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Livy · History of Rome §24.12.1-24.12.8

Hannibal's March to Campania and Roman Troop Redeployment

Passage 717 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

Terrified by Rome's massive preparations, the Campanians appeal to Hannibal, who advances near Capua and maneuvers under the guise of offering sacrifice. Meanwhile, the consul Maximus returns to his army, reorganizes the commands of Gracchus and the praetor Fabius, and sends other commanders to their respective provinces.

§24.12.1hic maior solito adparatus praecipue conterruit Campanos, ne ab obsidione Capuae bellum eius anni Romani inciperent.
This preparation, larger than usual, especially terrified the Campanians, lest the Romans should begin the war of that year with the siege of Capua.
§24.12.2itaque legatos ad Hannibalem oratum miserunt, ut Capuam exercitum admoveret: ad eam oppugnandam novos exercitus scribi Romae, nec ullius urbis defectioni magis infensos eorum animos esse.
Therefore, they sent envoys to Hannibal to entreat him to move his army to Capua, representing that new armies were being enrolled at Rome to attack that city, and that their minds were not more hostile to the defection of any other city.
§24.12.3id quia tam trepide nuntiabant, maturandum Hannibal ratus, ne praevenirent Romani, profectus Arpis ad Tifata in veteribus castris super Capuam consedit.
Because they reported this in such a panic, Hannibal, thinking he must make haste lest the Romans should forestall him, set out from Arpi and encamped in the old camp on Mount Tifata above Capua.
§24.12.4inde Numidis Hispanisque ad praesidium simul castrorum simul Capuae relictis cum cetero exercitu ad lacum Averni per speciem sacrificandi, re ipsa, ut temptaret Puteolos quodque ibi praesidium erat, descendit.
Leaving the Numidians and Spaniards there to guard both the camp and Capua, he went down to Lake Avernus with the rest of the army under the pretense of offering sacrifice, but in reality to make an attempt upon Puteoli and the garrison stationed there.
§24.12.5Maximus, postquam Hannibalem Arpis profectum et regredi in Campaniam adlatum est, nec die nec nocte intermisso itinere ad exercitum redit §24.12.6et Ti. Gracchum ab Luceria Beneventum copias admovere, Q. Fabium praetorem — is filius consulis erat — ad Luceriam Graccho succedere iubet.
Maximus, after it was reported that Hannibal had set out from Arpi and was returning to Campania, returned to his army, interrupting his march neither by day nor by night; and he ordered Tiberius Gracchus to move his forces from Luceria to Beneventum, and the praetor Quintus Fabius—who was the consul's son—to succeed Gracchus at Luceria.
§24.12.7in Siciliam eodem tempore duo praetores profecti, P. Cornelius ad exercitum, T. Otacilius, qui maritimae orae reique navali praeesset.
At the same time, two praetors set out for Sicily: Publius Cornelius to the army, and Titus Otacilius to take charge of the seacoast and the naval affairs.
§24.12.8et ceteri in suas quisque provincias profecti; et quibus prorogatum imperium erat, easdem, quas priori anno, regiones obtinuerunt.
The rest also set out, each to his own province; and those whose command had been prolonged held the same regions as in the previous year.

Notes

  1. 24.12.1ne ab obsidione Capuae — The conjunction `ne` introduces a clause of fearing (expressing the apprehension "lest...") dependent on the verbal idea of fear in `conterruit`.
  2. 24.12.2oratum — The accusative supine of the transitive verb `oro` ("to entreat"), expressing purpose in connection with the verb of motion `miserunt` ("they sent").
  3. 24.12.5postquam Hannibalem Arpis profectum et regredi in Campaniam adlatum est — Syntactical structure within the `postquam` clause: `adlatum est` is an impersonal passive verb ("it was reported"), taking two accusative-with-infinitive clauses in parathesis as its subject: `Hannibalem Arpis profectum [esse]` and `[Hannibalem] regredi in Campaniam`.
  4. 24.12.7qui maritimae orae reique navali praeesset — A relative clause of purpose with the imperfect subjunctive `praeesset`, indicating the intended mission or purpose of sending Otacilius ("in order to command...").

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §24.12.1-24.12.8. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:24.12.1-24.12.8

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