- 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
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- CTS URN
- urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:28.19.1-28.19.18
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- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-31
The Roman attack on the rebellious Spanish cities of Iliturgi and Castulo is described. Faced with fierce resistance at Iliturgi, Scipio inspires his hesitant troops by preparing to scale the walls himself, leading to the successful capture of the city.
Hispaniae sicut a bello Punico quietae erant, ita quasdam civitates propter conscientiam culpae1 metu magis quam fide quietas esse apparebat, quarum maxume insignes et magnitudine et noxa Iliturgi et Castulo erant.
Although the Spains were quiet from the Carthaginian war, it was clear that certain cities were quiet more out of fear than loyalty because of the consciousness of their guilt, of which the most prominent both in size and in crime were Iliturgi and Castulo.
Castulo cum prosperis rebus socii fuissent, post caesos cum exercitibus Scipiones defecerat ad Poenos; Iliturgitani prodendis, qui ex illa clade ad eos perfugerant, interficiendisque2 scelus etiam defectioni addiderant.
Castulo, though they had been allies in times of prosperity, had defected to the Carthaginians after the Scipios were slain along with their armies; the people of Iliturgi had added even a crime to their defection by betraying and putting to death those who had fled to them from that disaster.
in eos populos primo adventu, cum dubiae Hispaniae essent, merito magis quam utiliter saevitum foret;3
Against these peoples, at Scipio’s first arrival, when the Spains were wavering, punishment would have been inflicted more deservedly than usefully;
tunc iam tranquillis rebus quia tempus expetendae poenae videbatur venisse, accitum ab Tarracone L. Marcium cum tertia parte copiarum ad Castulonem oppugnandum mittit; ipse cum cetero exercitu quintis fere ad Iliturgin castris pervenit.
but then, since affairs were now tranquil and the time for seeking punishment seemed to have come, he summoned L. Marcius from Tarraco and sent him with a third part of the forces to besiege Castulo; he himself with the rest of the army arrived at Iliturgi on about the fifth day of march.
clausae erant portae omniaque instructa et parata ad oppugnationem arcendam; adeo conscientia, quid se meritos scirent, pro indicto eis bello fuerat. hinc et hortari milites Scipio orsus est:
The gates were closed and everything was drawn up and prepared to repel the siege; so much had the consciousness of what they knew they deserved served as a declared war for them. From this Scipio also began to encourage his soldiers:
ipsos claudendo portas indicasse Hispanos, quid ut timerent meriti essent.4 itaque multo infestioribus animis cum eis quam cum Carthaginiensibus bellum gerendum esse;
that the Spaniards themselves, by closing their gates, had indicated what they had deserved to fear. Therefore, war must be waged against them with much more hostile minds than against the Carthaginians;
quippe cum illis prope sine ira de imperio et gloria certari, ab his perfidiae et crudelitatis et sceleris poenas expetendas esse.
for with the former, the contest for empire and glory was waged almost without anger, whereas from the latter, punishment for treachery, cruelty, and crime must be exacted.
venisse tempus, quo et nefandam commilitonum necem et in semet ipsos, si eodem fuga delati forent, instructam fraudem ulciscerentur, et in omne tempus gravi documento sancirent, ne quis umquam Romanum civem militemve in ulla fortuna opportunum iniuriae duceret.
The time had come to avenge both the heinous murder of their fellow soldiers and the treachery prepared against themselves, had they been carried to the same place in flight, and to establish for all time by a severe example that no one should ever consider a Roman citizen or soldier a fit object for injury in any fortune.
ab hac cohortatione ducis incitati scalas electis per manipulos viris dividunt; partitoque exercitu ita, ut parti alteri Laelius praeesset legatus, duobus simul locis ancipiti terrore urbem adgrediuntur.
Incited by this encouragement of their general, they distributed the scaling ladders to men selected throughout the maniples; and having divided the army in such a way that Laelius, the legate, commanded the other part, they attacked the city in two places at once with a double terror.
non dux unus aut plures principes oppidanos, sed suus ipsorum ex conscientia culpae metus ad defendendam inpigre urbem hortatur; et meminerant et admonebant alii alios supplicium ex se, non victoriam peti; ubi quisque mortem oppeteret, id referre, utrum in pugna et in acie, ubi Mars communis et victum saepe erigeret et adfligeret victorem, an5 postmodo, cremata et diruta urbe, ante ora captarum coniugum liberorumque, inter verbera et vincula, omnia foeda atque indigna passi exspirarent.
