42.11. When day dawned, the Roman line came up to the earthwork, and the Numidians showed themselves a while, as arranged, at the gates and on the wall; then after deceiving the enemy for sometime, riding at full speed they overtook their own column.
42.11. ubi inluxit, successit uallo Romana acies, et Numidae ex composito paulisper in portis se ualloque ostentauere, frustratique aliquamdiu hostes citatis equis agmen suorum adsequuntur.
42.12. The consul, perceiving the stillness in the camp and not seeing anywhere even the few men who at daybreak had been strolling about, sent two horsemen in advance into the camp to reconnoitre.
42.12. consul ubi silentium in castris et ne paucos quidem qui prima luce obambulauerant parte ulla cernebat, duobus equitibus speculatum in castra praemissis postquam satis tuta omnia esse exploratum est, inferri signa iussit;
42.13. Then, once it had been ascertained that everything was quite safe, he ordered an advance into the camp. And after lingering there only long enough for the soldiers to scatter for plunder, he then sounded the recall, and long before nightfall led his troops back.
42.13. tantumque ibi moratus dum milites ad praedam discurrunt receptui deinde cecinit multoque ante noctem copias reduxit.
42.14. Setting out at dawn on the next day, in forced marches he followed reports of the enemy's column and its tracks and overtook them not far from Venusia.
42.14. postero die prima luce profectus magnis itineribus famam et uestigia agminis sequens haud procul Uenusia hostem adsequitur.
42.15. There also there was a disorderly battle; over two thousand Carthaginians were slain. Then, marching by night and in the mountains, to give no opportunity for battle, the Carthaginian made for Metapontum.
42.15. ibi quoque tumultuaria pugna fuit; supra duo milia Poenorum caesa. inde nocturnis montanisque itineribus Poenus ne locum pugnandi daret Metapontum petiit.
42.16. Thereupon Hanno, who had commanded the garrison of that place, was sent with a few men into the land of the Bruttii to muster a fresh army. Hannibal added Hanno's troops to his own, returned to Venusia by the same route by which he had come, and proceeded thence to Canusium.
42.16. Hanno inde—is enim praesidio eius loci praefuerat—in Bruttios cum paucis ad exercitum nouum comparandum missus: Hannibal copiis eius ad suas additis Uenusiam retro quibus uenerat itineribus repetit atque inde Canusium procedit.
42.17. Nero had never left the enemy's heels and, when setting out himself for Metapontum, he had summoned Quintus Fulvius into Lucania, in order that that region should not be without troops.
42.17. nunquam Nero uestigiis hostis abstiterat et Q. Fuluium, cum Metapontum ipse proficisceretur, in Lucanos ne regio ea sine praesidio esset arcessierat.
43.1. Meanwhile Hasdrubal, after abandoning the siege of Placentia, sent four Gallic horsemen and two Numidians with a letter to Hannibal. When they had already traversed nearly the whole length of Italy through the midst of the enemy, in following Hannibal as he withdrew to Metapontum they came by roads of which they were uncertain to Tarentum and were brought by Roman foragers who roamed about the country to Quintus Claudius, the propraetor.
43.1. inter haec ab Hasdrubale postquam a Placentiae obsidione abscessit quattuor Galli equites, duo Numidae cum litteris missi ad Hannibalem cum per medios hostes totam ferme longitudinem Italiae emensi essent, dum Metapontum cedentem Hannibalem sequuntur incertis itineribus Tarentum delati, a uagis per agros pabulatoribus Romanis ad Q. Claudium propraetorem deducuntur.
43.3. At first they tried to confuse him by vague answers, but when the fear of torture was brought to bear and compelled them to admit the truth, they informed him that they were carrying a letter from Hasdrubal to Hannibal.
43.3. eum primo incertis implicantes responsis ut metus tormentorum admotus fateri uera coegit, edocuerunt litteras se ab Hasdrubale ad Hannibalem ferre.
43.4. Together with the letter, still sealed as it was, they were turned over to Lucius Verginius, tribune of the soldiers, to be conducted to Claudius, the consul.
43.4. cum iis litteris, sicut erant, signatis L. Uerginio tribuno militum ducendi ad Claudium consulem traduntur;
43.5. At the same time two troops of Samnites were sent as an escort. When they had reached the consul, and the letter had been read by an interpreter and the captives questioned, Claudius thereupon judged that the situation of the state was not such that they should carry on the war by routine methods, each consul within the bounds of his own province, operating with his own armies against an enemy prescribed by the senate.
43.5. duae simul turmae Samnitium praesidii causa missae. qui ubi ad consulem peruenerunt litteraeque lectae per interpretem sunt et ex captiuis percontatio facta, tum Claudius non id tempus esse rei publicae ratus quo consiliis ordinariis prouinciae suae quisque finibus per exercitus suos
43.7. Rather must he venture to improvise something unforeseen, unexpected, something which in the beginning would cause no less alarm among citizens than among enemies, but if accomplished would convert great fear into great rejoicing.
43.7. cum hoste destinato ab senatu bellum gereret—audendum ac nouandum aliquid improuisum, inopinatum, quod coeptum non minorem apud ciues quam hostes terrorem faceret, perpetratum in magnam laetitiam ex magno metu uerteret—, litteris Hasdrubalis Romam ad senatum missis simul et ipse patres conscriptos quid pararet edocet;
43.8. Sending Hasdrubal's letter to the senate at Rome, he likewise informed the conscript fathers what he was himself intending to do. In view of Hasdrubal's writing to his brother that he would meet him in Umbria, the consul advised the senate to summon a legion from Capua to Rome, to conduct a levy at Rome, to confront the enemy at Narnia with the city troops.
