Datur signum infestisque armis, velut acies, terni iuvenes magnorum exercituum animos gerentes concurrunt. Ut primo statim concursu increpuere arma micantesque fulsere gladii, 75 horror ingens spectantis perstringit; et neutro inclinata spe, torpebat vox spiritusque. Consertis deinde manibus, cum iam non motus tantum corporum agitatioque anceps telorum armorumque sed vulnera quoque et sanguis spectaculo essent, duo Romani super alium alius, vulneratis tribus Albanis, expirantes 80 corruerunt. Ad quorum casum cum conclamasset gaudio Albanus exercitus, Romanas legiones iam spes tota, nondum tamen cura deseruerat, exanimes vice unius quem tres Curiatii circumsteterant. Forte is integer fuit, ut universis solus nequaquam par, sic adversus singulos ferox. Ergo ut segregaret pugnam eorum, 85 capessit fugam, ita ratus secuturos ut quemque vulnere adfectum corpus sineret. Iam aliquantum spatii ex eo loco ubi pugnatum est aufugerat, cum respiciens videt magnis intervallis sequentes, unum haud procul ab sese abesse. In eum magno impetu rediit, et dum Albanus exercitus inclamat Curiatiis uti 90 opem ferant fratri, iam Horatius, caeso hoste victor, secundam pugnam petebat. Tum clamore, qualis ex insperato faventium solet, Romani adiuvant militem suum et ille defungi proelio festinat. Prius itaque quam alter, qui nec procul aberat, consequi posset, et alterum Curiatium conficit. Iamque aequato Marte 95 singuli supererant, sed nec spe nec viribus pares. Alterum intactum ferro corpus et geminata victoria ferocem in certamen tertium dabat; alter, fessum vulnere, fessum cursu trahens corpus victusque 100 fratrum ante se strage, victori obicitur hosti. Nec illud proelium fuit. Romanus exsultans “Duos,” inquit, “fratrum manibus dedi; tertium causae belli huiusce, ut Romanus Albano imperet, dabo.” Male sustinenti arma gladium superne iugulo defigit; iacentem spoliat.
85. capessit: from capere + the desiderative infix -ess-, which indicates eagerness. ita…ut: in such a way as, i.e., as quickly as; ut in this sense ordinarily takes an indic. but here introduces sineret (from sinere, to allow), subjunct. in a SUBORDINATE CL. WITHIN IND. STATE.
ratus: reri,to think, suppose.
secuturos: i.e., eos secuturos esse.
86. aliquantum spatii: some distance, ACC. OF EXTENT OF SPACE + PARTITIVE GEN.
87. videt…sequentes (88): sc. eos.
88. sequentes…abesse: note the easy shift from partic. phrase to IND. STATE.
procul: adv., far off, at a distance.
89. uti: a common alternate form of ut.
90. caeso: caedere, to cut, beat, slay.
91. qualis…solet (92): i.e., qualis clamor ex insperato faventium (from favere, to support, favor) esse solet, freely, such as is customary of supporters at an unexpected turn of events.
ex insperato: lit., out of the unhoped for.
93. prius…quam: priusquam is often separated into its component elements, as here.
alter…alterum (94):the one (the more distant of the two remaining Curiatii)…the other (the closer of the two).
94. et: as often, = etiam, also, i.e., as well as the first brother.
conficit: conficere,to accomplish, finish, destroy, kill.
Marte: here, as often, fight, contest.
95. singuli: one on each side.
alterum: i.e., Horatius; the word must be obj. of dabat, since both in position and in usage it balances alter at the beginning of the next cl.
intactum…corpus et geminata victoria (96): both are nom., subj. of dabat.
96. ferocem: OBJ. COMPL. with alterum, the phrase neatly surrounding the compound subj.
97. fessum…fessum: weary, exhausted; ANAPHORA and ASYNDETON effectively intensify the scene’s pathos.
98. strage: strages, ruin, slaughter, with fratrum, OBJ. GEN.
obicitur: reflexive use of the pass. (sometimes called the MIDDLE VOICE), indicating the subj. acting upon himself; lit., is cast before = casts himself before, opposes.
nec…fuit (99): i.e., the fight was so one-sided, it was not a real contest.
100. manibus: manes, shades, ghosts; the two slain Curiatii he regards as a kind of sacrifice to the dead, as in the case of Achilles’ slaying of Hector.
huiusce: the suffix -ce intensifies the demonstrative.
101. male: here, scarcely, with difficulty; the rapidity of this final sentence pathetically harmonizes with the words nec illud proelium fuit.
sustinenti: sc. ei, DAT. OF REF.
superne: adv., from above.
102. iugulo: iugulum, throat; sc. in. Like some other writers, especially the poets, Livy frequently omits a prep. where one would ordinarily be expected in class. Lat.
defigit: defigere,to fix, fasten, drive down.
spoliat: spoliare,to strip, despoil, rob; stripping the armor from a victim was common practice.
103. ovantes: ovare, to rejoice, exult.
eo maiore…quo (104):all the greater as.
104. res: the matter, i.e., the fight.
sepulturam: sepultura,burial.
106. alteri…alteri: the one group…the other group.
aucti: augere,to increase, enlarge, or here exalt.
dicionis alienae facti:subjected to foreign control; PRED. GEN. OF POSSESSION, a construction found often in Livy.
