Cornelii Nepotis Vitae (Hamilton)/Hamilcar

by Cornelius Nepos

Cornelius Nepos

Vitae (Editio Interlinearis Latina-Anglica Ad Modum Hamiltonii)

XXII. Hamilcar

editio: Philadelphia, 1890(?); Iacobus Hamiltonius (James Hamilton) et Ioannes Gulielmus Subsilvius (J. W. Underwood) recensuit

XXI. De Regibus	XXIII. Hannibal

I

Hamilcar,	filius	Hannibalis,	cognomine	Barcas,
Hamilcar,	son	of Hannibal,	by surname	Barcas,

Carthaginiensis,	primo	Poenico	bello,	sed
the Carthaginian,	in the first	Punic	war,	but

extremis	temporibus,	coepit	admodum	adolescentulus
in the last	times,	began	very	young man

praeesse	exercitui	in	Sicilia.	Quum	ante
to command	to the army	in	Sicily.	When	before

adventum	eius	res	Carthaginiensium
the coming	of him	the things	of the Carthaginians

gererentur (sub.)	male	et	mari	et	terra,
were carried on	badly	both	by sea	and	by land,

ipse,	ubi	adfuit,	cessit	numquam
himself,	where	he was present,	yielded	never

hosti,	neque	dedit	locum	nocendi,	que	saepe
to enemy,	nor	gave	place	of hurting,	and	often

e-contrario,	occasione	data,	lacessivit,
on the contrary,	occasion	being given,	he provoked (attacked),

que	semper	discessit	superior.	Quo	facto,
and	always	departed	superior.	Which	being done,

quum	Poeni	amisissent (sub.)	paene	omnia
when	the Carthaginians	had lost	almost	all (things)

in	Sicilia,	ille	sic	defendit	Erycem,	ut	bellum
in	Sicily,	he	so	defended	Eryx,	that	the war

videretur (sub.)	non	gestum	eo	loco.	Interim
did seem	not	carried on	in that	place.	Meanwhile

Carthaginienses	superati	classe	apud	insulas
the Carthaginians	being overcome	in fleet	at	the islands

Aegates	a	Lutatio,	consule	Romanorum,
Aegates	by	Lutatius,	the consul	of the Romans,

statuerunt	facere	finem	belli,	que	permiserunt
resolved	to make	an end	of the war,	and	permitted

eam	rem	arbitrio	Hamilcaris.	Ille,	etsi
that	thing	to the will	of Hamilcar.	He,	although

flagrabat	cupiditate	bellandi,	tamen	putavit
he did burn	with desire	of warring,	yet	thought

serviendum	paci,	quod
to serve (that he ought to be subservient)	to peace,	because

intelligebat	patriam,	exhaustam	sumtibus,
he did understand	the country,	exhausted	with expenses,

posse	non	ferre	diutius	calamitates	belli;	sed
to be able	not	to bear	longer	the calamities	of war;	but

ita,	ut	statim	agitaret (sub.)	mente,	si
so,	that	immediately	he did agitate	in mind,	if

res	refectae-essent	modo	paullum,	renovare
things	should be repaired	only	a little,	to renew

bellum	que	persequi	Romanos	armis,	donicum
the war	and	to pursue	the Romans	with arms,	until

aut	vicissent (sub.)	certe,	aut	victi
either	they had conquered	surely,	or	being conquered

dedissent (sub.)	manus.	Hoc	consilio	conciliavit
they had given	hands.	With this	counsel	he procured

pacem,	in	qua	fuit	tanta	ferocia,	ut
peace,	in	which	he was	with so great	ferocity,	that

quum	Catulus	negaret (sub.)	se	compositurum
when	Catulus	did deny	himself	about to finish

bellum,	nisi	ille	cum	suis,	qui	tenuerunt
the war,	unless	he	with	his own,	who	held

Erycem,	decederent	Sicilia,	armis	relictis,
Eryx,	should depart	from Sicily,	arms	being left,

ipse	dixerit (sub.),	patria	succumbente,	se
himself	said,	country	falling under,	himself

periturum	potius	quam	rediret	domum
about to perish	rather	than	he would return	home

cum	tanto	flagitio;	enim	esse	non
with	so great	disgrace;	for	to be	not (the part)

suae	virtutis,	tradere	adversariis	arma
of his	valour,	to deliver	to adversaries	the arms

accepta	a	patria	adversus	hostes.	Catulus
received	from	country	against	enemies.	Catulus

cessit	pertinaciae	huius.
yielded	to the steadfastness	of him.

II

At	ille,	ut	venit	Carthaginem,	cognovit
But	he,	when	he came	(to) Carthage,	knew

rempublicam	habentem	se	multo	aliter	ac
the republic	having	itself	much	otherwise	than

sperabat.	Namque	tantum	intestinum	bellum
he did hope.	For	so great	internal	war

exarsit	diuturnitate	externi	mali,	ut
burnt forth	by the continuance	of the external	evil,	that

