April 2016

Translation Aid – Apocolocyntosis 11.6

pedibus in hanc sententiam itum est.

Itum est is an impersonal form of the verb eo, ire.

Literally, this sentence reads, “There was a going with feet for this motion.” It can be translated as, “This motion was put to a vote”. During votes of the senate, the pedarii (1) demonstrated their decision by crowding around the speaker whose opinion they endorsed.

  1. The pedarii are thought to be non-speaking members of the senate, although who exactly constituted the pedarii is a matter of ongoing debate. Francis X. Ryan offers a detailed discussion of the pedarii here.