- 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-lat2:30.6.1-30.6.9
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-03
The Carthaginian forces mistake the fire for an accident and fall into chaos, allowing Scipio's Roman army to launch a decisive assault. Both camps are entirely destroyed, resulting in catastrophic casualties for the Carthaginian and Numidian allied forces.
relucentem flammam primo vigiles Carthaginiensium, deinde excitati alii nocturno tumultu cum conspexissent, ab eodem errore credere1 et ipsi sua sponte incendium ortum, et clamor inter caedem et vulnera sublatus, an ex trepidatione nocturna esset,2 confusis sensum veri adimebat.
When first the sentries of the Carthaginians, and then others, aroused by the nightly tumult, beheld the reflecting flame, they too, from the same error, believed that the fire had started spontaneously. And the shouting raised amidst the slaughter and wounds—whether it arose from nightly panic—deprived the confused of their perception of the truth.
igitur pro se quisque inermes, ut quibus nihil hostile suspectum esset,3 omnibus portis, qua cuique proximum erat, ea modo, quae restinguendo igni forent,4 portantes, in agmen Romanum ruebant.
Therefore, each man unarmed, as having no suspicion of any hostile action, rushed from all the gates, by whichever route was nearest to each, carrying only those things which might be useful for extinguishing the fire, right into the Roman column.
quibus caesis omnibus praeterquam hostili odio, etiam ne quis nuntius refugeret, extemplo Scipio neglectas ut in tali tumultu portas invadit;
When all of these had been slain—not only out of hostile hatred, but also to prevent any messenger from escaping—Scipio immediately invaded the gates, which had been left neglected in such a tumult.
ignibusque in proxima tecta coniectis effusa flamma primo velut sparsa pluribus locis reluxit, dein per continua serpens uno repente omnia incendio hausit.
And once fire was thrown onto the nearest buildings, the spread flame first shone as if scattered in several places, and then, creeping through those continuous, suddenly consumed everything in one conflagration.
ambusti homines iumentaque foeda primum fuga, dein strage obstruebant itinera portarum; quos non oppresserat ignis, ferro absumpti binaque castra clade una deleta. duces tamen ambo et ex tot milibus armatorum duo milia peditum et quingenti equites semermes, magna pars saucii adflatique incendio effugerunt.
Half-burned men and beasts, first in their foul flight and then in heaps of slaughter, blocked the pathways of the gates; those whom the fire had not overwhelmed were destroyed by the sword. Thus, two camps were destroyed by a single disaster. Yet both commanders, along with two thousand infantry and five hundred half-armed cavalry out of so many thousands of armed men, escaped, a great part of them wounded and scorched by the fire.
caesa aut hausta flammis ad quadraginta milia hominum sunt, capta supra quinque milia, multi Carthaginiensium nobiles, undecim senatores;
Up to forty thousand men were slain or consumed by the flames, and over five thousand were captured, including many Carthaginian nobles and eleven senators;
signa militaria centum septuaginta quattuor, equi Numidici supra duo milia septingenti; elephanti sex capti, octo ferro flammaque absumpti. magna vis armorum capta; ea omnia imperator Volcano sacrata incendit.
one hundred and seventy-four military standards, and over two thousand seven hundred Numidian horses were taken; six elephants were captured, and eight were destroyed by sword and flame. A great quantity of arms was captured, all of which the commander burned, consecrated to Vulcan.
- 30.6.1credere
Historical infinitive (infinitivus historicus). Its subjects are vigiles and excitati alii, and it functions equivalently to the imperfect indicative credebant, used to convey vividness and rapid action in narrative.
- 30.6.2an ex trepidatione nocturna esset
An indirect question clause introduced by an with the imperfect subjunctive esset. Although typically dependent on verbs of speaking or thinking, it here describes the nature or origin of the clamor sublatus (the shouting raised)—namely, 'whether it arose from nightly panic'—explaining the cognitive confusion of the victims (confusis... adimebat).
- 30.6.3ut quibus nihil hostile suspectum esset
A relative clause of cause. The combination of ut with the relative pronoun (here the dative quibus, indicating reference with nihil hostile suspectum esset) and the subjunctive esset expresses the reason: 'since nothing hostile was suspected by them.'
- 30.6.3quae restinguendo igni forent
An expression of purpose or suitability within a relative clause. forent is an alternative form of essent (imperfect subjunctive). restinguendo igni is a dative gerundive phrase expressing purpose or fitness, meaning 'things which would be for the purpose of extinguishing the fire.'