§25.8.1huiusi atrocitas poenae duarum nobilissimarum in Italia Graecarum civitatium animos inritavit cum publice tum otiam singulos privatim, §25.8.2ut quisque tam foede interemptos aut propinquitate aut amicitia contingebat.
The atrocity of this punishment provoked the feelings of two of the most noble Greek states in Italy, both publicly as communities and also individually as private citizens, according as each person was connected either by kinship or by friendship with those who had been so foully slain.
§25.8.3ex iis tredecim fere nobiles iuvenes Tarentini coniuraverunt, quorum principes Nico et Philemenus erant.
Among these, about thirteen noble Tarentine youths formed a conspiracy, of whom the leaders were Nico and Philemenus.
hi priusquam aliquid moverent, §25.8.4conloquendum cum Hannibale rati, nocte per speciem venandi urbe egressi ad eum proficiscuntur.
These, before they should make any move, thinking that they must confer with Hannibal, went out of the city by night under the pretext of hunting and set out to him.
§25.8.5et cum haud procul castris abessent, ceteri silva prope viam sese occuluerunt, Nico et Philemenus progressi ad stationes comprehensique, ultro id petentes, ad Hannibalem deducti sunt.
And when they were not far from the camp, the others hid themselves in a wood near the road, while Nico and Philemenus, having advanced to the outposts and been arrested—since they themselves voluntarily requested this—were conducted to Hannibal.
§25.8.6qui cum et causas consilii sui et, quid pararent, exposuissent, conlaudati oneratique promissis iubentur, ut fidem popularibus facerent praedandi causa se urbe egressos, pecora Carthaginiensium, quae pastum propulsa essent, ad urbem agere:
When they had explained both the reasons for their plan and what they were preparing, they were praised and laden with promises, and were ordered to drive to the city the cattle of the Carthaginians which had been driven out to pasture, in order to convince their fellow citizens that they had left the city for the purpose of plundering.
§25.8.7tuto ac sine certamine id facturos promissum est.
It was promised that they would do this safely and without a fight.
conspecta ea praeda iuvenum est, minusque iterum ac saepius id eos audere miraculo fuit.
That booty of the youths was seen, and it was less of a wonder that they dared to repeat this a second time and more often.
§25.8.8congressi cum Hannibale rursus fide sanxerunt liberos Tarentinos leges suas suaque omnia habituros neque ullum vectigal Poeno pensuros praesidiumve invitos recepturos; prodito praesidio hospitia Romana praedam Carthaginiensium fore.
Having met with Hannibal again, they ratified by a pledge that the Tarentines should be free, possessing their own laws and all their own property, and should pay no tribute to the Carthaginian, nor receive a garrison against their will; and that, once the garrison was betrayed, the Roman quarters should be the booty of the Carthaginians.
§25.8.9haec ubi convenerunt, tunc vero Philemenus consuetudinem nocte egrediundi redeundique in urbem frequentiorem facere.
When these terms were agreed upon, then indeed Philemenus began to make more frequent his habit of going out and returning to the city at night.
et erat venandi studio insignis, canesque et alius apparatus sequebatur; §25.8.10captumque ferme aliquid aut ab hoste ex praeparato adlatum reportans donabat aut praefecto aut custodibus portarum.
And he was remarkable for his passion for hunting, and dogs and other equipment accompanied him; and bringing back generally something caught or brought by prearrangement from the enemy, he would present it either to the commander or to the guards of the gates.
nocte maxime commeare propter metum hostium credebant.
They believed that he went back and forth chiefly at night on account of fear of the enemy.
§25.8.11ubi iam eo consuetudinis adducta res est, ut, quocumque noctis tempore sibilo dedisset signum, porta aperiretur, tempus agendae rei Hannibali visum est.
When the matter had now been brought to such a point of habit that at whatever time of night he gave the signal with a whistle, the gate would be opened, the time for executing the deed seemed ripe to Hannibal.
§25.8.12tridui viam aberat; ubi, quo minus mirum esset uno eodemque loco stativa eum tam diu habere, aegrum simulabat.
He was three days' journey away; there, in order that it might be less surprising that he kept a stationary camp in one and the same place for so long, he pretended to be sick.
§25.8.13Romanis quoque, qui in praesidio Tarenti erant, suspecta esse iam segnis mora eius desierat.
For the Romans also, who were in the garrison of Tarentum, his inactive delay had already ceased to be suspected.