§21.1οὕτω μὲν τὸν Ἀννίβαν ἀποθανεῖν λέγουσιν.
In this way, they say, Hannibal died.
ἀπαγγελθέντων δὲ τούτων πρὸς τὴν σύγκλητον, οὐκ ὀλίγοις ἐπαχθὴς ἔδοξεν ὁ Τίτος καί περιττὸς ἄγαν καί ὠμός, ὥσπερ ὄρνιν ὑπὸ γήρως ἀπτῆνα καί κόλουρον ἀφειμένον ζῆν χειροήθη τὸν Ἀννίβαν ἀποκτείνας, οὐδενὸς ἐπείγοντος, ἀλλὰ διὰ δόξαν, ὡς ἐπώνυμος τοῦ θανάτου γένοιτο.
When these things were reported to the senate, Titus seemed to not a few to be offensive, excessively meddlesome, and cruel, as if he had killed Hannibal—who was like a bird that by reason of old age was unable to fly, had lost its tail-feathers, and had been let go to live tamely—when there was no necessity, but merely for the sake of glory, so that his own name might be associated with Hannibal's death.
§21.2καί τὴν Ἀφρικανοῦ Σκηπίωνος ἐκτιθέντες πρᾳότητα καί μεγαλοψυχίαν ἔτι μᾶλλον ἐθαύμαζον, ὡς ἀήττητον ὄντα καί φοβερὸν ἐν Λιβύῃ καταπολεμήσας Ἀννίβαν οὔτε ἐξήλασεν οὔτε ἐξῃτήσατο παρὰ τῶν πολιτῶν, ἀλλὰ καί πρὸ τῆς μάχης εἰς λόγους ἐλθὼν ἐδεξιώσατο καί μετὰ τὴν μάχην σπενδόμενος οὐδὲν ἐπετόλμησεν οὐδʼ ἐπενέβη τῇ τύχῃ τοῦ ἀνδρός.
And pointing out the gentleness and magnanimity of Scipio Africanus, they admired him all the more, because, though he had conquered Hannibal in Libya when he was undefeated and fearsome, he neither drove him out nor demanded his surrender from his fellow citizens; on the contrary, he met and welcomed him in conference before the battle, and in making peace after the battle, he did nothing insolent nor did he trample upon the fortune of the man.
§21.3λέγεται δὲ αὖθις ἐν Ἐφέσῳ συμβαλεῖν αὐτούς· καί πρῶτον μὲν ἐν τῷ συμπεριπατεῖν τοῦ Ἀννίβου τὴν προσήκουσαν ἐν ἀξιώματι τάξιν ἐκεἰνῳ προλαβόντος ἀνέχεσθαι καί περιπατεῖν ἀφελῶς τὸν Ἀφρικανόν, ἔπειτα λόγου περὶ στρατηγῶν ἐμπεσόντος καί τοῦ Ἀννίβου κράτιστον ἀποφηναμένου γεγονέναι τῶν στρατηγῶν Ἀλέξανδρον, εἶτα Πύρρον, τρίτον δὲ αὑτόν, ἡσυχῇ μειδιάσαντα τὸν Ἀφρικανὸν εἰπεῖν,
τί δʼ, εἰ μή σε ἐγὼ νενικήκειν; §21.4καί τὸν Ἀννίβαν, οὐκ ἂν, ὦ Σκηπίων,
φάναι,
τρίτον ἐμαυτόν, ἀλλὰ πρῶτον ἐποιούμην τῶν στρατηγῶν. ταῦτα δὴ τοῦ Σκηπίωνος οἱ πολλοὶ θαυμάζοντες ἐκάκιζον τὸν Τίτον ὡς ἀλλοτρίῳ νεκρῷ προσενεγκόντα τὰς χεῖρας.
And it is said that they met again at Ephesus; and first, as they were walking together, when Hannibal took the position of honor that befitted Scipio in dignity, Scipio tolerated it and walked along without affectation; and then, when the conversation fell upon generals, and Hannibal declared that the greatest of generals had been Alexander, then Pyrrhus, and thirdly himself, Scipio smiled quietly and said: "But what if I had not defeated you?" And Hannibal said: "In that case, Scipio, I should not have made myself third, but first of the generals." The majority, admiring these deeds of Scipio, blamed Titus for having laid his hands upon a corpse that belonged to another.
ἔνιοι δὲ ἦσαν οἱ τὸ πεπραγμένον ἐπαινοῦντες καί τὸν Ἀννίβαν, ἕως ἔζη, πῦρ ἡγούμενοι δεόμενον τοῦ ῥιπίζοντος·
But there were some who praised the deed, considering Hannibal, as long as he lived, to be a fire that needed only someone to fan it.
