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Livy · History of Rome §35.19.1-35.19.7

Hannibal's Oath and Reconciliation with Antiochus

Passage 1248 of 1770 · Latin

Summary

Hannibal, having lost the king's trust due to suspected contacts with a Roman envoy, recounts his childhood oath of eternal enmity toward Rome, successfully proving his loyalty and reconciling with Antiochus.

§35.19.1Hannibal non adhibitus est in consilium, propter conloquia cum Villio suspectus regi et in nullo postea honore habitus.
Hannibal was not admitted to the council, being suspected by the king because of his conversations with Villius and thereafter held in no honor.
primo eam contumeliam tacitus tulit; §35.19.2deinde melius esse ratus et percunctari causam repentinae alienationis et purgare se, tempore apto quaesita simpliciter iracundiae causa auditaque “pater Hamilcar” inquit, §35.19.3“Antioche, parvum admodum me, cum sacrificaret, altaribus admotum iureiurando adegit numquam amicum fore populi Romani.
At first he bore this insult in silence; then, thinking it better both to inquire into the cause of this sudden estrangement and to clear himself, having in a fitting time frankly asked the cause of the anger and heard it, he said: "My father Hamilcar, Antiochus, when I was still very young, as he was sacrificing, led me to the altars and bound me by an oath never to be a friend to the Roman people.
§35.19.4sub hoc sacramento sex et triginta annos militavi; hoc me in pace patria mea expulit; hoc patria extorrem in tuam regiam adduxit; hoc duce, si tu spem meam destitueris, ubicumque vires, ubi arma esse sciam, inveniam, toto orbe terrarum quaerens, aliquos Romanis hostis.
Under this solemn oath I have served as a soldier for thirty-six years; this drove me from my country in time of peace; this brought me, an exile from my homeland, to your court; with this as my guide, if you disappoint my hope, wherever I know there is strength, wherever I know there are arms, I will find, searching through the whole world, some enemies to the Romans.
§35.19.5itaque si quibus tuorum meis criminibus apud te crescere libet, aliam materiam crescendi ex me quaerant.
Therefore, if any of your courtiers wish to advance themselves in your favor by false charges against me, let them look for some other material than me for their advancement.
§35.19.6odi odioque sum Romanis.
I hate the Romans and am hated by them.
id me verum dicere pater Hamilcar et dii testes sunt.
That I speak the truth, my father Hamilcar and the gods are witnesses.
proinde cum de bello Romano cogitabis, inter primos amicos Hannibalem habeto; si qua res te ad pacem compellet, in id consilium alium, cum quo deliberes, quaerito. ” §35.19.7non movit modo talis oratio regem, sed etiam reconciliavit Hannibali.
Therefore, when you think of a war with Rome, keep Hannibal among your foremost friends; but if any circumstance compels you to peace, seek someone else with whom to deliberate in that council." This speech not only moved the king, but also reconciled him to Hannibal.
ex consilio ita discessum est, ut bellum gereretur.
They departed from the council with the determination that war should be waged.

Notes

  1. 35.19.1suspectus regi — regi is a dative. It can be interpreted either as a dative of agent accompanying the adjective (or participle) suspectus, which has a passive meaning, or as a dative of reference indicating the person in whose judgment the suspicion exists ("suspected in the eyes of the king").
  2. 35.19.2quaesita simpliciter iracundiae causa auditaque — An ablative absolute construction where both perfect participles quaesita and audita (connected by -que) modify the noun causa. Literally: "the cause of the anger having been simply inquired into and heard."
  3. 35.19.3iureiurando adegit — The phrase iureiurando adigere is an idiomatic expression meaning "to bind (someone) by an oath." It takes the accusative me (modified by the participle admotum) as its direct object, which in turn acts as the subject of the infinitive clause numquam amicum fore... explaining the content of the oath.
  4. 35.19.4hoc duce — An ablative absolute consisting of the demonstrative pronoun hoc and the noun duce without a participle, meaning "with this as guide" or "under the guidance of this (oath)."
  5. 35.19.6odioque sum Romanis — A double dative construction. odio is a dative of purpose or tendency ("as an object of hatred"), and Romanis is a dative of reference or interest ("to the Romans"), expressing the passive idea "I am hated by the Romans."

Cite this passage

Livy, History of Rome §35.19.1-35.19.7. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:35.19.1-35.19.7

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