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Livy · History of Rome §28.4.1-28.4.7

Scipio's Winter Quarters and Laevinus' African Raid

Passage 901 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

Scipio praises his brother's capture of Orongis and withdraws the army for the winter while he retires to Tarraco. Meanwhile, the Roman fleet under Laevinus ravages African territory, defeats the Carthaginian fleet, and ships a large supply of grain to Rome.

§28.4.1laeta et ipsis, qui rem gessere, urbis eius oppugnatio fuit et imperatori ceteroque exercitui; et speciosum adventum suum ingentem turbam captivorum prae se agentes fecerunt. §28.4.2Scipio conlaudato fratre cum, quanto poterat verborum honore, Carthagini ab se captae captam ab eo Orongin aequasset, §28.4.3quia et hiems instabat, ut nec temptare Gades nec disiectum passim per provinciam exercitum Hasdrubalis consectari posset, in citeriorem Hispaniam omnes suas copias reduxit, dimissisque in hiberna legionibus, §28.4.4L. Scipione fratre Romam misso et Hannone hostium imperatore ceterisque nobilibus captivis ipse Tarraconem concessit.
The assault on that city was a source of joy both to those themselves who had conducted the operation and to the general and the rest of the army; and, driving a huge crowd of captives before them, they made their arrival spectacular. Scipio, having highly praised his brother, when, with the highest verbal tribute he could command, he had equated Orongis, captured by his brother, with Carthage, captured by himself, because winter was also pressing, so that it was impossible either to attempt Gades or to pursue Hasdrubal's army which was scattered in all directions through the province, he led all his forces back into Nearer Spain; and having dismissed the legions into winter quarters, having sent his brother Lucius Scipio to Rome along with Hanno, the general of the enemy, and the other noble captives, he himself withdrew to Tarraco. In the same year, the Roman fleet, having crossed from Sicily to Africa under the proconsul Marcus Valerius Laevinus, laid waste far and wide in the territory of Utica and Carthage. On the borders of the Carthaginian territory, around the very walls of Utica, plunder was driven off.
§28.4.5eodem anno classis Romana cum M. Valerio Laevino proconsule ex Sicilia in Africam transmissa in Uticensi Carthaginiensique agro late populationes fecit. §28.4.6extremis finibus Carthaginiensium circa ipsa moenia Uticae praedae actae sunt. repetentibus Siciliam classis Punica — septuaginta erant longae naves — occurrit.
As they were returning to Sicily, the Carthaginian fleet — there were seventy warships — met them.
decem et septem naves ex iis captae sunt quattuor in alto mersae, cetera fusa ac fugata classis. §28.4.7terra marique victor Romanus cum magna omnis generis praeda Lilybaeum repetit.
Seventeen ships of these were captured, four were sunk in the deep sea, and the rest of the fleet was scattered and put to flight. Victorious by land and sea, the Romans returned to Lilybaeum with a vast booty of every kind.
tuto inde maria pulsis hostium navibus magni conmeatus frumenti Romam subvecti.
Thenceforward the seas were safe; and the enemy's ships having been driven off, large supplies of grain were transported to Rome.

Notes

  1. §28.4.1et ipsis ... et imperatori — The correlative structure `et ... et ...` connects `ipsis, qui rem gessere` (those who actually conducted the operation themselves) and `imperatori ceteroque exercitui` (the general and the rest of the army), indicating that the assault was a source of joy to both parties.
  2. §28.4.2Carthagini ... Orongin aequasset — The verb `aequasset` (syncopated form of `aequavisset`, pluperfect subjunctive) takes the accusative direct object `Orongin` (Greek accusative form of the town name `Orongis`) and the dative of comparison `Carthagini`. It means 'he had equated Orongis, captured by his brother, with Carthage, captured by himself.'
  3. §28.4.3ut nec temptare Gades ... posset — The conjunction `ut` introduces a clause of result, taking the imperfect subjunctive `posset`. The subject remains the third-person singular, referring to Scipio from the preceding context.
  4. §28.4.7tuto inde maria — An ellipsis of the verb (such as `fuerunt`). It is interpreted as 'thenceforth (`inde`) the seas (`maria`, neuter plural nominative) were safe (`tuto`, used adverbially, or perhaps a variant of the neuter plural nominative adjective `tuta`).'

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §28.4.1-28.4.7. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:28.4.1-28.4.7

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