43.8. monet ut cum in Umbria se occursurum Hasdrubal fratri scribat legionem a Capua Romam arcessant, dilectum Romae habeant, exercitum urbanum ad Narniam hosti opponant.
43.9. In such terms he wrote to the senate.
43.9. haec senatu scripta.
43.10. He sent also messengers in advance through the regions of Larinum, of the Marrucini, the Frentani, the Praetutii, along the line of his proposed march, that they should all carry from the farms and the cities provisions, ready for the soldiers to eat, down to the road, and should bring out horses and mules as well, that the weary might have no lack of vehicles. As for himself, out of the whole army he chose the best soldiers, citizens and allies, six thousand infantry, a thousand cavalry.
43.10. praemissi item per agrum Larinatem Marrucinum Frentanum Praetutianum, qua exercitum ducturus erat, ut omnes ex agris urbibusque commeatus paratos militi ad uescendum in uiam deferrent, equos iumentaque alia producerent ut uehiculorum fessis copia esset. ipse de toto exercitu ciuium sociorumque quod roboris erat delegit, sex milia peditum, mille equites;
43.11. He announced that he intended to seize the nearest city in Lucania and its Carthaginian garrison; that they must all be ready for the march. Setting out at night, he changed his direction to that of Picenum.
43.11. pronuntiat occupare se in Lucanis proximam urbem Punicumque in ea praesidium uelle; ut ad iter parati omnes essent. profectus nocte flexit in Picenum.
43.12. The consul in reality was leading his army to his colleague by the longest of forced marches, having left Quintus Catius, his lieutenant, to command the camp.
43.12. et consul quidem quantis maximis itineribus poterat ad collegam ducebat, relicto Q. Catio legato qui castris praeesset.
44.1. At Rome there was no less panic and confusion than there had been four years before, when a Carthaginian camp had been pitched before the Roman walls and gates. Nor was it quite clear to men's minds whether they should praise or blame so bold a march on the part of the consul.
44.1. Romae haud minus terroris ac tumultus erat quam fuerat quadriennio ante cum castra Punica obiecta Romanis moenibus portisque fuerant. neque satis constabat animis tam audax iter consulis laudarent uituperarentne;
44.2. It was plain that it would be praised or blamed according to the outcome, than which nothing is more unjust. They said that the camp had been left near an enemy who was Hannibal, without a general, with an army from which had been detached all its strength, all its flower. And the consul had indicated a march into Lucania, whereas he was heading for Picenum and Gaul, leaving a camp that was defended by nothing more than the deception of the enemy, who was unaware that the general and a part of his army were not there.
44.2. apparebat, quo nihil iniquius est, ex euentu famam habiturum: castra prope Hannibalem hostem relicta sine duce cum exercitu cui detractum foret omne quod roboris, quod floris fuerit; et consulem in Lucanos ostendisse iter cum Picenum et Galliam peteret, castra relinquentem nulla alia re tutiora quam errore hostis qui ducem inde atque exercitus partem abisse ignoraret.
44.4. What was to happen, if that became known and Hannibal should wish either with his whole army to pursue Nero, who had set out with only six thousand armed men, or else to attack the camp, abandoned to plunder, without proper forces, without its high command, without the auspices?
44.4. quid futurum, si id palam fiat et aut insequi Neronem cum sex milibus armatorum profectum Hannibal toto exercitu uelit aut castra inuadere praedae relicta, sine uiribus, sine imperio, sine auspicio?
44.5. The earlier disasters in that war, the death of two consuls in the preceding year, were still terrifying. And they said that all those misfortunes had befallen them when the enemy had but a single general, a single army, in Italy.
44.5. ueteres eius belli clades, duo consules proximo anno interfecti terrebant: et ea omnia accidisse cum unus imperator, unus exercitus hostium in Italia esset: nunc duo bella Punica facta, duos ingentes exercitus, duos prope Hannibales in Italia esse.
44.6. At present it had become two Punic wars, two mighty armies, two Hannibals, so to speak, in Italy. For Hasdrubal also was a son of the same father, Hamilcar, and an equally strenuous commander, trained for so many years in Spain by a war with Romans, famous too for a double victory, the destruction of two armies and generals of great distinction.
44.6. quippe et Hasdrubalem patre eodem Hamilcare genitum, aeque impigrum ducem, per tot annos in Hispania Romano exercitatum bello, gemina uictoria insignem, duobus exercitibus cum clarissimis ducibus deletis.
44.7. Certainly of the swiftness of his march from Spain, and of having aroused the Gallic tribes to war he could boast far more than Hannibal himself.
44.7. nam itineris quidem celeritate ex Hispania et concitatis ad arma Gallicis gentibus multo magis quam Hannibalem ipsum gloriari posse;
44.8. For he had gathered an army in the very region in which Hannibal had lost the larger part of his forces by hunger and cold, the most pitiable forms of death.
44.8. quippe in iis locis hunc coegisse exercitum quibus ille maiorem partem militum fame ac frigore, quae miserrima mortis genera sint, amisisset.
44.9. Furthermore, men acquainted with events in Spain repeatedly added that he would encounter in Gaius Nero no unknown general, but one whom he, when himself surprised, as it happened, in a difficult pass, had baulked and baffled like a child by the pretence of drawing up terms of peace.
44.9. adiciebant etiam periti rerum Hispaniae haud cum ignoto eum duce C. Nerone congressurum sed quem in saltu impedito deprensus forte haud secus quam puerum conscribendis fallacibus condicionibus pacis frustratus elusisset.
