The History of Rome, Books 37 to the End: with the Epitomes and Fragments of the Lost BooksLivy
History
The History of Rome, Books 37 to the End: with the Epitomes and Fragments of the Lost Books
Livy
Rome -- History
59. At the same time, when an audience of the senate, in the temple of
Apollo outside the city, was granted to Lucius Æmilius Regillus, who,
with the fleet, had defeated the admiral of king Antiochus; after
hearing the recital of his services, with what great fleets of the enemy
he had engaged, how many of their ships he had sunk or taken, a naval
triumph was voted him by the unanimous consent of the fathers. He
triumphed on the calends of February. In this procession were carried
forty-nine golden crowns; the quantity of money was by no means so great
considering the appearance of the triumph over the king, being only
thirty-four thousand seven hundred Attic tetradrachms,[11] and one
hundred and thirty-two thousand three hundred cistophoruses.[12]
Supplications were then performed, by order of the senate, in
consideration of the successful services to the state, achieved in Spain
by Lucius Æmilius Paulus. Not long after, Lucius Scipio arrived in the
city; and, that he might not be inferior to his brother in point of a
surname, he chose to be called Asiaticus. He spoke largely of his
services both before the senate and a general assembly. There were some
who judged that the war was greater by fame than by real difficulty; for
it was terminated entirely by one memorable engagement; and that the
glory of that victory had been stripped of its bloom at Thermopylæ. But,
to any person judging impartially, it must appear, that the light at
Thermopylæ was with the Ætolians, rather than with the king. For with
how small a portion of his own strength did Antiochus engage in that
battle! whereas, in the other, in Asia, the strength of the whole
Asiatic continent stood combined; for he had collected auxiliaries of
all nations from the most remote quarters of the east. Justly,
therefore, were the greatest possible honours paid to the immortal gods,
for having rendered a most important victory easy in the acquisition;
and a triumph was decreed to the commander. He triumphed in the
intercalary month, the day before the calends of March; which triumph
was greater in the display to the eye than that of Africanus his
brother, yet if we recall to our memory the circumstances, and estimate
the dangers and difficulty, it was no more to be compared to it, than if
you would contrast one general with the other, Antiochus with Hannibal.
He carried, in his triumph, military standards, two hundred and
thirty-four; models of towns, one hundred and thirty-four; elephants’
teeth, one thousand two hundred and thirty; crowns of gold, two hundred
and twenty-four: pounds-weight of silver, one hundred and thirty-seven
thousand four hundred and twenty; Attic tetradrachms, two hundred and
twenty-four thousand;[13] cistophoruses, three hundred and thirty-one
thousand and seventy;[14] gold pieces, called Philippians, one hundred
and forty thousand;[15] silver vases, all engraved, to the amount of one
thousand four hundred and twenty-four pounds’ weight; of golden vases,
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