Speech of the Cannae Prisoners Pleading for Ransom — Livy, History of Rome Book 22 (22.59.1–22.59.19), Latin & English

§22.59.1

legatis captivorum senatus ab dictatore datus est. quorum princeps “M. Iuni vosque, patres conscripti,” inquit “nemo nostrum ignorat nulli unquam civitati viliores fuisse captivos quam nostrae;

The senate was granted to the envoys of the prisoners by the dictator. The leader of them said: “Marcus Junius, and you, conscript fathers, none of us is ignorant that prisoners have never been of less value to any state than to ours;

§22.59.2

ceterum nisi nobis plus iusto nostra placet causa,¹ non alii umquam minus neclegendi vobis quam nos in hostium potestatem venerunt.

but unless our cause pleases us more than is just, never have others fallen into the power of the enemy who were less to be neglected by you than we.

§22.59.3

non enim in acie per timorem arma tradidimus, sed cum prope ad noctem superstantes cumulis caesorum corporum proelium extraxissemus, in castra recepimus nos;

For we did not in the field through fear hand over our arms, but when we had prolonged the battle until nearly nightfall, standing upon heaps of slaughtered bodies, we withdrew into our camp;

§22.59.4

diei reliquum ac noctem insequentem fessi labore ac vulneribus vallum sumus tutati;

during the remainder of the day and the following night, exhausted by toil and wounds, we defended the rampart;

§22.59.5

postero die, cum circumsessi ab exercitu victore aqua arceremur, nec ulla iam per confertos hostis erumpendi spes esset, nec esse nefas duceremus quinquaginta milibus hominum ex acie nostra trucidatis aliquem ex Cannensi pugna Romanum militem restare,² tunc demum pacti sumus pretium, quo redempti dimitteremur, arma, in quibus nihil iam auxilii erat, hosti tradidimus.

on the next day, when, surrounded by the victorious army, we were cut off from water, and there was no longer any hope of breaking through the dense ranks of the enemy, and we did not think it a sin that, when fifty thousand men of our army had been slaughtered, some Roman soldier should survive the battle of Cannae, then at last we agreed upon a price at which we might be ransomed and dismissed, and we surrendered to the enemy our arms, in which there was no longer any help.

§22.59.7

maiores quoque acceperamus se a Gallis auro redemisse, et patres vestros, asperrimos illos ad condiciones pacis, legatos tamen captivorum redimendorum gratia Tarentum misisse.

We had also heard that our ancestors redeemed themselves from the Gauls with gold, and that your fathers, though most severe regarding terms of peace, nevertheless sent envoys to Tarentum for the purpose of ransoming prisoners.

§22.59.8

atqui et ad Aliam cum Gallis et ad Heracleam cum Pyrrho utraque non tam clade infamis quam pavore et fuga pugna fuit. Cannenses campos acervi Romanorum corporum tegunt, nec supersumus pugnae, nisi in quibus trucidandis et ferrum et vires hostem defecerunt.

And yet, both the battle at the Allia with the Gauls and that at Heraclea with Pyrrhus were infamous not so much for the disaster as for panic and flight. But the fields of Cannae are covered with heaps of Roman bodies, and we did not survive the battle except because the enemy lacked both iron and strength to slaughter us.

§22.59.9

sunt etiam de nostris quidam, qui ne in acie quidem fuerunt, sed praesidio castris relicti, cum castra traderentur, in potestatem hostium venerunt.

There are also some among us who were not even in the battle, but having been left to guard the camp, fell into the power of the enemy when the camp was surrendered.

§22.59.10

haud equidem ullius civis et commilitonis fortunae aut condicioni invideo, nec premendo alium me extulisse velim: ne illi quidem, nisi pernicitatis pedum et cursus aliquod praemium est, qui plerique inermes ex acie fugientes non prius quam Venusiae aut Canusi constiterunt, se nobis merito praetulerint gloriatique sint³ in se plus quam in nobis praesidii rei publicae esse.

Indeed, I do not envy the fortune or condition of any fellow citizen and comrade, nor would I wish to raise myself by depressing another; but not even those men—unless there is some reward for swiftness of feet and running—who, mostly unarmed and fleeing from the battle, did not stop until they reached Venusia or Canusium, should deservedly prefer themselves to us, or boast that there is more protection for the republic in them than in us.

§22.59.11

sed et illis bonis ac fortibus militibus utemini et nobis etiam promptioribus pro patria, cum beneficio vestro redempti atque in patriam restituti fuerimus.

But you will use both them as good and brave soldiers, and us as even more ready to serve our country, when we have been ransomed by your kindness and restored to our fatherland.

§22.59.12

dilectum ex omni aetate et fortuna habetis; octo milia servorum audio armari. non minor numerus noster est, nec maiore pretio redimi possumus, quam ii emuntur; nam si conferam nos cum illis, iniuriam nomini Romano faciam.

