- 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-lat2:32.11.1-32.11.10
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-06
A shepherd who knows a secret mountain path to get behind the enemy is brought to the consul, who cautiously accepts the proposal and dispatches a detachment while continuing to harass the enemy with the main force.
cum in hoc statu res esset, pastor quidam a Charopo, principe Epirotarum, missus deducitur ad consulem.
While matters were in this state, a certain shepherd, sent by Charopus, the chief of the Epirotes, was brought to the consul.
is se in eo saltu, qui regiis tum teneretur castris, armentum pascere solitum ait omnes montium eorum amfractus callesque nosse.
He said that he, having been accustomed to pasture his herd in that pass which was then held by the king’s camp, knew all the windings and paths of those mountains.
si secum aliquos consul mittere velit, se non iniquo nec perdifficili aditu super caput hostium eos educturum.
If the consul wished to send some men with him, he would lead them up over the heads of the enemy by an approach that was neither rugged nor very difficult.
haec ubi consul audivit, percunctatum ad Charopum mittit, satisne credendum super tanta re agresti censeret. Charopus renuntiari iubet, ita crederet, ut suae potius omnia quam illius potestatis essent.1
When the consul heard this, he sent to Charopus to inquire whether he thought that enough trust should be placed in a rustic on so great a matter. Charopus ordered word to be sent back that he should trust him in such a way that everything rather remained in his own power than in that of the other.
cum magis vellet credere quam auderet2 mixtumque gaudio et metu animum gereret, auctoritate motus Charopi experiri spem oblatam statuit et, ut averteret regem ab suspicione, biduo insequenti lacessere hostem dispositis ab omni parte copiis succedentibusque integris in locum defessorum non destitit.
Although he wished to believe more than he dared, and bore a mind mixed with joy and fear, moved by the authority of Charopus, he decided to try the offered hope, and, in order to divert the king from suspicion, for the next two days he did not cease to harass the enemy, having distributed his forces on every side, with fresh men succeeding into the place of the fatigued.
quattuor milia inde lecta peditum et trecentos equites tribuno militum tradit. equites, quoad loca patiantur, ducere iubet; ubi ad invia equiti ventum sit, in planitie aliqua locari equitatum, pedites, qua dux monstraret viam, ire;
Then he handed over four thousand chosen infantry and three hundred cavalry to a military tribune. He ordered him to lead the cavalry as far as the terrain permitted; when they came to places impassable for the horse, the cavalry should be stationed in some plain, and the infantry should go where the guide showed the way;
ubi, ut polliceatur, super caput hostium perventum sit, fumo dare signum nec antea clamorem tollere, quam ab se signo recepto pugnam coeptam arbitrari posset.
when, as he promised, they reached the position above the head of the enemy, they should give a signal with smoke, and not raise a shout before they could judge that the battle had begun by receiving a signal from him.
nocte itinera fieri iubet — et pernox forte luna erat —; interdiu cibi quietisque sumeret tempus. ducem promissis ingentibus oneratum, si fides extet,3 vinctum tamen tribuno tradit.
He ordered the marches to be made by night—and by chance there was a moon all night—; during the day he should take time for food and rest. He delivered the guide, loaded with immense promises if his loyalty should be proven, yet bound, to the tribune.
his copiis ita dimissis eo intentius Romanus undique instat, † capit stationes.4
These forces having been thus dispatched, the Roman pressed on from all sides all the more intently, and †assailed the outposts.
- 32.11.4suae potius omnia quam illius potestatis essent
The pronoun "suae" refers to the consul, and "potestatis" is a genitive of possession or control. The phrase "suae potestatis esse" means "to be under one's own power or control." It represents Charopus's advice that the consul should trust the shepherd only in a way that allows the consul to retain full command of the situation.
- 32.11.5cum magis vellet credere quam auderet
Literally, "since he wished to believe more than he dared to." It depicts the consul's psychological struggle: while he was eager to believe the shepherd's report, he hesitated to take the risk of acting upon that belief due to fear of treachery.
- 32.11.9si fides extet
A conditional clause meaning "if loyalty should be shown" or "provided that faith is kept." It qualifies "promissis ingentibus oneratum" (loaded with immense promises), indicating that the realization of the massive rewards was strictly conditional upon the shepherd's actual performance of his duty.
- 32.11.10† capit stationes
The dagger mark (†) indicates a corruption in the manuscript tradition. The verb "capit" (takes/seizes) in the present tense is syntactically or contextually problematic, suggesting a possible lacuna or scribal error in this spot.