(1) Cēnsus iterum habitus est. Et cum Latīnī, quī ā Rōmānīs subāctī erant, mīlitēs praestāre nōllent, ex Rōmānīs tantum tīrōnēs lēctī sunt, factaeque legiōnēs decem, quī modus sexāgintā vel amplius armātōrum mīlia efficiēbat. Parvīs adhūc Rōmānīs rēbus tanta tamen in rē mīlitārī virtūs erat.
(2) Quae cum profectae essent adversum Gallōs duce L. Fūriō, quīdam ex Gallīs ūnum ex Rōmānīs, quī esset optimus, prōvocāvit.
(3) Tum sē M. Valerius tribūnus mīlitum obtulit, et cum prōcessisset armātus corvus eī suprā dextrum bracchium sēdit.
(4) Mox, commissā adversum Gallum pūgnā, īdem corvus ālīs et unguibus Gallī oculōs verberāvit, nē rectum posset aspicere. Ita ā tribūnō Valeriō interfectus. Nōn sōlum victōriam eī, sed etiam nōmen dedit: nam posteā īdem Corvīnus est dictus. Ac propter hoc meritum annōrum trium et vīgintī cōnsul est factus.
notes
Marcus Valerius Corvinus gets his cognomen (349 BCE)
(1) Cēnsus: on the Roman census, see census
mīlitēs praestāre nōllent: in 349 BCE Gallic raiding parties and Greek pirates compelled the Romans to demand Latin troops, but the Latins refused. The Romans raised ten legions of 4,500 men each. One of the consuls, Appius Claudius, died, leaving the command to L. Furius Camillus, the other consul (Bird).
factaeque: supply sunt
quī modus ... efficiēbat: "a force which produced" (Hazzard), lit., "a quantity which"
Parvīs adhūc Rōmānīs rēbus: "although up to this time the Roman state was small" (Hazzard), concessive ablative absolute with form of the verb esse assumed (AG 419.a). Here and elsewhere, Eutropius uses rēs (pl.) for rēs pūblica. See LS rēs II.K.2.
(2) Quae: connecting relative referring to legiōnēs (AG 308.f)
duce L. Fūriō: "L. Furius being the leader" = "under the leadership of L. Furius" (Hazzard), ablative absolute with form of esse assumed (AG 419.a)
unum ex Rōmānīs: cardinal numerals (except mīlia) regularly take the ablative with ē (ex) or dē instead of the partitive genitive (AG 346.c)
quī esset optimus: "whoever was the best" (Hazzard), relative clause of characteristic (AG 534)
(3) M. Valerius tribūnus mīlitum: on military tribunes, see military tribunes. Similar to the story of T. Manlius Torquatus in the previous chapter (Brev. 2.5), Eutropius provides the story of how Marcus Valerius Corvus ("the Raven") received his name.
(4) commissā adversum Gallum pūgnā: ablative absolute using a perfect passive participle (AG 419)
nē rectum posset aspicere: "so that he could not see properly" (Bird), referring to the Gallus. The negative purpose clause (AG 531), attributes intention to the crow.
interfectus: supply est
Nōn sōlum...sed etiam: "Not only...but also..." idiomatic expression showing a parallel construction
annōrum trium et vīgintī: by a law passed in 181 BCE, the minimum legal age of the consulship was fixed at forty-three. There were exceptions made, as in the case of Cn. Pompeius, who was elected consul when he was thirty-six years old (Hazzard).
vocabulary
Core Vocabulary | Numbers | Dates
| cēnsus, ūs [cēnseō, to value], m. |
the census, an enumeration and classification of the people according to wealth |
| Latīnī, ōrum, pl. m. | the Latins |
| subigō, ere, ēgī, āctus |
to drive under, put down, conquer |
| mīlitāris, e [mīles], adj. |
military; as subst., a soldier; rēs mīlitāris, the art of war, military operations |
| tīrō, ōnis, m. | a recruit; beginner |
| armātus, i, m. | an armed man, a soldier, = miles |
| Gallus, a, um |
pertaining to Gaul. Gallī, ōrum, pl. m., the Gauls. |
| Fūrius, ī, m. |
the name of a Roman gens |
| prōvocō, āre, āvī, ātus | to challenge |
| M. |
M., abbreviation of the praenomen Marcus; M'., abbreviation of the praenomen Manius 3 |
| Valerius, ī, m. | the name of a Roman gens. |
| armō, āre, āvī, ātus [arma] |
to arm, equip; ārmatī, armed men, soldiers |
| corvus, ī, m. | a raven |
| bracchium, ī, n. | an arm |
| āla, ae, f. | a wing, flank 4 |
| unguis, is, m. | a nail, hoof, claw |
| verberō, āre, āvī, ātus [verber, lash] | to whip, scourge, beat |
| rēctus, a, um [regō], adj. | straight, direct |
| Corvīnus, ī, m. |
M. Valerius Corvīnus, twice dictator, six times consul |
| meritum, ī, n. | service |