Titus Livius (Livy), Ab urbe condita, Benjamin Oliver Foster, Ph.D. (Editor), Frank Gardener Moore (Editor), Evan T. Sage, Ph.D. (Editor), Alfred C. Schlesinger, Ph.D. (Editor), 28.36

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[1]

Just as Mago, who had despaired of success in Spain —a hope to which first the mutiny of the soldiers and then the rebellion of Indibilis had raised his spirits —was preparing to cross over to Africa, word reached him from Carthage that the senate commanded him to take the fleet which he had at Gades over to Italy.

[2] There he was ordered to hire the greatest possible number of young Gauls and Ligurians, to join Hannibal and not permit a war that had been begun with the greatest vigour and even greater good fortune to decline now.

[3] For that purpose money was brought to Mago from Carthage, and in addition he himself exacted all that he could from the citizens of Gades by plundering not merely their treasury but also the temples, ¹ and by compelling all private owners to contribute gold and silver to the public funds.

[4] As he was sailing along the coast of Spain he landed soldiers not far from New Carthage and laid waste the nearest farms; then he brought his fleet up to the city.

[5] There after keeping the soldiers on shipboard during the day, he landed them on the shore by night and led them to that part of the wall where (New) Carthage had been stormed by the Romans. ² For he thought the city was not held by a garrison of sufficient strength, also that with the prospect of changing sides many of the townspeople ³ would take an active part.

[6] But messengers coming in alarm from the country had brought news at the same time of lands laid waste and farmers fleeing and the enemy approaching.

[7] By day the fleet also had been seen, and it was evident that an anchorage before the city had not been chosen without reason.

[8] Accordingly the men were kept drawn up under arms inside the gate which faced the lagoon and the sea. ⁴

[9] When the enemy pouring out of the ships —a mob of sailors mingling with the soldiers —approached the walls with an uproar out of proportion to their power the Romans suddenly opened the gate and burst out with a shout,

[10] threw the enemy into confusion, routed them at the first charge and the first volley of their missiles and pursued them down to the shore with great slaughter.

[11] And if the ships moored to the shore had not received them in their alarm not a man would have survived the flight and the battle.

[12] Even on the ships also there was confusion while, to prevent the enemy from dashing on board along with their own men, they were drawing in the ladders ⁵ and cutting hawsers ⁶

Ab urbe condita. Titus Livius (Livy). Benjamin Oliver Foster, Ph.D. (Editor), Frank Gardener Moore (Editor), Evan T. Sage, Ph.D. (Editor), Alfred C. Schlesinger, Ph.D. (Editor). Medford, MA. .

Sponsored by Perseus Project, Tufts University.

Funding provided by The National Endowment for the Humanities.

Current edition Perseus

History of Rome (English) (Foster, Benjamin Oliver; Moore, Frank Gardener; Sage, Evan T.; Schlesinger, Alfred C., translators. Cambridge, Mass.; London: Harvard University Press; William Heinemann, Ltd., 1919-1959. (Loeb Classical Library))

Editions (3)

Ab urbe condita Perseus (Pars I-IV, Libri I-XL. Editio Stereotypica. Weissenborn, Wilhelm; Mueller, Moritz, editors. Leipzig: Teubner, 1884-1911.) — 28.36 focus

[1] Magoni desperatis in Hispania rebus, in quarum spem seditio primum militaris, deinde defectio Indibilis animos eius sustulerant, paranti traicere in Africam nuntiatum ab Carthagine est iubere senatum, ut classem, quam Gadibus haberet, in Italiam traiceret;

[2] conducta ibi Gallorum ac Ligurum quanta maxima posset iuventute coniungeret se Hannibali neu senescere bellum maximo impetu, maiore fortuna coeptum sineret.

[3] ad eam rem et a Carthagine pecunia Magoni advecta est, et ipse quantam potuit a Gaditanis exegit, non aerario modo eorum sed etiam templis spoliatis, et privatim omnibus coactis aurum argentumque in publicum conferre.

[4] cum praeterveheretur Hispaniae oram, baud haud procul Carthagine Nova expositis in terram militibus proximos depopulatus agros, inde ad urbem classem adpulit.

