§15.16.1διὰ τὰς προειρημένας αἰτίας.
owing to the aforementioned reasons.
ἀλλʼ ὅμως πρὸς ἕκαστα τούτων οὕτως ἐνδεχομένως Ἀννίβας ἐκ τῶν κατὰ λόγον ἡρμόσατο παρʼ αὐτὸν τὸν καιρὸν ὥσθʼ ὑπερβολὴν μὴ καταλιπεῖν.
But nevertheless, against each of these Hannibal adapted his measures so appropriately, on rational principles, at the very moment itself, as to leave no room for improvement.
§15.16.2τὸ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ἐλεφάντων πλῆθος ἐξ αὐτῆς παρεσκευάσατο καὶ τότε προεβάλετο χάριν τοῦ συνταράξαι καὶ διασπάσαι τὰς τάξεις τῶν ὑπεναντίων· §15.16.3τοὺς δὲ μισθοφόρους προέταξε καὶ τοὺς Καρχηδονίους ἔθηκε μετὰ τούτους ἕνεκα τοῦ προεκλῦσαι μὲν τῷ κόπῳ τὰ σώματα τῶν πολεμίων, ἀχρειῶσαι δὲ τὰς ἀκμὰς τῶν ὅπλων διὰ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν φονευομένων, ἀναγκάσαι δὲ τοὺς Καρχηδονίους μέσους ὄντας μένειν καὶ μάχεσθαι κατὰ τὸν ποιητὴν
ὄφρα καὶ οὐκ ἐθέλων τις ἀναγκαίῃ πολεμίζοι. §15.16.4τοὺς δὲ μαχιμωτάτους καὶ στασιμωτάτους τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐν ἀποστάσει παρενέβαλε χάριν τοῦ προορωμένους ἐκ πολλοῦ τὸ συμβαῖνον καὶ διαμένοντας ἀκεραίους τοῖς τε σώμασι καὶ ταῖς ψυχαῖς σὺν καιρῷ χρήσασθαι ταῖς σφετέραις ἀρεταῖς.
For he had prepared the multitude of elephants beforehand, and posted them in front on that occasion for the purpose of throwing the ranks of the enemy into confusion and breaking them; and he stationed the mercenaries in front, and placed the Carthaginians behind them, for the purpose of exhausting the physical strength of the enemy by fatigue, rendering the sharpness of their weapons useless by the multitude of those slain, and compelling the Carthaginians, being in the middle, to stand and fight, in the words of the poet, 'so that even one unwilling might fight under constraint.' And he drew up the most warlike and steadiest of his men at a distance, so that, foreseeing what was happening from afar and remaining fresh both in body and spirit, they might employ their courage at the proper moment.
§15.16.5εἰ δὲ πάντα τὰ δυνατὰ ποιήσας πρὸς τὸ νικᾶν ἐσφάλη τὸν πρὸ τούτου χρόνον ἀήττητος ὤν, συγγνώμην δοτέον· §15.16.6ἔστι μὲν γὰρ ὅτε καὶ ταὐτόματον ἀντέπραξε ταῖς ἐπιβολαῖς τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀνδρῶν, ἔστι δʼ ὅτε πάλιν κατὰ τὴν παροιμίαν
ἐσθλὸς ἐὼν ἄλλου κρείττονος ἀντέτυχεν· ὃ δὴ καὶ τότε γεγονέναι περὶ ἐκεῖνον φήσειεν ἄν τις. —
And if, after doing everything possible to win, he who had been undefeated in the time before this was defeated, he must be pardoned; for there are times when chance also thwarts the plans of good men, and there are times again, as the proverb has it, 'one who is brave meets with another who is braver'; which is indeed what one might say happened to him on that occasion.