Humanitext Reader

Livy · History of Rome §21.23.1-21.23.6

Crossing of the Ebro and Dismissal of Troops

Passage 554 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

Hannibal crosses the Hiberus, subdues the tribes up to the Pyrenees, and appoints Hanno to guard the region; when some Carpetani desert upon entering the Pyrenees, Hannibal strategically pretends he dismissed them and sends home other reluctant soldiers to prevent further unrest.

§21.23.1hoc visu laetus tripertito Hiberum copias traiecit praemissis, qui Gallorum animos, qua traducendus exercitus erat, donis conciliarent Alpiumque transitus specularentur.
Joyful at this vision, Hannibal crossed the Hiberus with his forces in three divisions, after sending men ahead to conciliate with gifts the minds of the Gauls, where the army had to be led across, and to reconnoitre the passes of the Alps.
nonaginta milia peditum, duodecim milia equitum Hiberum traduxit.
He led ninety thousand infantry and twelve thousand cavalry across the Hiberus.
§21.23.2Ilergetes inde Bargusiosque et Ausetanos et Lacetaniam, quae subiecta Pyrenaeis montibus est, subegit oraeque huic omni praefecit Hannonem, ut fauces, quae Hispanias Galliis iungunt, in potestate essent.
Then he subdued the Ilergetes, the Bargusii, the Ausetani, and Lacetania, which is situated at the foot of the Pyrenees mountains; and he placed Hanno in charge of all this coast, so that the passes which join the Spains to the Gauls might be under his control.
§21.23.3decem milia peditum Hannoni ad praesidium obtinendae regionis data et mille equites.
Ten thousand infantry and a thousand cavalry were given to Hanno as a garrison to secure the region.
§21.23.4postquam per Pyrenaeum saltum traduci exercitus est coeptus rumorque per barbaros manavit certior de bello Romano, tria milia inde Carpetanorum peditum iter averterunt.
After the army began to be led through the Pyrenean pass, and a more definite rumor about the Roman war spread through the barbarians, three thousand Carpetanian infantry turned back from the march.
constabat non tam bello motos quam longinquitate viae inexsuperabilique Alpium transitu.
It was clear that they were moved not so much by the war as by the length of the journey and the insurmountable crossing of the Alps.
§21.23.5Hannibal, quia revocare aut vi retinere eos anceps erat, §21.23.6ne ceterorum etiam feroces animi inritarentur, supra septem milia hominum domos remisit, quos et ipsos gravari militia senserat, Carpetanos quoque ab se dimissos simulans.
Hannibal, because it was hazardous to recall them or to retain them by force, lest the fierce spirits of the rest should also be provoked, sent back home more than seven thousand men, whom he had perceived to be themselves also burdened by the service, pretending that the Carpetani also had been dismissed by him.

Notes

  1. §21.23.1praemissis, qui — Ablative absolute construction with the omitted antecedent (such as eis referring to messengers sent ahead) which is modified by the relative clause of purpose qui ... conciliarent ... specularentur.
  2. §21.23.4traduci exercitus est coeptus — When a passive infinitive (traduci) is used with the verb coepisse, the verb coepi itself regularly takes a passive form (coeptus est) in classical Latin prose.
  3. §21.23.6quos et ipsos gravari militia senserat — An accusative with infinitive (A.C.I.) construction governed by senserat ('he had perceived'). quos et ipsos ('whom themselves also') serves as the subject accusative of the passive infinitive gravari ('to be burdened'), with militia ('by military service') in the ablative of cause/means.

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §21.23.1-21.23.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:21.23.1-21.23.6

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