- 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-lat2:30.12.1-30.12.22
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-03
Syphax is captured and brought to Laelius. Masinissa captures Cirta and meets Syphax's wife, Sophoniba, who begs him not to hand her over to the Romans; Masinissa quickly marries her, drawing Laelius's disapproval, but they agree to refer her fate to Scipio.
ibi Syphax, dum obequitat hostium turmis, si pudore, si periculo suo fugam sistere posset,1 equo graviter icto effusus opprimitur capiturque et vivus, laetum ante omnes Masinissae praebiturus spectaculum, ad Laelium pertrahitur.
There Syphax, while riding up to the enemy’s squadrons to see if he could stop their flight by their sense of shame or by his own danger, was thrown as his horse was severely wounded, and being overwhelmed, he was captured alive, to be dragged to Laelius, destined to present a joyful spectacle above all to Masinissa.
Cirta caput regni Syphacis erat eoque se ingens vis hominum ex fuga contulerat.
Cirta was the capital of Syphax’s kingdom, and a huge multitude of men had fled there from the rout.
caedes in eo proelio minor quam victoria fuit, quia equestri tantummodo proelio certatum fuerat.
The slaughter in that battle was smaller than the victory, because they had fought only in a cavalry engagement.
non plus quinque milia occisa, minus dimidium eius hominum captum est impetu in castro facto, quo perculsa rege amisso multitudo se contulerat.
No more than five thousand were killed, and less than half of that number of men was captured in the assault made on the camp, to which the multitude, panic-stricken by the loss of their king, had fled.
Masinissa sibi quidem dicere2 nihil esse in praesentia pulchrius quam victorem recuperatum tanto post intervallo patrium invisere regnum; sed tam secundis quam adversis rebus non dari spatium ad cessandum.
Masinissa said indeed that for himself nothing was more beautiful in the present than to visit his paternal kingdom as victor, recovered after so long an interval; but that in prosperity no less than in adversity, no time was given for slackening.
si se Laelius cum equitatu vinctoque Syphace Cirtam praecedere sinat, trepida omnia metu se oppressurum; Laelium cum peditibus subsequi modicis itineribus posse.
If Laelius would permit him to hasten ahead to Cirta with the cavalry and the bound Syphax, he would overwhelm everything while they were in a panic of fear; Laelius could follow with the infantry by moderate marches.
adsentiente Laelio praegressus Cirtam evocari ad conloquium principes Cirtensium iubet. sed apud ignaros regis casus nec, quae acta essent, promendo nec minis nec suadendo ante valuit, quam rex uinctus in conspectum datus est.
With Laelius consenting, having gone ahead to Cirta, he ordered the chief men of the Cirtensians to be summoned to a conference. But among those who were ignorant of the king’s fate, neither by revealing what had been done, nor by threats, nor by persuasion did he have any influence, until the bound king was brought into their sight.
tum ad spectaculum tam foedum comploratio orta, et partim pavore moenia sunt deserta, partim repentino consensu gratiam apud victorem quaerentium patefactae portae.
Then a wailing arose at so shameful a spectacle, and partly through fear the walls were deserted, partly by a sudden consensus of those seeking favor with the victor, the gates were thrown open.
et Masinissa praesidio circa portas opportunaque moenium dimisso, ne cui fugae pateret exitus, ad regiam occupandam citato vadit equo. intranti vestibulum in ipso limine Sophoniba, uxor Syphacis, filia Hasdrubalis Poeni, occurrit; et cum in medio agmine armatorum Masinissam insignem cum armis tum cetero habitu conspexisset, regem esse, id quod erat, rata, genibus advoluta eius:
And Masinissa, having posted guards around the gates and the opportune parts of the walls, so that no exit for flight might lie open to anyone, rode at a gallop to occupy the palace. As he was entering the vestibule, Sophoniba, on the very threshold, the wife of Syphax and daughter of the Carthaginian Hasdrubal, met him; and when she beheld Masinissa, conspicuous both in his armor and his general attire in the midst of the armed troop, and thinking, which was indeed the case, that he was the king, she threw herself at his knees and said:
“omnia quidem ut posses”3 inquit “in nobis, di dederunt virtusque et felicitas tua; sed si captivae apud dominum vitae necisque suae vocem supplicem mittere licet, si genua, si victricem attingere dexteram, precor quaesoque per maiestatem regiam, in qua paulo ante nos quoque fuimus, per gentis Numidarum nomen, quod tibi cum Syphace commune fuit, per huiusce regiae deos, qui te melioribus ominibus accipiant, quam Syphacem hinc miserunt, hanc veniam supplici des, ut ipse, quodcumque fert animus, de captiva tua statuas neque me in cuiusquam Romani superbum et crudele arbitrium venire sinas.
