- 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-lat2:30.5.1-30.5.10
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-03
Scipio plans a night attack, sending Laelius and Masinissa to assault and set fire to Syphax's camp while he waits to attack Hasdrubal's camp. The resulting massive fire throws the enemy into chaos, leading to a devastating slaughter of unarmed soldiers.
his praeparatis advocatoque consilio et dicere exploratoribus iussis,1 quae conperta adferrent, Masinissaque, cui omnia hostium nota erant, postremo ipse, quid pararet in proximam noctem, proponit; tribunis edicit, ut, ubi praetorio dimisso signa concinuissent, extemplo educerent castris legiones.
When these things had been prepared, the council summoned, and the scouts ordered to report what they had discovered, Masinissa, to whom everything about the enemy was known, and finally Scipio himself, set forth what he was preparing for the coming night; and he ordered the military tribunes, that, as soon as the council was dismissed from the general’s tent and the signals sounded together, they should immediately lead the legions out of the camp.
ita ut imperaverat signa sub occasum solis efferri sunt coepta. ad primam ferme vigiliam agmen explicaverunt; media nocte — septem enim milia itineris erant — modico gradu ad castra hostium perventum est.
Just as he had ordered, the standards began to be carried out towards sunset. At about the first watch they deployed the column; at midnight—for it was a march of seven miles—they reached the enemy’s camp at a moderate pace.
ibi Scipio partem copiarum Laelio Masinissamque ac Numidas adtribuit2 et castra Syphacis invadere ignesque conicere iubet.
There Scipio assigned a part of the forces to Laelius, and also attached Masinissa and the Numidians to him, and ordered them to invade the camp of Syphax and throw fire into it.
singulos deinde separatim Laelium ac Masinissam deductos obtestatur, ut, quantum nox providentiae adimat, tantum diligentia expleant curaque; se Hasdrubalem Punicaque castra adgressurum; ceterum non ante coepturum, quam ignem in regiis castris conspexisset.
Then, taking Laelius and Masinissa aside individually, he implored them to make up for with diligence and care whatever foresight the night took away; adding that he himself would attack Hasdrubal and the Carthaginian camp, but would not begin, until he had seen fire in the royal camp.
neque ea res morata diu est; nam ut proximis casis iniectus ignis haesit, extemplo proxima quaeque et deinceps continua amplexus totis se passim dissipavit castris.
And this was not long delayed; for as soon as the fire thrown onto the nearest huts caught hold, it immediately gripped each adjacent one and then those continuous to them, and spread itself everywhere throughout the entire camp.
et trepidatio quidem, quantam necesse erat in nocturno effuso tam late incendio, orta est; ceterum fortuitum, non hostilem ac bellicum ignem rati esse,3 sine armis ad restinguendum incendium effusi in armatos incidere hostes, maxime Numidas ab Masinissa notitia regiorum castrorum ad exitus itinerum idoneis locis dispositos.4 multos in ipsis cubilibus semisomnos hausit flamma;
And indeed, such confusion arose as was inevitable in a night fire spread so widely; but, thinking it a fortuitous fire, not an enemy or warlike one, they rushed out without arms to extinguish the fire and fell upon the armed enemy, especially the Numidians, who had been stationed by Masinissa at suitable places near the exits of the pathways, thanks to his knowledge of the royal camp. The flame consumed many while half-asleep in their very beds;
multi in praecipiti fuga ruentes super alios alii in angustiis portarum obtriti sunt.
many, rushing over one another in their headlong flight, were crushed in the narrow passages of the gates.
- 30.5.1dicere exploratoribus iussis
An ablative absolute construction where "exploratoribus" is the logical subject of the passive participle "iussis". The infinitive "dicere" depends on "iussis", and its object is the relative clause "quae... adferrent" (with its antecedent "ea" omitted).
- 30.5.4partem copiarum Laelio Masinissamque ac Numidas adtribuit
The verb "adtribuit" takes two accusatives as direct objects, "partem copiarum" and "Masinissam ac Numidas", and the dative "Laelio" as the indirect object. Thus, it means "he assigned a part of the forces to Laelius, and also attached Masinissa and the Numidians to him."
- 30.5.8ceterum fortuitum, non hostilem ac bellicum ignem rati esse
"rati" is the nominative plural participle from "reor", agreeing with the implied subject of the main clause. It introduces an accusative and infinitive construction (indirect speech) with "ignem" as the subject accusative and "esse" as the infinitive, meaning "thinking that the fire was accidental, not hostile or warlike..."
- 30.5.9maxime Numidas ab Masinissa notitia regiorum castrorum ad exitus itinerum idoneis locis dispositos
This phrase is in apposition to "hostes" (the object of "incidere" in the previous sentence). "Numidas... dispositos" means "especially the Numidians who had been stationed...". The ablative "notitia" expresses the means or cause ("by/due to his knowledge").