258. et…casus…et…dimicatio (260): both subjs. of moverat.
259. casus: here, experience.
texisset…superessent (260): the reasons for dispatching ambassadors expressed in these two cls. are those Livy attributes to Porsenna (eum) and not his own, hence the SUBJUNCT. OF QUOTED REASON.
260. subeunda dimicatio: freely, having to undergo an assault.
“Mucius Scaevola Confronting King Porsenna” Bernardo Cavallino 1650 Kimbell Art Museum Fort Worth, Texas
Kimbell Art Museum/CORBIS.
The terrified Porsenna offers to make peace with Rome.
Tunc Mucius quasi remunerans meritum, “Quando quidem,” inquit, “est apud te virtuti honos, ut beneficio tuleris a me quod minis nequisti: trecenti coniuravimus principes iuventutis Romanae ut in te hac via grassaremur. Mea prima sors fuit; ceteri, 255 ut cuiusque ceciderit primi, quoad te opportunum fortuna dederit, suo quisque tempore aderunt.” Mucium dimissum, cui postea Scaevolae a clade dextrae manus cognomen inditum, legati a Porsenna Romam secuti sunt: adeo moverat eum et primi periculi casus, a quo nihil se praeter errorem insidiatoris texisset, et 260 subeunda dimicatio totiens quot coniurati superessent, ut pacis condiciones ultro ferret Romanis. (II. 11.1–13.2, excerpts)
“Romulus and Remus Given Shelter by Faustulus” Pietro da Cortona, 17th century Louvre, Paris, France
Réunion des Musées Nationaux/Art Resource, NY.
2. in se convertit: attracted to him.
Hamilcarem:Hamilcar Barca, father of Hannibal and a Carthaginian general in the First Punic War (264–241 B.C.).
3. veteres milites: veterans of the First Punic War, nom. subj. of the HISTORICAL INFS. credere and intueri.
vigorem in vultu vimque: ALLITERATION, just one of the many poetic features of Livy’s style, adds emphasis; cp. the Eng. expression “vim and vigor.”
4. habitum oris: expression.
lineamenta: lineamentum,line, (pl.) (facial) features.
intueri: here, they beheld, saw.
brevi: sc. tempore.
5. pater in se: the father (Hamilcar) in him, i.e., his similarity to his father.
momentum: here, influence, importance; PRED. NOUN.
6. parendum…imperandum (7): gerunds in appos. with res.
7. habilius: habilis, handy, fit, skillful.
discerneres: POTENTIAL SUBJUNCT. in the indef. 2nd pers. sg., you could decide.
8. Hasdrubal: son-in-law of Hamilcar, and the general currently in command of Spain; subj. of malle.
9. praeficere: to put in command.
quid:anything.
10. agendum esset: Livy uses the impf. and plpf. subjunct. to indicate repeated action; hence ubi = whenever.
alio duce: ABL. ABS.
11. capessenda: capessere, to seize eagerly, enter upon.
12. erat: sc. ei; i.e., he had.
13. caloris: calor, heat.
patientia par: sc. erat; forms of esse are omitted from several of the following cls., accelerating the narrative.
cibi potionisque (14): with modus, measure or, here, consumption; Livy has Stoic ideals in mind.
14. vigiliarum somnique (15): with tempora; the word order deliberately parallels that of cibi…modus above.
15. discriminata: were separated/demarcated.
id quod (16): i.e., id tempus quod.
16. gerendis rebus: dat. with the compound vb. superesset; lit., that (time) which was more than enough for doing things = that (time) which was not required for things which had to be done.
ea: i.e., quies.
