(1) Interiectō annō contrā Pyrrhum Fābricius est missus, quī prius inter lēgātōs sollicitārī nōn potuerat quārtā rēgnī parte prōmissā.
(2) Tum, cum vīcīna castra ipse et rēx habērent, medicus Pyrrhī nocte ad eum vēnit, prōmittēns venēnō sē Pyrrhum occīsūrum, sī sibi aliquid pollicērētur. Quem Fābricius vinctum redūcī iussit ad dominum Pyrrhōque dīcī quae contrā caput ēius medicus spopondisset. Tum rēx admīrātus eum dīxisse fertur:
(3) “Ille est Fābricius, quī difficilius ab honestāte quam sōl ā cūrsū suō āvertī potest.” Tum rēx ad Siciliam profectus est. Fābricius victīs Lūcānīs et Samnītibus triumphāvit.
(4) Cōnsulēs deinde M. Curius Dentātus et Cornēlius Lentulus adversum Pyrrhum missī sunt. Curius contrā eum pūgnāvit, exercitum ēius cecīdit, ipsum Tarentum fugāvit, castra cēpit.
(5) Eā diē caesa hostium vīgintī tria mīlia. Curius in cōnsulātū triumphāvit. Prīmus Rōmam elephantōs quattuor dūxit. Pyrrhus etiam ā Tarentō mox recessit et apud Argōs, Graeciae cīvitātem, occīsus est.
notes
Fabricius; Battle of Beneventum, 275 BCE
(1) Interiectō annō: ablative absolute using perfect passive participle (AG 419)
quārtā rēgnī parte prōmissā: ablative absolute using perfect passive participle (AG 419). For the anecdote about Pyrrhus' bribe and C. Fābricius Luscīnus' integrity, see Brev. 2.12.
(2) cum vīcīna castra ipse et rēx habērent: cum here is causal (AG 544), and ipse refers to Fabricius.
ad eum: Fābricium
prōmittēns venēnō sē Pyrrhum occīsūrum: indirect discourse using a future active infinitive occīsūrum signaled by prōmittēns (AG 577 LS prōmittō). English word order would be prōmittēns sē occīsūrum esse Pyrrhum venēnō.
sī sibi aliquid pollicērētur: "if he were promised something in return." Present Contrary to Fact condition (AG 514.C.1). Aliquid is odd usage, and should read quid after sī, nisi, num or nē in Classical Latin (AG 149.b).
Quem: connecting relative referring to medicus (AG 308.f)
ad dominum: indicating that the physician was a slave, as was usual at that time (Hazzard)
quae contrā caput ēius medicus spopondisset: "what his doctor had promised in exchange for his life." Caput here is metonymy for "life" (LS caput III.1.a). Spopondisset, pluperfect subjunctive form of spondeo in an indirect question (AG 574)
(3) Ille est Fābricius, quī difficilius ab honestāte quam sōl ā cūrsū suō āvertī potest: English word order: Ille est Fābricius, quī difficilius potest āvertī ab honestāte quam sōl potest āvertī ā cūrsū suō.
ad Siciliam profectus est: Pyrrhus sailed for Sicily in the autumn of 278 BCE and campaigned there until autumn 276 BCE (Bird).
victīs Lūcānīs et Samnītibus: ablative absolute using perfect passive participle (AG 419). The Lucanians and the Samnites were nations living to the south of Rome.
triumphāvit: for more information on triumphs, see triumphs
(4) M. Curius Dentātus et Cornēlius Lentulus: In 275 BCE Manius Curius Dentatus met Pyrrhus at Malventum (Beneventum) and withstood his attack, allowing the other consul, Cornelius Lentulus Caudinus, to threaten to outflank the king. Pyrrhus was forced to withdraw to Tarentum. The following year he left Italy and was killed two years later in street fighting in Argos (Bird).
contrā eum: Pyrrhum
exercitum ēius cecīdit: from caedō, not cadō, referring to Pyrrhus' army
ipsum: Pyrrhum
fugāvit: from fugō, not fugiō
(5) caesa: supply sunt
Prīmus Rōmam elephantōs quattuor dūxit: Fabricius' triumph included elephants because this was the first time that Romans encountered them on a military campaign (Brev. 2.11).
vocabulary
Core Vocabulary | Numbers | Dates
| sollicitō, āre, āvī, ātus [sollicitus, agitated] |
to urge, incite, tempt, solicit |
|
| Fābricius, ī, m. |
(C.) Fābricius (Luscīnus), a Roman statesman and general, prominent in the war with Pyrrhus; consul 283 and 278 B.C. |
|
| medicus, ī [medeor, to heal], m. | a physician, surgeon | |
| venēnum, ī, n. | poison | |
| polliceor, ērī, itus sum | to promise, volunteer | |
| redūcō, ere, dūxī, ductus |
to lead back; draw back; remove |
|
| spondeō, ēre, spopondō, spōnsus | to promise | |
| honestās, ātis [honestus], f. | honor, virtue | |
| āvertō, ere, ī, versus |
to turn away or aside, avert, divert |
|
| Sicilia, ae, f. | the island of Sicily | |
| Lūcānī, ōrum, pl. m. | the inhabitants of Lucania | |
| Samnītēs, um, Gr. acc. pl. Samnītas, pl. m. |
the Samnites, a branch of the Sabine race inhabiting the mountains southeast of Latium |
|
| triumphō, āre, āvī, ātus | to celebrate a triumph | |
| M. |
M., abbreviation of the praenomen Marcus; M'., abbreviation of the praenomen Manius |
|
| Curius, ī., m. | the name of a Roman gens | |
| Dentātus, ī, m. |
M. Curius Dentātus, consul 290 and 275 B.C. |
|
| Cornēlius, ī, m. |
the name of a large and important gens at Rome. See Asina, Cinna, Dolābella, Faustus, Fuscus, Galbus, Lentulus, Rūfinus, Scīpiō, Sulla. |
|
| Lentulus, ī, m. |
the name of a Roman family. (1) (L.) Cornēlius Lentulus, consul 275 B.C.; (2) L. Cornēlius Lentulus, consul 237 B.C.; (3) P. Cornēlius Lentulus, consul 71 B.C. |
|
| Tarentum, ī, n. |
a flourishing Greek city on the southern coast of Italy |
|
| cōnsulātus, ūs [cōnsul], m. | consulate, consulship | |
| elephantus, ī, m. | elephant | |
| Argī, ōrum, pl. m. |
the city of Argos in the eastern part of the Peloponnesus |