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Livy · History of Rome §31.19.1-31.19.6

Roman Embassies to Carthage and the Numidian Kings

Passage 1046 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

The progress of the Roman embassies to Africa and Numidia is described. Carthage promises the punishment of Hamilcar and provides grain, while the Numidian kings Masinissa and Vermina both pledge their cooperation with Rome.

§31.19.1inter haec legatis, qui in Africam missi erant, de Hamilcare, Gallici exercitus duce, responsum a Carthaginiensibus est nihil ultra se facere posse, quam ut exilio eum multarent, bona eius publicarent; §31.19.2perfugas et fugitivos, quos inquirendo vestigare potuerint, reddidisse et de ea re missuros legatos Romam, qui senatui satisfacerent.
Meanwhile, to the envoys who had been sent to Africa, a reply was made by the Carthaginians concerning Hamilcar, the leader of the Gallic army, that they could do nothing further than to punish him with exile and confiscate his goods; and that they had returned the deserters and fugitives whom they had been able to track down by searching, and would send envoys to Rome concerning this matter to satisfy the senate.
ducenta milia modium tritici Romam, ducenta ad exercitum in Macedoniam miserunt.
They sent two hundred thousand modii of wheat to Rome, and two hundred thousand to the army in Macedonia.
§31.19.3inde in Numidiam ad reges profecti legati.
From there the envoys proceeded into Numidia to the kings.
dona data Masinissae mandataque edita.
Gifts were given to Masinissa and the instructions were delivered.
equites mille Numidae, cum duo milia daret, accepti.
One thousand Numidian cavalry were accepted, though he offered two thousand.
§31.19.4ipse in navis imponendos curavit et cum ducentis milibus modium tritici, ducentis hordei in Macedoniam misit.
He himself saw to it that they were embarked on ships, and sent them to Macedonia along with two hundred thousand modii of wheat and two hundred thousand of barley.
tertia legatio ad Verminam erat.
The third embassy was to Vermina.
§31.19.5is ad primos fines regni legatis obviam progressus, ut scriberent ipsi, quas vellent, pacis condiciones permisit: omnem pacem bonam iustamque fore sibi cum populo Romano.
He went out to meet the envoys at the very frontier of his kingdom, and allowed them to write down themselves whatever conditions of peace they wished, saying that any peace with the Roman people would be good and just for him.
§31.19.6datae leges pacis, iussusque ad eam confirmandam mittere legatos Romam.
The terms of peace were given, and he was ordered to send envoys to Rome to confirm it.

Notes

  1. §31.19.1responsum a Carthaginiensibus est nihil ultra se facere posse — responsum est is an impersonal passive verb. The logical subject of the following accusative-with-infinitive clause (nihil...posse) is the reflexive pronoun se, referring to the Carthaginians (Carthaginienses) who made the reply.
  2. §31.19.2reddidisse et de ea re missuros legatos — Both infinitives (reddidisse, missuros [esse]) continue the indirect discourse introduced by responsum est in the preceding sentence, with the logical subject se (Carthaginienses) omitted. missuros is a future infinitive with esse omitted.
  3. §31.19.4imponendos curavit — The construction of curare with a gerundive (here imponendos, agreeing with the omitted object equites) expresses causation, meaning 'to see to it that something is done' or 'to arrange for something to be done.'

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §31.19.1-31.19.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:31.19.1-31.19.6

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