§1.81.1οἱ δὲ Καρχηδόνιοι τοῦ δυστυχήματος αὐτοῖς ἀναγγελθέντος ποιεῖν μὲν οὐδὲν εἶχον, ἐσχετλίαζον δὲ καὶ περιπαθεῖς γινόμενοι τῇ συμφορᾷ πρὸς μὲν Ἀμίλκαν καὶ τὸν ἕτερον τῶν στρατηγῶν Ἄννωνα πρεσβευτὰς ἐξέπεμπον, δεόμενοι βοηθεῖν καὶ τιμωρεῖν τοῖς ἠτυχηκόσι. §1.81.2πρὸς δὲ τοὺς ἠσεβηκότας κήρυκας ἐξαπέστελλον περὶ τῆς τῶν νεκρῶν ἀναιρέσεως. §1.81.3οἱ δʼ οὔτʼ ἔδοσαν, προεῖπόν τε τοῖς παροῦσιν μήτε κήρυκα πέμπειν πρὸς σφᾶς μήτε πρεσβευτήν, ὡς τῆς αὐτῆς κολάσεως ὑπομενούσης τοὺς παραγενομένους ἧς νῦν Γέσκων τέτευχε. §1.81.4πρὸς δὲ τὸ λοιπὸν ἐδογματοποίησαν καὶ παρῄνεσαν αὑτοῖς, ὃν μὲν ἂν λάβωσιν Καρχηδονίων, τιμωρησαμένους ἀποκτείνειν· ὃν δʼ ἂν τῶν συμμαχούντων αὐτοῖς, ἀποκόψαντας τὰς χεῖρας αὖθις εἰς Καρχηδόνʼ ἀποπέμπειν.
When this misfortune was reported to them, the Carthaginians indeed had nothing they could do, but, being deeply distressed and heart-broken at the calamity, they dispatched envoys to Amilcar and Hanno, the other general, begging them to come to their aid and to avenge those who had suffered. To those who had committed the impious deed, they sent heralds concerning the recovery of the dead. But they not only refused to grant this, but warned those present not to send any herald or envoy to them, on the ground that the same punishment that Gesco had just meted out would await those who arrived. Furthermore, for the future, they decreed and enjoined upon themselves that any Carthaginian they captured should be tortured and killed, and any of their allies should have his hands cut off and be sent back to Carthage.
ὃ δὴ καὶ διετέλεσαν ἐπιμελῶς ποιοῦντες. §1.81.5διόπερ εἰς ταῦτα βλέπων οὐκ ἄν τις εἰπεῖν ὀκνήσειεν ὡς οὐ μόνον τὰ σώματα τῶν ἀνθρώπων καί τινα τῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς γεννωμένων ἑλκῶν καὶ φυμάτων ἀποθηριοῦσθαι συμβαίνει καὶ τελέως ἀβοήθητα γίνεσθαι, πολὺ δὲ μάλιστα τὰς ψυχάς. §1.81.6ἐπί τε γὰρ τῶν ἑλκῶν, ἐὰν μὲν θεραπείαν τοῖς τοιούτοις προσάγῃ τις, ὑπʼ αὐτῆς ἐνίοτε ταύτης ἐρεθιζόμενα θᾶττον ποιεῖται τὴν νομήν· ἐὰν δὲ πάλιν ἀφῇ, κατὰ τὴν ἐξ αὑτῶν φύσιν φθείροντα τὸ συνεχὲς οὐκ ἴσχει παῦλαν, ἕως ἂν ἀφανίσῃ τὸ ὑποκείμενον· §1.81.7ταῖς τε ψυχαῖς παραπλησίως τοιαῦται πολλάκις ἐπιφύονται μελανίαι καὶ σηπεδόνες ὥστε μηδὲν ἀσεβέστερον ἀνθρώπου μηδʼ ὠμότερον ἀποτελεῖσθαι τῶν ζῴων. §1.81.8οἷς ἐὰν μὲν συγγνώμην τινὰ προσάγῃς καὶ φιλανθρωπίαν, ἐπιβουλὴν καὶ παραλογισμὸν ἡγούμενοι τὸ συμβαῖνον ἀπιστότεροι καὶ δυσμενέστεροι γίνονται πρὸς τοὺς φιλανθρωποῦντας· §1.81.9ἐὰν δʼ ἀντιτιμωρῇ, διαμιλλώμενοι τοῖς θυμοῖς οὐκ ἔστι τι τῶν ἀπειρημένων ἢ δεινῶν ὁποῖον οὐκ ἀναδέχονται, σὺν καλῷ τιθέμενοι τὴν τοιαύτην τόλμαν· τέλος δʼ ἀποθηριωθέντες ἐξέστησαν τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως. §1.81.10τῆς δὲ διαθέσεως ἀρχηγὸν μὲν καὶ μεγίστην μερίδα νομιστέον ἔθη μοχθηρὰ καὶ τροφὴν ἐκ παίδων κακήν, συνεργὰ δὲ καὶ πλείω, μέγιστα δὲ τῶν συνεργῶν τὰς ἀεὶ τῶν προεστώτων ὕβρεις καὶ πλεονεξίας. §1.81.11ἃ δὴ τότε συνέβαινε καὶ περὶ μὲν τὸ σύστημα τῶν μισθοφόρων, ἔτι δὲ μᾶλλον περὶ τοὺς ἡγεμόνας αὐτῶν ὑπάρχειν.
And indeed, they continued to do this with diligence. Looking at these things, therefore, one would not hesitate to say that not only does it happen that the bodies of men and certain ulcers and tumors arising in them become savage and utterly incurable, but much more so do their souls. For in the case of ulcers, if one applies treatment, they are sometimes irritated by this very treatment and spread more rapidly; and if, on the other hand, one leaves them alone, following their own nature they destroy the adjacent parts and find no rest until they have destroyed the underlying substance; and similarly in souls, such blackness and gangrene often grow that no creature is rendered more impious or cruel than man. To whom, if you apply any pardon and kindness, they, regarding what happens as a plot and a deception, become more untrustworthy and hostile toward those who show them kindness; but if you retaliate, contending with their passions, there is no forbidden or terrible deed that they will not undertake, regarding such audacity as an honorable thing; and finally, having become utterly savage, they depart from human nature. Of this disposition, we must regard as the origin and the greatest part bad habits and corrupt training from childhood, though there are many contributing factors, the greatest of which are the constant insolence and greed of their leaders. These indeed then happened to exist both in the general body of the mercenaries, and still more in their leaders.