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Livy · Ab Urbe Condita XXI

Ab Urbe Condita 21.56

Rout of the Romans at the Trebia

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Liv. 21.56.1Trepidantīsque et prope iam in suōs cōnsternātōs ē mediā aciē in extrēmam ad sinistrum cornū adversus Gallōs auxiliārēs agī iussit Hannibal.Hannibal ordered the beasts, panicking and almost turning on their own side, to be driven from the centre of the line to the far end, on the left wing, against the Gallic auxiliaries. Liv. 21.56.1Ibi extemplō haud dubiam fēcēre fugam, eōque novus terror additus Rōmānīs, ut fūsa auxilia sua vīdērunt.There they at once caused unmistakable flight, and this added fresh terror for the Romans when they saw their auxiliaries routed. Liv. 21.56.2Itaque cum iam in orbem pugnārent decem mīlia ferme hominum, cum aliā ēvādere nequīssent, mediā Āfrōrum 4.And so, when about ten thousand men were now fighting in a ring, since they had been unable to escape any other way, through the middle of the Africans' Liv. 21.56.2Aciē, quā Gallicīs auxiliīs firmāta erat, cum ingentī caede hostium perrūpēre et, cum neque in castra reditus esset flūmine interclūsīs neque prae imbrī satis dēcernere possent, quā suīs opem ferrent, Placentiam rēctō itinere perrēxēre.line, where it had been strengthened by the Gallic auxiliaries, they broke through with great slaughter of the enemy, and since there was no return to the camp, cut off as they were by the river, and they could not make out clearly enough through the rain where to bring help to their own men, they marched straight to Placentia.

Liv. 21.56.4Plūrēs deinde in omnēs partēs ēruptiōnēs factae;After that many breakouts were made in all directions; Liv. 21.56.4et quī flūmen petiēre, aut gurgitibus absūmptī sunt aut inter cūnctātiōnem ingrediendī ab hostibus oppressī;and those who made for the river were either swallowed by its eddies or overwhelmed by the enemy as they hesitated to go in; Liv. 21.56.5quī passim per agrōs fugā sparsī erant, aliī vestīgia cēdentis sequentēs agminis Placentiam contendere, aliīs timor hostium audāciam ingrediendī flūmen fēcit, trānsgressīque in castra pervēnērunt.of those who had been scattered here and there over the fields in flight, some, following the tracks of the retreating column, hastened to Placentia, while in others fear of the enemy produced the boldness to enter the river, and having crossed they reached the camp. Liv. 21.56.6Imber nive mīxtus et intoleranda vīs frīgoris et hominēs multōs et iūmenta et elephantōs prope omnīs absūmpsit.Rain mixed with snow and the unbearable severity of the cold carried off many men and pack animals and almost all the elephants. Liv. 21.56.7Fīnis īnsequendī hostis Poenīs flūmen Trebia fuit, et ita torpentēs gelū in castra rediēre, ut vix laetitiam victōriae sentīrent.The river Trebia was the limit of the Carthaginians' pursuit of the enemy, and they returned to camp so numb with cold that they scarcely felt the joy of victory.

Liv. 21.56.8Itaque nocte īnsequentī, cum praesidium castrōrum et quod reliquum exfugā sēmermium ex magnā parte mīlitum erat ratibus Trebiam trāicerent, aut nihil sēnsēre obstrepente pluviā aut, quia iam movērī nequībant prae lassitūdine ac vulneribus, sentīre sēsē dissimulārunt, quiētīsque Poenīs tacitō agmine ab Scīpiōne cōnsule exercitus Placentiam est perductus, inde Padō trāiectō Cremōnam, nē duōrum exercituum hībernīs ūna colōnia premerētur.And so the following night, when the garrison of the camp and what was left of the soldiers after the flight, for the most part half-armed, were crossing the Trebia on rafts, the Carthaginians either noticed nothing because of the noise of the rain or, since they could no longer move for weariness and wounds, pretended not to notice; and while the Carthaginians kept still, the army was led in silent column by the consul Scipio to Placentia, and from there across the Po to Cremona, so that one colony should not be burdened with the winter quarters of two armies.

