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Livy · History of Rome §21.1.1-21.1.5

Origins of the Second Punic War and the Oath of Hannibal

Passage 532 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

Livy declares the unique importance of the Second Punic War, describing the immense resources and deep mutual hatred of both nations, as well as Hamilcar's resentment over lost territories and the famous childhood oath of Hannibal.

§21.1.1in parte operis mei licet mihi praefari, quod in principio summae totius professi plerique sunt rerum scriptores, bellum maxime omnium memorabile, quae umquam gesta sint, me scripturum, quod Hannibale duce Carthaginienses cum populo Romano gessere.
In this part of my work, I may be permitted to preface what most historians have professed at the very beginning of their entire history, namely, that I am about to write of the most memorable war of all that have ever been waged, which the Carthaginienses, under the leadership of Hannibal, carried on with the Roman people.
§21.1.2nam neque validiores opibus ullae inter se civitates gentesque contulerunt arma neque his ipsis tantum umquam virium aut roboris fuit, et haud ignotas belli artes inter sese sed expertas primo Punico conferebant bello, et adeo varia fortuna belli ancepsque Mars fuit, ut propius periculum fuerint, qui vicerunt.
For neither did any states or nations more powerful in resources clash in arms with one another, nor did these very states ever possess so much strength or vigor; and they were bringing against each other tactics of war not unknown, but experienced in the First Punic War, and the fortune of war was so varied and the issue so doubtful, that those who conquered were nearer to danger.
§21.1.3odiis etiam prope maioribus certarunt quam viribus, Romanis indignantibus, quod victoribus victi ultro inferrent arma, Poenis, quod superbe avareque crederent imperitatum victis esse.
They fought with hatreds also almost greater than their strength, the Romans being indignant because the vanquished were of their own accord bringing arms against the victors, and the Carthaginians because they believed that the vanquished had been ruled with arrogance and greed.
§21.1.4fama est etiam, Hannibalem annorum ferme novem pueriliter blandientem patri Hamilcari, ut duceretur in Hispaniam, cum perfecto Africo bello exercitum eo traiecturus sacrificaret, altaribus admotum tactis sacris iure iurando adactum, se cum primum posset hostem fore populo Romano.
There is also a story that Hannibal, when about nine years of age, boyishly coaxing his father Hamilcar to be taken to Spain, while Hamilcar was sacrificing before crossing his army there after the completion of the African war, was brought to the altars and, having touched the sacred things, was bound by an oath that he would be an enemy to the Roman people as soon as he possibly could.
§21.1.5angebant ingentis spiritus virum Sicilia Sardiniaque amissae: nam et Siciliam nimis celeri desperatione rerum concessam et Sardiniam inter motum Africae fraude Romanorum stipendio etiam i insuper inposito interceptam.
The loss of Sicily and Sardinia was vexing a man of huge spirit; for he felt both that Sicily had been surrendered in too hasty a despair of their fortunes, and that Sardinia had been snatched away by the fraud of the Romans during the African disturbance, with a tribute furthermore imposed on top.

Notes

  1. 21.1.1me scripturum — An accusative with infinitive clause (with the subject accusative me) serving as the object of the main verb praefari. The preceding quod clause is an appositive or parenthetical relative clause ('which most historians have professed...'), leaving me scripturum (esse) as the primary content of the preface.
  2. 21.1.2propius periculum fuerint — The subjunctive fuerint is a perfect subjunctive in a clause of result introduced by ut. Following a historical tense (fuit), the perfect tense is used to emphasize the historical fact of the result. The comparative adverb propius here functions prepositionally, governing the accusative periculum.
  3. 21.1.3imperitatum victis esse — An impersonal passive infinitive of the intransitive verb imperito (to rule). Intransitive verbs are used impersonally in the passive voice, and their object (the party ruled over) is expressed in the dative case (victis). This functions as an accusative with infinitive clause after crederent, but lacks a subject accusative due to its impersonal nature.
  4. 21.1.4Hannibalem... admotum tactis sacris iure iurando adactum — A highly complex accusative with infinitive clause introduced by fama est. The subject accusative is Hannibalem, and its corresponding infinitives are the parallel passive perfect infinitives admotum [esse] and adactum [esse] (with esse omitted). Despite the multiple layers of intervening elements—including a present participle, a cum-clause, and ablatives absolute (perfecto Africo bello, tactis sacris)—the core syntax is 'that Hannibal was brought to the altars and bound by an oath'.
  5. 21.1.5Sicilia Sardiniaque amissae — Although the perfect passive participle agrees with the nouns, semantically the subject is not the concrete entities of 'lost Sicily and Sardinia', but rather the event or fact of 'the loss of Sicily and Sardinia' (the so-called ab urbe condita construction).

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §21.1.1-21.1.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:21.1.1-21.1.5

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