§1.39.1ἀπολιπόντες φυλακὴν τῆς πόλεως.
leaving a garrison for the city.
μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα τῆς θερείας ἐπιγενομένης οἱ κατασταθέντες ἄρχοντες Γνάιος Σερουίλιος καὶ Γάιος Σεμπρώνιος ἀνέπλευσαν παντὶ τῷ στόλῳ καὶ διάραντες εἰς τὴν Σικελίαν ἀφώρμησαν ἐντεῦθεν εἰς τὴν Λιβύην.
After this, when the summer came, the appointed consuls Gnaeus Servilius and Gaius Sempronius put to sea with their whole fleet, and crossing over to Sicily, set out from there for Libya.
§1.39.2κομιζόμενοι δὲ παρὰ τὴν χώραν ἐποιοῦντο καὶ πλείστας ἀποβάσεις. ἐν αἷς οὐδὲν ἀξιόλογον πράττοντες παρεγίνοντο πρὸς τὴν τῶν Λωτοφάγων νῆσον, ἣ καλεῖται μὲν Μῆνιγξ, οὐ μακρὰν δʼ ἀπέχει τῆς μικρᾶς Σύρτεως.
Sailing along the coast, they made numerous landings, in which, without accomplishing anything of importance, they reached the island of the Lotus-eaters, which is called Meninx and is not far from the Lesser Syrtis.
§1.39.3ἐν ᾗ προσπεσόντες εἴς τινα βράχεα διὰ τὴν ἀπειρίαν, γενομένης ἀμπώτεως καὶ καθισάντων τῶν πλοίων εἰς πᾶσαν ἦλθον ἀπορίαν.
There, having run aground on some shallows through inexperience, when the tide ebbed and their ships were left high and dry, they fell into utter helplessness.
§1.39.4οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ πάλιν ἀνελπίστως μετά τινα χρόνον ἐπενεχθείσης τῆς θαλάττης, ἐκρίψαντες ἐκ τῶν πλοίων πάντα τὰ βάρη μόλις ἐκούφισαν τὰς ναῦς.
However, when after some time the tide unexpectedly flowed in again, they threw all their heavy baggage overboard and with difficulty lightened the ships.
§1.39.5οὗ γενομένου φυγῇ παραπλήσιον ἐποιήσαντο τὸν ἀπόπλουν.
Upon this happening, they made a departure that resembled a flight.
ἁψάμενοι δὲ τῆς Σικελίας καὶ κάμψαντες τὸ Λιλύβαιον καθωρμίσθησαν εἰς Πάνορμον.
Having reached Sicily and rounded Lilybaeum, they anchored at Panormus.
§1.39.6ἐντεῦθεν δὲ ποιούμενοι παραβόλως καὶ διὰ πόρου τὸν πλοῦν εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην πάλιν περιέπεσον χειμῶνι τηλικούτῳ τὸ μέγεθος ὥστε πλείω τῶν ἑκατὸν καὶ πεντήκοντα πλοίων ἀποβαλεῖν.
Making their voyage from there to Rome perilously across the open sea, they again fell into a storm of such magnitude that they lost more than one hundred and fifty ships.
οἱ δʼ ἐν τῇ Ῥώμῃ τούτων συμβάντων, §1.39.7καίπερ ὄντες ἐν παντὶ φιλότιμοι διαφερόντως, ὅμως τότε διὰ τὸ μέγεθος καὶ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν συμπτωμάτων τοῦ μὲν ἔτι στόλον ἁθροίζειν ἀναγκασθέντες ὑπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων ἀπέστησαν, §1.39.8ἐν δὲ ταῖς πεζικαῖς δυνάμεσι τὰς ὑπολοίπους ἔχοντες ἐλπίδας, τοὺς μὲν στρατηγοὺς ἀπέστελλον Λεύκιον Καικίλιον καὶ Γάιον Φούριον καὶ στρατόπεδα μετὰ τούτων εἰς τὴν Σικελίαν, ἑξήκοντα δὲ μόνον ἐπλήρωσαν ναῦς χάριν τοῦ τὰς ἀγορὰς κομίζειν τοῖς στρατοπέδοις.