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Grammar in this passage: gerunds and gerundives ×3, ablative absolute ×3, indirect statement ×1

Latin vocabulary for this passage (145 words)
trepidō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusbe in a panic, hurry about in alarm
que, enclitic conj.and
et, conj.and; et ... et, both ... and
prope (adv. and prep. + acc.)near, nearly
iam, adv.now, already
in, prep. with acc. and abl.with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
suus, -a, -umhis, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their
cōnsternō, -ere, -strāvī, -strātuscover, strew, lay over
ex, ē (prep. + abl.)out of, from; of (ē only before consonants)
medius, -a, -ummid, middle
aciēs, -ēī, f.line of battle
extrēmus, -a, -umlast, extreme, furthest
ad, prep. with acc.to, toward; at, near; for
sinister, -tra, -trumleft
cornū, -ūs, n.horn
adversum (prep. + acc.; also adversus)against, opposite
auxiliāris, -e; as noun, -is m.auxiliary; (pl.) auxiliary troops
agō, agere, ēgī, āctusdrive; do; pass, lead; grātiās agere, see grātia
iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussusbid, order, command
ibi, adv.in that place, there
extemplō, adv.immediately, straightway, at once
haud, adv.not at all, by no means, not
dubius, -a, -umdoubtful, uncertain
faciō, facere, fēcī, factusmake, do; iter facere, see iter
fuga, -ae, f.flight
eō (adv.)to that place, thither; to that point (usque eō); (with comparatives) by so much, all the (more)
novus, -a, -umnew; novissimus, last
terror, -ōris, m.terror, fright
addō, -ere, -didī, -ditusadd, put to
Rōmānus, -a, -umRoman
ut, conj.as; when; that; ita ut, as
fundō, -ere, fūdī, fūsumpour; rout, scatter (an enemy)
auxilium, -ī, n.help, aid
videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsussee; pass., seem
itaque, adv.and so, accordingly, therefore
cum, conj.when, while, after; since; although
orbis, -is, m.circle; orbis terrae or terrārum, circle of the earth or lands, earth, world
pugnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusfight
decem, indecl. adj.ten
mīlle, indecl. adj.a thousand; mīlia, -ium, n. plur., thousands;
ferme (adv.)about, nearly, almost
homō, hominis, m.man
alius, -a, -udanother, other; aliī ... aliī, some ... others
ēvādō, -vādere, -vāsī, -vāsusgo forth, get away, escape
nequeō, -īre, -īvībe unable, cannot
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.who, which
Gallicus, -a, -umGallic, of Gaul
firmō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusstrengthen, secure
sum, esse, fuī, futūrusbe
cum, prep, with abl.with
ingēns, -gentis, adj.huge, vast
caedēs, -is, f.cutting down, killing, slaughter
hostis, -is, m. and f.enemy, foe
perrumpō, -rumpere, -rūpī, -ruptusbreak or burst through, break
neque or nec, conj.and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not
castra, -ōrum, n. plur.camp
reditus, -ūs, m.return
flūmen, -minis, n.river
interclūdō, -ere, -clūsī, -clūsumcut off, block
prae (prep. + abl.)in comparison with; because of
imber, imbris, m.rain, shower
satis, adv.enough, sufficiently
dēcernō, -ere, dēcrēvī, dēcrētumdecide, decree
possum, posse, potuībe able, have power, can
quā, adv.in which place, where
ops, opis f.; pl. opēs, -umhelp; (pl.) resources, wealth, power
ferō, ferre, tulī, lātusbear, bring
rēctus, -a, -umdirect, straight
iter, itineris, n.a going, journey, march; iter facere, to journey, march
pergō, -ere, perrēxī, perrēctumgo on, press on
plūrēs, -a, plur. adj.more, many, several
deinde, adv.then, next
omnis, -eall, every
pars, partis, f.part, side, direction
ēruptiō, -ōnis f.sally, sortie