”The gods, and your valor and good fortune, have indeed granted that you should have all power over us; but if a captive may send a suppliant voice to the master of her life and death, if she may touch your knees, if she may touch your victorious right hand, I pray and beseech you by the royal majesty, in which we also were a little while ago, by the name of the Numidian race, which was common to you and Syphax, by the gods of this palace, who may receive you with better omens than those with which they sent Syphax from here, to grant this favor to your suppliant: that you yourself decide whatever your mind prompts concerning your captive, and do not permit me to fall into the proud and cruel judgment of any Roman.
si nihil aliud quam Syphacis uxor fuissem, tamen Numidae atque in eadem mecum Africa geniti quam alienigenae et externi fidem experiri mallem;
Even if I had been nothing more than the wife of Syphax, yet I would rather experience the honor of a Numidian and one born in the same Africa with me, than that of an alien and foreigner;
quid Carthaginiensi ab Romano, quid filiae Hasdrubalis timendum sit, vides. si nulla re alia potes, morte me ut vindices ab Romanorum arbitrio, oro obtestorque.” forma erat insignis et florentissima aetas; itaque cum modo genua modo dextram amplectens in id, ne cui Romano traderetur, fidem exposceret, propiusque blanditias iam oratio esset quam preces, non in misericordiam modo prolapsus est animus victoris, sed, ut est genus Numidarum in Venerem praeceps, amore captivae victor captus. data dextra in id, quod petebatur, obligandae fidei in regiam concedit.
you see what a Carthaginian woman has to fear from a Roman, what the daughter of Hasdrubal has to fear. If you can do so by no other means, I beg and implore you to deliver me by death from the judgment of the Romans, I beg and implore you.” Her beauty was remarkable and her age in its richest bloom; and so, as she embraced now his knees, now his right hand, begging for his pledge that she should not be handed over to any Roman, and her speech was now closer to blandishments than to prayers, the victor’s heart was not only moved to pity, but, as the Numidian race is headlong into passion, the victor was himself captured by love for his captive. Having given his right hand as a pledge for what was requested, he retired into the palace.
institit deinde reputare secum ipse, quem ad modum promissi fidem praestaret. quod cum expedire non posset, ab amore temerarium atque impudens mutuatur consilium:
He then began to reflect within himself how he could fulfill the pledge of his promise. When he could not find a way out, he borrowed a reckless and shameless plan from his love:
nuptias in eum ipsum diem parari repente iubet, ne quid relinqueret integri4 aut Laelio aut ipsi Scipioni consulendi velut in captivam, quae Masinissae iam nupta foret.
he suddenly ordered a marriage to be prepared for that very day, so that he might leave no room for Laelius or Scipio himself to deliberate as if concerning a captive, since she would already be married to Masinissa.
factis nuptiis supervenit Laelius, et adeo non dissimulavit improbare se factum, ut primo etiam cum Syphace et ceteris captivis detractam eam lecto geniali mittere ad Scipionem conatus sit.
When the marriage had been celebrated, Laelius arrived, and so little did he conceal his disapproval of the act that at first he even attempted to drag her from the marriage bed and send her with Syphax and the other captives to Scipio.
victus deinde precibus Masinissae orantis, ut arbitrium, utrius regum duorum fortunae accessio Sophoniba esset, ad Scipionem reiceret, misso Syphace et captivis ceteras urbes Numidiae, quae praesidiis regiis tenebantur, adiuvante Masinissa recipit.
Then, overcome by the entreaties of Masinissa, who begged him to refer to Scipio the decision as to which of the two kings Sophoniba should be added as an acquisition of fortune, having sent Syphax and the captives, he recovered the other cities of Numidia, which were held by the royal garrisons, with the assistance of Masinissa.
- 30.12.1si pudore, si periculo suo fugam sistere posset
The conjunction si introduces an indirect question meaning "to see if, in the hope that," depending on the action of obequitat which implies an attempt.
- 30.12.6Masinissa sibi quidem dicere
The verb dicere is a historical infinitive, taking the nominative subject Masinissa and introducing the following indirect speech (accusative and infinitive construction).
- 30.12.12omnia quidem ut posses
The clause ut posses is a substantive clause or a clause of result depending on di dederunt, literally meaning "the gods granted that you should have all power."
- 30.12.20ne quid relinqueret integri
The word integri is the genitive neuter singular of the adjective integer, functioning as a partitive genitive with the pronoun quid, meaning "to leave no untouched or undecided matter."
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (2, latest 2026-09-22)
- 2026-09-22 AI review — source 1
- 2026-09-21 AI review — translation 1