Lectitō › Cornelius Nepos › Life of Hamilcar
Nepos, Hamilcar 4
Death in Spain; his hatred of Rome
Nepos, Hamilcar. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōHam. 4.1At Hamilcar, posteāquam mare trānsiit in Hispāniamque vēnit, magnās rēs secundā gessit fortūnā: maximās bellicōsissimāsque gentēs subēgit, equīs, armīs, virīs, pecūniā tōtam locuplētāvit Āfricam.
But Hamilcar, after he had crossed the sea and come to Spain, achieved great things with favourable fortune: he subdued very great and very warlike peoples, and enriched all Africa with horses, arms, men and money.
Note. posteāquam = postquam. magnās rēs secundā gessit fortūnā: ablative of manner, with the adjective separated from its noun (a common feature of Latin word order). maximās bellicōsissimāsque: superlatives of magnus and bellicōsus.
Ham. 4.2Hic cum in Ītaliam bellum īnferre meditārētur, nōnō annō postquam in Hispāniam vēnerat, in proeliō pugnāns adversus Vettonēs occīsus est.
While he was planning to carry the war into Italy, in the ninth year after he had come to Spain, he was killed in battle fighting against the Vettones.
Note. cum … meditārētur: 'while he was planning'. nōnō annō postquam: Hamilcar drowned in 229/8 BC while retreating from a siege.
Ham. 4.3Huius perpetuum odium ergā Rōmānōs maximē concitāsse vidētur secundum bellum Poenicum.
His unending hatred of the Romans seems to have done most to stir up the second Punic War.
Note. concitāsse = concitāvisse. secundum bellum Poenicum: the Second Punic War, 218–201 BC.
Ham. 4.3Namque Hannibal, fīlius eius, assiduīs patris obtestātiōnibus eō est perductus, ut interīre quam Rōmānōs nōn experīrī māllet.
For Hannibal, his son, was brought by his father's constant urging to the point that he would rather die than not try his strength against the Romans.
Note. eō … ut: 'to such a point that'. mālle … quam: 'prefer … rather than'. Nepos tells the story of Hannibal's oath of hatred against Rome, sworn as a boy at an altar before his father, in the Life of Hannibal.
Vocabulary
| at, conj. | but |
| posteāquam (conj.) | after |
| mare, maris, n. | sea |
| trānseō, -īre, -iī, -itus | go across or over, cross |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus | come |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| secundus, -a, -um | following, favorable |
| gerō, gerere, gessī, gestus | carry, wear; carry on, do |
| fortūna, -ae, f. | fortune |
| bellicōsus, -a, -um | war-like |
| gēns, gentis, f. | race, nation |
| subigō, -ere, -ēgī, -āctus | bring under, subdue; force, compel |
| equus, -ī, m. | horse |
| arma, -ōrum, n. plur. | arms, weapons |
| vir, virī, m. | man |
| pecūnia, -ae, f. | money (the possession of cattle constituting wealth in early times) |
| tōtus, -a, -um | all the, the whole or entire |
| locuplētō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | enrich, make wealthy |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| bellum, -ī, n. | war |
| īnferō, īnferre, intulī, inlātus | bring in or against, wage against; inflict |
| meditor, -ārī, -ātus sum | think over, plan; practise, train for |
| nōnus, -a, -um | ninth |
| annus, -ī, m. | year |
| postquam, conj. | later than, after, when |
| proelium, -ī, n. | battle, combat; proelium committere, to join battle |
| pugnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | fight |
| adversum (prep. + acc.; also adversus) | against, opposite |
| occīdō, -cīdere, -cīdī, -cīsus | cut down, kill |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| perpetuus, -a, -um | continuous, perpetual; in perpetuum, for all time, forever |
| odium, -ī, n. | hatred |
| ergā, prep, with acc. | toward, for |
| Rōmānus, -a, -um | Roman |
| maximē, adv. | very greatly, exceedingly, especially |
| concitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | stir up, rouse |
| videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus | see; pass., seem |
| secundum (prep. + acc.) | after, besides; along |
| Poenicus, -a, -um | Punic, Carthaginian (bellum Poenicum, the Punic War) |
| namque, conj. | for |
| fīlius, -ī, m. | son |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| assiduus, -a, -um | constant, unremitting |
| pater, patris, m. | father |
| obtestātiō, -ōnis f. | earnest appeal, entreaty; solemn charge |
| eō (adv.) | to that place, thither; to that point (usque eō); (with comparatives) by so much, all the (more) |
| perdūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead or bring through, lead, bring |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| intereō, -īre, -iī, -itūrus | perish, die |
| quam, adv. | how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| experior, -īrī, expertus sum | try, test, experience |
| mālō, mālle, māluī | wish rather, prefer |