[5] ibi cum interdiu milites in navibus tenuisset, nocte in litus expositos ad partem eam muri, qua capta Carthago ab Romanis fuerat, ducit, nec praesidio satis valido urbem teneri ratus et aliquos oppidanorum ad spem novandi res aliquid moturos.

[6] ceterum nuntii ex agris trepidi simul populationem agrestiumque fugam et hostium adventum adtulerant,

[7] et visa interdiu classis erat, nec sine causa electam ante urbem stationem apparebat. itaque instructi armatique intra portam ad stagnum ac mare versam continebantur.

[8] ubi effusi hostes, mixta inter milites navalis turba, ad muros tumultu maiore quam vi subierunt, patefacta repente porta Romani cum clamore erumpunt turbatosque hostes

[9] et ad primum incursum coniectumque telorum aversos usque ad litus cum multa caede persequuntur;

[10] nec, nisi naves litori adpulsae trepidos accepissent, superfuisset fugae aut pugnae quisquam.

[11] in ipsis quoque trepidaturn trepidatum navibus est, dum, ne hostes cum suis simul inrumperent, trahunt scalas, orasque et ancoras, ne in moliendo mora esset, praecidunt;

[12] multique adnantes navibus, incerto prae tenebris, quid aut peterent aut vitarent, foede interierunt.

[13] postero die cum classis inde retro ad Oceanum, unde venerat, fugisset, ad octingentos homines caesi inter murum litusque et ad duo milia armorum inventa.

Ab urbe condita Perseus (Conway, Robert Seymour; Walters, Charles Flamstead; Johnson, Stephen Keymer, editors. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1914-1935. (Oxford Classical Texts)) — 28.36 focus

[1]

Magoni desperatis in Hispania rebus, in quarum spem seditio primum militaris, deinde defectio Indibilis animos eius sustulerant, paranti traicere in Africam nuntiatum ab Carthagine est iubere senatum ut classem quam Gadibus haberet in Italiam traiceret;

[2] conducta ibi Gallorum ac Ligurum quanta maxima posset iuuentute coniungeret se Hannibali neu senescere bellum maximo impetu maiore fortuna coeptum sineret.

[3] ad eam rem et a Carthagine pecunia Magoni aduecta est, et ipse quantam potuit a Gaditanis exegit, non aerario modo eorum sed etiam templis spoliatis et priuatim omnibus coactis aurum argentumque in publicum conferre.

[4] cum praeterueheretur Hispaniae oram, haud procul Carthagine Noua expositis in terram militibus proximos depopulatur agros;

[5] inde ad urbem classem adpulit. ibi cum interdiu milites in nauibus tenuisset, nocte in litus expositos ad partem eam muri qua capta Carthago ab Romanis fuerat ducit, nec praesidio satis ualido urbem teneri ratus et aliquos oppidanorum ad spem nouandi res aliquid moturos.

[6] ceterum nuntii ex agris trepidi simul populationem agrestiumque fugam et hostium aduentum attulerant, et uisa interdiu classis erat, nec sine causa electam ante urbem stationem apparebat;

[7] itaque instructi armatique intra portam ad stagnum ac mare uersam continebantur.

[8] ubi effusi hostes, mixta inter milites naualis turba, ad muros tumultu maiore quam ui subierunt, patefacta repente porta Romani cum clamore erumpunt,

[9] turbatosque hostes et ad primum incursum coniectumque telorum auersos usque ad litus cum multa caede persequuntur;

[10] nec nisi naues litori adpulsae trepidos accepissent superfuisset fugae aut pugnae quisquam.

[11] in ipsis quoque trepidatum nauibus est dum ne hostes cum suis simul inrumperent trahunt scalas, orasque et ancoras ne in moliendo mora esset praecidunt;

[12] multique adnantes nauibus, incerto prae tenebris quid aut peterent aut uitarent, foede interierunt.

[13] postero die cum classis inde retro ad Oceanum unde uenerat fugisset, ad octingenti homines caesi inter murum litusque et ad duo milia armorum inuenta.

Ab urbe condita Perseus (Livy in Fourteen Volumes. Foster, Benjamin Oliver; Moore, Frank Gardener; Schlesinger, Alfred C., editors. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann, Ltd., 1919-1959 (printing).) — 28.36 focus

[1]

[2] conducta ibi Gallorum ac Ligurum quanta maxima posset iuventute coniungeret se ¹ Hannibali neu senescere bellum maximo impetu, maiore fortuna coeptum sineret.

