§28.23.1atque haec tamen caedes ab impetu hostium iratorum ac tum maxime dimicantium iure belli in armatos repugnantesque edebatur; §28.23.2foedior alia in urbe trucidatio erat, cum turbam feminarum puerorumque inbellem inermemque cives sui caederent et in succensum rogum semianima pleraque inicerent corpora, rivique sanguinis flammam orientem restinguerent; postremo ipsi, caede miseranda suorum fatigati, cum armis medio incendio se iniecerunt.
And yet, this slaughter was inflicted by the onset of angry enemies who were then especially fighting, according to the law of war, upon those who were armed and resisting; the other massacre inside the city was more foul, when their own citizens were butchering the helpless and unarmed crowd of women and children, and throwing most of their half-dead bodies into the lighted pyre, and rivers of blood were quenching the rising flame; finally, they themselves, exhausted by the pitiable slaughter of their own people, threw themselves with their arms into the midst of the fire.
§28.23.3iam caedi perpetratae victores Romani supervenerunt. ac primo conspectu tam foedae rei mirabundi parumper obstupuerunt;
Now the victorious Romans came upon the slaughter already perpetrated.
§28.23.4dein cum aurum argentumque cumulo rerum aliarum interfulgens aviditate ingenii humani rapere ex igni vellent, correpti alii flamma sunt, alii ambusti adflatu vaporis, cum receptus primis urgente ab tergo ingenti turba non esset.
And at the first sight of so foul a thing, wondering, they stood astonished for a moment; then, when they wished, out of the greed of human nature, to snatch from the fire the gold and silver shining among the heap of other things, some were caught by the flame, others were scorched by the blast of heat, since there was no retreat for the foremost because a huge crowd was pressing from behind.
§28.23.5ita Astapa sine praeda militum ferro ignique absumpta est. Marcius ceteris eius regionis metu in deditionem acceptis victorem exercitum Carthaginem ad Scipionem reduxit.
Thus Astapa, without any plunder for the soldiers, was consumed by sword and fire. Marcius, having received the rest of that region into surrender through fear, led the victorious army back to Scipio at Carthage.
per eos ipsos dies perfugae a Gadibus venerunt, §28.23.6pollicentes urbem Punicumque praesidium, quod in ea urbe esset, et imperatorem praesidii cum classe prodituros esse.
During those very days, deserters came from Gades, promising that they would deliver up the city, the Carthaginian garrison that was in that city, and the commander of the garrison with the fleet.
§28.23.7Mago ibi ex fuga substiterat navibusque in Oceano collectis aliquantum auxiliorum et trans fretum ex Africa ora et ex proximis Hispaniae locis per Hannonem praefectum coegerat.
Mago had halted there after his flight, and having collected ships in the Ocean, had gathered a considerable number of auxiliaries from the coast of Africa across the strait and from the nearest places of Spain through Hanno the prefect.
§28.23.8fide accepta dataque perfugis et Marcius eo cum expeditis cohortibus et Laelius cum septem triremibus, quinqueremi una est missus, ut terra marique communi consilio rem gererent.
Faith having been given and received with the deserters, both Marcius was sent there with light-armed cohorts, and Laelius with seven triremes and one quinquereme, so that they might conduct the operation by land and sea with a common plan.