44.10. They reckoned all the enemy's forces even larger, their own less, than they were, since fear is an interpreter always inclined to the worse side.
44.10. omnia maiora etiam uero praesidia hostium, minora sua, metu interprete semper in deteriora inclinato, ducebant.
45.1. Nero, now that he had already made his distance from the enemy such that it was quite safe to reveal his plan, briefly addressed his soldiers. He said that no plan of any general had been in appearance more reckless, but in fact safer, than his. He was leading them to certain victory.
45.1. Nero postquam iam tantum interualli ab hoste fecerat ut detegi consilium satis tutum esset, paucis milites adloquitur. negat ullius consilium imperatoris in speciem audacius, re ipsa tutius fuisse quam suum:
45.2. For inasmuch as his colleague had set out for the war only when infantry and cavalry forces had been furnished by the senate to his own satisfaction —larger forces and better equipped than if he were marching even against Hannibal —if they should themselves with their troops add ever so small a makeweight, they would change the whole situation.
45.2. ad certam eos se uictoriam ducere; quippe ad quod bellum collega non ante quam ad satietatem ipsius peditum atque equitum datae ab senatu copiae fuissent, maiores instructioresque quam si aduersus ipsum Hannibalem iret, profectus sit, eos ipsos quantumcumque uirium momentum addiderint rem omnem inclinaturos.
45.4. The mere report along the battle-line —for he would see to it that they did not hear sooner —that a second consul and a second army had arrived would put their victory beyond a doubt.
45.4. auditum modo in acie—nam ne ante audiatur, daturum operam—alterum consulem et alterum exercitum aduenisse haud dubiam uictoriam facturum.
45.5. Hearsay, he said, decides a war and slight influences move men in the direction of hope and fear. Of the glory at least to be derived from success they would themselves reap almost the whole benefit.
45.5. famam bellum conficere et parua momenta in spem metumque impellere animos. gloriae quidem ex re bene gesta partae fructum prope omnem ipsos laturos;
45.6. Always what was the last to be added is felt to have brought with it the whole issue. They themselves could see by what throngs of people, by what admiration, by what approval, their march was acclaimed.
45.6. semper quod postremum adiectum sit id rem totam uideri traxisse. cernere ipsos quo concursu, qua admiratione, quo fauore hominum iter suum celebretur.
45.7. And in fact they were marching everywhere between lines of men and women who had poured out from the farms on every side, and amidst their vows and prayers and words of praise. Defenders of the state men called them, champions of the city of Rome and of the empire. In their weapons and their right hands, they said, were placed their own safety and freedom, and those of their children.
45.7. et hercule per instructa omnia ordinibus uirorum mulierumque undique ex agris effusorum inter uota ac preces et laudes ibant. illos praesidia rei publicae, uindices urbis Romanae imperiique appellabant: in illorum armis dextrisque suam liberorumque suorum salutem ac libertatem repositam esse.
45.8. They kept imploring all the gods and goddesses that the soldiers might have a successful march, a favourable battle, a prompt victory over the enemy, and that they might themselves be obliged to pay the vows they had made on their behalf; that, just as they were now anxiously escorting them, so after a few days they might with rejoicing go to meet them in the exultation of victory.
45.8. deos omnes deasque precabantur ut illis faustum iter, felix pugna, matura ex hostibus uictoria esset, damnarenturque ipsi uotorum quae pro iis suscepissent ut, quemadmodum nunc solliciti prosequerentur eos, ita paucos post dies laeti ouantibus uictoria obuiam irent.
45.10. Then they vied with each other in invitations and offers and in importuning them to take from them in preference to others whatever would serve the men themselves and their beasts; they heaped everything upon them generously.
45.10. inuitare inde pro se quisque et offerre et fatigare precibus ut quae ipsis iumentisque usui essent ab se potissimum sumerent; benigne omnia cumulata dare.
45.11. The soldiers competed in self-restraint, not to take more than they needed. There was no loitering, no straggling, no halt except while taking food; they marched day and night; they gave to rest hardly enough time for the needs of their bodies.
45.11. modestia certare milites ne quid ultra usum necessarium sumerent; nihil morari, nec ab signis absistere cibum capientes; diem ac noctem ire; uix quod satis ad naturale desiderium corporum esset quieti dare.
45.12. And men had been sent in advance by Nero to his colleague, to announce their coming and to inquire whether he wished them to come secretly or openly, by day or by night, to establish themselves in the same camp or in another. It was thought best that they should enter by night in secret.
45.12. et ad collegam praemissi erant qui nuntiarent aduentum percontarenturque clam an palam, interdiu an noctu uenire sese uellet, iisdem an aliis considere castris. nocte clam ingredi uisum est.
46.1. Orders had been sent by Livius, the consul, throughout the camp that tribune should receive tribune, centurion centurion, horseman horseman, foot-soldier foot-soldier; for to enlarge the camp was not to the purpose, he said, lest the enemy should know of the arrival of the other consul.
46.1. tessera per castra ab Liuio consule data erat ut tribunus tribunum, centurio centurionem, eques equitem, pedes peditem acciperet:
46.2. And to crowd in larger numbers of men in cramped quarters was to prove easier, because Claudius' army had brought with it on its expedition hardly anything besides its arms.
46.2. neque enim dilatari castra opus esse, ne hostis aduentum alterius consulis sentiret; et coartatio plurium in angusto tendentium facilior futura erat quod Claudianus exercitus nihil ferme praeter arma secum in expeditionem tulerat.
46.3. But in the very course of the march the column had been enlarged by volunteers; for not only did old soldiers who had already completed their service offer themselves of their own motion, but also young men who had vied with each other in giving in their names and whom Claudius had enrolled whenever their physical appearance and sound condition seemed suitable for military service.
