52.8. Sempronius, on the contrary, held that the strongest bond for keeping the allies to their obligations was the defence of those who should first stand in need of help.
52.8. Sempronius contra continendis in fide sociis maximum uinculum esse primos qui eguissent ope defensos censebat.
52.9. On the present occasion, while his colleague hesitated, Sempronius sent his cavalry, interspersed with about a thousand foot-soldiers, armed with darts, to protect the Gallic lands beyond the Trebia.
52.9. tum collega cunctante equitatum suum mille peditum, iaculatoribus ferme, admixtis ad defendendum Gallicum agrum trans Trebiam mittit.
52.10. Falling unexpectedly upon the enemy, who were scattered and disorganized —most of them laden too with spoils —they drove them with great slaughter in a terror-stricken rout to the very outposts of the Carthaginian camp. Thence the enemy poured out in numbers and repulsed the Romans, in their turn; but reserves came up and restored the day.
52.10. sparsos et incompositos, ad hoc graues praeda plerosque cum inopinato inuasissent, ingentem terrorem caedemque ac fugam usque ad castra stationesque hostium fecere; unde multitudine effusa pulsi, rursus subsidio suorum proelium restituere.
52.11. Thereafter the fortune of the battle shifted, as pursuit was followed by retreat; and though in the end the opposing armies were on even terms, still the enemy had lost more men and the Romans got the credit of a victory.
52.11. uaria inde pugna <inter recedentes in>sequentesque, cumque ad extremum aequassent certamen, maior tamen hostium <cum caedes esset, penes> Romanos fama uictoriae fuit.
53.1. But to no one did the victory seem greater or more unequivocal than to Sempronius the consul; he was beside himself with joy that with that arm of the service with which the other consul had been beaten, he himself had been successful.
53.1. ceterum nemini omnium maior ea iustiorque quam ipsi consuli uideri; gaudio efferri, qua parte copiarum alter consul uictus foret, ea se uicisse:
53.2. He declared that the spirits of the men were restored and renewed, and that no one but his colleague desired to put off the struggle; Cornelius, he said, was sick in spirit rather than in body, and the recollection of his wound made him dread a battle and its missiles.
53.2. restitutos ac refectos militibus animos nec quemquam esse praeter collegam qui dilatam dimicationem uellet; eum, animo magis quam corpore aegrum memoria uolneris aciem ac tela horrere.
53.3. But they must not droop and languish along with a sick man. Why indeed should they further postpone the conflict, or waste time? What third consul, what other army were they waiting for?
53.3. sed non esse cum aegro senescendum. quid enim ultra differri aut teri tempus? quem tertium consulem, quem alium exercitum exspectari?
53.4. The Carthaginians were encamped in Italy and almost within sight of Rome. Their object was, not to get back Sicily and Sardinia, taken from them after their defeat, nor to cross the Ebro and occupy northern Spain, but to expel the Romans from the land of their fathers and from their native soil.
53.4. castra Carthaginiensium in Italia ac prope in conspectu urbis esse. non Siciliam ac Sardiniam, uictis ademptas, nec cis Hiberum Hispaniam peti sed solo patrio terraque in qua geniti forent pelli Romanos.
53.5. “How would our fathers groan,” he cried, “that were wont to wage war about the walls of Carthage, could they see us, their offspring, two consuls and two consular armies, cowering within our camp in the heart of Italy; and the Phoenician in full sway over all the territory between the Alps and the Apennines!” Thus he ran on, as he sat by the bed of his sick colleague; thus he argued in the praetorium, almost as if haranguing the troops.
53.5. 'quantum ingemiscant' inquit 'patres nostri, circa moenia Carthaginis bellare soliti, si uideant nos, progeniem suam, duos consules consularesque exercitus, in media Italia pauentes intra castra, Poenum quod inter Alpes Appenninumque agri sit suae dicionis fecisse?'
53.6. His impatience was increased, too, by the near approach of the elections, lest the war go over to the term of the new consuls and he lose the opportunity of gaining all the glory for himself, while his colleague was laid up.
53.6. haec adsidens aegro collegae, haec in praetorio prope contionabundus agere. stimulabat et tempus propinquum comitiorum, ne in nouos consules bellum differretur, et occasio in se unum uertendae gloriae, dum aeger collega erat.
53.7. Accordingly, despite the unavailing protests of Cornelius, he commanded the soldiers to make ready for an early battle. Hannibal, since he saw what was best for the enemy, hardly dared to hope that the consuls would take any rash or ill-considered step; but knowing, as he did —by hearsay first and afterwards by experience —that one of them was of a fiery and reckless disposition, and believing that the late successful brush with the Carthaginian raiders would have made him still more headstrong, he was fairly confident that the good fortune of a general engagement was at hand.
53.7. itaque nequiquam dissentiente Cornelio parari ad propinquum certamen milites iubet. Hannibal cum quid optimum foret hosti cerneret, uix ullam spem habebat temere atque improuide quicquam consules acturos; cum alterius ingenium, fama prius, deinde re cognitum, percitum ac ferox sciret esse ferociusque factum prospero cum praedatoribus suis certamine crederet, adesse gerendae rei fortunam haud diffidebat.
53.9. It was therefore his one concern to let slip no opportunity for bringing this about, while the soldiers of the enemy still lacked experience, while the abler of their generals was incapacitated by his wound, while the courage of the Gauls was up —since he knew that their vast multitude would follow the less willingly, the farther they were drawn from home.
53.9. cuius ne quod praetermitteret tempus, sollicitus intentusque erat, dum tiro hostium miles esset, dum meliorem ex ducibus inutilem uolnus faceret, dum Gallorum animi uigerent, quorum ingentem multitudinem sciebat segnius secuturam quanto longius ab domo traherentur.
53.11. For these and similar reasons he hoped that a battle would soon be fought, and was eager, should there be any hesitation, to force it on. And so, when his Gallic scouts —who were safer for gathering the information that he wanted because there were men of that nation in both camps —had reported that the Romans were prepared to fight, the Phoenician began to look about for a place in which to lay an ambush.
53.11. cum ob haec taliaque speraret propinquum certamen et facere, si cessaretur, cuperet speculatoresque Galli, ad ea exploranda quae uellet tutiores quia in utrisque castris militabant, paratos pugnae esse Romanos rettulissent, locum insidiis circumspectare Poenus coepit.