You are holding a levy from every age and condition; I hear that eight thousand slaves are being armed. Our number is not less, nor can we be ransomed at a greater price than they are bought; for if I should compare ourselves with them, I would do an injury to the Roman name.

§22.59.13

illud etiam in tali consilio animadvertendum vobis censeam, patres conscripti, si iam duriores esse velitis quod nullo nostro merito faciatis, cui nos hosti relicturi sitis.⁴

This also, I should think, ought to be considered by you in such a deliberation, conscript fathers, if you should indeed wish to be more severe—which you would do through no demerit of ours—to what sort of enemy you are going to leave us.

§22.59.14

Pyrrho videlicet, qui hospitum numero captivos habuit? an barbaro ac Poeno, qui utrum avarior an crudelior sit, vix existimari potest?

To Pyrrhus, forsooth, who held his prisoners in the rank of guests? Or to a barbarian and Carthaginian, of whom it can scarcely be judged whether he is more avaricious or more cruel?

§22.59.15

si videatis catenas squalorem deformitatem civium vestrorum, non minus profecto vos ea species moveat, quam si ex altera parte cernatis stratas Cannensibus campis legiones vestras.

If you were to see the chains, the squalor, the disfigurement of your fellow citizens, that sight would surely move you no less than if, on the other side, you were to behold your legions strewn upon the fields of Cannae.

§22.59.16

intueri, potestis sollicitudinem et lacrimas in vestibulo curiae stantium cognatorum nostrorum exspectantiumque responsum vestrum. cum ii pro nobis proque iis, qui absunt, ita suspensi ac solliciti sint, quem censetis animum ipsorum esse, quorum in discrimine vita libertasque est?

You can behold the anxiety and tears of our kinsmen standing in the vestibule of the senate house and waiting for your reply. When they are so suspended in suspense and anxious for us and for those who are absent, what do you think is the feeling of those very men whose life and liberty are at stake?

§22.59.17

si, me dius fidius, ipse in nos mitis Hannibal contra naturam suam esse velit, nihil tamen nobis vita opus esse censeamus, cum indigni ut redimeremur vobis visi simus.

If, by the god of truth, Hannibal himself should wish to be mild to us, contrary to his nature, we should nevertheless think that we have no need of life, since we have seemed to you unworthy to be ransomed.

§22.59.18

rediere Romam quondam remissi a Pyrrho sine pretio captivi; sed rediere cum legatis, primoribus civitatis, ad redimendos sese missis. redeam ego in patriam trecentis nummis non aestimatus civis?

There returned to Rome once prisoners released by Pyrrhus without ransom; but they returned with envoys, the foremost men of the state, who had been sent to ransom them. Shall I return to my country as a citizen valued at less than three hundred coins?

§22.59.19

suum quisque animum habet, patres conscripti. scio in discrimine esse vitam corpusque meum: magis me famae periculum movet, ne a vobis damnati ac repulsi abeamus; neque enim ros pretio pepercisse homines credent.”⁵

Each man has his own mind, conscript fathers. I know that my life and body are in danger; but the danger to my reputation moves me more, lest we should go away condemned and rejected by you; for men will not believe that you spared the money.”

Syntax notes5 items

22.59.2nisi nobis plus iusto nostra placet causa
Although some manuscripts read the subjunctive placeat, the indicative placet is adopted here. In the conditional clause, this conveys that the speaker treats the premise not as a mere hypothesis but with a strong conviction that their cause is indeed just.
22.59.5nec esse nefas duceremus quinquaginta milibus hominum ex acie nostra trucidatis aliquem ex Cannensi pugna Romanum militem restare
The accusative with infinitive clause aliquem... militem restare serves as the object of duceremus (imperfect subjunctive governed by cum), into which the ablative absolute quinquaginta milibus hominum... trucidatis is nested. The complex structure expresses: 'since we did not think it a sin that, fifty thousand men having been slaughtered, some Roman soldier should survive.'
22.59.10ne illi quidem... se nobis merito praetulerint gloriatique sint
The perfect subjunctives praetulerint and gloriatique sint, combined with the negative particle ne at the beginning of the clause, function as potential subjunctives (expressing a strong denial: 'not even those men should deservedly prefer themselves... or boast...').
22.59.13cui nos hosti relicturi sitis
An indirect question dependent on the main clause's animadvertendum vobis censeam ('I should think it ought to be considered by you'). The interrogative adjective cui modifies hosti, and the verb is in the active periphrastic subjunctive present relicturi sitis, highlighting the future intention of 'to what enemy you are going to leave us.'
22.59.19neque enim ros pretio pepercisse homines credent
The word ros in the text is clearly a scribal error or manuscript variant for the second-person plural pronoun accusative vos ('that you'). While modern critical editions emend it to vos, the translation preserves the intended meaning of 'that you spared the price.'

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (2, latest 2026-09-22)

2026-09-22 AI review — source 2

urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:22.59.1-22.59.19