It was not a single leader or several chiefs who urged the townsmen to defend the city energetically, but their own fear arising from the consciousness of guilt; and they remembered and warned one another that punishment, not victory, was being sought from them; that when each met death, it mattered whether it was in battle and in the line of march, where Mars, common to both sides, often raised the vanquished and cast down the victor, or afterwards, when the city was burned and destroyed, before the eyes of their captive wives and children, amid scourgings and chains, having suffered all shameful and unworthy things, they should draw their last breath.
igitur non militaris modo aetas aut viri tantum sed feminae puerique supra animi corporisque vires adsunt, propugnantibus tela ministrant, saxa in muros munientibus6 gerunt.
Therefore, not only those of military age or men alone, but women and children also, beyond the strength of their minds and bodies, were present, supplying weapons to those fighting and carrying stones to those defending the walls.
non libertas solum agebatur, quae virorum fortium tantum pectora acuit, sed ultima omnium supplicia et foeda mors ob oculos erat. accendebantur animi et certamine laboris ac periculi atque ipso inter se conspectu.
It was not liberty alone that was at stake—which sharpens the hearts of brave men only—but the ultimate punishment of all and a horrible death were before their eyes. Their minds were inflamed both by the rivalry of labor and danger, and by the very sight of one another.
itaque tanto ardore certamen initum est, ut domitor ille totius Hispaniae exercitus ab unius oppidi iuventute saepe repulsus a muris haud satis decoro proelio trepidarit.
Thus the contest was begun with such ardor that that army, the conqueror of all Spain, was repeatedly repulsed from the walls by the youth of a single town and trembled in a battle that was hardly honorable.
id ubi vidit Scipio, veritus, ne vanis tot conatibus suorum et hostibus cresceret animus et segnior miles fieret, sibimet conandum ac partem periculi capessendam esse ratus, increpita ignavia militum ferri scalas iubet et se ipsum, si ceteri cunctentur, escensurum minatur.
When Scipio saw this, fearing lest by so many fruitless attempts of his men the courage of the enemy might grow and his own soldiers become more sluggish, thinking that he must try for himself and take his share of the danger, he rebuked the cowardice of the soldiers, ordered the ladders to be brought, and threatened that he himself would scale the walls if the others hesitated.
iam subierat haud mediocri periculo moenia cum clamor undique ab sollicitis vicem imperatoris7 militibus sublatus scalaeque multis simul partibus erigi coeptae;
Already he had approached the walls at no small risk, when a shout was raised from all sides by the soldiers anxious on the general’s account and scaling ladders began to be raised in many places at once;
et ex altera parte Laelius institit. tum victa oppidanorum vis, deiectisque propugnatoribus occupantur muri; arx etiam ab ea parte, qua inexpugnabilis videbatur, inter tumultum capta est.
and on the other side, Laelius pressed on. Then the force of the townsmen was overcome, and the defenders being cast down, the walls were occupied; even the citadel was captured during the tumult on that side where it seemed impregnable.
- 28.19.1conscientiam culpae
Objective genitive dependent on the noun "conscientia" (consciousness), meaning the awareness or consciousness of their own guilt (culpa).
- 28.19.2prodendis ... interficiendisque
Ablative plural masculine of the gerundives, showing attraction to the omitted antecedent of "qui" (those who had fled). They express the means by which the crime was added (by betraying and putting them to death).
- 28.19.3saevitum foret
Impersonal passive of the verb "saevio", in the pluperfect subjunctive ("foret" = "esset"). It expresses the conclusion of a past contrary-to-fact condition (punishment would have been inflicted).
- 28.19.6quid ut timerent meriti essent
An indirect question clause introduced by "quid" ("what they had deserved to..."), containing an "ut" clause of result or purpose ("so that they should fear") dependent on "meriti essent".
- 28.19.11id referre, utrum... an...
Infinitive of the impersonal verb "refert" (it matters, it is of importance) in indirect speech, where the logical subject is the double indirect question introduced by "utrum... an..." (whether... or...).
- 28.19.13munientibus
Dative plural of the present participle of "munio", serving as the indirect object of the verb "gerunt" (they carry), meaning "to those who were fortifying (or defending) the walls".
- 28.19.17sollicitis vicem imperatoris
The noun "vicem" is used adverbially in the accusative (on account of, for the sake of), governing the genitive "imperatoris" (the general), explaining the anxiety of the "sollicitis" soldiers.