46.3. ceterum in ipso itinere auctum uoluntariis agmen erat, offerentibus ultro sese et ueteribus militibus perfunctis iam militia et iuuenibus, quos certatim nomina dantes, si quorum corporis species roburque uirium aptum militiae uidebatur, conscripserat.
46.4. The other consul's camp was near Sena, and about five hundred paces away was Hasdrubal. Accordingly, as he was now approaching, Nero came to a halt under cover of the hills, in order not to enter the camp before night.
46.4. ad Senam castra alterius consulis erant, et quingentos ferme [inde] passus Hasdrubal aberat. itaque cum iam appropinquaret, tectus montibus substitit Nero ne ante noctem castra ingrederetur.
46.5. Silently they entered, each man being led to his tent by one of the same rank, and they were hospitably welcomed with great general rejoicing. On the next day a council of war was held, at which Lucius Porcius Licinus, the praetor, was present.
46.5. silentio ingressi ab sui quisque ordinis hominibus in tentoria abducti cum summa omnium laetitia hospitaliter excipiuntur. postero die consilium habitum, cui et L. Porcius Licinus praetor adfuit.
46.6. His camp adjoined that of the consuls, and before their arrival he had baffled the enemy by all the arts of war, leading his army on high ground, while at one time he would occupy a narrow pass, to block their way, at another would make sudden attacks upon the column from the flank or the rear. And now he was present at the council.
46.6. castra iuncta consulum castris habebat, et ante aduentum eorum per loca alta ducendo exercitum cum modo insideret angustos saltus ut transitum clauderet, modo ab latere aut ab tergo carperet agmen, ludificatus hostem omnibus artibus belli fuerat; is tum in consilio aderat.
46.7. The opinions of many inclined in the direction of postponing the time for battle, until Nero should refresh his troops, worn by the march and lack of sleep, and at the same time should take a few days to acquaint himself with the enemy.
46.7. multorum eo inclinant sententiae ut, dum fessum uia ac uigiliis reficeret militem Nero, simul et ad noscendum hostem paucos sibi sumeret dies, tempus pugnandi differretur.
46.8. But Nero began not merely to urge, but by all means also to implore them not to make his plan, which rapid movement had made safe, a reckless plan by delaying.
46.8. Nero non suadere modo sed summa ope orare institit ne consilium suum quod tutum celeritas fecisset temerarium morando facerent;
46.9. It was by a deception which would not last long, he said, that Hannibal, as though dazed, was not attacking his camp, left without its commander, and had not set his army in motion to pursue him; that before Hannibal should bestir himself, they could destroy Hasdrubal's army and return to Apulia.
46.9. errore qui non diuturnus futurus esset uelut torpentem Hannibalem nec castra sua sine duce relicta adgredi nec ad sequendum se iter intendisse. antequam se moueat deleri exercitum Hasdrubalis posse redirique in Apuliam.
46.10. Whoever by delaying gave the enemy time, was betraying the distant camp to Hannibal, at the same time opening the way into Gaul, so that unmolested he might join Hasdrubal whenever he pleased.
46.10. qui prolatando spatium hosti det, eum et illa castra prodere Hannibali et aperire in Galliam iter ut per otium ubi uelit Hasdrubali coniungatur.
46.11. At once, he said, the signal must be given and they must go out into battle-line and take advantage of the deception of their enemies, both the distant and those near at hand, while the one army was unaware that it had to do with smaller numbers, and the other that it had to deal with larger and stronger forces.
46.11. extemplo signum dandum et exeundum in aciem abutendumque errore hostium absentium praesentiumque dum neque illi sciant cum paucioribus nec hi cum pluribus et ualidioribus rem esse.
46.12. Dismissing the council they raised the signal for battle and forthwith went out into battle-line.
46.12. consilio dimisso signum pugnae proponitur confestimque in aciem procedunt.
47.1. Already the enemy were standing in line before the camp. Delay in beginning the battle was due to Hasdrubal, in that, riding out in front of the standards with a few horsemen, he observed among the enemy old shields which he had not seen before and very lean horses; and he thought the numbers also larger than was usual.
47.1. iam hostes ante castra instructi stabant. moram pugnae attulit quod Hasdrubal prouectus ante signa cum paucis equitibus scuta uetera hostium notauit quae ante non uiderat et strigosiores equos; multitudo quoque maior solita uisa est.
47.2. For, suspecting what had happened, he promptly sounded the recall and sent men to the river from which the Romans were drawing water, that some Romans might be captured there and scanned to see whether any chanced to be more sunburned, as though from a recent march.
47.2. suspicatus enim id quod erat, receptui propere cecinit ac misit ad flumen unde aquabantur ubi et excipi aliqui possent et notari oculis si qui forte adustioris coloris ut ex recenti uia essent;
47.3. At the same time he ordered men to ride round the camps at a distance, and to notice whether the earthworks had been somewhere enlarged, and to mark whether the trumpet sounded once in the camp or twice.
47.3. simul circumuehi procul castra iubet specularique num auctum aliqua parte sit uallum, et ut attendant semel bisne signum canat in castris.
47.4. All this having been duly reported, the fact that the camps had not been enlarged deceived him. There were two of them, as there had been before the coming of the second consul, one that of Marcus Livius, the other that of Lucius Porcius. In neither case had anything been added to the fortifications to give ampler space for the tents.
47.4. ea cum ordine relata omnia essent, castra nihil aucta errorem faciebant; bina erant, sicut ante aduentum consulis alterius fuerant, una M. Liui, altera L. Porci; neutris quicquam quo latius tenderetur ad munimenta adiectum.