54.1. Between the two camps was a water-course, shut in by very high banks on either side and overgrown all round with marsh-grass and the underbrush and brambles with which uncultivated land is usually clothed. When Hannibal, riding over the ground himself, saw that this place afforded sufficient cover even for cavalry, he said to his brother Mago, “This will be the place for you to hold.”
54.1. erat in medio riuus praealtis utrimque clausus ripis et circa obsitus palustribus herbis et quibus inculta ferme uestiuntur, uirgultis uepribusque. quem ubi equites quoque tegendo satis latebrosum locum circumuectus ipse oculis perlustrauit, 'hic erit locus' Magoni fratri ait 'quem teneas.
54.2. “Choose out a hundred men from all the infantry and a hundred from the cavalry, and come with them to my quarters at the first watch. It is time now to sup and rest.” With that he broke up the council. In a little while Mago presented himself with his picked men.
54.2. delige centenos uiros ex omni pedite atque equite cum quibus ad me uigilia prima uenias; nunc corpora curare tempus est.' ita praetorium missum.
54.3. “I see the stoutest of my men,” said Hannibal, “but that your numbers too may be strong to match your bravery, choose, each of you, from the squadrons and the maniples, nine others like yourselves. Mago will point out to you the spot where you are to lie in ambush; you have an enemy who is blind to these stratagems.”
54.3. mox cum delectis Mago aderat. 'robora uirorum cerno' inquit Hannibal; 'sed uti numero etiam, non animis modo ualeatis, singulis uobis nouenos ex turmis manipulisque uestri similes eligite. Mago locum monstrabit quem insideatis; hostem caecum ad has belli artes habetis.'
54.4. Mago and his thousand horse and thousand foot being thus dispatched, Hannibal ordered the Numidian cavalry to cross the Trebia at dawn, and riding up to the enemy's gates and discharging missiles against his outposts, to lure him into battle; and then, when the fight was on, to give ground insensibly and draw him across the river. Such were the orders of the Numidians.
54.4. ita <cum> mille equitibus Magone, mille peditibus dimisso Hannibal prima luce Numidas equites transgressos Trebiam flumen obequitare iubet hostium portis iaculandoque in stationes elicere ad pugnam hostem, iniecto deinde certamine cedendo sensim citra flumen pertrahere. haec mandata Numidis:
54.5. The other officers, both of cavalry and of infantry, were instructed to make their men have breakfast, and then, armed and with horses saddled, to await the signal.
54.5. ceteris ducibus peditum equitumque praeceptum ut prandere omnes iuberent, armatos deinde instratisque equis signum exspectare.
54.6. On the flurry caused by the Numidians, Sempronius, confident where cavalry was concerned, first led out all of this part of his forces; then six thousand of the infantry; and finally all the rest of his troops. He had fully made up his mind beforehand and was eager for the battle.
54.6. Sempronius ad tumultum Numidarum primum omnem equitatum, ferox ea parte uirium, deinde sex milia peditum, postremo omnes copias ad destinatum iam ante consilio auidus certaminis eduxit.
54.7. It chanced to be the time of year when the days are shortest, and it was snowing in the region between the Alps and the Apennines, and the proximity of rivers and marshes intensified the bitter cold.
54.7. erat forte brumae tempus et niualis dies in locis Alpibus Appenninoque interiectis, propinquitate etiam fluminum ac paludum praegelidis.
54.8. Moreover, men and horses had been turned out in haste, without stopping for food or doing anything to guard against becoming chilled; there was no warmth in them, and the nearer they approached the atmosphere of the river the sharper grew the cold wind in their faces.
54.8. ad hoc raptim eductis hominibus atque equis, non capto ante cibo, non ope ulla ad arcendum frigus adhibita, nihil caloris inerat, et quidquid aurae fluminis appropinquabant, adflabat acrior frigoris uis.
54.9. But when, in pursuit of the fleeing Numidians, they entered the water —swollen breast-high with the rain that had fallen in the night —or at any rate when they got out upon the further bank, then indeed their bodies were all so benumbed that they could hardly hold their weapons; and at the same time they were fainting with fatigue, and, as the day wore on, with hunger as well.
54.9. ut uero refugientes Numidas insequentes aquam ingressi sunt—et erat pectoribus tenus aucta nocturno imbri —tum utique egressis rigere omnibus corpora ut uix armorum tenendorum potentia esset, et simul lassitudine et procedente iam die fame etiam deficere.
55.1. Hannibal's soldiers had in the meantime made fires before their tents; in each company they had been served with oil to supple their joints, and had breakfasted at leisure. When, therefore, they were told that the enemy had crossed the river, they were eager both in mind and body, as they armed and went out to battle.
55.1. Hannibalis interim miles ignibus ante tentoria factis oleoque per manipulos, ut mollirent artus, misso et cibo per otium capto, ubi transgressos flumen hostes nuntiatum est, alacer animis corporibusque arma capit atque in aciem procedit.
55.2. In front of the standards Hannibal placed the Baliares, light-armed troops numbering about eight thousand, and behind these his heavy infantry, tile strength and flower of his army; the wings he formed of ten thousand horse, and, dividing the elephants, stationed them outside the wings.
55.2. Baliares locat ante signa <ac> leuem armaturam, octo ferme milia hominum, dein grauiorem armis peditem, quod uirium, quod roboris erat; in cornibus circumfudit decem milia equitum et ab cornibus in utramque partem diuersos elephantos statuit.
55.3. The consul's troopers were scattered in pursuit of the Numidians, when suddenly the latter made a stand and took them unawares; whereupon he called them back and posted them on either flank of the infantry.
55.3. consul effuse sequentes equites, cum ab resistentibus subito Numidis incauti exciperentur, signo receptui dato reuocatos circumdedit peditibus.
55.4. There were eighteen thousand Romans and twenty thousand allies of the Latin name, besides the auxiliaries of the Cenomani, the only Gallic tribe that continued loyal. These were the contending forces. The Baliares began the battle, but those light-armed troops, finding the legions too strong to cope with, were quickly withdrawn and sent to the wings.
