§23.49.1ubi ea dies venit, ad conducendum tres societates aderant hominum undeviginti, quorum duo postulata fuere: unum, §23.49.2ut militia vacarent, dum in eo publico essent, alterum, ut, quae in naves inposuissent, ab hostium tempestatisque vi publico periculo essent.
When that day came, three companies, consisting of nineteen men, came forward to contract; they made two demands: one, that they should be exempt from military service as long as they were engaged in this public business; the other, that whatever they should put on board the ships should be at the state's risk against the violence of the enemy and of storms.
§23.49.3utroque impetrato conduxerunt, privataque pecunia res publica administrata est.
Both demands being granted, they undertook the contracts, and the affairs of the state were managed by private money.
ii mores eaque caritas patriae per omnes ordines velut tenore uno pertinebat.
Such public spirit and such love of country pervaded all classes like a single thread.
§23.49.4quem ad modum conducta omnia magno animo sunt, sic summa fide praebita, nec quicquam parcius militibus datum,quam si ex opulento aerario, ut quondam, alerentur.
Just as all the contracts were undertaken with great spirit, so they were fulfilled with the utmost fidelity, nor was anything supplied to the soldiers more sparingly than if they were supported, as formerly, from an abundant treasury.
§23.49.5cum hi commeatus venerunt Iliturgi oppidum ab Hasdrubale ac Magone et Hannibale Bomilcaris filio ob defectionem ad Romanos oppugnabatur.
When these supplies arrived, the town of Iliturgi was being besieged by Hasdrubal, Mago, and Hannibal, the son of Bomilcar, because of its defection to the Romans.
§23.49.6inter haec trina castra hostium Scipiones cum in urbem sociorum magno certamine ac strage obsistentium pervenissent, frumentum, §23.49.7cuius inopia erat, advexerunt, cohortatique oppidanos, ut eodem animo moenia tutarentur, quo pro se pugnantem Romanum exercitum vidissent, ad castra maxima oppugnanda, quibus Hasdrubal praeerat, ducunt.
Between these three camps of the enemy, the Scipios, having made their way into the city of their allies with a great struggle and a slaughter of those opposing them, brought in grain, which was in short supply; and having exhorted the townsmen to defend their walls with the same spirit with which they had seen the Roman army fighting for them, they led their forces to attack the largest camp, which Hasdrubal commanded.
eodem et duo duces et duo exercitus Carthaginiensium, §23.49.8ibi rem summam agi cernentes, convenerunt.
To the same place the two Carthaginian generals and their two armies also came, seeing that the supreme issue was being decided there.
§23.49.9itaque eruptione e castris pugnatum est.
Therefore, a battle was fought by a sally from the camp.
sexaginta hostium milia eo die in pugna fuerunt, sedecim circa ab Romanis.
On that day, sixty thousand of the enemy were in the battle, and about sixteen thousand on the side of the Romans.
§23.49.10tamen adeo haud dubia victoria fuit ut plures numero, quam ipsi erant, §23.49.11Romani hostium occiderint, ceperint amplius tria milia hominum, paulo minus mille equorum, undesexaginta militaria signa, septem elephantos, quinque in proelio occisis, trinisque eo die castris potiti sint.
Yet the victory was so far from doubtful that the Romans killed more of the enemy than their own total number, captured more than three thousand men, a little less than a thousand horses, fifty-nine military standards, and seven elephants (five having been killed in the battle), and made themselves masters of the three camps on that day.
§23.49.12Iliturgi obsidione liberato ad Intibili oppugnandum Punici exercitus traducti suppletis copiis ex provincia, ut quae maxime omnium belli avida, modo praeda aut merces esset, et tum iuventute abundante.
After the siege of Iliturgi was raised, the Carthaginian armies were marched to besiege Intibili, having recruited their forces from the province, which was, of all others, most eager for war, provided only there was plunder or pay, and was at that time abounding in young men.
§23.49.13iterum signis conlatis eadem fortuna utriusque partis pugnatum.
Again the standards were joined, and a battle was fought with the same fortune for both sides.
supra tredecim milia hostium caesa, supra duo capta cum signis duobus et quadraginta et novem elephantis.
More than thirteen thousand of the enemy were slain, and more than two thousand captured, along with forty-two standards and nine elephants.
§23.49.14tum vero omnes prope Hispaniae populi ad Romanos defecerunt, multoque maiores ea aestate in Hispania quam in Italia res gestae.
Then indeed almost all the peoples of Spain revolted to the Romans, and far greater deeds were performed in Spain that summer than in Italy.