47.5. The one thing that impressed an experienced general and one accustomed to a Roman enemy was their report that the trumpet had sounded once in the praetor's camp, twice in the consul's. There surely were two consuls, he thought, and sadly concerned he was how the one had got away from Hannibal.
47.5. illud ueterem ducem adsuetumque Romano hosti mouit quod semel in praetoriis castris signum, bis in consularibus referebant cecinisse; duos profecto consules esse, et quonam modo alter ab Hannibale abscessisset cura angebat.
47.6. Least of all could he suspect the fact-that Hannibal had been baffled and baulked to such an extent that he did not know where was the general, where was the army with which his camp was formerly in contact.
47.6. minime id quod erat suspicari poterat, tantae rei frustratione Hannibalem elusum ut ubi dux, ubi exercitus esset cum quo castra coniuncta habuerit ignoraret:
47.7. Surely he had been deterred by no common disaster, and had not dared to pursue. Hasdrubal greatly feared that after all was lost he had himself come too late to assist, and that the Romans would have the same good fortune in Italy as in Spain.
47.7. profecto haud mediocri clade absterritum insequi non ausum; magno opere uereri ne perditis rebus serum ipse auxilium uenisset Romanisque eadem iam fortuna in Italia quae in Hispania esset.
47.8. At times he believed his own letter had not reached Hannibal, and that the consul, upon intercepting it, had made haste, in order to overpower him. Troubled by these anxieties, he had the fires put out and orders given at the first watch that they should pack up their baggage in silence, and then he commanded the standards to advance.
47.8. interdum litteras suas ad eum non peruenisse credere interceptisque iis consulem ad sese opprimendum accelerasse. his anxius curis, exstinctis ignibus, uigilia prima dato signo ut taciti uasa conligerent, signa ferri iussit.
47.9. In the excitement and confusion of the night the guides were not closely watched, and one of them settled himself in a hiding-place he had previously determined upon, while the other swam across the river Metaurus, using a shallow place known to him. So the column, deserted by its guides, wandered at first about the country, and a considerable number, overcome by drowsiness and lack of sleep, threw themselves down anywhere and left few men with the standards.
47.9. in trepidatione et nocturno tumultu duces parum intente adseruati, alter in destinatis iam ante animo latebris subsedit, alter per uada nota Metaurum flumen tranauit. ita desertum ab ducibus agmen primo per agros palatur, fessique aliquot somno ac uigiliis sternunt corpora passim atque infrequentia relinquunt signa.
47.10. Hasdrubal ordered the standard-bearers to move along the bank of the river, until daylight should disclose a road. And having made little progress, while describing blind circles along the bends and curves of the twisting stream he halted, intending to cross the river as soon as daylight should show a favourable crossing.
47.10. Hasdrubal dum lux uiam ostenderet ripa fluminis signa ferri iubet, et per tortuosi amnis sinus flexusque cum errorem uoluens haud multum processisset, ubi prima lux transitum opportunum ostendisset transiturus erat.
47.11. But inasmuch as the farther he marched away from the sea the higher were the banks that confined the stream, and hence he could not find a ford, by wasting the day he gave the enemy time to overtake him.
47.11. sed cum, quantum a mari abscedebat, tanto altioribus coercentibus amnem ripis non inueniret uada, diem terendo spatium dedit ad insequendum sese hosti.
48.1. First Nero with all the cavalry arrived, then Porcius with the light-armed caught up with them.
48.1. Nero primum cum omni equitatu aduenit: Porcius deinde adsecutus cum leui armatura.
48.2. And while they made skirmishing attacks from every side and charged the weary column, and the Carthaginian, now abandoning a march which resembled a flight, was aiming to lay out a camp on the hill above the bank of the river, came Livius with all the infantry forces, not in marching order, but formed and armed to begin the battle at once.
48.2. qui cum fessum agmen carperent ab omni parte incursarentque, et iam omisso itinere quod fugae simile erat castra metari Poenus in tumulo super fluminis ripam uellet, aduenit Liuius peditum omnibus copiis non itineris modo sed ad conserendum extemplo proelium instructis armatisque.
48.4. But after they had combined all their troops and the line had been drawn up, Claudius on the right wing, Livius on the left, prepared for battle, while the command of the centre was assigned to the praetor.
48.4. sed ubi omnes copias coniunxerunt directaque acies est, Claudius dextro in cornu, Liuius ab sinistro pugnam instruit: media acies praetori tuenda data.
48.5. Hasdrubal, on seeing that he must fight, ceased fortifying his camp and placed his elephants in the front line before the standards. Flanking the elephants, on the left wing he placed the Gauls facing Claudius —not so much that he trusted them, as that he believed the enemy was afraid of them.
48.5. Hasdrubal omissa munitione castrorum postquam pugnandum uidit, in prima acie ante signa elephantos conlocat: circa eos laeuo in cornu aduersus Claudium Gallos opponit, haud tantum iis fidens quantum ab hoste timeri eos credebat:
48.6. The right wing facing Marcus Livius he took for himself and his Spanish troops, and above all he rested his hopes on these veteran soldiers.
48.6. ipse dextrum cornu aduersus M. Liuium sibi atque Hispanis—et ibi maxime in uetere milite spem habebat—sumpsit: Ligures in medio post elephantos positi.
48.7. The Ligurians were placed in the centre behind the elephants. But the battle-line was deep rather than widely extended. A projecting hill shielded the Gauls.