55.4. duodeuiginti milia Romani erant, socium nominis Latini uiginti, auxilia praeterea Cenomanorum; ea sola in fide manserat Gallica gens. iis copiis concursum est. proelium a Baliaribus ortum est;
55.5. This manœuvre at once caused the Roman cavalry acute distress; for they numbered but four thousand, and, tired as they were, would scarce have been able to hold out any longer against the enemy's ten thousand cavalry alone, who were most of them fresh;
55.5. quibus cum maiore robore legiones obsisterent, diducta propere in cornua leuis armatura est, quae res effecit ut equitatus Romanus extemplo urgeretur.
55.6. and now they were overwhelmed, as it were with a cloud of missiles, by the Baliares. Besides this, the elephants, looming large on the outer extremities of the wings, gave rise to such a panic, particularly among the horses, not only by their strange appearance, but also by their unfamiliar smell, as to bring about a general flight.
55.6. nam cum uix iam per se resisterent decem milibus equitum quattuor milia et fessi integris plerisque, obruti sunt insuper uelut nube iaculorum a Baliaribus coniecta. ad hoc elephanti eminentes ab extremis cornibus, equis maxime non uisu modo sed odore insolito territis, fugam late faciebant.
55.8. As for the infantry, they were fairly matched in courage, but not in strength, which was unimpaired in the case of the Phoenicians, who had refreshed themselves shortly before entering the battle, while the Romans were faint with fasting and fatigue, and were stiff and numb with cold. Yet their courage would have enabled them to resist, had they fought against infantry alone.
55.8. pedestris pugna par animis magis quam uiribus erat, quas recentes Poenus paulo ante curatis corporibus in proelium attulerat; contra ieiuna fessaque corpora Romanis et rigentia gelu torpebant. restitissent tamen animis, si cum pedite solum foret pugnatum;
55.9. But the Baliares, having put the cavalry to flight, were raining missiles on their flanks; the elephants had now charged the centre of the line; and Mago and his Numidians, as soon as the Roman army had passed their ambuscade without observing it, started up in their rear, and caused the wildest panic and confusion.
55.9. sed et Baliares pulso equite iaculabantur in latera et elephanti iam in mediam peditum aciem sese tulerant et Mago Numidaeque, simul latebras eorum improuida praeterlata acies est, exorti ab tergo ingentem tumultum ac terrorem fecere.
55.10. Nevertheless, amidst all these evils, the line held for a time unshaken, and even —what no one had dared to hope for —against the elephants.
55.10. tamen in tot circumstantibus malis mansit aliquamdiu immota acies, maxime praeter spem omnium aduersus elephantos.
55.11. Skirmishers, expressly posted to deal with the beasts, would throw darts at them and make them turn away, and then pursuing them would strike them under the tail, where the skin is softest and it is possible to wound them.
55.11. eos uelites ad id ipsum locati uerutis coniectis et auertere et insecuti auersos sub caudis, qua maxime molli cute uolnera accipiunt, fodiebant.
56.1. In their terror they were now on the point of charging their own people, when Hannibal gave orders to drive them from the centre to the extreme left wing, against the Gallic auxiliaries. Here they immediately caused a decided stampede, and the Romans experienced a fresh alarm when they saw B.C. 218 their auxiliaries routed.
56.1. trepidantesque et prope iam in suos consternatos e media acie in extremam ad sinistrum cornu aduersus Gallos auxiliares agi iussit Hannibal. ibi extemplo haud dubiam fecere fugam; nouus quoque terror additus Romanis ut fusa auxilia sua uiderunt.
56.2. And so, hemmed in as they now were on every side, about ten thousand men, when they found it impossible to escape at any other point, forced a passage, with great slaughter of their enemies, through the Carthaginian centre, which was composed of Gallic auxiliaries, and being cut off by the river from returning to their camp and so blinded by the rain that they could not well discern where to help their comrades, took the shortest way to Placentia. After that sundry groups broke out at various points.
56.2. itaque cum iam in orbem pugnarent, decem milia ferme hominum— cum alia euadere nequissent—media Afrorum acie quae Gallicis auxiliis firmata erat, cum ingenti caede hostium perrupere et, cum neque in castra reditus esset flumine interclusus neque prae imbri satis decernere possent qua suis opem ferrent, Placentiam recto itinere perrexere.
56.4. Those who headed for the river were either drowned in its eddies, or, while they hesitated to enter it, were overtaken by the enemy;
56.4. plures deinde in omnes partes eruptiones factae; et qui flumen petiere, aut gurgitibus absumpti sunt aut inter cunctationem ingrediendi ab hostibus oppressi.
56.5. but those who scattered over the countryside in flight made their way by following the tracks of the retreating column, to Placentia; others, venturing, in their terror of the enemy, to attempt the river, got across, and reached the camp.
56.5. qui passim per agros fuga sparsi erant uestigia cedentis sequentes agminis Placentiam contendere; aliis timor hostium audaciam ingrediendi flumen fecit, transgressique in castra peruenerunt.
56.6. The mingled rain and snow and the intolerable sharpness of the cold brought death to many men and beasts of burden and to almost all the elephants.
56.6. imber niue mixtus et intoleranda uis frigoris et homines multos et iumenta et elephantos prope omnes absumpsit.
56.7. The Phoenicians pursued their enemies no further than to the river Trebia, and got back to camp so benumbed and chilled as hardly to feel the joy of victory. Consequently, when, in the night that followed, the garrison of the camp, and such soldiers without arms for the most part-as had survived the rout, were crossing the Trebia on rafts, they either heard nothing, owing to the noise made by the rain, or being unable, for weariness and wounds, to bestir themselves, pretended not to hear; and unmolested Polybius (II. lxxiv, 11), all but one perished from the effects of the rain and snow that followed the battle. by the enemy Scipio led his army in silence to B.C. 218 Placentia, and thence-after crossing the Po-to Cremona, so that that one town might not be overburdened with furnishing winter quarters for two armies.
56.7. finis insequendi hostis Poenis flumen Trebia fuit, et ita torpentes gelu in castra rediere ut uix laetitiam uictoriae sentirent. itaque nocte insequenti, cum praesidium castrorum et quod reliquum <ex fuga semermium> ex magna parte militum erat ratibus Trebiam traicerent, aut nihil sensere obstrepente pluuia aut, quia iam moueri nequibant prae lassitudine ac uolneribus, sentire sese dissimularunt, quietisque Poenis tacito agmine ab Scipione consule exercitus Placentiam est perductus, inde Pado traiectus Cremonam, ne duorum exercituum hibernis una colonia premeretur.
