- 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-lat2:27.43.1-27.43.12
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-31
Hasdrubal's messengers are captured by the Romans, revealing the plan for the brothers to meet. The consul Claudius Nero advises the senate on countermeasures and decides to personally lead a select force in a rapid march north to join his colleague.
inter haec ab Hasdrubale, postquam a Placentiae obsidione abscessit, quattuor Galli equites, duo Numidae cum litteris missi ad Hannibalem cum per medios hostes totam ferme longitudinem Italiae emensi essent, dum Metapontum cedentem Hannibalem sequuntur, incertis itineribus Tarentum delati a vagis per agros pabulatoribus Romanis ad Q. Claudium propraetorem deducuntur.1
In the meantime, four Gallic horsemen and two Numidians, who had been sent by Hasdrubal with a letter to Hannibal after he withdrew from the siege of Placentia, when they had traversed almost the entire length of Italy through the midst of the enemy, while they were following Hannibal as he retreated to Metapontum, having strayed to Tarentum by uncertain routes, were brought to the propraetor Quintus Claudius by Roman foragers wandering through the fields.
eum primo incertis inplicantes responsis, ut metus tormentorum admotus fateri vera coegit, edocuerunt litteras se ab Hasdrubale ad Hannibalem ferre.
At first they perplexed him with evasive answers, but when the fear of torture, being brought near, compelled them to confess the truth, they informed him that they were carrying a letter from Hasdrubal to Hannibal.
cum iis litteris sicut erant signatis L. Verginio tribuno militum ducendi ad Claudium consulem traduntur.
They were delivered, along with that letter, sealed just as it was, to Lucius Verginius, a military tribune, to be conducted to the consul Claudius.
duae simul turmae Samnitium praesidii causa missae. qui ubi ad consulem pervenerunt, litteraeque lectae per interpretem sunt, et ex captivis percunctatio facta, tum Claudius non id tempus esse rei publicae ratus, quo consiliis ordinariis provinciae suae quisque finibus per exercitus suos cum hoste destinato ab senatu bellum gereret;2
At the same time, two troops of Samnites were sent for the sake of a guard. When they arrived at the consul’s, and the letter was read by an interpreter, and an interrogation was made of the prisoners, then Claudius, thinking that it was not such a time for the republic in which each person, by ordinary plans, within the boundaries of his own province, should wage war through his own armies with the enemy assigned to him by the senate;
audendum ac novandum aliquid inprovisum,3 inopinatum, quod coeptum non minorem apud cives quam hostes terrorem faceret, perpetratum in magnam laetitiam ex magno metu verteret, litteris Hasdrubalis Romam ad senatum missis simul et ipse patres conscriptos, quid pararet, edocet:
that something unforeseen, unexpected, bold and novel must be dared, which, when begun, would create no less terror among the citizens than the enemy, but, when accomplished, would turn great fear into great joy; having sent Hasdrubal’s letter to the senate at Rome, he at the same time informed the conscript fathers what he was preparing to do:
ut, cum in Umbria se occursurum Hasdrubal fratri scribat, legionem a Capua Romam arcessant, dilectum Romae habeant, exercitum urbanum ad Narniam hosti opponant.
namely, that since Hasdrubal wrote that he would meet his brother in Umbria, they should summon a legion from Capua to Rome, hold a levy in Rome, and oppose the city army to the enemy at Narnia.
haec senatui scripta. praemissi item per agrum Larinatem Marrucinum Frentanum Praetutianum, qua exercitum ducturus erat, ut omnes ex agris urbibusque commeatus paratos militi ad vescendum in viam deferrent, equos iumentaque alia producerent, ut vehiculorum fessis copia esset.
These things were written to the senate. Messengers were likewise sent ahead through the territory of Larinum, the Marrucini, the Frentani, and the Praetutii, where he was about to lead his army, so that all should bring down from the fields and cities to the road provisions ready for the soldiers to eat, and bring out horses and other beasts of burden, so that there might be an abundance of vehicles for those who were tired.
ipse de toto exercitu civium sociorumque quod roboris erat4 delegit, sex milia peditum, mille equites; pronuntiat occupare se in Lucanis proximam urbem Punicumque in ea praesidium velle: ut ad iter parati omnes essent.
He himself, from the entire army of citizens and allies, chose what was of strength, six thousand infantry and a thousand cavalry; he announced that he wished to seize the nearest city in Lucania and the Carthaginian garrison in it, so that all might be prepared for the march.
profectus nocte flexit in Picenum. et consul quidem quantis maximis itineribus poterat ad conlegam ducebat relicto Q. Catio legato, qui castris praeesset.
Setting out at night, he turned into Picenum. And the consul, indeed, led his men to his colleague by the greatest possible marches, leaving behind the legate Quintus Catius to command the camp.
- 27.43.1quattuor Galli equites, duo Numidae cum litteris missi... deducuntur
This long sentence structure begins with the subject quattuor Galli equites, duo Numidae (§27.43.1) and, after several subordinate clauses and participles (missi, cum... emensi essent, dum... sequuntur, delati), finally reaches the main verb deducuntur (§27.43.2). The participle delati is passive, agreeing with the subject, explaining the background leading to their capture.
- 27.43.6non id tempus esse rei publicae ratus, quo... gereret
The participle ratus at the beginning of the sentence agrees with Claudius. non id tempus esse is an accusative with infinitive clause of indirect discourse (the main verb does not appear until edocet in §27.43.8). The quo clause, containing the subjunctive gereret, is a relative clause of characteristic describing the nature of id tempus.
- 27.43.7audendum ac novandum aliquid inprovisum
This is part of the indirect discourse introduced by the preceding ratus. It features the impersonal use of the gerundives audendum and novandum with [esse] omitted, expressing obligation or necessity ('something must be dared and attempted'). Here, aliquid functions as the subject accusative of the infinitive clause.
- 27.43.11quod roboris erat
The neuter relative pronoun quod ('that which'), acting substantively, is qualified by the partitive genitive roboris (genitive singular of robur). Literally 'what there was of strength,' forming a noun phrase meaning 'the core strength' or 'the choice troops.'