48.7. sed longior quam latior acies erat; Gallos prominens collis tegebat;
48.8. That part of the front which the Spaniards held clashed with the left wing of the Romans, whose whole right wing extended beyond the fighting and had nothing to do. The hill facing them prevented them from attacking either in front or on the flank.
48.8. ea frons quam Hispani tenebant cum sinistro Romanorum cornu concurrit: dextra omnis acies extra proelium eminens cessabat; collis oppositus arcebat ne aut a fronte aut ab latere adgrederentur.
48.9. Between Livius and Hasdrubal a mighty battle had begun, and a savage slaughter on both sides was in progress.
48.9. inter Liuium Hasdrubalemque ingens contractum certamen erat, atroxque caedes utrimque edebatur.
48.10. There both generals were engaged, there the greater part of the Roman infantry and cavalry, there the Spanish troops, the old soldiers, acquainted also with the Roman mode of fighting, and the Ligurians, a hardy race of warriors. To the same place came the elephants, which had thrown the front lines into confusion by their first charge and had by this time forced the standards back.
48.10. ibi duces ambo, ibi pars maior peditum equitumque Romanorum, ibi Hispani uetus miles peritusque Romanae pugnae, et Ligures durum in armis genus. eodem uersi elephanti, qui primo impetu turbauerant antesignanos et iam signa mouerant loco;
48.11. Then as the conflict and the shouting increased, they were no longer under control and roamed about between the two battle-lines, as though uncertain to whom they belonged, not unlike ships drifting without their steering-oars.
48.11. deinde crescente certamine et clamore impotentius iam regi et inter duas acies uersari uelut incerti quorum essent, haud dissimiliter nauibus sine gubernaculo uagis.
48.12. Claudius shouted to his soldiers, “Why then have we covered so long a march at headlong speed?” and endeavoured without success to lead his line up the hill. Thereupon, after discovering that they could not get to the enemy in that direction, he drew off a number of cohorts from the right wing, where he saw that they would be standing idly by instead of fighting.
48.12. Claudius 'quid ergo praecipiti cursu tam longum iter emensi sumus?' clamitans militibus cum in aduersum collem frustra signa erigere conatus esset, postquam ea regione penetrari ad hostem non uidebat posse, cohortes aliquot subductas e dextro cornu, ubi stationem magis segnem quam pugnam futuram cernebat,
48.14. He led them round behind the battle-line, and to the surprise not only of the enemy, but also of his own troops, charged into the enemy's right flank. And such was his speed that, soon after showing themselves on the flank, they were already attacking the rear. Thus from all sides, front, flank, rear, the Spaniards and Ligurians were slain, and the slaughter had now reached the Gauls.
48.14. post aciem circumducit, et non hostibus modo sed etiam suis inopinantibus in sinistrum <euectus in dextrum> hostium latus incurrit; tantaque celeritas fuit ut cum ostendissent se ab latere mox in terga iam pugnarent. ita ex omnibus partibus, ab fronte, ab latere, ab tergo, trucidantur Hispani Liguresque;
48.15. At that point there was the least fighting; for a large proportion of them were not with the standards, having slipped away in the night and lying asleep scattered over the fields. And further, those who were present, being exhausted by marching and lack of sleep, lusty, but utterly lacking in endurance, could scarcely carry their arms on their shoulders.
48.15. et ad Gallos iam caedes peruenerat. ibi minimum certaminis fuit; nam et pars magna ab signis aberant nocte dilapsi stratique somno passim per agros, et qui aderant itinere ac uigiliis fessi, intolerantissima laboris corpora, uix arma umeris gerebant;
48.17. And now it was midday, and thirst and heat exposed the gasping men to unlimited slaughter or capture.
48.17. et iam diei medium erat, sitisque et calor hiantes caedendos capiendosque adfatim praebebat.
49.1. More of the elephants were slain by their own drivers than by the enemy. These used to have a carpenter's chisel and a mallet. When the beasts began to grow wild and to dash into their own men, the keeper would place the chisel between the ears, precisely at the joint which connects the neck with the head, and would drive it in with all possible force.
49.1. elephanti plures ab ipsis rectoribus quam ab hoste interfecti. fabrile scalprum cum malleo habebant; id, ubi saeuire beluae ac ruere in suos coeperant, magister inter aures positum ipsa in compage qua iungitur capiti ceruix quanto maximo poterat ictu adigebat.
49.2. That had been found to be the quickest means of death in a brute of such size, when they got beyond the hope of control. And the first man to introduce the practice had been Hasdrubal, a general who was often notable at other times, but pre-eminently in that battle.
49.2. ea celerrima uia mortis in tantae molis belua inuenta erat ubi regendi spem ui uicissent, primusque id Hasdrubal instituerat, dux cum saepe alias memorabilis tum illa praecipue pugna.
49.3. It was he that by encouraging them and sharing the same dangers sustained his men in battle; he that fired them, now by entreating, now by upbraiding, the exhausted and those who because of weariness and over-exertion were giving up; he that recalled those who tried to flee and at not a few points revived the battle they were abandoning.
49.3. ille pugnantes hortando pariterque obeundo pericula sustinuit; ille fessos abnuentesque taedio et labore nunc precando, nunc castigando accendit; ille fugientes reuocauit omissamque pugnam aliquot locis restituit;
49.4. Finally, when fortune unquestionably was on the enemy's side, in order not to survive so large an army that had followed his fame, he spurred his horse and charged into a Roman cohort. There, in a manner worthy of his father Hamilcar and of Hannibal his brother, he fell fighting.
49.4. postremo cum haud dubie fortuna hostium esset, ne superstes tanto exercitui suum nomen secuto esset concitato equo se in cohortem Romanam immisit; ibi, ut patre Hamilcare et Hannibale fratre dignum erat, pugnans cecidit.