57.1. To Rome the news of this disaster brought such consternation that people looked for the immediate appearance of the hostile army before their very City, and knew not which way to turn for any hope or help in defending their gates and walls against its onset.
57.1. Romam tantus terror ex hac clade perlatus est ut iam ad urbem Romanam crederent infestis signis hostem uenturum nec quicquam spei aut auxilii esse quo portis moenibusque uim arcerent:
57.2. When one consul had been defeated on the Ticinus, the other had been summoned back from Sicily; but now that two consuls and two consular armies had been beaten, what other generals, what other legions had they to call upon?
57.2. uno consule ad Ticinum uicto, altero ex Sicilia reuocato, duobus consulibus, duobus consularibus exercitibus uictis quos alios duces, quas alias legiones esse quae arcessantur?
57.3. In the midst of this alarm the consul Sempronius arrived. He had made his way, taking tremendous risks, through the enemy's cavalry —which was widely dispersed in quest of booty —relying more on audacity than calculation or the prospect of eluding his enemies, or of resisting, should he be unable to elude them.
57.3. ita territis Sempronius consul aduenit, ingenti periculo per effusos passim ad praedandum hostium equites audacia magis quam consilio aut spe fallendi resistendiue, si non falleret, transgressus.
57.4. The election of consuls was the one crying need of the hour. This Sempronius accomplished and returned forthwith to his winter quarters.
57.4. is, quod unum maxime in praesentia desiderabatur, comitiis consularibus habitis in hiberna rediit. creati consules Cn. Seruilius et C. Flaminius.
57.5. The choice had fallen on Gnaeus Servilius and —for the second time —on Gaius Flaminius. For the rest, the Romans were given no peace even in their winter quarters. The Numidian cavalry ranged far and wide, and any ground that was too rough for them was covered by the Celtiberians and Lusitani.
57.5. ceterum ne hiberna quidem Romanis quieta erant uagantibus passim Numidis equitibus et, <ut> quaeque his impeditiora erant, Celtiberis Lusitanisque. omnes igitur undique clausi commeatus erant, nisi quos Pado naues subueherent.
57.6. The result was the cutting off of all supplies from every quarter, save such as were brought up the Po in ships. Their magazine, which was near Placentia, was elaborately fortified and strongly garrisoned. This place Hannibal hoped to capture by assault, and set out thither with his cavalry and light infantry.
57.6. emporium prope Placentiam fuit et opere magno munitum et ualido firmatum praesidio. eius castelli oppugnandi spe cum equitibus ac leui armatura profectus Hannibal, cum plurimum in celando incepto ad effectum spei habuisset, nocte adortus non fefellit uigiles.
57.7. He had counted mainly on the concealment of his movements for their effectiveness; but his night attack failed to catch the sentries off their guard, and the defenders at once set up so loud an outcry that it was heard even in Placentia. And so at break of day the consul was on the spot with his cavalry, having ordered the legions to follow him in fighting column.
57.7. tantus repente clamor est sublatus ut Placentiae quoque audiretur. itaque sub lucem cum equitatu consul aderat iussis quadrato agmine legionibus sequi.
57.8. Meanwhile, a cavalry engagement took place, in which Hannibal was wounded and withdrew from the fight, and the enemy were so alarmed by this that the post was successfully defended.
57.8. equestre interim proelium commissum; in quo, quia saucius Hannibal pugna excessit, pauore hostibus iniecto defensum egregie praesidium est. paucorum inde dierum quiete sumpta et uixdum satis percurato uolnere, ad Uictumulas oppugnandas ire pergit.
57.10. After this Hannibal, when he had rested only a few days and his wound was scarce healed over, set out to attack Victumulae. This had been a Roman magazine in the Gallic war, and having then been fortified had since attracted numerous settlers from the various peoples dwelling in the neighbourhood;
57.10. id emporium Romanis Gallico bello fuerat; munitum inde locum frequentauerant accolae mixti undique ex finitimis populis, et tum terror populationum eo plerosque ex agris compulerat.
57.11. and just then the fear of raids had caused large numbers to flock in from the countryside.
57.11. huius generis multitudo fama impigre defensi ad Placentiam praesidii accensa armis arreptis obuiam Hannibali procedit.
57.12. Such was the character of the population, which, fired by the story of the stout defence of the fortress near Placentia, flew to arms and went out to meet Hannibal. More like marching columns than embattled armies they encountered each other in the road; and since on one side there was only an undisciplined rabble, and on the other a general who relied upon his soldiers, and soldiers who confided in their general, some thirty-five thousand men were routed by a very few.
57.12. magis agmina quam acies in uia concurrerunt, et cum ex altera parte nihil praeter inconditam turbam esset, in altera et dux militi et duci miles fidens, ad triginta quinque milia hominum a paucis fusa. postero die deditione facta praesidium intra moenia accepere;
57.13. The next day they surrendered and received a garrison within their walls. Being commanded to give up their weapons they complied: whereupon a signal was suddenly given to the victors to sack the town, as if they had taken it by storm.
57.13. iussique arma tradere cum dicto paruissent, signum repente uictoribus datur, ut tamquam ui captam urbem diriperent; neque ulla, quae in tali re memorabilis scribentibus uideri solet, praetermissa clades est;
57.14. Nor was any cruelty omitted which historians generally deem worth noting on such an occasion; but every species of lust and outrage and inhuman insolence was visited upon the wretched inhabitants. Such were Hannibal's winter expeditions.
57.14. adeo omne libidinis crudelitatisque et inhumanae superbiae editum in miseros exemplum est. hae fuere hibernae expeditiones Hannibalis.
58.1. For no long time thereafter, while the cold was still unbearable, he allowed his men to rest, and on the first doubtful signs of spring broke up his winter quarters and marched towards Etruria, with the object of drawing that nation also to his standards, either by force or with their own consent, as he had done with the Gauls and the Ligurians.
58.1. haud longi inde temporis, dum intolerabilia frigora erant, quies militi data est; et ad prima ac dubia signa ueris profectus ex hibernis in Etruriam ducit, eam quoque gentem, sicut Gallos Liguresque, aut ui aut uoluntate adiuncturus.
