pro certo habete priora bella adversus deos magis quam homines gessisse, hoc quod instat ducibus ipsis dis gesturos." 2. Haec non laeta magis quam vera vaticinatus exercitu 1 educto circa Caudium castra quam potest occultissime locat; inde ad Calatiam, ubi iam consules Romanos castra- 2 que esse audiebat, milites decem pastorum habitu mittit pecoraque diversos, alium alibi, haud procul Romanis pascere iubet praesidiis; ubi inciderint in praedatores, ut 3 idem omnibus sermo constet: legiones Samnitium in Apulia esse, Luceriam omnibus copiis circumsedere, nec procul abesse, quin vi capiant. Iam is rumor, et ante de 4 industria vulgatus, venerat ad Romanos, sed fidem auxere captivi, eo maxime, quod sermo inter omnes congruebat. Haud erat dubium, quin Lucerinis opem Romanus ferret, 5 bonis ac fidelibus sociis, simul ne Apulia omnis ad praesentem terrorem deficeret; ea modo, qua irent, consultatio 6 fuit. Duae ad Luceriam ferebant viae, altera praeter oram superi maris, patens apertaque, sed quanto tutior, tanto 7 fere longior, altera per furculas Caudinas, brevior. Sed ita natus locus est: saltus duo alti, angusti silvosique sunt, montibus circa perpetuis inter se iuncti; iacet inter eos the Apulians had entered into alliance with Rome in 326, but had revolted in 323; we are not informed as to the action of Luceria, but, to explain this passage, we must assume that it had not participated in the revolt, or that it had been conquered and had renewed the alliance. The adjectives bonis and fidelibus make the former explanation the more probable. — simul: introducing a second reason for their decision; the first is given in bonis . . . sociis. -- 31, I. ad: see on 5, 37, 5 and cf. 7, -ea consultatio = consultatio de ea re; cf. 3, 34, 7 ea expectatio. 6. altera .. maris to reach this road and avoid Samnium altogether, a long detour would have been necessary, through Campania, southern Latium, and the countries of the Marsi, Paeligni, and Frentani. The shorter road led directly across Samnium. The distance from Calatia by the longer road was approximately 175 miles, by the shorter 65 miles. - patens apertaque: wide and open. - furculas Caudinas: usually identified with a narrow defile between the modern villages of Arpaja and Montesarchio, the latter probably occupying the site of the ancient Caudium. 7. natus: formed by nature; cf. 22, 4, 2. - saltus duo etc. the topography is not unlike that of the battleground at Lake Trasumennus (cf. 22, 4, 2), except that here there are mountains on the south as well as on the north. The road passes through a defile, emerges into an inclosed plain, then enters a second defile. — circa for the attributive use of the adv. cf. 21, 37, 2, and for the meaning, on both sides, cf. 26, 11, 7. inter se iuncti: i.e. unbroken chains of mountains extended on both sides from the beginning of the first defile to the end of the second. Livy was evidently not familiar with the region. The first defile was probably the valley now called Valle Caudina. The campus was the opening through which runs the little river Isclero (see § 13); here there was a break in the mountains on the north, of which Livy did not know, and we satis patens, clausus in medio, campus herbidus aquosusque, per quem medium iter est; sed antequam venias ad 8 eum, intrandae primae angustiae sunt, et aut eadem qua te insinuaveris retro via repetenda aut, si ire porro pergas, per alium saltum, artiorem inpeditioremque, evadendum. In eum campum via alia per cavam rupem Romani de- 9 misso agmine cum ad alias angustias protinus pergerent, saeptas deiectu arborum saxorumque ingentium obiacente mole invenere. Cum fraus hostilis adparuisset, praesidium etiam in summo saltu conspicitur. Citati inde retro qua 10 venerant pergunt repetere viam; eam quoque clausam sua obice armisque inveniunt. Sistunt inde gradum sine ullius imperio, stuporque omnium animos ac velut torpor quidam insolitus membra tenet, intuentesque alii alios, cum al- 11 terum quisque conpotem magis mentis ac consili ducerent, diu inmobiles silent; deinde, ubi praetoria consulum erigi 12 videre et expedire quosdam utilia operi, quamquam ludibrio fore munientes perditis rebus ac spe omni adempta cerne are therefore not told how that was guarded. The second defile was the one in which Montesarchio is located. — patens: broad; cf. § 6. in medio: the substantive use of this adj. is very common in Livy; cf. 5, 41, 2. 8. venias: see on Praef. 10. angustiae: note how repetition is avoided by the use of angustiae, via, and saltus, all referring to the same thing.—ire pergas: cf. 21, 30, I. - alium: for alterum; cf. I, 25, 5; so alia and alias in the next section. 10. citati: adj. for adv.; see on Praef. II and cf. 2, 10, 3 citatos decurrere hostes vidisset. sua: referring to via. - armisque: there was a body of Samnites at this end also. II. alterum quisque an unusual combination; each one regarded his neighbor. 12, fore: sc. se as subject. 13 bant, tamen, ne culpam malis adderent, pro se quisque nec hortante ullo nec imperante ad muniendum versi castra propter aquam vallo circumdant, sua ipsi opera laborem14 que inritum, praeterquam quod hostes superbe increpabant, 15 cum miserabili confessione eludentes. Ad consules maestos, ne advocantes quidem in consilium, quando nec consilio nec auxilio locus esset, sua sponte legati ac tribuni conveniunt, militesque ad praetorium versi opem, quam vix di inmortales ferre poterant, ab ducibus exposcunt. 3. Querentes magis quam consultantes nox oppressit, cum pro ingenio quisque fremerent, alius: "per obices viarum, per adversa montium, per silvas, qua ferri arma 2 poterunt, eamus, modo ad hostem pervenire liceat, quem per annos iam prope triginta vincimus; omnia aequa et plana erunt Romano in perfidum Samnitem pugnanti;" 13. propter aquam: see on § 7. 14. praeterquam quod: besides the fact that. eludentes: deriding. 15. legati: these had at this time no well-defined official position, but accompanied a general as his advisers, and were assigned at times to the command of a part of the army. A legatus in this capacity is mentioned by Livy as early as 499 (2, 20, 8). — tribuni: there were six of these for each legion, young men of senatorial or equestrian rank. After the beginning of the civil wars, a legatus commanded each legion, the tribunes serving as his staff. — praetorium: the particular one in which the officers had gathered; cf. § 12. 3. 1. pro ingenio: according |