Carthago	fuerit (sub.)	numquam	pari	periculo,
Carthage	was	never	in equal	danger,

nisi	quum	deleta-est.	Primo,	mercenarii
unless	when	it was destroyed.	First,	the mercenary

milites,	qui	fuerent	adversus	Romanos,	desciverunt,
soldiers,	who	had been	against	the Romans,	revolted,

numerus	quorum	erat	viginti	millium.	Hi
the number	of whom	was	of twenty	thousands.	These

abalienarunt	totam	Africam,	oppugnarunt
alienated	the whole	Africa,	assaulted

Carthaginem	ipsam.	Poeni	perterriti-sunt
Carthage	itself.	The Carthaginians	were terrified

adeo	quibus	malis,	ut	petiverint (sub.)
so much	with which	evils,	that	they sought

auxilia	etiam	a	Romanis,	que	impetraverint (sub.)
assistances	even	from	the Romans,	and	obtained

ea.	Sed	extremo,	quum	pervenissent (sub.)	iam
them.	But	at last,	when	they had arrived	already

prope	ad	desperationem,	fecerunt	Hamilcarem
almost	to	despair,	they made	Hamilcar

imperatorem.	Is	non	solum	removit	hostes	a
commander.	He	not	only	removed	enemies	from

muris	Carthaginis,	quum	facta-essent (sub.)	amplius
the walls	of Carthage,	when	they had been made	more than

centum	millia	armatorum,	sed	etiam	compulit
hundred	thousands	of armed (men),	but	also	drove

eo,	ut,	clausi	angustiis	locorum,	plures
to this,	that,	being shut	in straits	of places,	more

interirent (sub.)	fame,	quam	ferro.	Restituit
did perish	by hunger,	than	by the sword.	He restored

patriae	omnia	abalienata	oppida,	in	his
to country	all	disaffected	towns,	in (among)	these

Uticam	atque	Hipponem,	valentissima	totius
Utica	and	Hippo,	the most powerful	of the whole

Africae.	Neque	fuit	contentus	eo,	sed	etiam
Africa.	Nor	was he	content	with that,	but	also

propagavit	fines	imperii,	reddidit	tantum
extended	the bounds	of empire,	he restored	so great

otium	tota	Africa,	ut	nullum	bellum
ease	in the whole	Africa,	that	no	war

videretur (sub.)	fuisse	in	ea	multis	annis.
did seem	to have been	in	it	in many	years.

III

His	rebus	peractis	ex-sententia,	animo
These	things	being finished	to (his) wish,	with mind

fidenti	atque	infesto	Romanis,	quo	reperiret (sub.)
confident	and	hostile	to the Romans,	that	he might find

caussam	bellandi	facilius,	effecit	ut
a cause	of warring	more easily,	he effected	that

mitteretur	imperator	cum	exercitu	in
he should be sent	commander	with	an army	into

Hispaniam,	que	duxit	eo	secum	filium	Hannibalem
Spain,	and	he led	thither	with him	son	Hannibal

novem	annorum.	Praeterea	illustris,	formosus
of nine	years.	Besides	an illustrious,	handsome

adolescens,	Hasdrubal,	erat	cum	eo,	quem	nonnulli
youth,	Hasdrubal,	was	with	him,	whom	some

loquebantur	diligi	turpius	quam	erat	par,
did speak (say)	to be beloved	more basely	than	was	equal (fit),

ab	Hamilcare;	enim	maledici	poterant	non
by	Hamilcar;	for	slanderous (persons)	could	not

deesse	tanto	viro.	Quo	factum-est,
to be wanting	to so great	a man.	By which	it happened,

ut	Hasdrubal	vetaretur (sub.)	esse	cum	eo	a
that	Hasdrubal	was forbidden	to be	with	him	by

praefecto	morum.	Ille	dedit	suam	filiam	huic
the prefect	of manners.	He	gave	his	daughter	to him

in	matrimonium,	quod,	moribus	eorum
into	marriage,	because,	by the manners	of them

gener	poterat	non	interdici	socero.
a son-in-law	could	not	to be debarred	to father-in-law.

Ideo	fecimus	mentionem	de	hoc,
On this account	we have made	mention	about	him,

quod,	Hamilcare	occiso,	ille	praefuit	exercitui,
because,	Hamilcar	being slain,	he	commanded	to army,

que	gessit	magnas	res:	et	princeps	pervertit
and	carried on	great	things:	and	first	he perverted

vetustos	mores	Carthaginiensium	largitione,	que
the ancient	manners	of the Carthaginians	by bribery,	and

post	mortem	eiusdem	Hannibal	accepit
after	the death	of the same	Hannibal	received

imperium	ab	exercitu.	At	Hamilcar,	posteaquam
the command	from	army.	But	Hamilcar,	after that

transiit	mare,	que	venit	in	Hispaniam,
he passed over	the sea,	and	came	into	Spain,

gessit	magnas	res	secunda	fortuna,
carried on	great	things	with prosperous	fortune,

subegit	maximas	que	bellicosissimas	gentes;
he subdued	the greatest	and	most warlike	nations;

locupletavit	totam	Africam	equis,	armis,	viris,
he enriched	the whole	Africa	with horses,	arms,	men,

pecunia.	Quum	hic	meditaretur (sub.)	inferre	bellum
money.	When	he	did meditate	to carry	war

in	Italiam,	occisus-est	pugnans	in	praelio	adversus
into	Italy,	he was slain	fighting	in	battle	against

Vettones,	nono	anno	post-quam	venerat
the Vettones,	in the ninth	year	after that	he had come

in	Hispaniam.	Perpetuum	odium	huius	erga
into	Spain.	The perpetual	hatred	of him	towards

Romanos	videtur	maxime	concitasse	secundum
the Romans	seems	chiefly	to have excited	the second

Poenicum	bellum.	Namque	Hannibal,	filius	eius,
Punic	war.	For	Hannibal,	son	of him,

perductus-est	eo	assiduis	obtestationibus
was brought	to this	by constant	injunctions

patris,	ut	mallet (sub.)	interire	quam	non
of father,	that	he was more willing	to perish	than	not

experiri	Romanos.
to try	the Romans.