58.3. In attempting to cross the Apennines he was assailed by a storm so terrible as almost to surpass the horrors of the Alps. With the wind and rain blowing full in their faces, at first —because they must either have dropped their arms or else, if they struggled against it, be caught by the hurricane and hurled to the ground —they halted; then, when it actually stopped their breath and would not allow them to respire, they turned their backs on the gale and for a time huddled together on the ground.
58.3. transeuntem Appenninum adeo atrox adorta tempestas est, ut Alpium prope foeditatem superauerit. uento mixtus imber cum ferretur in ipsa ora, primo, quia aut arma omittenda erant aut contra enitentes uertice intorti adfligebantur, constitere; dein, cum iam spiritum includeret nec reciprocare animam sineret, auersi a uento parumper consedere.
58.5. And now the heavens resounded with a frightful tumult, and between the terrific crashes the lightning flashed.
58.5. tum uero ingenti sono caelum strepere et inter horrendos fragores micare ignes; capti auribus et oculis metu omnes torpere;
58.6. Deafened and blinded, they were all stunned with fear. At length the downpour ceased, but the wind only blew the more furiously, and there seemed to be nothing to do but to pitch camp on the very spot where they had been caught.
58.6. tandem effuso imbre, cum eo magis accensa uis uenti esset, ipso illo quo deprensi erant loco castra ponere necessarium uisum est.
58.7. This, however, was but a fresh beginning of their troubles, for they could neither spread nor set up a tent, nor, once set up, would it stay in place, for the wind rent everything to shreds and swept it away;
58.7. id uero laboris uelut de integro initium fuit; nam nec explicare quicquam nec statuere poterant nec quod statutum esset manebat omnia perscindente uento et rapiente.
58.8. and when presently the moisture taken up by the wind had been congealed over the cold mountain ridges, it descended in such a storm of sleet that the men let go of everything and threw themselves on their faces on the ground, overwhelmed by their shelters rather than protected by them;
58.8. et mox aqua leuata uento cum super gelida montium iuga concreta esset, tantum niuosae grandinis deiecit ut omnibus omissis procumberent homines tegminibus suis magis obruti quam tecti;
58.9. and the cold that ensued was so severe that when anyone sought to rise and lift himself from out that pitiful heap of men and beasts, for a long time he would be unable, because his sinews were so stiff and tense that he could hardly bend his joints.
58.9. tantaque uis frigoris insecuta est ut ex illa miserabili hominum iumentorumque strage cum se quisque attollere ac leuare uellet, diu nequiret, quia torpentibus rigore neruis uix flectere artus poterant.
58.10. Afterwards, when at last by exerting themselves they had recovered the power of motion and regained their courage, and had begun here and there to kindle fires, each, in his helplessness, applied to someone else for help.
58.10. deinde, ut tandem agitando sese mouere ac recipere animos et raris locis ignis fieri est coeptus, ad alienam opem quisque inops tendere.
58.11. For two days they remained on that spot as if beleaguered. Many men and many horses perished, and seven of the elephants that had survived the battle on the Trebia.
58.11. biduum eo loco uelut obsessi mansere; multi homines, multa iumenta, elephanti quoque ex iis qui proelio ad Trebiam facto superfuerant septem absumpti.
59.1. Descending from the Apennines, Hannibal turned back once more towards Placentia, and after marching about ten miles went into camp. The next day he advanced against the enemy with twelve thousand foot and five thousand horse.
59.1. degressus Appennino retro ad Placentiam castra mouit et ad decem milia progressus consedit. postero die duodecim milia peditum, quinque equitum aduersus hostem ducit;
59.2. Nor did the consul Sempronius, who had now returned from Rome, decline the combat. That day there were only three miles between the two encampments. On the following day they fought, with great spirit and with shifting fortunes.
59.2. nec Sempronius consul—iam enim redierat ab Roma—detractauit certamen. atque eo die tria milia passuum inter bina castra fuere;
59.3. At the first encounter the Romans had so far the best of it that not only were they victorious in the battle, but they pursued the beaten enemy to his camp, and were soon attacking the camp itself.
59.3. postero die ingentibus animis uario euentu pugnatum est. primo concursu adeo res Romana superior fuit ut non acie uincerent solum sed pulsos hostes in castra persequerentur, mox castra quoque oppugnarent.
59.4. Hannibal stationed a few defenders on the rampart and at the gates and received the rest in a crowded throng within the enclosure, where he bade them watch intently for the signal to sally forth.
59.4. Hannibal paucis propugnatoribus in uallo portisque positis, ceteros confertos in media castra recepit intentosque signum ad erumpendum exspectare iubet.
59.5. It was now about the ninth hour of the day, when the Roman general, who had worn out his men to no avail and saw no prospect of capturing the camp, bade sound the recall.
59.5. iam nona ferme diei hora erat, cum Romanus nequiquam fatigato milite, postquam nulla spes erat potiundi castris, signum receptui dedit.
59.6. When Hannibal heard this and perceived that the fighting had grown lax and that the enemy had retired from his rampart, he suddenly sent his cavalry against them from the right and left and rushed out himself with the strength of his infantry from the centre of the camp.
59.6. quod ubi Hannibal accepit laxatamque pugnam et recessum a castris uidit, extemplo equitibus dextra laeuaque emissis in hostem ipse cum peditum robore mediis castris erupit.
59.7. Seldom has there been a fiercer battle or one more notable for the losses on both sides than this would have been, had the light permitted it to be prolonged; but darkness put an end to a conflict which had been begun with the greatest ardour.
59.7. pugna raro magis ulla saeua aut utriusque partis pernicie clarior fuisset, si extendi eam dies in longum spatium siuisset;
59.8. The fury of the combatants was consequently greater than the carnage, and as the battle was practically a drawn one, so were the losses equal when the opposing forces separated.
59.8. nox accensum ingentibus animis proelium diremit. itaque acrior concursus fuit quam caedes et, sicut aequata ferme pugna erat, ita clade pari discessum est. ab neutra parte sescentis plus peditibus et dimidium eius equitum cecidit;
59.9. On neither side had more than six hundred of the infantry fallen or half as many of the cavalry; but the loss of the Romans was out of proportion to the number slain, for it included several knights, five tribunes of the soldiers, and three praefects of the allies.
59.9. sed maior Romanis quam pro numero iactura fuit, quia equestris ordinis aliquot et tribuni militum quinque et praefecti sociorum tres sunt interfecti.