[3] ad eam rem et a Carthagine pecunia Magoni advecta est, et ipse quantam potuit potuita Gaditanis exegit, non aerario modo eorum sed etiam templis spoliatis, et privatim omnibus coactis aurum argentumque in publicum conferre.

[4] cum praeterveheretur Hispaniae oram, haud procul Carthagine Nova expositis in terram militibus proximos depopulatur ² agros; inde ad urbem classem adpulit.

[5] Ibi cum interdiu milites in navibus tenuisset, nocte in litus expositos ad partem eam muri qua capta Carthago ab Romanis fuerat, ducit, nec praesidio satis valido urbem teneri ratus et aliquos oppidanorum ad spem novandi res aliquid moturos. ³

[6] ceterum nuntii ex agris trepidi simul populationem agrestiumque fugam et hostium adventum adtulerant,

[7] et visa interdiu classis erat, nec sine causa electam ante urbem stationem apparebat. itaque instructi armatique intra portam ad stagnum ac mare versam continebantur.

[8] ubi effusi hostes, mixta inter milites navalis turba, ad muros tumultu maiore quam vi subierunt, patefacta repente porta Romani cum clamore erumpunt,

[9] turbatosque hostes et ad primum incursum coniectumque telorum aversos usque ad litus cum multa caede persequuntur;

[10] nec, nisi naves litori adpulsae trepidos accepissent, superfuisset fugae aut pugnae quisquam.

[11] In ipsis quoque trepidatum navibus est, dum, ne hostes cum suis simul inrumperent, trahunt scalas, orasque et ancoras, ne in moliendo mora esset, praecidunt; multique adnantes navibus,

[12] incerto prae tenebris quid aut peterent aut vitarent, foede interierunt. postero die cum classis inde retro ad Oceanum,

[13] unde venerat, fugisset, ad octingenti ⁴ homines caesi inter murum litusque et ad duo milia armorum inventa.

Translations (2)

History of Rome Perseus (Spillan, D.; Edmonds, Cyrus; McDevitte, William A., translators. London: Henry G. Bohn, 1849-1868. (Bohn's Classical Library)) — 28.36 focus

[1]

Mago, who despaired of success in Spain, of which he had entertained hopes, from the confidence inspired first by the mutiny of the soldiers, and afterwards by the defection of Indibilis, received a message from Carthage, while preparing to cross over into Africa, that the senate ordered him to carry over into Italy the fleet he had at Gades;

[2] and hiring there as many as he could of the Gallic and Ligurian youth, to form a junction with Hannibal, and not to suffer the war to flag which had been begun with so much vigour and still more success.

[3] For this object Mago not only received a supply of money from Carthage, but himself also exacted as much as he could from the inhabitants of Gades, plundering not only their treasury, but their temples, and compelling them individually to bring contributions of gold and silver, for the public service.

[4] As he sailed along the coast of Spain, he landed his troops not far from New Carthage, and after wasting the neighbouring lands, brought his fleet thence to the city. Here, keeping his troops in the ships by day, he landed them by night, and marched them to that part of the wall at which Carthage had been captured by the Romans;

[5] for he had supposed both that the garrison by which the city was occupied was not sufficiently strong for its protection, and that some of the townsmen would act on the hope of effecting a change. But messengers who came with the utmost haste and alarm from the country, brought intelligence at once of the devastation of the lands, the flight of the rustics, and the approach of the enemy.

[6] Besides, the fleet had been observed during the day, and it was evident that there was some object in choosing a station before the city. Accordingly, the troops were kept drawn up and armed within the gate which looks towards the lake and the sea.

[7] When the enemy, rushing forward in a disorderly manner, with a crowd of seamen mingled with soldiers, came up to the walls with more noise than strength;

[8] the gate being suddenly thrown open, the Romans sallied forth with a shout, and pursued the enemy, routed and put to flight at the first onset and

[9] discharge of their weapons, all the way to the shore, killing a great number of them;

[10] nor would one of them have survived the battle and the flight, had not the ships, which had been brought to the shore, afforded them a refuge in their dismay.

