§34.11.1in Hispania interim consul haud procul Emporiis castra habebat.
Meanwhile in Spain, the consul was keeping his camp not far from Emporiae.
§34.11.2eo legati tres ab Ilergetum regulo Bilistage, in quibus unus filius eius erat, venerunt, querentes castella sua oppugnari nec spem ullam esse resistendi, nisi praesidium Romanus misisset; §34.11.3tria milia militum satis esse, nec hostis, si tanta manus venisset, mansuros.
To that place came three envoys from Bilistages, the petty king of the Ilergetes, among whom was one of his sons, complaining that their strongholds were being besieged and that there was no hope of resisting unless the Roman sent a guard; three thousand soldiers would be enough, and the enemy would not remain if so great a force should arrive.
ad ea consul, moveri quidem se vel periculo eorum vel metu, dicere; §34.11.4sed sibi nequaquam tantum copiarum esse, ut, cum magna vis hostium haud procul absit, et, quam mox signis collatis dimicandum sit, in dies expectet, dividendo exercitum minuere tuto vires possit.
In reply to this, the consul said that he was indeed moved by their danger and fear; but that he had by no means so great an abundance of troops that, while a large force of the enemy was not far off and he was daily expecting how soon he must fight in a pitched battle, he could safely diminish his strength by dividing his army.
§34.11.5legati, ubi haec audierunt, flentes ad genua consulis provolvuntur, §34.11.6orant, ne se in rebus tam trepidis deserat: quo enim se, repulsos ab Romanis, ituros? nullos se socios,
When the envoys heard this, weeping they threw themselves at the knees of the consul, imploring that he would not desert them in such perilous circumstances; for where would they go, if rejected by the Romans?
§34.11.7nihil usquam in terris aliud spei habere.
They had no allies, nor any other hope anywhere on earth.
potuisse se extra id periculum esse, si decedere fide, si coniurare cum ceteris voluissent.
They could have been outside of this danger, if they had wished to depart from their loyalty and to conspire with the others.
nullis minis, nullis terriculis se motos, sperantis satis opis et auxilii sibi in Romanis esse.
They had been moved by no threats, by no terrors, hoping that there was sufficient help and protection for them in the Romans.
§34.11.8id si nullum sit, si sibi a consule negetur, deos hominesque se testis facere, invitos et coactos se, ne eadem, quae Saguntini passi sint, patiantur, defecturos et cum ceteris potius Hispanis quam solos perituros esse.
If there should be none, and if it should be denied them by the consul, they called gods and men to witness that, unwilling and compelled, lest they suffer the same things which the Saguntines suffered, they would revolt, and would perish with the rest of the Spaniards rather than alone.