- 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-lat2:33.48.1-33.48.11
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
Hannibal escapes from Africa to the island of Cercina, where he deceives potential pursuers with a feast before setting sail. Meanwhile, in Carthage, his disappearance causes rumors and confusion among the divided citizens.
cum equi, quo in loco iusserat, praesto fuissent, nocte Byzacium — ita regionem quandam agri vocant — transgressus, postero die ad mare inter Acyllam et Thapsum ad suam turrem pervenit.
When the horses were ready in the place where he had ordered, having crossed Byzacium—as they call a certain region of the territory—by night, on the following day he reached his tower on the sea between Acylla and Thapsus.
ibi eum parata instructaque remigio excepit navis. ita Africa Hannibal excessit, saepius patriae1 quam suum eventum miseratus.
There a ship, prepared and equipped with rowers, received him. Thus Hannibal left Africa, more often pitying the fate of his country than his own.
eodem die in Cercinam insulam traiecit. ubi cum in portu naves aliquot Phoenicum onerarias cum mercibus invenisset et ad egressum eum e nave concursus salutantium esset factus, percunctantibus legatum se Tyrum missum dici iussit.
On the same day he crossed over to the island of Cercina. When he had found there in the harbor several merchant ships of the Phoenicians with their cargoes, and a crowd of people greeting him had gathered at his disembarkation from the ship, he ordered it to be said to those who inquired that he was sent as an ambassador to Tyre.
veritus tamen, ne qua earum navis nocte profecta Thapsum aut Hadrumetum nuntiaret se Cercinae visum, sacrificio apparari iusso magistros navium mercatoresque invitari iussit et vela cum antemnis ex navibus conrogari, ut umbraclum —
Fearing, however, lest any of those ships, departing by night, should report at Thapsus or Hadrumetum that he had been seen at Cercina, having ordered a sacrifice to be prepared, he ordered the masters of the ships and the merchants to be invited, and the sails with the yards to be collected from the ships, so that a shade—
media aestas forte erat — cenantibus2 in litore fieret.
for it happened to be midsummer—might be made for those dining on the shore.
quanto res et tempus patiebatur apparatu celebratae eius diei epulae sunt; multoque vino in serum noctis convivium productum.
The banquet of that day was celebrated with as much preparation as the circumstances and time permitted; and with much wine the feast was prolonged late into the night.
Hannibal, cum primum fallendi eos, qui in portu erant, tempus habuit, navem solvit.
Hannibal, as soon as he had an opportunity to deceive those who were in the harbor, set sail.
ceteri sopiti cum postero die tandem ex somno pleni crapulae surrexissent, ad id quod serum erat,3 aliquot horas referendis in naves collocandisque et aptandis armamentis absumpserunt.
When the others, heavy with sleep, finally arose the next day full of hangovers, in addition to it being already late, they spent several hours in returning, placing, and fitting the tackle on the ships.
Carthagine multitudinis adsuetae domum Hannibalis frequentare concursus ad vestibulum aedium est factus.
At Carthage, a crowd of those accustomed to frequent Hannibal’s house gathered at the vestibule of the building.
ut non comparere eum vulgatum est, in forum turba convenit principem civitatis quaerentium;
When it was spread abroad that he did not appear, a crowd gathered in the forum seeking the leader of the state;
et alii fugam conscisse, id quod erat, alii fraude Romanorum interfectum, idque magis vulgo fremebant, variosque vultus cerneres4 ut in civitate aliorum alias partes foventium et factionibus discordi; visum deinde Cercinae eum tandem allatum est.
and some muttered that he had fled, which was the case, others that he had been killed by the treachery of the Romans, and this latter they grumbled more commonly, and one might have seen various countenances, as is natural in a state where different people support different sides and which is discordant with factions; then at last the news was brought that he had been seen at Cercina.
- 33.48.2patriae
This is in the genitive case, coordinate with the accusative 'suum eventum'. It is simplest to understand 'eventum' as omitted after 'patriae' ('[the fate] of his country'). Alternatively, the participle 'miseratus' may be taking the genitive here under the influence of the verb 'misereor'.
- 33.48.5cenantibus
The dative plural masculine of the present participle of 'cenare' ('to dine'). In the purpose clause 'ut ... fieret', it functions as a dative of advantage ('for those dining', referring to the invited masters and merchants). Note that the sentence structure is interrupted by the parenthetical clause 'media aestas forte erat'.
- 33.48.8ad id quod serum erat
The preposition 'ad' here means 'in addition to,' governing the relative clause 'id quod serum erat' ('that which was late'), indicating that their departure preparations on the following day further delayed them on top of it being already late.
- 33.48.11cerneres
The second-person singular imperfect subjunctive expressing potentiality in the past ('one might have seen', lit. 'you would have seen'). It functions as an indefinite 'general second person' referring to an unspecified observer.