§21.5μηδὲ γὰρ ἀκμάζοντος αὐτοῦ τὸ σῶμα Ῥωμαίοις καί τὴν χεῖρα φοβεράν, ἀλλὰ τὴν δεινότητα καί τὴν ἐμπειρίαν γεγονέναι μετὰ τῆς ἐμφύτου πικρίας καί δυσμενείας, ὧν οὐδὲν ἀφαιρεῖν τὸ γῆρας,ʼ ἀλλʼ ὑπομένειν τὴν φύσιν ἐν τῷ ἤθει, τὴν δὲ τύχην οὐ διαμένειν ὁμοίαν, ἀλλὰ μεταπίπτουσαν ἐκκαλεῖσθαι ταῖς ἐλπίσι πρὸς τὰς ἐπιθέσεις τοὺς ἀεὶ τῷ μισεῖν πολεμοῦντας.
For they argued that even when he was in his prime, it was not his body or his hand that was formidable to the Romans, but his cunning and experience, combined with his inborn bitterness and hostility, from which old age takes nothing away, but the natural character remains in the disposition; while fortune does not remain the same, but by its changes invites those who always make war with hatred to make new attempts based on hope.
§21.6καί τὰ ὕστερά πως ἔτι μᾶλλον ἐμαρτύρησε τῷ Τίτῳ, τοῦτο μὲν Ἀριστόνικος ὁ τοῦ κιθαρῳδοῦ διὰ τὴν Εὐμενοῦς δόξαν ἐμπλήσας ἅπασαν ἀποστάσεων καί πολέμων τὴν Ἀσίαν, τοῦτο δὲ Μιθριδάτης μετὰ Σύλλαν καί Φιμβρίαν καί τοσοῦτον ὄλεθρον στρατευμάτων καὶ στρατηγῶν αὖθις ἐπὶ Λεύκολλον ἐκ γῆς ὁμοῦ καί θαλάττης ἀναστὰς τηλικοῦτος.
And subsequent events in some way bore witness even more to Titus; on the one hand, Aristonicus, the son of a cithara-player, by exploiting the reputation of Eumenes, filled the whole of Asia with rebellions and wars; on the other hand, Mithridates, after Sulla, Fimbria, and the destruction of so many armies and generals, rose up again against Lucullus, both by land and sea, with such great power.
§21.7οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ Γαΐου Μαρίου ταπεινότερος Ἀννίβας ἔκειτο, τῷ μὲν γὰρ βασιλεὺς φίλος ὑπῆρχε καί βίος ἦν συνήθης καί διατριβαὶ περὶ ναῦς καί ἵππους καί στρατιωτῶν ἐπιμέλειαν τὰς δὲ Μαρίου τύχας Ῥωμαῖοι γελῶντες ἀλωμένου καί πτωχεύοντος ἐν Λιβύῃ μετὰ μικρὸν ἐν Ῥώμῃ σφαττόμενοι καὶ μαστιγούμενοι προσεκύνουν. οὕτως οὐδὲν οὔτε μικρὸν οὔτε μέγα τῶν παρόντων πρὸς τὸ μέλλον ἐστίν, ἀλλὰ μία τοῦ μεταβάλλειν τελευτὴ καί τοῦ εἶναι.
Moreover, Hannibal was not placed in a lower condition than Gaius Marius; for the former had a friendly king and a customary life, spending his time with ships, horses, and the care of soldiers; whereas the Romans who laughed at the fortunes of Marius when he was wandering and begging in Libya, not long after prostrated themselves before him while being slaughtered and scourged in Rome. Thus there is nothing, either small or great, in present circumstances that is secure against the future, but there is only one end to change and to existence.
§21.8διὸ καί φασιν ἔνιοι Τίτον οὐκ ἀφʼ ἑαυτοῦ ταῦτα πρᾶξαι, πεμφθῆναι δὲ πρεσβευτὴν μετὰ Λευκίου Σκηπίωνος, οὐδὲν ἄλλο τῆς πρεσβείας ἐχούσης ἔργον ἢ τὸν Ἀννίβου θάνατον.
Therefore, some say that Titus did not do this of his own accord, but was sent as an ambassador with Lucius Scipio, the embassy having no other business than the death of Hannibal.
ἐπεὶ δὲ οὐδεμίαν ἔτι τούτων κατόπιν οὔτε πολιτικὴν τοῦ Τίτου πρᾶξιν οὔτε πολεμικὴν ἱστορήκαμεν, ἀλλὰ καί τελευτῆς ἔτυχεν εἰρηνικῆς, ὥρα τὴν σύγκρισιν ἐπισκοπεῖν.
And since we have no record after these events of any other deed of Titus, either political or military, and since he met with a peaceful death, it is time to consider the comparison.