§26.17.1Romani patres perfuncti, quod ad Capuam attinebat, cura C. Neroni ex iis duabus legionibus quas ad Capuam habuerat, sex milia peditum et trecentos equites, quos ipse legisset, et socium Latini nominis peditum numerum parem et octingentos equites decernunt.
Having discharged their care as far as pertained to Capua, the Roman senators decreed for Gaius Nero, from those two legions which he had had at Capua, six thousand infantry and three hundred cavalry, whom he himself should choose, and an equal number of Latin ally infantry and eight hundred cavalry.
§26.17.2eum exercitum Puteolis in naves impositum Nero in Hispaniam transportavit.
Nero transported that army, embarked on ships at Puteoli, to Spain.
cum Tarraconem navibus venisset expositisque ibi copiis et navibus subductis socios quoque navalis multitudinis augendae causa armasset, §26.17.3profectus ad Hiberum flumen exercitum ab Ti. Fonteio et L. Marcio accepit.
When he had arrived at Tarraco by ship, landed his forces there, and drawn up the ships, he also armed the allies for the sake of increasing the naval multitude, and having set out for the river Hiberus, he received the army from Tiberius Fonteius and Lucius Marcius.
inde pergit: ad hostis ire.
Thence he proceeded to go toward the enemy.
§26.17.4Hasdrubal Hamilcaris ad Lapides atros castra habebat; in Ausetanis is locus est inter oppida Iliturgim et Mentissam.
Hasdrubal, son of Hamilcar, had his camp at the Black Stones; this place is in the territory of the Ausetani between the towns of Iliturgis and Mentissa.
huius saltus fauces Nero insedit.
Nero occupied the entrance of this pass.
§26.17.5Hasdrubal, cum in arto res esset, caduceatorem misit, qui promitteret, si inde emissus foret, se omnem exercitum ex Hispania deportaturum.
Hasdrubal, since affairs were in a tight spot, sent a herald to promise that, if he should be allowed to depart from there, he would withdraw his entire army from Spain.
§26.17.6quam rem cum laeto animo Romanus accepisset, diem posterum Hasdrubal conloquio petivit, ut coram leges conscriberentur de tradendis arcibus urbium dieque statuenda; ad quam praesidia deducerentur, suaque omnia sine fraude Poeni deportarent.
When the Roman had accepted this proposal with a joyful mind, Hasdrubal requested the following day for a conference, so that regulations might be drawn up in person concerning the surrender of the citadels of the cities and the appointing of a day on which the garrisons should be withdrawn and the Carthaginians might carry away all their property without fraud.
§26.17.7quod ubi impetravit, extemplo primis tenebris atque inde tota nocte, quod gravissimum exercitus erat, Hasdrubal quacumque posset evadere e saltu iussit.
When he obtained this, Hasdrubal immediately at the first darkness, and thence through the whole night, ordered the heaviest part of the army to escape from the pass by whatever way they could.
§26.17.8data sedulo opera est, ne multi ea nocte exirent, ut ipsa paucitas cum ad hostem silentio fallendum aptior tum ad evadendum per artas semitas ac difficilis esset.
Care was diligently taken that many should not go out that night, so that the very smallness of their number might be both more suitable for deceiving the enemy in silence and for escaping through narrow and difficult paths.
§26.17.9ventum insequenti die ad conloquium est; sed loquendo plura scribendoque dedita opera, quae in rem non essent, die consumpto in posterum dilatum est.
On the following day they came to the conference; but by designedly spending time in speaking and writing many things which were not to the purpose, the day was consumed and it was deferred to the next day.
§26.17.10addita insequens nox spatium dedit et alios emittendi.
The addition of the following night gave space for sending out others also.
§26.17.11nec postero die res finem invenit.
Nor did the matter find an end on the following day.
ita aliquot dies disceptando palam de legibus noctesque emittendis clam e castris Carthaginiensibus absumptae.
Thus several days were consumed in openly debating the terms, and nights in secretly sending men out of the Carthaginian camp.
et postquam pars maior emissa exercitus erat, iam ne is quidem, §26.17.12quae ultro dicta erant, stabatur, minusue ac minus cum timore simul fide decrescente conveniebat.
And after the greater part of the army had been sent out, now not even to those things, which had been voluntarily agreed upon, did they stand, and agreement was made less and less as trust decreased together with fear.
iam ferme pedestres omnes copiae evaserant e saltu, cum prima luce densa nebula saltum omnem camposque circa intexit.
Almost all the infantry forces had already escaped from the pass, when at dawn a dense mist covered the whole pass and the plains around.
quod ubi sensit Hasdrubal, mittit ad Neronem, qui in posterum diem conloquium differret: illum diem religiosum Carthaginiensibus ad agendum quicquam rei seriae esse.
When Hasdrubal perceived this, he sent to Nero to defer the conference to the following day, saying that that day was a religious one for the Carthaginians, on which it was unlawful to transact any serious business.
§26.17.13ne tum quidem suspecta fraus cum esset, data venia eius diei, extemploque Hasdrubal cum equitatu elephantisque castris egressus sine ullo tumultu in tutum evasit.
Since even then no fraud was suspected, leave was granted for that day, and immediately Hasdrubal, having gone out of the camp with the cavalry and elephants, escaped into safety without any tumult.
§26.17.14hora ferme quarta dispulsa sole nebula aperuit diem, vacuaque hostium castra conspexerunt Romani.
About the fourth hour, the mist, dispersed by the sun, opened up the day, and the Romans beheld the camp of the enemy empty.
§26.17.15tum demum Claudius Punicam fraudem adgnoscens, ut se dolo captum sensit, proficiscentem institit sequi paratus confligere acie; §26.17.16sed hostis detrectabat pugnam.
Then at last Claudius, recognizing the Punic fraud, when he felt that he had been caught by a trick, set out to follow the departing enemy, prepared to engage in battle; but the enemy declined battle.
levia tamen proelia inter extremum Punicum agmen praecursoresque Romanorum fiebant.
However, light skirmishes took place between the rear of the Punic line and the advanced guard of the Romans.