§27.17.1aestatis eius principio, qua haec agebantur, P. Scipio in Hispania cum hiemem totam reconciliandis barbarorum animis partim donis partim remissione obsidum captivorumque absumpsisset, Edesco ad eum clarus inter duces Hispanos venit.
At the beginning of that summer in which these things were being done, P. Scipio in Spain, having spent the entire winter in reconciling the minds of the barbarians, partly with gifts and partly by releasing hostages and prisoners, Edesco, a distinguished man among the Spanish leaders, came to him.
§27.17.2erant coniunx liberique eius apud Romanos; sed praeter eam causam etiam velut fortuita inclinatio animorum, quae Hispaniam omnem averterat ad Romanum a Punico imperio, traxit eum.
His wife and children were with the Romans; but besides that cause, there also drew him, as it were, a spontaneous inclination of minds, which had turned all Spain from the Punic rule to that of the Romans.
§27.17.3eadem causa Indibili Mandonioque fuit, haud dubie omnis Hispaniae principibus, cum omni popularium manu relicto Hasdrubale secedendi in imminentes castris eius tumulos, unde per continentia iuga tutus receptus ad Romanos esset.
The same cause was present for Indibilis and Mandonius, undoubtedly the leading men of all Spain, of withdrawing, having left Hasdrubal with the whole band of their countrymen, into the hills overlooking his camp, from where there was a safe retreat along the continuous ridges to the Romans.
§27.17.4Hasdrubal, cum hostium res tantis augescere incrementis cerneret, suas imminui, ac fore ut, nisi audendo aliquid moveret, qua coepissent, fluerent, dimicare quam primum statuit.
Hasdrubal, seeing that the enemy's affairs were increasing by such large increments while his own were diminishing, and that unless he made some bold move they would melt away in the direction they had begun, decided to fight a decisive battle as soon as possible.
§27.17.5Scipio avidior etiam certaminis erat cum a spe, quam successus rerum augebat, tum quod, priusquam iungerentur hostium exercitus, cum uno dimicare duce exercituque quam simul cum universis malebat.
Scipio was even more eager for a contest, both because of the hope which the success of his affairs increased, and because, before the enemy's armies should join, he preferred to fight with a single general and army rather than with all of them together.
§27.17.6ceterum, etiamsi cum pluribus pariter dimicandum foret, arte quadam copias auxerat.
However, even if he had to fight with several at the same time, he had increased his forces by a certain device.
nam cum videret nullum esse navium usum, quia vacua omnis Hispaniae ora classibus Punicis erat, subductis navibus Tarracone navales socios terrestribus copiis addidit.
For, seeing that there was no use for ships because the entire coast of Spain was empty of Punic fleets, he hauled the ships ashore at Tarraco and added the naval allies to his land forces.
§27.17.7et armorum adfatim erat, et captorum Carthagine et quae post captam eam fecerat tanto opificum numero incluso officinis.
And there was an abundance of arms, both of those captured at Carthage and those which he had made after its capture, with such a great number of artisans shut up in the workshops.
§27.17.8cum iis copiis Scipio veris principio ab Tarracone egressus — iam enim et Laelius redierat ab Roma, sine quo nihil maioris rei motum volebat — ducere ad hostem pergit.
With these forces, Scipio, having departed from Tarraco at the beginning of spring—for Laelius had already returned from Rome, without whom he wished no major action to be undertaken—proceeded to lead his army toward the enemy.
§27.17.9per omnia pacata eunti, ut cuiusque populi fines transiret, prosequentibus excipientibusque sociis, Indibilis et Mandonius cum suis copiis occurrerunt.
As he went through completely pacified territory, with allies escorting and receiving him as he crossed the boundaries of each people, Indibilis and Mandonius met him with their forces.
§27.17.10Indibilis pro utroque locutus, haudquaquam ut barbarus stolide incauteve, sed potius cum verecundia ac gravitate propiorque excusanti transitionem ut necessariam, quam glorianti eam velut primam occasionem raptam:
Indibilis spoke for both, by no means in the stupid or careless manner of a barbarian, but rather with modesty and gravity, and closer to one excusing their defection as necessary than to one boasting of it as if it were the first opportunity seized.
§27.17.11scire enim se transfugae nomen execrabile veteribus sociis, novis suspectum esse; neque eum se reprehendere morem hominum, si tamen anceps odium causa, non nomen faciat.
For he said that he knew that the name of deserter was hateful to old allies and suspect to new ones; nor did he blame this human custom, provided that a double-sided hatred is created by the cause, not by the name.
§27.17.12merita inde sua in duces Carthaginienses commemoravit avaritiam contra eorum superbiamque et omnis generis iniurias in se atque populares.
He then recounted his own merits toward the Carthaginian generals, and, in contrast, their greed and pride, and injuries of every kind against himself and his countrymen.
§27.17.13itaque corpus dumtaxat suum ad id tempus apud eos fuisse; animum iam pridem ibi esse, ubi ius ac fas crederent coli.
Therefore, he said, only their bodies had been with them up to that time; their minds had long since been where they believed law and divine law were observed.
ad deos quoque confugere supplices, qui nequeant hominum vim atque iniurias pati;
They had also fled as suppliants to the gods, who cannot endure the violence and injuries of men.
§27.17.14se id Scipionem orare, ut transitio sibi nec fraudi apud eum nec honori sit; quales ex ea die experiundo cognorit, perinde operae eorum pretium faceret.
He begged this of Scipio: that their defection should be neither a source of harm nor of honor to them in his eyes; but that he should value their service just as he should find them to be by experience from that day on.
§27.17.15ita prorsus respondet facturum Romanus nec pro transfugis habiturum, qui non duxerint societatem ratam, ubi nec divini quicquam nec humani sanctum esset.
The Roman replied that he would do exactly so, and would not regard as deserters those who did not consider an alliance binding where nothing either divine or human was held sacred.
§27.17.16productae deinde in conspectum iis coniuges liberique lacrimantibus gaudio redduntur.
Then their wives and children were brought out into their presence and restored to them as they wept for joy.
§27.17.17atque eo die in hospitium abducti; postero die foedere accepta fides, dimissique ad copias adducendas.
And on that day they were conducted to lodgings; on the following day their loyalty was accepted under a treaty, and they were dismissed to bring up their forces.
isdem deinde castris tendebant, donec ducibus iis ad hostem perventum est.
From then on they encamped in the same camp, until, with them as guides, they reached the enemy.