- Source
- Titi Livi ab urbe condita libri editionem priman, Pars I-IV, Libri I-XL. Editio Stereotypica. Weissenborn, Wilhelm; Mueller, Moritz, editors. Leipzig: Teubner, 1884-1911.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:21.45.1-21.45.9
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-23
While the Romans build a bridge over the Ticinus, Hannibal sends Maharbal to ravage allied lands and, seeing the battle imminent, motivates his soldiers by promising concrete rewards such as tax-free land and freedom, sealing his oath with a ritual sacrifice.
his adhortationibus cum utrimque ad certamen accensi militum animi essent, Romani ponte Ticinum iungunt tutandique pontis causa castellum insuper inponunt;
When the minds of the soldiers on both sides had been inflamed for the contest by these exhortations, the Romans threw a bridge over the Ticinus, and, for the sake of defending the bridge, built a fort upon it.
Poenus hostibus opere occupatis Maharbalem cum ala Numidarum, equitibus quingentis, ad depopulandos sociorum populi Romani agros mittit;
The Carthaginian, while the enemy were occupied with this work, sent Maharbal with a squadron of Numidians, five hundred horsemen, to lay waste the lands of the allies of the Roman people.
Gallis parci quam maxime iubet principumque animos ad defectionem sollicitari.1 ponte perfecto traductus Romanus exercitus in agrum Insubrium quinque milia passum a Uictumulis consedit.
He ordered that the Gauls should be spared as much as possible, and the minds of their chiefs solicited to defection. The bridge being completed, the Roman army crossed over into the territory of the Insubres and encamped five miles from Victumulae.
ibi Hannibal castra habebat; revocatoque propere Maharbale atque equitibus, cum instare certamen cerneret, nihil umquam satis dictum praemonitumque ad cohortandos milites ratus, vocatis ad contionem certa praemia pronuntiat, in quorum spem pugnarent:
There Hannibal had his camp; and having hastily recalled Maharbal and the cavalry, when he saw that the battle was imminent, thinking that nothing had ever been said or forewarned enough to encourage the soldiers, he called them to an assembly and announced definite rewards, in hope of which they might fight:
agrum sese daturum esse in Italia Africa Hispania, ubi quisque velit, immunem ipsi, qui accepisset, liberisque; qui pecuniam quam agrum maluisset, ei se argento satisfacturum;
that he would give them land in Italy, Africa, or Spain, wherever each person wished, free from tax to the recipient himself and to his children; and to him who preferred money to land, he would satisfy him with silver;
qui sociorum cives Carthaginienses fieri vellent, potestatem facturum; qui domos redire mallent, daturum se operam, ne cuius suorum popularium mutatam secum fortunam esse vellent.2
to those of the allies who wished to become Carthaginian citizens, he would grant the power; to those who preferred to return home, he would take care that they should not wish for the fortune of any of their fellow-citizens in exchange for their own;
servis quoque dominos prosecutis libertatem proponit, binaque pro iis mancipia dominis se redditurum.
to the slaves also who had followed their masters, he offered freedom, and declared that he would return two slaves to their masters for each of them.
eaque ut rata scirent fore, agnum laeva manu, dextra silicem retinens, si falleret, Iovem ceterosque precatus deos, ita se mactarent,3 quem ad modum ipse agnum mactasset, secundum precationem caput pecudis saxo elisit.
And that they might know these promises would be fulfilled, holding a lamb in his left hand and a flint stone in his right, having prayed to Jupiter and the other gods that, if he should fail in his faith, they might slay him in the same manner as he himself had slain the lamb, immediately after the prayer he crushed the head of the beast with the stone.
tum vero omnes, velut diis auctoribus in spem suam quisque acceptis,4 id morae, quod nondum pugnarent, ad potienda sperata5 rati, proelium uno animo et voce una poscunt.
Then indeed they all, as if each had received the gods as sponsors for his own hope, thinking that the only delay to obtaining their desires was that they were not yet fighting, demanded battle with one mind and with one voice.
- 21.45.3Gallis parci ... sollicitari
Two passive infinitive clauses governed by 'iubet', but showing different structures: 'parci' is the impersonal passive infinitive of the intransitive 'parcere' and takes the dative 'Gallis'; whereas 'sollicitari' is the passive infinitive of the transitive 'sollicitare' with the accusative 'animos' as its subject.
- 21.45.6ne cuius suorum popularium mutatam secum fortunam esse vellent
A clause introduced by 'ne' depending on 'operam dare'. The 'se' in 'secum' refers to those who prefer to return home ('qui... mallent'), while 'suorum popularium' refers to their fellow-citizens remaining with Hannibal. 'mutatam' means 'exchanged', meaning 'lest they should wish their own lot to have been exchanged with the (fortunate) fortune of any of those who remained'.
- 21.45.8si falleret ... mactarent
A conditional sentence in indirect speech. The protasis 'si falleret' (imperfect subjunctive) represents a future perfect indicative 'si fefellero' in direct speech, adjusted for sequence of tenses after the historical present 'elisit'. The apodosis 'mactarent' (imperfect subjunctive) represents a jussive/optative subjunctive, expressing a self-curse: 'may the gods slay me'.
- 21.45.9diis auctoribus in spem suam quisque acceptis
An ablative absolute construction 'diis ... acceptis' with 'auctoribus' functioning as a predicate noun ('as sponsors') and the nominative 'quisque' inserted as a distributive subject. 'in spem suam' means 'for their respective hopes'.
- 21.45.9id morae, quod nondum pugnarent, ad potienda sperata
The phrase 'id morae' is a combination of the demonstrative 'id' and the partitive genitive 'morae' ('that delay'). 'quod nondum pugnarent' is an appositive clause explaining 'id'. 'ad potienda sperata' is a gerundive construction of purpose, where 'potiri' (normally taking the ablative) is used transitively/passively, agreeing with 'sperata' (the hoped-for things).
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
- 2026-09-21 AI review — note 1