should have resigned his magistracy, an unfavourable sign11 from heaven intervened and adjourned the assembly. Therefore the priests felt a scruple against inaugurating Dolabella. They installed as priest Publius Cloelius Siculus, who had been second on the list of nominees [11] for the office.12 At the end of the year the pontifex maximus Gaius Servilius Geminus also died; he had also been a decemvir in [12] charge of sacrifices. As a pontiff in his place the college coöpted Quintus Fulvius Flaccus:13 then Marcus Aemilius Lepidus was elected pontifex maximus, although many distinguished men were candidates;14 and as decemvir in charge of sacrifices, in place of the same Servilius, Quintus Marcius Philippus was coöpted. Also the augur Spurius Postumius Albinus died; to replace him the augurs coöpted Publius Scipio the [13] son of Africanus.

The Cumaeans that year asked and were granted the privilege of using the Latin language officially, and the auctioneers that of conducting their sales in Latin.15

1 Polybius (XXXII. xviii) calls him more exactly king of the Dalmatians.

2 B.C. 180

3 The Illyrian city of Corcyra (κόρκυρα) seems to be meant, not the island (κέρκυρα).

4 This college had charge of sacrificial feasts.

5 This Fulvius, who was not old enough to assume the dress of manhood (toga virilis), may have been the son of the M. Fulvius of xxx. 4 above.

6 The title indicates that he performed some of the religious duties originally belonging to the king.

7 Dolabella was not one of the duumvirs named in xxvi. 8 above, and a later election Livy may have omitted to mention.

8 This priesthood was incompatible with public office and with military duties.

9 Cf. XXXVII. Ii. 1-6 and the notes.

10 B.C. 180

11 An unfavourable omen —usually thunder or lightning — always caused the adjournment of an assembly. This assembly had met as a final court of appeal.

12 The colleges of pontiffs conducted a sort of preferential ballot. The pontifex maximus then selected the nominee, normally the one who had the largest number of votes. If he proved ineligible, as in this instance, the second was chosen, and so on.

13 Probably, though not certainly, the Flaccus who had just returned from Spain.

14 Only members of the college of pontiffs were eligible to election as pontifex maximus.

15 The Cumaeans were cives sine suffragio, and such communities were, it seems, allowed to use Latin officially only by special action. Their native language had become Oscan.

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load focus Notes (W. Weissenborn, 1875)
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load focus Latin (Evan T. Sage, Ph.D. and Alfred C. Schlesinger, Ph.D., 1938)
load focus English (Rev. Canon Roberts, 1912)
load focus Latin (W. Weissenborn, H. J. Müller, 1911)
load focus English (William A. McDevitte, Sen. Class. Mod. Ex. Schol. A.B.T.C.D., 1850)
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  • Commentary references to this page (23):
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 31-32, commentary, 31.2
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 31-32, commentary, 31.50
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 33-34, commentary, 33.42
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 35-38, commentary, 37.12
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 35-38, commentary, 37.43
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 35-38, commentary, 37.51
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 35-38, commentary, 37.51
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 39-40, commentary, 39.45
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 39-40, commentary, 39.46
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 41-42, commentary, 41.1
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 41-42, commentary, 41.10
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 41-42, commentary, 41.28
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 41-42, commentary, 42.3
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 41-42, commentary, 42.37
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 41-42, commentary, 42.45
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 43-44, commentary, 43.5
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 43-44, commentary, 43.9
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 43-44, commentary, 44.30
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, books 43-44, commentary, 44.44
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, book 45, commentary, 45.29
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, book 45, commentary, 45.36
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, book 45, commentary, 45.43
    • Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita libri, erklärt von M. Weissenborn, book 45, commentary, 45.43
  • Cross-references to this page (43):
  • Cross-references in general dictionaries to this page (5):
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