49.5. Never in a single battle of that war were so many of the enemy slain, and a disaster equal to that of Cannae, whether in the loss of the general or that of an army, seemed to have been inflicted in return.
49.5. nunquam eo bello una acie tantum hostium interfectum est, redditaque aequa Cannensi clades uel ducis uel exercitus interitu uidebatur.
49.6. Fifty-six thousand of the enemy were slain, fifty-four hundred captured. Great was the rest of the booty, both of every kind and of gold and silver as well.
49.6. quinquaginta septem milia hostium occisa, capta quinque milia et quadringenti; magna praeda alia cum omnis generis tum auri etiam argentique;
49.7. In addition, Roman citizens —over four thousand of them —who as captives were in the hands of the enemy were recovered. This was some compensation for the soldiers lost in the battle. For the victory was by no means bloodless. About eight thousand Romans and allies were slain, and to such an extent were even the victors sated with bloodshed and slaughter that on the next day, when word was brought to Livius, the consul, that the Cisalpine Gauls and Ligurians, who either had not been present in the battle, or had escaped in the midst of the carnage, were moving away in one column, with no trustworthy guide, no standards, no formation or high command, that they all could be wiped out, if a single regiment of cavalry should be sent, the consul said, “No!
49.7. ciuium etiam Romanorum qui capti apud hostes erant supra quattuor milia capitum recepta. id solatii fuit pro amissis eo proelio militibus. nam haudquaquam incruenta uictoria fuit: octo ferme milia Romanorum sociorumque occisa, adeoque etiam uictores sanguinis caedisque ceperat satias ut postero die cum esset nuntiatum Liuio consuli Gallos Cisalpinos Liguresque qui aut proelio non adfuissent aut inter caedem effugissent uno agmine abire sine certo duce sine signis sine ordine ullo aut imperio;
49.9. let there be some survivors, to carry the news both of the enemy's disaster and of our valour.”
49.9. posse, si una equitum ala mittatur, omnes deleri; 'quin supersint' inquit 'aliqui nuntii et hostium cladis et nostrae uirtutis.'
50.1. Nero on the night following the battle set out for Apulia, and with a column moving more rapidly than when he had come from that region, reached his permanent camp and the enemy on the sixth day.
50.1. Nero ea nocte quae secuta est pugnam <profectus in Apuliam> citatiore quam inde uenerat agmine, die sexto ad statiua sua atque ad hostem peruenit.
50.2. His march was attended by smaller throngs, because no messenger had come in advance, but by rejoicing so great that people were almost beside themselves for joy.
50.2. iter eius frequentia minore—nemo enim praecesserat nuntius— laetitia uero tanta uix ut compotes mentium prae gaudio essent celebratum est.
50.3. At Rome, of course, neither state of feeling can be sufficiently described and set forth, neither that in which the city had waited in suspense for the outcome, nor that in which it heard news of the victory.
50.3. nam Romae neuter animi habitus satis dici enarrarique potest, nec quo incerta exspectatione euentus ciuitas fuerat nec quo uictoriae famam accepit.
50.4. Not once in all the days since it was first reported that Claudius, the consul, had set out did a senator leave the Senate House and the magistrates from sunrise to sunset, nor did the people leave the Forum.
50.4. nunquam per omnes dies ex quo Claudium consulem profectum fama attulit ab orto sole ad occidentem aut senator quisquam a curia atque ab magistratibus abscessit aut populus e foro;
50.5. The matrons, being in themselves unable to help, resorted to prayers and supplications, and wandering from one to another of all the temples, importuned the gods with entreaties and vows.
50.5. matronae quia nihil in ipsis opis erat in preces obtestationesque uersae per omnia delubra uagae suppliciis uotisque fatigare deos.
50.6. While the city was in a state of such anxiety and suspense, came first a vague rumour that two horsemen of Narnia, coming from the battle, had reached the camp which had been placed to guard the gateway of Umbria, reporting that the enemy had been cut to pieces.
50.6. tam sollicitae ac suspensae ciuitati fama incerta primo accidit duos Narnienses equites in castra quae in faucibus Umbriae opposita erant uenisse ex proelio nuntiantes caesos hostes.
50.7. And at first men had heard it, rather than taken it in, as something too great and too joyous for them to grasp and quite believe. And the promptness was in itself an obstacle to belief, in that the battle was said to have been fought but two days before.
50.7. et primo magis auribus quam animis id acceptum erat, ut maius laetiusque quam quod mente capere aut satis credere possent; et ipsa celeritas fidem impediebat quod biduo ante pugnatum dicebatur.
50.8. Then came a letter sent by Lucius Manlius Acidinus from the camp in regard to the arrival of the Narnian horsemen.
50.8. litterae deinde ab L. Manlio Acidino missae ex castris adferuntur de Narniensium equitum aduentu.
50.9. This letter, carried through the Forum to the tribunal of the praetor, brought the senate out of the Curia. And with such rivalry and disorder did the people rush up to the doors of the Curia that the messenger could not get near, but was jostled by men asking questions and shouting that the letter should be read from the Rostra before the reading in the senate.
50.9. hae litterae per forum ad tribunal praetoris latae senatum curia exciuerunt; tantoque certamine ac tumultu populi ad fores curiae concursum est ut adire nuntius non posset, sed traheretur a percontantibus uociferantibusque ut in rostris prius quam in senatu litterae recitarentur.
50.10. Finally the rioters were pushed aside and restrained by magistrates, and the joy could be successively imparted to men unable to contain it.
