§20.1τὸ δὲ οὖν φύσει Τίτου φιλότιμον, ἄχρι μὲν ἱκανὴν εἶχεν ὕλην περὶ τοὺς εἰρημένους πολέμους διατρίβοντος, εὐδοκίμει· καὶ γὰρ ἐχιλιάρχησεν αὖθις μετὰ τὴν ὑπατείαν, οὐδενὸς ἐπείγοντος·
Now, Titus's natural love of honor, as long as he had sufficient material while spending his time in the aforementioned wars, was highly esteemed; for he served as a military tribune again after his consulship, when no one forced him.
ἀπαλλαγεὶς δέ τοῦ ἄρχειν καὶ πρεσβύτερος ὢν ἠλέγχετο μᾶλλον, ἐν οὐκ ἔχοντι πράξεις ἔτι τῷ λοιπῷ βίῳ σπαργῶντα πρὸς δόξαν καὶ νεανἰζοντα τῷ πάθει κατέχειν ἑαυτὸν οὐ δυνάμενος.
But when he was freed from office and was older, his character was more clearly exposed, since he was unable to restrain himself in the remainder of his life, which no longer had fields for action, swelling for glory and showing a youthful passion.
§20.2τοιαύτῃ γάρ τινι καὶ τὸ περὶ Ἀννίβαν φορᾷ ἐδόκει πράξας ἐπαχθὴς γενέσθαι τοῖς πολλοῖς.
For it was by some such impulse that he was thought to have acted in the affair of Hannibal and to have become offensive to many.
ὁ γὰρ Ἀννίβας οἴκοθεν μὲν ἐκ Καρχηδόνος ὑπεκδρὰς Ἀντιόχῳ συνῆν, ἐκείνου δέ μετὰ τὴν ἐν Φρυγίᾳ μάχην εἰρήνης ἀγαπητῶς τυχόντος, αὖθις φεύγων καὶ πλανηθεὶς πολλά τέλος ἐν τῇ Βιθυνίᾳ κατέστη Προυσίαν θεραπεύων, οὐδενὸς Ῥωμαίων ἀγνοοῦντος, ἀλλὰ παρορώντων ἁπάντων διʼ ἀσθένειαν καὶ γῆρας ὥσπερ ἐρριμμένον ὑπὸ τῆς τύχης.
For Hannibal, having escaped secretly from his home in Carthage, lived with Antiochus; but after the latter had gladly obtained peace after the battle in Phrygia, Hannibal, fleeing again and wandering much, finally settled in Bithynia, serving Prusias; and no Roman was ignorant of this, but all overlooked him because of his weakness and old age, as one cast aside by fortune.
§20.3Τίτος δέ πρεσβευτὴς διʼ ἑτέρας δή τινας πράξεις ὑπὸ τῆς βουλῆς πρὸς τὸν Προυσίαν ἀφικόμενος καὶ τὸν Ἀννίβαν ἰδὼν αὐτόθι διαιτώμενον, ἠγανάκτησεν εἰ ζῇ, καὶ πολλά τοῦ Προυσίου δεομένου καὶ λιπαροῦντος ὑπὲρ ἀνδρὸς ἱκέτου καὶ συνήθους οὐ παρῆκε.
But Titus, having arrived at the court of Prusias as an ambassador sent by the senate for some other business, and seeing Hannibal living there, was indignant that he was alive; and though Prusias begged and entreated him much on behalf of a suppliant and a friend, he did not relent.
χρησμοῦ δέ τινος, ὡς ἔοικε, παλαιοῦ περὶ τῆς Ἀννίβου τελευτῆς οὕτως ἔχοντος,
"Λίβυσσα κρύψει βῶλος Ἀννίβου δέμας,"
ὁ μὲν ἄρα Λιβύην ὑπενόει καὶ τὰς ἐν Καρχηδόνι ταφάς, ὡς ἐκεῖ καταβιωσόμενος·
And it seems that an old oracle concerning Hannibal's death ran thus: "A Libyan clod of earth shall cover Hannibal's body." He, therefore, suspected Libya and burial in Carthage, expecting to end his life there.
§20.4ἐν δὲ Βιθυνίᾳ τόπος ἐστὶ θινώδης ἐπὶ θαλάσσης καὶ πρὸς αὐτῷ κώμη τις μεγάλη Λίβυσσα καλεῖται, περὶ ταύτην ἔτυχε διατρίβων Ἀννίβας, ἀεὶ δὲ ἀπιστῶν τῇ τοῦ Προυσίου μαλακίᾳ καὶ φοβούμενος τοὺς Ῥωμαίους τὴν οἰκίαν ἔτι πρότερον ἐξόδοις ἑπτὰ καταγείοις συντετρημένην ἐκ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ διαίτης εἶχεν, ἄλλου κατʼ ἄλλο τῶν ὑπονόμων, πόρρω δὲ πάντων ἀδήλως ἐκφερόντων.
But in Bithynia there is a sandy place near the sea, and close to it a large village called Libyssa. It happened that Hannibal was staying there; and since he always distrusted the weakness of Prusias and feared the Romans, he had previously had his house connected with seven underground passages from his own chamber, each of these tunnels leading secretly to different directions, and far away from all observation.
§20.5ὡς οὖν ἤκουσε τότε τὸ πρόσταγμα τοῦ Τίτου, φεύγειν μὲν ὥρμησε διὰ τῶν ὑπονόμων, ἐντυχὼν δὲ φυλακαῖς βασιλικαῖς ἔγνω διʼ αὑτοῦ τελευτᾶν.
When, therefore, he then heard the demand of Titus, he attempted to escape through the underground passages; but finding them guarded by royal guards, he resolved to die by his own hand.
ἔνιοι μὲν οὖν λέγουσιν ὡς ἱμάτιον τῷ τραχήλῳ περιβαλὼν καὶ κελεύσας οἰκέτην ὄπισθεν ἐρείσαντα κατὰ τοῦ ἰσχίου τὸ γόνυ καὶ σφοδρῶς ἀνακλάσαντα συντεῖναι καὶ περιστρέψαι, μέχρι ἂν ἐκθλίψαι τὸ πνεῦμα, διαφθείρειεν αὑτόν ἔνιοι δέ μιμησάμενον Θεμιστοκλέα καὶ Μίδαν αἷμα ταύρειον πιεῖν·
Some say that he wound a cloak around his neck and, ordering a servant to press his knee against his hip from behind and pull back strongly, thus strangled himself until he squeezed out his breath; but others say that, in imitation of Themistocles and Midas, he drank bull's blood.
§20.6Λίβιος δέ φησι φάρμακον ἔχοντα κεράσαι καὶ τὴν κύλικα δεξάμενον εἰπεῖν
ἀναπαύσωμεν ἤδη ποτὲ τὴν πολλὴν φροντίδα Ῥωμαίων, οἳ μακρὸν ἡγήσαντο καὶ βαρὺ μισουμένου γέροντος ἀναμεῖναι θάνατον, οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ Τίτος ἀξιοζήλωτον ἀποίσεται νίκην οὐδὲ τῶν προγόνων ἀξίαν, οἳ Πύρρῳ πολεμοῦντι καὶ κρατοῦντι τὴν μέλλουσαν ὑποπέμψαντες κατεμήνυσαν φαρμακείαν.
But Livy says that, having poison ready, he mixed it, and taking the cup, said: "Let us at last put an end to the great anxiety of the Romans, who have thought it too long and tedious to wait for the death of a hated old man; yet Titus will not carry off a victory to be envied, nor one worthy of his ancestors, who, when Pyrrhus was making war on them and prevailing, sent a message to warn him of the intended poisoning."