§9.22.1ὅτι τῶν ἑκατέροις, Ῥωμαίοις φημὶ καὶ Καρχηδονίοις, προσπιπτόντων καὶ συμβαινόντων εἷς ἦν ἀνὴρ αἴτιος καὶ μία ψυχή, λέγω δὲ τὴν Ἀννίβου.
That of all that befell and happened to both sides, I mean the Romans and the Carthaginians, one man and one soul was the cause, and I mean that of Hannibal.
§9.22.2τά τε γὰρ κατὰ τὴν Ἰταλίαν ὁμολογουμένως οὗτος ἦν ὁ χειρίζων, τά τε κατὰ τὴν Ἰβηρίαν διὰ τοῦ πρεσβυτέρου τῶν ἀδελφῶν Ἀσδρούβου, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα διὰ τοῦ [πρεσβύτου] Μάγωνος· §9.22.3οἱ γὰρ τοὺς τῶν Ῥωμαίων στρατηγοὺς ἀμφοτέρους ἀποκτείναντες [ἅμα] κατὰ τὴν Ἰβηρίαν ἦσαν οὗτοι.
For he was admittedly the one who directed operations in Italy, and those in Iberia through the elder of his brothers, Hasdrubal, and afterwards through Mago; for these were the ones who killed both Roman generals in Iberia.
§9.22.4καὶ μὴν τὰ κατὰ τὴν Σικελίαν ἔπραττε τὰς μὲν ἀρχὰς διὰ τῶν περὶ τὸν Ἱπποκράτην, ὕστερον δὲ διὰ Μυττόνου τοῦ Λίβυος.
Moreover, he conducted affairs in Sicily, at first through Hippocrates and his associates, and later through Myttonus the Libyan.
§9.22.5ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὴν Ἑλλάδα καὶ τὴν Ἰλλυρίδα· καὶ τὸν ἀπὸ τούτων τῶν τόπων φόβον ἀνατεινόμενος ἐξέπληττε καὶ περιέσπα Ῥωμαίους διὰ τῆς πρὸς Φίλιππον κοινοπραγίας.
And similarly also in Greece and Illyria; and by holding up the threat from these regions, he terrified and distracted the Romans through his alliance with Philip.
§9.22.6οὕτως μέγα τι φύεται χρῆμα καὶ θαυμάσιον ἀνὴρ καὶ ψυχὴ δεόντως ἁρμοσθεῖσα κατὰ τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς σύστασιν πρὸς ὅ,τι ἂν ὁρμήσῃ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ἔργων.
Thus a man and a soul, when properly adapted by its original constitution for whatever human tasks it may undertake, grows into a truly great and wonderful thing.
§9.22.7ἐπεὶ δʼ ἡ τῶν πραγμάτων διάθεσις εἰς ἐπίστασιν ἡμᾶς ἦχε περὶ τῆς Ἀννίβου φύσεως, ἀπαιτεῖν ὁ καιρὸς δοκεῖ μοι τὰς μάλιστα διαπορουμένας ἰδιότητας ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ δηλῶσαι.
But since the disposition of affairs has brought us to pause and reflect upon the character of Hannibal, the occasion seems to me to demand that I make clear the qualities most disputed in him.
§9.22.8τινὲς μὲν γὰρ ὠμὸν αὐτὸν οἴονται γεγονέναι καθʼ ὑπερβολήν, τινὲς δὲ φιλάργυρον.
For some think he was excessively cruel, and others that he was avaricious.
τὸ δʼ ἀληθὲς εἰπεῖν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν ἐν πράγμασιν ἀναστρεφομένων οὐ ῥᾴδιον.
But to speak the truth about him and about those engaged in public affairs is not easy.
§9.22.9ἔνιοι μὲν γὰρ ἐλέγχεσθαί φασι τὰς φύσεις ὑπὸ τῶν περιστάσεων, καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἐν ταῖς ἐξουσίαις καταφανεῖς γίνεσθαι, κἂν ὅλως τὸν πρὸ τοῦ χρόνον ἀναστέλλωνται, τοὺς δὲ πάλιν ἐν ταῖς ἀτυχίαις.
For some say that characters are tested by circumstances, and that some men are revealed when in power, even if they completely restrain themselves in the preceding time, and others again in times of misfortune.
§9.22.10ἐμοὶ δʼ ἔμπαλιν οὐχ ὑγιὲς εἶναι δοκεῖ τὸ λεγόμενον· οὐ γὰρ ὀλίγα μοι φαίνονται, τὰ δὲ πλεῖστα, ποτὲ μὲν διὰ τὰς τῶν φίλων παραθέσεις, ποτὲ δὲ διὰ τὰς τῶν πραγμάτων ποικιλίας, ἄνθρωποι παρὰ τὴν αὑτῶν προαίρεσιν ἀναγκάζεσθαι καὶ λέγειν καὶ πράττειν.
To me, on the contrary, this saying does not seem sound; for it appears to me that, not in a few cases, but in the vast majority, men are forced to speak and act contrary to their own purpose, sometimes because of the suggestions of friends, and sometimes because of the complexity of affairs.