- 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-lat2:30.31.1-30.31.10
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-04
Scipio responds to Hannibal by blaming Carthage's bad faith and violation of the truce, refusing any concessions beyond the previous terms, which leads to the breakdown of peace talks and preparation for the final battle.
adversus haec imperator Romanus in hanc fere sententiam respondit: “non me fallebat,1 Hannibal, adventus tui spe Carthaginienses et praesentem indutiarum fidem et spem pacis turbasse;
To this, the Roman commander replied in nearly these terms: “It did not escape me, Hannibal, that by the hope of your arrival the Carthaginians have thrown into confusion both the existing pledge of the truce and the hope of peace.
neque tu id sane dissimulas, qui de condicionibus superioribus pacis omnia subtrahas2 praeter ea, quae iam pridem in nostra potestate sunt.
Nor indeed do you disguise it, since you withdraw everything from the former conditions of peace except those things which have already for a long time been in our power.
ceterum ut tibi curae est3 sentire cives tuos, quanto per te onere leventur, sic mihi laborandum est, ne, quae tum pepigerunt, hodie subtracta ex condicionibus pacis praemia perfidiae habeant.
But just as it is your care that your fellow-citizens should feel how great a burden they are relieved of through you, so I must labor lest, by having what they then agreed to withdrawn today from the conditions of peace, they should have rewards for their perfidy.
indigni, quibus eadem pateat condicio,4 etiam ut prosit vobis fraus petitis. neque patres nostri priores de Sicilia, neque nos de Hispania fecimus bellum; et tum Mamertinorum sociorum periculum et nunc Sagunti excidium nobis pia ac iusta induerunt arma:
Unworthy that the same terms should lie open to you, you even ask that your fraud should be of advantage to you. Neither did our ancestors of old make war for Sicily, nor we for Spain; both then the danger of our allies, the Mamertines, and now the destruction of Saguntum, girt us with pious and just arms.
vos lacessisse et tu ipse fateris et dei testes sunt, qui et illius belli exitum secundum ius fasque dederunt et huius dant et dabunt.
That you were the aggressors both you yourself confess and the gods are witnesses, who gave the issue of that former war according to human and divine law, and are giving and will give the same to this one.
quod ad me attinet, et humanae infirmitatis memini et vim fortunae reputo et omnia, quaecumque agimus, subiecta esse mille casibus scio;
As far as I am concerned, I both remember human frailty and reflect upon the power of fortune, and I know that everything we do is subject to a thousand chances.
ceterum, quem ad modum superbe et violenter me faterer facere, si, priusquam in Africam traiecissem, te tua voluntate cedentem Italia et inposito in naves exercitu ipsum venientem ad pacem petendam aspernarer,5 sic nunc, cum prope manu consertum restitantem ac tergiversantem in Africam adtraxerim, nulla sum tibi verecundia obstrictus.
But, just as I should confess that I was acting haughtily and violently if, before I had crossed over into Africa, I had rejected you when you were voluntarily withdrawing from Italy, with your army embarked on ships, and coming in person to seek peace; so now, when I have dragged you into Africa, resisting and tergiversating, almost to a hand-to-hand conflict, I am bound to you by no obligation of respect.
proinde si quid ad ea, in quae tum pax conventura videbatur, quasi multa navium cum commeatu per indutias expugnatarum legatorumque violatorum, adicitur, est quod referam6 ad consilium; sin illa quoque gravia videntur, bellum parate, quoniam pacem pati non potuistis.”
Therefore, if anything is added to those terms on which it then seemed peace would be agreed upon — as a fine for the ships with provisions captured during the truce and for the violated ambassadors — there is reason for me to refer it to my council; but if even those terms seem heavy to you, prepare for war, since you could not bear peace.”
ita infecta pace ex conloquio ad suos cum se recepissent, frustra verba praelata renuntiant: armis decernendum esse habendamque eam fortunam, quam dei dedissent.
Having thus broken off the peace talks, when they had returned from the conference to their own men, they reported that words had been offered in vain: that they must decide by arms and accept whatever fortune the gods should grant.
- 30.31.1non me fallebat
An impersonal use of the verb fallit in the imperfect tense with an accusative (me) and an accusative with infinitive clause (Carthaginienses ... turbasse) as subject, expressing "it did not escape me" (i.e., "I was well aware").
- 30.31.2qui ... subtrahas
A relative clause of characteristic or cause modifying the pronoun tu, using the subjunctive (subtrahas) to express the ground or reason for the assertion ("seeing that you withdraw...").
- 30.31.3tibi curae est
A double dative construction where tibi is the dative of reference ("to you") and curae is the dative of purpose or tendency ("as a care/concern"). The subject of the sentence is the infinitive clause with sentire.
- 30.31.4indigni, quibus eadem pateat condicio
The adjective indigni governs a relative clause of characteristic with the subjunctive (pateat), meaning "unworthy that the same condition should be open to them." Adjectives like dignus and indignus regularly take relative clauses with the subjunctive.
- 30.31.7me faterer facere, si ... aspernarer
A conditional sentence of past contrary-to-fact (or present contrary-to-fact viewed from a past perspective), where both the verb in the apodosis (faterer) and the verb in the protasis (aspernarer) are in the imperfect subjunctive.
- 30.31.9est quod referam
The construction "est quod + subjunctive" (referam), employing a subjunctive of characteristic to mean "there is reason for me to refer" or "I have cause to bring back."