petō, -ere, -īvī or -iī, -ītusseek, ask; attack
aut, conj.or; aut ... aut, either ... or
gurges, -itis m.whirlpool; the deep, the sea
absūmō, -sūmere, -sūmpsī, -sūmptustake away, consume, destroy
inter, prep, with acc.among, between
cūnctātiō, -ōnis f.delay, hesitation
ingredior, -ī, ingressus sumgo into, enter
ā, ab (prep. + abl.)away from, from; by (ā only before consonants)
opprimō, -primere, -pressī, -pressuspress against, overpower, crush
passim (adv.)here and there, in all directions
per, prep, with ace.through, by means of
ager, agri, m.field, land
spargō, spargere, sparsī, sparsusscatter, sprinkle
vestīgium, -ī, n.track, foot-print
cēdō, -ere, cessī, cessumgo, withdraw, give way
sequor, sequī, secūtusfollow
agmen, -minis, n.band, column
contendō, -tendere, -tendī, -tentusstretch, hasten
timor, -ōris, m.fear
audācia, -ae, f.boldness, audacity
trānsgredior, -ī, -gressus sumcross over
perveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventuscome through, come, arrive, reach
nix, nivis, f.snow
misceō, miscēre, miscuī, mīxtusmix, mingle
intolerandus, -a, -umunbearable, intolerable
vīs, vīs, f.violence, force; virtue, potency, efficacy; plur. vīrēs, -ium, strength; omnibus vīribus, with all one's strength, with might and main
frīgus, -oris n.cold
multus, -a, -ummuch, great; plur., many
iūmentum, -ī n.pack animal, beast of burden
elephantus, -ī m.elephant
fīnis, -is, m.end, boundary; plur., borders, territory, country
īnsequor, -sequī, -secūtusfollow upon or up, pursue
ita, adv.in this manner, thus, so; ita ut, as
torpeō, -ērebe numb, be paralysed
gelū, -ūs n.frost, cold, ice
redeō, -īre, -iī, -itusgo back, return
vix, adv.with difficulty, scarcely, hardly, barely
laetitia, -ae, f.joy
victōria, -ae, f.victory
sentiō, sentīre, sēnsī, sēnsusperceive, feel
nox, noctis, f.night
praesidium, -ī, n.protection; guard, escort
reliquus, -a, -umleft, the remaining, the other, the rest of
sēmermis (sēmiermis), -ehalf-armed, poorly armed
magnus, -a, -umlarge, big, great, mighty; loud
mīles, mīlitis, m.soldier
ratis, -is f.raft
trāiciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectusthrow across, strike through, pierce
nihil, n., indecl.nothing
obstrepō, -ere, -strepuīmake a noise against, shout down
pluvia, -ae f.rain
quia (conj.)because
moveō, movēre, mōvī, mōtusmove
lassitūdō, -inis, f.weariness
atque, ac (conj.)and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants)
vulnus, vulneris, n.wound
suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron.himself, herself, itself, themselves
dissimulō, -āre, -āvī, -ātushide, disguise, pretend not to notice
quiētus, -a, -umquiet, at peace, calm
tacitus, -a, -umsilent
cōnsul, -ulis m.consul (one of Rome's two chief magistrates)
exercitus, -ūs, m.army
perdūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductuslead or bring through, lead, bring
inde (adv.)from there; then
nē, adv.not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest
duo, -ae, -o, plur. adj.two
hīberna, -ōrum n. pl.winter quarters
ūnus, -a, -umone; only, alone
colōnia, -ae f.settlement, colony
premō, premere, pressī, pressuspress, check, restrain
Livy, Ab Urbe Condita XXI. Latin text: B. O. Foster, Livy (Loeb, 1919–29), with some passages from W. Weissenborn and H. J. Müller (Teubner, 1884–1911), public domain; digital text from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA. Word analysis: drafted by our own tagger (trained on the hand-checked texts on this site), with every doubtful word checked by hand. English translation and section titles: written for this app, each checked against the Latin by a second reader.