50.10. tandem summoti et coerciti a magistratibus, dispensarique laetitia inter impotentes eius animos potuit.
50.11. The letter was read in the senate first, then in the assembly; and, according to each man's temperament, some felt a delight already well founded, others would have no assurance until they should hear the emissaries or a letter from the consuls.
50.11. in senatu primum, deinde in contione litterae recitatae sunt; et pro cuiusque ingenio aliis iam certum gaudium, aliis nulla ante futura fides erat quam legatos consulumue litteras audissent.
51.1. Next came word that the emissaries themselves were approaching. Then in truth all ages ran to meet them, everyone eager to be the first to take in a joy so great with eyes and ears.
51.1. ipsos deinde adpropinquare legatos allatum est. tunc enimuero omnis aetas currere obuii, primus quisque oculis auribusque haurire tantum gaudium cupientes.
51.2. An unbroken column reached all the way to the Mulvian Bridge.
51.2. ad Muluium usque pontem continens agmen peruenit.
51.3. The emissaries, who were Lucius Veturius Philo, Publius Licinius Varus and Quintus Caecilius Metellus, beset by a crowd of men of every class made their way into the Forum, while some were questioning the emissaries themselves, some their companions, as to what had happened.
51.3. legati —erant L. Ueturius Philo P. Licinius Uarus Q. Caecilius Metellus —circumfusi omnis generis hominum frequentia in forum peruenerunt, cum alii ipsos, alii comites eorum quae acta essent percontarentur;
51.4. And whenever a man heard that the army of the enemy and their general had been slain, that the Roman legions were intact, the consuls safe, forthwith he would share his delight with others.
51.4. et ut quisque audierat exercitum hostium imperatoremque occisum, legiones Romanas incolumes, saluos consules esse, extemplo aliis porro impertiebant gaudium suum.
51.5. After they had made their way with difficulty into the Senate House and with much more difficulty the crowd had been pushed aside, so as not to mingle with the senators, the letter was read in the senate.
51.5. cum aegre in curiam peruentum esset, multo aegrius summota turba ne patribus misceretur, litterae in senatu recitatae sunt. inde traducti in contionem legati.
51.6. Then the emissaries were led over into the assembly. Lucius Veturius, after the reading of the letter, himself set forth more clearly everything that had been done, with great approval and finally even shouting from the entire assembly, since they were barely able to contain their joy.
51.6. L. Ueturius litteris recitatis, ipse planius omnia quae acta erant exposuit cum ingenti adsensu, postremo etiam clamore uniuersae contionis cum uix gaudium animis caperent.
51.7. Then some hastened to one temple of the gods after another to return thanks, others to their homes, to share news so joyous with wives and children.
51.7. discursum inde ab aliis circa templa deum ut grates agerent, ab aliis domos ut coniugibus liberisque tam laetum nuntium impertirent.
51.8. The senate decreed that, whereas Marcus Livius and Gaius Claudius, the consuls, with their army safe, had slain the general and legions of the enemy, there should be a thanksgiving for three days. This thanksgiving was proclaimed before an assembly by Gaius Hostilius, the praetor, and observed by men and women.
51.8. senatus quod M. Liuius et C. Claudius consules incolumi exercitu ducem hostium legionesque occidissent supplicationem in triduum decreuit. eam supplicationem C. Hostilius praetor pro contione edixit, celebrataque a uiris feminisque est.
51.9. All the temples were uniformly crowded for all three days, while the matrons in their richest garments, together with their children, being relieved of every fear, just as if the war were already finished, returned thanks to the immortal gods.
51.9. omnia templa per totum triduum aequalem turbam habuere, cum matronae amplissima ueste cum liberis perinde ac si debellatum foret omni solutae metu deis immortalibus grates agerent.
51.10. Even the financial situation of the state was changed by that victory, so that from that time on, just as if in peace, they ventured to carry on business with one another, selling and buying, lending money and repaying loans.
51.10. statum quoque ciuitatis ea uictoria mouit, ut iam inde haud secus quam in pace res inter se contrahere uendendo, emendo, mutuum dando argentum creditumque soluendo auderent.
51.11. Gaius Claudius, the consul, having returned to his camp, ordered the head of Hasdrubal, which he had kept with care and brought with him, to be thrown in front of the enemy's outposts, II. 452. Contrast in Hannibal's favour xxviii. 1 fin. and XXV. xvii. 4-7. and that captured Africans should be displayed, as they were, in chains; furthermore that two of them, released from bonds, should go to Hannibal and relate to him what had happened.
51.11. C. Claudius consul cum in castra redisset, caput Hasdrubalis quod seruatum cum cura attulerat proici ante hostium stationes, captiuosque Afros uinctos ut erant ostendi, duos etiam ex iis solutos ire ad Hannibalem et expromere quae acta essent iussit.
51.12. Hannibal, under the blow of so great a sorrow, at once public and intimate, is reported to have said that he recognized the destiny of Carthage.
51.12. Hannibal tanto simul publico familiarique ictus luctu, adgnoscere se fortunam Carthaginis fertur dixisse;
51.13. And moving his camp away, with the intention to concentrate in that most distant part of Italy, the land of the Bruttii, all the forces which he was unable to defend if widely scattered, he removed the whole body of citizens of Metapontum, whom he had summoned to leave their homes, and such Lucanians also as were subject to him, into the Bruttian country.
51.13. castrisque inde motis ut omnia auxilia quae diffusa latius tueri non poterat in extremum Italiae angulum Bruttios contraheret, et Metapontinos ciuitatem uniuersam excitos sedibus suis et Lucanorum qui suae dicionis erant in Bruttium agrum traduxit.