[11] Great alarm and confusion also prevailed in the ships, occasioned by their drawing up the ladders, lest the enemy should force their way in together with their own men, and by cutting away their halsers and anchors that they might not lose time in weighing them.

[12] Many, too, met with a miserable death while endeavouring to swim to the ships, not knowing, in consequence of the darkness, which way to direct their course, or what to avoid.

[13] On the following day, after the fleet had fled back to the ocean, whence it had come, as many as eight hundred were slain between the wall and the shore, and two thousand stand of arms were found.

History of Rome Perseus (Volumes 1-2. Roberts, Canon, Rev, translator. London, New York: J. M. Dent and Sons; E. P. Dutton and Co., 1912.) — 28.36 focus

[1]

Mago's hopes had been raised by the mutiny in the Roman camp and the revolt of Indibilis. Now he despaired of effecting anything in Spain and made preparations for his departure.

[2] Whilst he was so employed a despatch came from the Carthaginian senate ordering him to take the fleet which he had at Gades over to Italy, and after raising as large a force as possible

[3] of Gauls and Ligurians in that country to form a junction with Hannibal and not allow the war which had been begun with so much energy and even more success to drag on lifelessly.

[4] Money was brought to him from Carthage for the purpose, and he also requisitioned as much as he could from the people in Gades. Not only their public treasury but even their temples were plundered, and they were all compelled to contribute their private stores of gold and silver.

[5] Sailing along the Spanish coast, he landed a force not far from New Carthage, and plundered the nearest fields, after which he brought up his fleet at the city.

[6] During the day he kept his men on board, and did not disembark them till night. He then took them to that part of the city wall where the Romans had effected the capture of the place;

[7] thinking that the city was held by a weak garrison and that there would be a movement amongst some of the townsmen who hoped for a change of masters.

[8] The country people, however, who were fleeing from their fields had brought news of the depredations and approach of the enemy. His fleet had also been seen during the day, and it was obvious that they would not have taken their station before the city without some special reason.

[9] An armed force was accordingly drawn up outside the gate which faced the sea. The enemy approached the walls in disorder, soldiers and seamen were mixed together, and there was much more noise and tumult than fighting strength.

[10] Suddenly the gate was thrown open and the Romans burst out with a cheer; the enemy were thrown into confusion, turned their backs at the very first discharge of missiles and were pursued with heavy loss down to the shore.

[11] If the ships had not been brought up close to the beach and so afforded a means of escape, not a single fugitive would have survived.

[12] On the ships, too, there was hurry and confusion; the crews drew up the ladders, lest the enemy should clamber on board with their comrades, and cut the cables and hawsers so as not to lose time in weighing anchor.

[13] Many who tried to swim to the ships could not see in the darkness what direction to take or what dangers to avoid, and perished miserably.

[14] The next day, after the fleet had regained the ocean, it was discovered that 800 men had been killed between the wall and the shore and as many as 2000 arms of different kinds picked up.

Notes on the current edition

Ab Urbe Condita With An English Translation, books 1-10, 21-45, with periochae 11-20

1. Including the famous temple of Hercules, 12 miles south of the city, on a very small peninsula, now an island (Santipetri). Cf. XXI. xxi. 9; Strabo l.c. sub fin.; Mela l.c.; Schulten op. cit. 1922, pp. 38 ff.; 1927, p. 211.

2. Cf. XXVI. xlv. 7 ff.; xlvi. 2.

3. B.C. 206

4. Inexact, for the gate at the west end of the city beneath the citadel of Hasdrubal faced neither lagoon nor sea. It merely gave access to a bridge over the canal (outlet of the lagoon) and so by diverging roads to the stagnum or to the harbour. See plan in Vol. VII; Scullard, 298 f.

5. Used in place of gang-planks. Cf. Bell. Alex. 20. 4; Theocr. 22. 30.

6. From stern to shore; XXII. xix. 13 10; Quint. IV. ii. 41. Bows were headed seaward and held by ancoralia (here ancorae by the same figure of speech as

shores

for

shore cables

). Cf.

Titus Livius (Livy) Ab urbe condita 28.36

Benjamin Oliver Foster, Ph.D. (Editor), Frank Gardener Moore (Editor), Evan T. Sage, Ph.D. (Editor), Alfred C. Schlesinger, Ph.D. (Editor)

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