59.10. After this engagement Hannibal retired into Liguria and Sempronius to Luca. The Ligurians had ambushed and made prisoners of two Roman quaestors, Gaius Fulvius and Lucius Lucretius, with two tribunes of the soldiers and five members of the equestrian order —mostly sons of senators. These men they handed over to Hannibal on his coming among them, as a further earnest of their peaceful and friendly disposition towards him.
59.10. secundum eam pugnam Hannibal in Ligures, Sempronius Lucam concessit. uenienti in Ligures Hannibali per insidias intercepti duo quaestores Romani, C. Fuluius et L. Lucretius, cum duobus tribunis militum et quinque equestris ordinis, senatorum ferme liberis, quo magis ratam fore cum iis pacem societatemque crederet, traduntur.
60.1. Whilst these things were going on in Italy, Gnaeus Cornelius Scipio, who had been sent out to Spain with a fleet and an army, had set sail from the mouth of the Rhone and passing the Pyrenees had put into Emporiae.
60.1. dum haec in Italia geruntur, Cn. Cornelius Scipio in Hispaniam cum classe et exercitu missus, cum ab ostio Rhodani profectus Pyrenaeosque montes circumuectus Emporias appulisset classem,
60.3. Landing his army there and beginning with the Laeetani, he had brought all that coast, as far as the river Ebro, under Roman sway, partly by renewing old alliances and partly by forming new ones.
60.3. exposito ibi exercitu orsus a Laeetanis omnem oram usque ad Hiberum flumen partim renouandis societatibus partim nouis instituendis Romanae dicionis fecit.
60.4. The reputation which he there acquired for clemency and justice availed not only with the maritime tribes, but also with the more warlike clans inhabiting the interior and the mountainous parts; so that he was able not only to establish peaceful relations but even to conclude a military alliance with them, and several strong cohorts of auxiliaries were raised there.
60.4. inde conciliata clementiae fama non ad maritimos modo populos sed in mediterraneis quoque ac montanis ad ferociores iam gentes ualuit; nec pax modo apud eos sed societas etiam armorum parta est, ualidaeque aliquot auxiliorum cohortes ex iis conscriptae sunt.
60.5. North of the Ebro Hanno was the Carthaginian commander, for Hannibal had left him there to defend that region. Feeling, therefore, that something ought to be done, before everything was lost to Carthage, he pitched his camp in sight of the enemy and offered battle.
60.5. Hannonis cis Hiberum prouincia erat; eum reliquerat Hannibal ad regionis eius praesidium. itaque priusquam alienarentur omnia obuiam eundum ratus, castris in conspectu hostium positis in aciem eduxit.
60.6. The Roman general saw no reason to put off the engagement; he knew that he must fight with Hanno and Hasdrubal, and chose rather to deal with them separately than both at once. Neither was the battle very difficult to win.
60.6. nec Romano differendum certamen uisum, quippe qui sciret cum Hannone et Hasdrubale sibi dimicandum esse malletque aduersus singulos separatim quam aduersus duos simul rem gerere.
60.7. Six thousand of the enemy were killed and two thousand captured, together with the garrison of the camp —for this too was attacked and taken. The general himself and several chieftains were made prisoners, and Cissis, a town which stood near the camp, was carried by assault.
60.7. nec magni certaminis ea dimicatio fuit. sex milia hostium caesa, duo capta cum praesidio castrorum; nam et castra expugnata sunt atque ipse dux cum aliquot principibus capiuntur; et Cissis, propinquum castris oppidum, expugnatur.
60.8. The plunder of the town yielded objects of little worth —household belongings of barbarians and slaves of no great price —but the camp made the soldiers rich;
60.8. ceterum praeda oppidi parui pretii rerum fuit, supellex barbarica ac uilium mancipiorum;
60.9. for in it they found not only the valuables of the army that they had just defeated, but also those of the army that was now serving under Hannibal in Italy, for the men had left nearly all their treasures behind when they crossed the Pyrenees, so as not to burden themselves with heavy baggage on the march.
60.9. castra militem ditauere, non eius modo exercitus qui uictus erat sed et eius qui cum Hannibale in Italia militabat, omnibus fere caris rebus, ne grauia impedimenta ferentibus essent, citra Pyrenaeum relictis.
61.1. Hasdrubal had not yet received definite tidings of this disaster when he crossed the Ebro with eight thousand infantry and a thousand cavalry, as though to confront the Romans at their first arrival; but on learning of the catastrophe at Cissis and the loss of the camp, he turned and marched in the direction of the sea.
61.1. priusquam certa huius cladis fama accideret, transgressus Hiberum Hasdrubal cum octo milibus peditum, mille equitum, tamquam ad primum aduentum Romanorum occursurus, postquam perditas res ad Cissim amissaque castra accepit, iter ad mare conuertit.
61.2. Not far from Tarraco he came upon the soldiers of the fleet and the naval allies, who were dispersed and wandering over the country-side, with the carelessness which usually attends success; and sending out his cavalry in all directions he drove them, with much slaughter and more confusion, to their ships.
61.2. haud procul Tarracone classicos milites naualesque socios uagos palantesque per agros, quod ferme fit ut secundae res neglegentiam creent, equite passim dimisso cum magna caede, maiore fuga ad naues compellit;
61.3. But not venturing to tarry longer in that region, lest Scipio should be down upon him, he retreated across the Ebro.
61.3. nec diutius circa ea loca morari ausus, ne ab Scipione opprimeretur, trans Hiberum sese recepit.
61.4. Scipio, hearing of these new enemies, did indeed march thither with all speed; but after punishing a few of the ships' captains, he left a garrison of moderate size in Tarraco and returned with the fleet to Emporiae.
61.4. et Scipio raptim ad famam nouorum hostium agmine acto, cum in paucos praefectos nauium animaduertisset, praesidio Tarracone modico relicto Emporias cum classe rediit.
61.5. No sooner was he gone than Hasdrubal appeared, and inciting the Ilergetes, who had given Scipio hostages, to revolt, he used the young men of this very tribe to lay waste the fields of the allies who were faithful to the Romans.
