§8.31.1ἤδη δὲ τοῦ μὲν Ἀννίβου παρεμβεβληκότος τὴν δύναμιν εἰς τὴν ἀγοράν, τῶν δὲ Ῥωμαίων ἀποκεχωρηκότων εἰς τὴν ἄκραν διὰ τὸ προκατεσχῆσθαι φρουρᾷ ταύτην ὑπʼ αὐτῶν, ὄντος δὲ φωτὸς εἰλικρινοῦς, ὁ μὲν Ἀννίβας ἐκήρυττε τοὺς Ταραντίνους ἄνευ τῶν ὅπλων ἁθροίζεσθαι πάντας εἰς τὴν ἀγοράν,
And now, Hannibal having already advanced his force into the agora, and the Romans having retreated into the citadel because it had been occupied beforehand by them with a garrison, when it was broad daylight, Hannibal caused a proclamation to be made that all the Tarentines should assemble in the agora without their arms.
§8.31.2οἱ δὲ νεανίσκοι περιπορευόμενοι τὴν πόλιν ἐβόων ἐπὶ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν, καὶ παρεκάλουν θαρρεῖν, ὡς ὑπὲρ ἐκείνων παρόντας τοὺς Καρχηδονίους.
Meanwhile, the young men, going round the city, kept shouting for liberty, and exhorted them to be of good courage, saying that the Carthaginians were present for their sake.
§8.31.3ὅσοι μὲν οὖν τῶν Ταραντίνων προκατείχοντο τῇ πρὸς τοὺς Ῥωμαίους εὐνοίᾳ, γνόντες ἀπεχώρουν εἰς τὴν ἄκραν· οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ κατὰ τὸ κήρυγμα συνηθροίζοντο χωρὶς τῶν ὅπλων, πρὸς οὓς Ἀννίβας φιλανθρώπους διελέχθη λόγους.
As many of the Tarentines, therefore, as were prepossessed with goodwill towards the Romans, having realized the situation, retreated to the citadel; but the rest assembled without their arms in accordance with the proclamation, to whom Hannibal addressed friendly words.
§8.31.4τῶν δὲ Ταραντίνων ὁμοθυμαδὸν ἐπισημηναμένων ἕκαστα τῶν λεγομένων διὰ τὸ παράδοξον τῆς ἐλπίδος, τότε μὲν διαφῆκε τοὺς πολλούς, συντάξας ἕκαστον εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν οἰκίαν ἐπανελθόντας μετὰ σπουδῆς ἐπὶ τὴν θύραν ἐπιγράψαι ΤΑΡΑΝΤΙΝΟΥ. §8.31.5τῷ δʼ ἐπὶ τὴν Ῥωμαϊκὴν κατάλυσιν ἐπιγράψαντι ταὐτὸ τοῦτο θάνατον ὥρισε τὴν ζημίαν.
And when the Tarentines with one accord applauded every word he said because of their unexpected hope, for the moment he dismissed the multitude, ordering them to return each to his own house with speed and to write on the door "TARENTINE." But for anyone who should write this same thing on a Roman lodging, he appointed death as the penalty.
§8.31.6αὐτὸς δὲ διελὼν τοὺς ἐπιτηδειοτάτους τῶν ἐπὶ τῶν πραγμάτων ἐφῆκε διαρπάζειν τὰς τῶν Ῥωμαίων οἰκίας, σύνθημα δοὺς πολεμίας νομίζειν τὰς ἀνεπιγράφους, τοὺς δὲ λοιποὺς συνέχων ἐν τάξει τούτοις ἐφέδρους.
He himself, having selected those most suitable for the task, let them loose to plunder the houses of the Romans, giving them a signal to consider those without inscriptions as enemy property, while keeping the rest in order as a reserve for these.