[666] Pomptinus had been waiting outside Rome for some years to get his triumph (see p. [309]). The negant latum de imperio must refer to a lex curiata originally conferring his imperium, which his opponents alleged had not been passed. The insulse latum refers to the law now passed granting him the triumph in spite of this. This latter was passed by the old trick of the prætor appearing in the campus before daybreak to prevent obnuntiatio. The result was that the tribunes interrupted the procession, which led to fighting and bloodshed (Dio, 39, 65).
[667] Because he wanted to go to his province himself in spite of having failed to get a lex curiata (p. [324]).
[668] I.e., without waiting for the senate to vote the usual outfit (ornare provinciam).
[669] B.C. 129. The Novendialia was a nine days' festival on the occasion of some special evil omens or prodigies; for an instance (in B.C. 202), see Livy, 30, 38. The book referred to is that "On the Republic."
[670] I.e., a mere theorist like Heraclides Ponticus, a pupil of Plato's, whose work "On Constitutions" still exists.
[671] Hom. Il. vi. 208.
[672] Reading qui omnia adiurat debere tibi et te valere renuntiat. The text, however, is corrupt.
[673] Hom. Il. xvi. 385.
[674] By Livius Andronicus or Nævius. Tyrrell would write the proverb in extremo sero sapiunt, "'tis too late to be wise at the last." There was a proverb, sero parsimonia in fundo, something like this, Sen. Ep. i. 5, from the Greek (Hes. Op. 369), δειλὴ δ' ἐν πυθμένι φειδώ.
[675] In Gallia Belgica, mod. Amiens.