- 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-lat2:30.16.1-30.16.15
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-03
Scipio reinforces his positions at Tunes after sending the prisoners to Rome. Deeply shaken by the news of Syphax's capture, the Carthaginians send a delegation of thirty elders to sue for peace, and Scipio dictates his terms.
Scipio C. Laelio cum Syphace aliisque captivis Romam misso, cum quibus et Masinissae legati profecti sunt, ipse ad Tyneta rursus castra refert et quae munimenta inchoaverat permunit.
Scipio, having sent Gaius Laelius to Rome with Syphax and the other prisoners, with whom the envoys of Masinissa also set out, himself moved his camp back to Tunes and completed the fortifications he had begun.
Carthaginienses non brevi solum, sed prope vano gaudio ab satis prospera in praesens oppugnatione classis perfusi, post famam capti Syphacis,1 in quo plus prope quam in Hasdrubale atque exercitu suo spei reposuerant, perculsi, iam nullo auctore belli ultra audito oratores ad pacem petendam mittunt triginta seniorum principes;
The Carthaginienses, who had been filled with a short-lived, or rather almost vain, joy by their sufficiently successful attack on the fleet for the present, were struck down after the news of the capture of Syphax, in whom they had placed almost more hope than in Hasdrubal and their own army. Now, listening no further to any advocate of war, they sent thirty of their leading elders as envoys to sue for peace;
id erat sanctius apud illos consilium maximaque ad ipsum senatum regendum vis. qui ubi in castra Romana et in praetorium pervenerunt, more adulantium — accepto, credo, ritu ex ea regione, ex qua oriundi erant — procubuerunt.
this was a more sacred council among them and held the greatest power for directing the senate itself. When they arrived at the Roman camp and the headquarters, they prostrated themselves in the manner of flatterers—an adopted rite, I believe, from that region from which they derived their origin.
conveniens oratio tam humili adulationi fuit, non culpam purgantium, sed transferentium2 initium culpae in Hannibalem potentiaeque eius fautores.
The speech was suited to such humble flattery, being not of men clearing themselves of blame, but of those transferring the beginning of the blame onto Hannibal and the supporters of his power.
veniam civitati petebant civium temeritate bis iam eversae, incolumi futurae iterum hostium beneficio;
They begged for pardon for a state already twice ruined by the rashness of its citizens, and destined to be safe again through the kindness of its enemies;
imperium ex victis hostibus populum Romanum, non perniciem petere;
they said that the Roman people sought dominion, not destruction, from conquered enemies;
paratis oboedienter servire imperaret, quae vellet. Scipio et venisse ea spe in Africam se ait et spem suam prospero belli eventu auctam, victoriam se, non pacem domum reportaturum esse;
let him command what he wished to those prepared to serve obediently. Scipio said both that he had come to Africa with that hope, and that his hope had been increased by the successful outcome of the war, and that he would have carried home victory, not peace;
tamen, cum victoriam prope in manibus habeat, pacem non abnuere, ut omnes gentes sciant populum Romanum et suscipere iuste bella et finire.
nevertheless, although he had victory almost in his hands, he did not refuse peace, so that all nations might know that the Roman people both undertake wars justly and end them.
leges pacis se has dicere: captivos et perfugas et fugitiuos restituant; exercitus ex Italia et Gallia deducant; Hispania abstineant; insulis omnibus, quae inter Italiam atque Africam sint, decedant;
He said that he dictated these terms of peace: let them restore the prisoners, deserters, and runaway slaves; let them withdraw their armies from Italy and Gaul; let them keep away from Hispania; let them depart from all the islands that are between Italy and Africa;
naves longas praeter viginti omnes tradant, tritici quingenta, hordei trecenta milia modium.
let them hand over all their warships except twenty, and five hundred thousand modii of wheat, and three hundred thousand of barley.
pecuniae summam quantam imperaverit, parum convenit; alibi quinque milia talentum, alibi quinque milia pondo argenti, alibi duplex stipendium militibus imperatum invenio.
As to how great a sum of money he imposed, there is little agreement; in one place I find five thousand talents, in another five thousand pounds of silver, in another that double pay was imposed on the soldiers.
“his condicionibus” inquit “placeatne pax triduum ad consultandum dabitur. si placuerit, mecum indutias facite, Romam ad senatum mittite legatos.” ita dimissi Carthaginienses nullas recusandas condiciones pacis cum censuissent, quippe qui moram temporis quaererent,3 dum Hannibal in Africam traiceret, legatos alios ad Scipionem, ut indutias facerent, alios Romam ad pacem petendam mittunt, ducentes paucos in speciem captivos perfugasque et fugitiuos, quo impetrabilior pax esset.
”On these conditions,” he said, “whether peace is pleasing, three days will be given for deliberation. If it is pleasing, make a truce with me, send envoys to the senate at Rome.” The Carthaginienses, having been thus dismissed, since they had decided that no conditions of peace should be refused, inasmuch as they were seeking a delay of time until Hannibal should cross over into Africa, sent some envoys to Scipio to make a truce, and others to Rome to sue for peace, taking along a few prisoners, deserters, and runaways for appearance, so that peace might be more easily obtainable.
- 30.16.2post famam capti Syphacis
The perfect passive participle capti modifying the noun Syphacis is used dominantly to express the action or fact itself ('the capture of Syphax'), equivalent to the 'ab urbe condita' construction.
- 30.16.5non culpam purgantium, sed transferentium
The genitive present participles purgantium and transferentium are used substantively without a noun, effectively modifying or defining the character of the speech (oratio) as belonging to 'those who clear themselves' and 'those who transfer' the blame.
- 30.16.15quippe qui moram temporis quaererent
The relative clause of characteristic or cause introduced by quippe qui with the subjunctive quaererent expresses the subjective reason or real motive of the Carthaginians for sending the embassies ('since indeed they were seeking a delay').
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
- 2026-09-21 AI review — source 1