§3.21.1δικαιολογεῖσθαι.
to plead their cause.
τὰς μὲν οὖν πρὸς Ἀσδρούβαν ὁμολογίας παρεσιώπων, ὡς οὔτε γεγενημένας, εἴ τε γεγόνασιν, οὐδὲν οὔσας πρὸς αὑτοὺς διὰ τὸ χωρὶς τῆς σφετέρας πεπρᾶχθαι γνώμης.
They accordingly passed over in silence the agreement with Hasdrubal, as if it had never been made, or, if it had been made, was nothing to them because it had been concluded without their consent.
§3.21.2ἐχρῶντο δʼ ἐξ αὐτῶν Ῥωμαίων εἰς τοῦτο παραδείγματι.
And they used an example from the Romans themselves for this.
τὰς γὰρ ἐπὶ Λυτατίου γενομένας συνθήκας ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ τῷ περὶ Σικελίας, ταύτας ἔφασαν ἤδη συνωμολογημένας ὑπὸ Λυτατίου μετὰ ταῦτα τὸν δῆμον τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἀκύρους ποιῆσαι διὰ τὸ χωρὶς τῆς αὑτοῦ γενέσθαι γνώμης.
For they asserted that as for the treaty made under Lutatius in the war for Sicily, although it had already been agreed to by Lutatius, the Roman people afterwards made it void because it had been concluded without their consent.
§3.21.3ἐπίεζον δὲ καὶ προσαπηρείδοντο παρʼ ὅλην τὴν δικαιολογίαν ἐπὶ τὰς τελευταίας συνθήκας τὰς γενομένας ἐν τῷ περὶ Σικελίας πολέμῳ.
And throughout the whole of their defense, they laid stress on and relied upon the last treaty made in the war for Sicily.
§3.21.4ἐν αἷς περὶ μὲν Ἰβηρίας οὐκ ἔφασαν ὑπάρχειν ἔγγραφον οὐδέν, περὶ δὲ τοῦ τοῖς ἑκατέρων συμμάχοις τὴν παρʼ ἀμφοῖν ἀσφάλειαν εἶναι ῥητῶς κατατετάχθαι.
In which they asserted there was no written mention concerning Iberia, but that it was expressly set down that safety should be guaranteed by both to the allies of each.
§3.21.5Ζακανθαίους δὲ παρεδείκνυον οὐκ ὄντας τότε Ῥωμαίων συμμάχους καὶ παρανεγίνωσκον πρὸς τοῦτο πλεονάκις τὰς συνθήκας.
And they pointed out that the Saguntines were not at that time allies of the Romans, and to prove this they repeatedly read out the treaty.
§3.21.6Ῥωμαῖοι δὲ τοῦ μὲν δικαιολογεῖσθαι καθάπαξ ἀπεγίνωσκον, φάσκοντες ἀκεραίου μὲν ἔτι διαμενούσης τῆς τῶν Ζακανθαίων πόλεως ἐπιδέχεσθαι τὰ πράγματα δικαιολογίαν καὶ δυνατὸν εἶναι λόγῳ περὶ τῶν ἀμφισβητουμένων διεξάγειν· §3.21.7ταύτης δὲ παρεσπονδημένης ἢ τοὺς αἰτίους ἐκδοτέον εἶναι σφίσι, διʼ οὗ φανερὸν ἔσται πᾶσιν ὡς οὐ μετεσχήκασι τῆς ἀδικίας, ἀλλʼ ἄνευ τῆς αὑτῶν γνώμης πεπρᾶχθαι τοῦτο τοὔργον, §3.21.8ἢ μὴ βουλομένους τοῦτο ποιεῖν, ὁμολογοῦντας δὲ κοινωνεῖν τῆς ἀδικίας καὶ συναναδέχεσθαι τὸν πόλεμον.
But the Romans refused to enter into any defense at all, asserting that while the city of Saguntum remained still untouched, the matter admitted of a defense and it was possible to settle the disputed points by discussion; but since it had been treacherously destroyed, either the authors of the wrong must be surrendered to them, whereby it would be manifest to all that they had no share in the injustice, but that this deed had been done without their consent, or if they were unwilling to do this, they must confess that they shared in the injustice and must accept the war.
οἱ μὲν οὖν καθολικώτερόν πως ἐχρήσαντο τοῖς λόγοις.
These, then, were the arguments they used of a more general nature.
§3.21.9ἡμῖν δʼ ἀναγκαῖον εἶναι δοκεῖ τὸ μὴ παραλιπεῖν ἄσκεπτον τοῦτο τὸ μέρος, ἵνα μήθʼ οἷς καθήκει καὶ διαφέρει τὸ σαφῶς εἰδέναι τὴν ἐν τούτοις ἀκρίβειαν, παραπαίωσι τῆς ἀληθείας ἐν τοῖς ἀναγκαιοτάτοις διαβουλίοις, §3.21.10μήθʼ οἱ φιλομαθοῦντες περὶ τούτων ἀστοχῶσι, συμπλανώμενοι ταῖς ἀγνοίαις καὶ φιλοτιμίαις τῶν συγγραφέων, ἀλλʼ ᾖ τις ὁμολογουμένη θεωρία τῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς ὑπαρξάντων δικαίων Ῥωμαίοις καὶ Καρχηδονίοις πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἕως εἰς τοὺς καθʼ ἡμᾶς καιρούς.
But to me it seems necessary not to leave this part unexamined, so that neither those whose duty it is and whom it concerns to know the exact truth of these matters may err from the truth in their most critical deliberations, nor those who are eager for knowledge on these subjects may go astray, being misled by the ignorance and partisan spirit of historians, but that there may be an agreed-upon view of the rights existing between the Romans and Carthaginians from the beginning down to our own times.