§21.2.1his anxius curis ita se Africo bello, quod fuit sub recentem Romanam pacem, per quinque annos, ita deinde novem annis in Hispania augendo Punico imperio gessit, §21.2.2ut appareret, maius eum, quam quod gereret, agitare in animo bellum et, si diutius vixisset, Hamilcare duce Poenos arma Italiae inlaturos fuisse, quae Hannibalis ductu intulerunt.
Anxious with these cares, he so conducted himself for five years in the African war, which occurred immediately after the recent peace with Rome, and then for nine years in Spain in expanding the Carthaginian empire, that it was apparent that he was revolving in his mind a greater war than the one he was waging, and that, if he had lived longer, the Carthaginians, under the leadership of Hamilcar, would have brought against Italy those arms which they did bring under the leadership of Hannibal.
mors Hamilcaris peropportuna §21.2.3et pueritia Hannibalis distulerunt bellum.
The very timely death of Hamilcar and the childhood of Hannibal delayed the war.
medius Hasdrubal inter patrem ac filium octo ferme annos imperium obtinuit, flore aetatis, uti ferunt, primo Hamilcari conciliatus, §21.2.4gener inde ob aliam indolem profecto animi adscitus et, quia gener erat, factionis Barcinae opibus, quae apud milites plebemque plus quam modicae erant, haud sane voluntate principum in imperio positus.
In the interval, Hasdrubal held the supreme command for about eight years between the father and the son; having first, as they say, been recommended to Hamilcar by the flower of his youth, subsequently adopted as his son-in-law on account of a different character of mind, no doubt, and, because he was the son-in-law, placed in power by the influence of the Barcine faction, which was more than moderate among the soldiers and the common people, certainly not by the will of the leading men.
§21.2.5is plura consilio quam vi gerens hospitiis magis regulorum conciliandisque per amicitiam principum novis gentibus quam bello aut armis rem Carthaginiensem auxit.
Conducting more affairs by policy than by force, he increased the Carthaginian power more by the guest-friendships of petty kings and by winning over new nations through the friendship of their chiefs, than by war or arms.
ceterum nihilo ei pax tutior fuit: §21.2.6barbarus eum quidam palam ob iram interfecti ab eo domini obtruncavit, conprensusque ab circumstantibus haud alio, quam si evasisset, vultu, tormentis quoque cum laceraretur, eo fuit habitu oris, ut superante laetitia dolores ridentis etiam speciem praebuerit.
But his peace was not at all safer for him: a certain barbarian openly slew him because of anger over his master having been killed by him, and, when seized by the bystanders, with no other expression of face than if he had escaped, even when he was being tortured, he showed such an expression of countenance that, joy overcoming his pains, he even presented the appearance of one laughing.
§21.2.7cum hoc Hasdrubale, quia mirae artis in sollicitandis gentibus imperioque suo iungendis fuerat, foedus renovaverat populus Romanus, ut finis utriusque imperii esset amnis Hiberus Saguntinisque mediis inter imperia duorum populorum libertas servaretur.
With this Hasdrubal, because he had been of wonderful skill in soliciting nations and joining them to his empire, the Roman people had renewed the treaty, so that the river Ebro should be the boundary of each empire, and that liberty should be preserved to the Saguntines, who were midway between the empires of the two peoples.