Those in Rome, upon these things happening, although they were in all things exceptionally ambitious, nevertheless, owing to the magnitude and number of their disasters, were forced by circumstances to abandon for the time being the gathering of another fleet, and placing their remaining hopes in their land forces, they dispatched the generals Lucius Caecilius and Gaius Furius with their legions to Sicily, and equipped only sixty ships for the purpose of carrying provisions to the armies.
§1.39.9ἐκ δὲ τῶν εἰρημένων περιπετειῶν συνέβη πάλιν ἐπικυδέστερα γενέσθαι τὰ τῶν Καρχηδονίων πράγματα.
In consequence of the aforementioned disasters, it happened that the affairs of the Carthaginians once more became more promising.
§1.39.10τῆς μὲν γὰρ θαλάττης ἀδεῶς ἐπεκράτουν ἐκκεχωρηκότων τῶν Ῥωμαίων, ἐν δὲ ταῖς πεζικαῖς δυνάμεσι μεγάλας εἶχον ἐλπίδας.
For they held undisputed mastery of the sea, the Romans having withdrawn, and they had great hopes in their land forces.
§1.39.11καὶ τοῦτʼ ἔπασχον οὐκ ἀλόγως· οἱ γὰρ Ῥωμαῖοι, διαδοθείσης φήμης περὶ τῆς ἐν τῇ Λιβύῃ μάχης ὅτι τὰ θηρία τάς τε τάξεις αὐτῶν διασπάσαι καὶ τοὺς πλείστους διαφθείραι τῶν ἀνδρῶν, §1.39.12οὕτως ἦσαν κατάφοβοι τοὺς ἐλέφαντας ὡς ἐπὶ δύʼ ἐνιαυτοὺς τοὺς ἑξῆς τῶν προειρημένων καιρῶν πολλάκις μὲν ἐν τῇ Λιλυβαιίτιδι χώρᾳ, πολλάκις δʼ ἐν τῇ Σελινουντίᾳ παραταττόμενοι τοῖς πολεμίοις ἐν ἓξ καὶ πέντε σταδίοις οὐκ ἐθάρρησαν οὐδέποτε κατάρξαι τῆς μάχης οὐδʼ εἰς τοὺς ὁμαλοὺς καθόλου συγκαταβῆναι τόπους, δεδιότες τὴν τῶν ἐλεφάντων ἔφοδον.
Nor was this feeling without reason; for the Romans, upon the spread of the report concerning the battle in Libya that the beasts had broken their ranks and destroyed the greater part of their men, were so terrified of the elephants that for two successive years after the times mentioned, though frequently drawn up in order of battle against the enemy in the territory of Lilybaeum or Selinus at a distance of only five or six stades, they never ventured to begin a battle or to descend at all into the level ground, through fear of the elephants' charge.
§1.39.13Θέρμαν δὲ μόνον καὶ Λιπάραν ἐξεπολιόρκησαν ἐν τούτοις τοῖς καιροῖς, ἀντεχόμενοι τῶν ὀρεινῶν καὶ δυσδιαβάτων τόπων.
During these times they besieged and took only Thermae and Lipara, clinging to mountainous and difficult ground.
§1.39.14διὸ καὶ θεωροῦντες οἱ Ῥωμαῖοι τὴν ἐν τοῖς πεζικοῖς στρατοπέδοις πτοίαν καὶ δυσελπιστίαν αὖθις ἔγνωσαν ἐκ μεταμελείας ἀντιλαμβάνεσθαι τῆς θαλάττης.
On this account, the Romans, seeing the panic and discouragement prevailing in their land forces, resolved once more to change their minds and lay hands upon the sea.
§1.39.15καὶ καταστήσαντες στρατηγοὺς Γάιον Ἀτίλιον καὶ Λεύκιον Μάλιον ναυπηγοῦνται πεντήκοντα σκάφη καὶ κατέγραφον καὶ συνήθροιζον στόλον ἐνεργῶς.
And having appointed Gaius Atilius and Lucius Manlius as generals, they built fifty ships and actively recruited and gathered a fleet.