- 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-lat2:23.27.1-23.27.12
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-24
The Tartessians capture Ascua and grow negligent, only to be heavily defeated by Hasdrubal's sudden attack and forced to surrender. However, when Hasdrubal is subsequently ordered to march into Italy, Spanish sentiment shifts toward the Romans, prompting him to request reinforcements and a successor from Carthage.
postquam neque elicere Poenum ad certamen obversati castris poterant neque castrorum oppugnatio facilis erat, urbem Ascuam, quo finis hostium ingrediens Hasdrubal frumentum commeatusque alios convexerat, vi capiunt omnique circa agro potiuntur; nec iam aut in agmine aut in castris ullo imperio contineri.1
When they, having stationed themselves in front of the camp, were neither able to entice the Carthaginian to battle, nor was the storming of the camp easy, they captured by force the city of Ascua, where Hasdrubal, entering the territory of the enemy, had accumulated grain and other supplies, and made themselves masters of all the surrounding country; and they were no longer held by any authority either on the march or in the camp.
quam ubi neglegentiam ex re ut fit, bene gesta oriri2 senserat Hasdrubal, cohortatus milites, ut palatos sine signis hostes adgrederentur, degressus colle pergit ire acie instructa ad castra.
When Hasdrubal perceived that this negligence arose, as is usually the case, from successful operations, having encouraged his soldiers to attack the enemy who were scattered and without standards, he descended from the hill and proceeded to march with his army in battle array toward the camp.
quem ut adesse tumultuose nuntii refugientes ex speculis stationibusque attulere, ad arma conclamatum est.
When the messengers fleeing back from the watchtowers and outposts brought word in a tumult that he was at hand, a cry to arms was raised.
ut quisque arma ceperat, sine imperio, sine signo, incompositi, inordinati in proelium ruunt. iam primi conseruerant manus, cum alii catervatim currerent, alii nondum e castris exissent.
As each man had taken up arms, without command, without a standard, disorganized and out of order, they rushed into battle. Already the foremost had joined battle, while some were running in crowds and others had not yet gone out of the camp.
tamen primo ipsa audacia terruere hostem; deinde rari in confertos inlati, cum paucitas parum tuta esset, respicere alii alios et undique pulsi coire in orbem, et dum corpora corporibus applicant armaque armis iungunt, in artum conpulsi, cum vix movendis armis3 satis spatii esset, corona hostium cincti ad multum diei caeduntur; exigua pars eruptione facta silvas ac montis petit.
Nevertheless, at first they terrified the enemy by their very boldness; then, being charged scattered against a dense body, as their small number was not safe enough, they began to look to one another, and being repulsed from all sides, they formed into a circle. And while they pressed their bodies close to one another and joined arms to arms, forced into a narrow space, since there was scarcely enough room to move their weapons, surrounded by a ring of the enemy, they were slaughtered during a great part of the day; only a small part, having made a breakout, sought the woods and mountains.
parique terrore et castra sunt deserta et universa gens postero die in deditionem venit. nec diu in pacto mansit;
With equal terror, both the camp was abandoned, and the entire nation came to surrender on the following day. Nor did they remain long in their agreement;
nam subinde ab Carthagine allatum est, ut Hasdrubal primo quoque tempore in Italiam exercitum duceret, quae volgata res per Hispaniam omnium ferme animos ad Romanos avertit.
for immediately after, a message was brought from Carthage that Hasdrubal should lead his army into Italy at the earliest opportunity, which matter, being made public through Spain, turned the minds of almost all toward the Romans.
itaque Hasdrubal extemplo litteras Carthaginem mittit indicans, quanto fama profectionis suae damno fuisset; si vero inde pergeret, priusquam Hiberum transiret, Romanorum Hispaniam fore:
Therefore Hasdrubal immediately sent a letter to Carthage, indicating how great a loss the rumor of his departure had caused; and that if he should indeed proceed from there, Spain would belong to the Romans before he crossed the Hiberus.
nam praeterquam quod nec praesidium nec ducem haberet, quem relinqueret pro se, eos imperatores esse Romanos, quibus vix aequis viribus resisti posset;4
For besides the fact that he had neither a garrison nor a general whom he could leave in his place, those Roman commanders were such that they could scarcely be resisted even with equal forces;
itaque si ulla Hispaniae cura esset, successorem sibi cum valido exercitu mitterent; cui ut omnia prospere evenirent, non tamen otiosam provinciam fore.
therefore, if there was any care for Spain, they should send a successor to him with a strong army; even if everything should turn out favorably for him, yet the province would not be peaceful.
- 23.27.2contineri
Used as a historical infinitive, functioning as the main verb of the clause following the preceding verbs capiunt and potiuntur. The implied subject is the Tartessians, identical to that of vi capiunt.
- 23.27.3quam ubi neglegentiam ... oriri
quam is a relative adjective used in connection (connecting relative), modifying neglegentiam. oriri is the present infinitive of the deponent verb orior, forming an accusative with infinitive (A.C.I.) construction dependent on senserat, with neglegentiam functioning as its subject accusative.
- 23.27.7movendis armis
A gerundive construction. The idea of 'moving weapons' (arma movere) is expressed through the agreement of the gerundive movendis with armis. It functions here either as a dative of purpose or an ablative of means modifying satis spatii (enough space).
- 23.27.11quibus ... resisti posset
resisti is the impersonal passive of the intransitive verb resistere (to resist), which governs the dative, here referring to the relative pronoun quibus (dative plural, with the antecedent being eos imperatores). Literally, 'to whom it could scarcely be resisted even with equal forces.'