61.5. uixdum digresso eo Hasdrubal aderat et Ilergetum populo, qui obsides Scipioni dederat, ad defectionem impulso cum eorum ipsorum iuuentute agros fidelium Romanis sociorum uastat;
61.6. But this having roused Scipio from his winter quarters, he retreated again and abandoned all the territory north of the Ebro. Scipio invaded the country of the Ilergetes —left thus in the lurch by the instigator of their revolt —with fire and sword, and driving them all into the city of Atanagrus, the capital of that nation, laid siege to them. Within a few days he had exacted more hostages of them than before, and mulcting them also in a sum of money, had received them under his authority and rule.
61.6. excito deinde Scipione hibernis toto cis Hiberum rursus cedit agro. Scipio relictam ab auctore defectionis Ilergetum gentem cum infesto exercitu inuasisset, compulsis omnibus Atanagrum urbem, quae caput eius populi erat, circumsedit, intraque dies paucos pluribus quam ante obsidibus imperatis Ilergetes pecunia etiam multatos in ius dicionemque recepit.
61.8. Thence he marched against the Ausetani, near the Ebro, who were likewise allies of the Phoenicians; and besieging their city, laid an ambush for the Lacetani, as they were bringing assistance to their neighbours, and fell upon them in the night, not far from the city, when they would have entered it.
61.8. inde in Ausetanos prope Hiberum, socios et ipsos Poenorum, procedit atque urbe eorum obsessa Lacetanos auxilium finitimis ferentes nocte haud procul iam urbe, cum intrare uellent, excepit insidiis.
61.9. The slain amounted to about twelve thousand; almost all the others lost their arms, and scattering over the fields in all directions, fled to their homes. As for the besieged, nothing could have saved them but a winter that was most unfavourable to the besiegers.
61.9. caesa ad duodecim milia; exuti prope omnes armis domos passim palantes per agros diffugere; nec obsessos alia ulla res quam iniqua oppugnantibus hiemps tutabatur.
61.10. The blockade lasted thirty days, during which time the snow rarely lay less than four feet deep, and so completely had it covered the mantlets and pent-houses of the Romans that this alone was sufficient to protect them from the firebrands that were several times discharged upon them by the enemy.
61.10. triginta dies obsidio fuit, per quos raro unquam nix minus quattuor pedes alta iacuit adeoque pluteos ac uineas Romanorum operuerat ut ea sola ignibus aliquotiens coniectis ab hoste etiam tutamentum fuerit.
61.11. Finally, when their chief Amusicus had fled and taken refuge with Hasdrubal, they made terms and surrendered, agreeing to pay twenty talents of silver. The Romans returned to Tarraco and went into winter quarters.
61.11. postremo cum Amusicus princeps eorum ad Hasdrubalem profugisset, uiginti argenti talentis pacti deduntur. Tarraconem in hiberna reditum est.
62.1. In Rome or near it many prodigies occurred that winter, or —as often happens when men's thoughts are once turned upon religion —many were reported and too easily credited. Some of these portents were: that a free-born infant of six months had cried “Triumph!” in the provision market; that in the cattle market an ox had climbed, of its own accord, to the third storey of a house and then, alarmed by the outcry of the occupants, had thrown itself down; that phantom ships had been seen gleaming in the sky; that the temple of Hope, in the provision market, had been struck by lightning; that in Lanuvium a slain victim had stirred, and a raven had flown down into Juno's temple and alighted on her very couch; that in the district of Amiternum, in many places, apparitions of men in shining raiment had appeared in the distance, but had not drawn near to anyone;
62.1. Romae aut circa urbem multa ea hieme prodigia facta aut, quod euenire solet motis semel in religionem animis, multa nuntiata et temere credita sunt, in quis ingenuum infantem semenstrem in foro holitorio triumphum clamasse, et <in> foro boario bouem in tertiam contignationem sua sponte escendisse atque inde tumultu habitatorum territum sese deiecisse, et nauium speciem de caelo adfulsisse, et aedem Spei, quae est in foro holitorio, fulmine ictam, et Lanuui hastam se commouisse et coruum in aedem Iunonis deuolasse atque in ipso puluinari consedisse,
62.5. that in the Picentian country there had been a shower of pebbles; that at Caere the lots had shrunk; that in Gaul a wolf had snatched a sentry's sword from its scabbard and run off with it.
62.5. et in agro Amiternino multis locis hominum specie procul candida ueste uisos nec cum ullo congressos, et in Piceno lapidibus pluuisse, et Caere sortes extenuatas, et in Gallia lupum uigili gladium ex uagina raptum abstulisse.
62.6. For the other prodigies the decemviri were commanded to consult the Books, but for the shower of pebbles in the Picentian country a nine days' sacrifice was proclaimed. They then set about the expiation of the other portents, and in this virtually all the citizens bore a part.
62.6. ob cetera prodigia libros adire decemuiri iussi; quod autem lapidibus pluuisset in Piceno, nouendiale sacrum edictum; et subinde aliis procurandis prope tota ciuitas operata fuit.
62.7. First of all, the city was purified, and major victims were offered up to the designated gods; a gift of gold weighing forty pounds was carried to Lanuvium for Juno, and a bronze statue was dedicated to Juno, by the matrons, on the Aventine; a lectisternium was ordered at Caere, where the lots had shrunk; and a supplication was ordered to be made to Fortune on Mount Algidus;
62.7. iam primum omnium urbs lustrata est hostiaeque maiores quibus editum est dis caesae, et donum ex auri pondo quadraginta Lanuuium Iunoni portatum est et signum aeneum matronae Iunoni in Auentino dedicauerunt, et lectisternium Caere, ubi sortes attenuatae erant, imperatum, et supplicatio Fortunae in Algido;
62.9. in Rome, too, a lectisternium was specially appointed for Juventas, and a supplication at the temple of Hercules, and later the entire people was commanded to observe this rite at all the pulvinaria;
62.9. Romae quoque et lectisternium Iuuentati et supplicatio ad aedem Herculis nominatim, deinde uniuerso populo circa omnia puluinaria indicta, et Genio maiores hostiae caesae quinque, et C.
62.10. also five major victims were slain in honour of the Genius of the Roman People; and Gaius Atilius Serranus the praetor was ordered to make a vow, “if the commonwealth should abide for ten years in its present state.”
62.10. Atilius Serranus praetor uota suscipere iussus, si in decem annos res publica eodem stetisset statu.
62.11. The making of these vows and expiations, as prescribed by the Sibylline Books, went far to alleviate men's anxiety concerning their relations with the gods.
62.11. haec procurata uotaque ex libris Sibyllinis magna ex parte leuauerant religione animos.
63.1. Of the consuls designate, Flaminius, to whom the legions wintering at Placentia had been assigned by lot, dispatched an edict and a letter to the consul, commanding that these troops should be ready in the camp at Ariminum on the Ides of March.
63.1. consulum designatorum alter Flaminius, cui eae legiones quae Placentiae hibernabant sorte euenerant, edictum et litteras ad consulem misit ut is exercitus idibus Martiis Arimini adesset in castris.
63.2. It was here, in his province, that he designed to enter on the consulship, for he remembered his former controversies with the senators, which he had waged when a tribune of the plebs, and later as consul —in the first place about his consulship, which they tried to annul, and again concerning his triumph. He was also hated by the senators on account of an unprecedented law which Quintus Claudius the tribune of the plebs had introduced, despite the opposition of the senate, with the backing of Gaius Flaminius alone of all that body, providing that no senator or senator's son should own a sea-going ship of more than three hundred amphoras burden —this was reckoned to be sufficient to transport the crops from one's fields, and all money-making was held unseemly in a senator. The measure, which was vehemently opposed, had been productive of great resentment on the part of the nobles against Flaminius, who had advocated its enactment; but had procured for him the favour of the plebs and afterwards a second consulship.
63.2. hic in prouincia consulatum inire consilium erat memori ueterum certaminum cum patribus, quae tribunus plebis et quae postea consul prius de consulatu qui abrogabatur, dein de triumpho habuerat, inuisus etiam patribus ob nouam legem, quam Q. Claudius tribunus plebis aduersus senatum atque uno patrum adiuuante C. Flaminio tulerat, ne quis senator cuiue senator pater fuisset maritimam nauem, quae plus quam trecentarum amphorarum esset, haberet.
63.4. Believing, therefore, that his enemies would falsify the auspices and make use of the Latin Festival and other means of hindering a consul, to detain him in the City, he pretended that he had to take a journey, and departing, as a private citizen, slipped away secretly to his province.
63.4. id satis habitum ad fructus ex agris uectandos; quaestus omnis patribus indecorus uisus. res per summam contentionem acta inuidiam apud nobilitatem suasori legis Flaminio, fauorem apud plebem alterumque inde consulatum peperit.
63.5. This behaviour, when the truth came out, aroused fresh indignation in the breasts of the already hostile senators: Gaius Flaminius, they said, was waging war not only with the senate, but this time with the immortal gods.
63.5. ob haec ratus auspiciis ementiendis Latinarumque feriarum mora et consularibus aliis impedimentis retenturos se in urbe, simulato itinere priuatus clam in prouinciam abiit. ea res ubi palam facta est, nouam insuper iram infestis iam ante patribus mouit:
63.6. He had formerly been made consul without the confirmation of the auspices, and, though both gods and men had sought to recall him from the very battle-line, he had not obeyed; now, conscious of having spurned them, he had fled the Capitol and the vows that were regularly undertaken, that he might not, on the day of entering upon his office, approach the temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus; that he might not see and consult the senate, which hated him and which he alone of all men hated; that he might not proclaim the Latin Festival and offer the accustomed sacrifice to Jupiter Latiaris on the Alban Mount; that he might not, after receiving auspices, go up to the Capitol to make his vows, and thence proceed, in the general's cloak and accompanied by lictors, to his province; like some camp-follower, without insignia and without lictors, he had set out in secret and by stealth, precisely as though going into exile; he thought, forsooth, that it was more in keeping with the dignity of his high command to begin his magistracy in Ariminum than in Rome —to assume the purple-bordered toga in an inn than in the presence of
63.6. non cum senatu modo sed iam cum dis immortalibus C. Flaminium bellum gerere. consulem ante inauspicato factum reuocantibus ex ipsa acie dis atque hominibus non paruisse; nunc conscientia spretorum et Capitolium et sollemnem uotorum nuncupationem fugisse, ne die initi magistratus Iouis optimi maximi templum adiret, ne senatum inuisus ipse et sibi uni inuisum uideret consuleretque, ne Latinas indiceret Iouique Latiari sollemne sacrum in monte faceret, ne auspicato profectus in Capitolium ad uota nuncupanda, paludatus inde cum lictoribus in prouinciam iret. lixae modo sine insignibus, sine lictoribus profectum clam, furtim, haud aliter quam si exsilii causa solum uertisset.
63.10. his household gods! With one accord they voted to recall him and drag him back and compel him to discharge in person all his obligations to gods and men, before he went to his army and his province.
63.10. magis pro maiestate uidelicet imperii Arimini quam Romae magistratum initurum et in deuersorio hospitali quam apud penates suos praetextam sumpturum.
63.11. On this commission —for commissioners they resolved to dispatch —Quintus Terentius and Marcus Antistius set forth, but moved Flaminius no more than the letter sent him by the senate had moved him in his former consulship.
63.11. reuocandum uniuersi retrahendumque censuerunt et cogendum omnibus prius praesentem in deos hominesque fungi officiis quam ad exercitum et in prouinciam iret.
63.12. A few days later he entered on his magistracy, and as he was offering up a calf, it escaped —after being struck —out of the hands of those who would have sacrificed it, and spattered many of the bystanders with its blood.
63.12. in eam legationem—legatos enim mitti placuit— Q. Terentius et M. Antistius profecti nihilo magis eum mouerunt quam priore consulatu litterae mouerant ab senatu missae.
63.13. The dismay and confusion were even greater among those who stood farther B..217 off and knew not what was occasioning the panic. By most people it was regarded as an omen of great terror.
63.13. paucos post dies magistratum iniit, immolantique ei uitulus iam ictus e manibus sacrificantium sese cum proripuisset, multos circumstantes cruore respersit;
63.14. After this the army comprising the two legions received from Sempronius, the consul of the year before, and the two taken over from Gaius Atilius the praetor, began its march into Etruria through the passes of the Apennines.
63.14. fuga procul etiam maior apud ignaros quid trepidaretur et concursatio fuit. id a plerisque in omen magni terroris acceptum. legionibus inde duabus a Sempronio prioris anni consule, duabus a C. Atilio praetore acceptis Etruriam per Appennini tramites exercitus duci est coeptus.