Iug. 17.1Rēs postulāre vidētur Āfricae situm paucīs expōnere et eās gentīs, quibuscum nōbīs bellum aut amīcitia fuit, attingere.The subject seems to require me to set out briefly the geography of Africa and to touch on those peoples with whom we have had war or friendship. Iug. 17.2Sed quae loca et nātiōnēs ob calōrem aut asperitātem, item sōlitūdinēs minus frequentāta sunt, dē iīs haud facile compertum narrāverim.But concerning those places and nations which are less frequented because of heat or harshness, and likewise the deserts, I could not easily give a reliable account. Iug. 17.2Cētera quam paucissumīs absolvam.The rest I shall deal with in as few words as possible. Iug. 17.3In dīvīsiōne orbis terrae plērīque in parte tertiā Āfricam posuēre, paucī tantummodo Asiam et Eurōpam esse, sed Āfricam in Eurōpā.In dividing up the world most have placed Africa as a third part, a few say that there are only Asia and Europe, but that Africa is in Europe. Iug. 17.4Ea fīnīs habet ab occidente fretum nostrī maris et Oceanī, ab ortū sōlis dēclīvem lātitūdinem, quem locum Catabathmon incolae appellant.It has as its boundaries on the west the strait between our sea and the Ocean, on the east a broad sloping plateau, a place which the inhabitants call Catabathmos.
Iug. 17.5Mare saevom, inportuōsum;The sea is rough and without harbours; Iug. 17.5ager frūgum fertilis, bonus pecorī, arborī īnfēcundus;the land is fertile in grain, good for cattle, unfruitful for trees; Iug. 17.5caelō terrāque pēnūria aquārum.from sky and earth there is a scarcity of water. Iug. 17.6Genus hominum salūbrī corpore, vēlōx, patiēns labōrum;The race of men is healthy in body, swift, enduring of toil; Iug. 17.6ac plērōsque senectūs dissolvit, nisi quī ferrō aut bēstiīs interiēre, nam morbus haud saepe quemquam superat;and most are carried off by old age, except those who have died by the sword or by wild beasts, for disease does not often overcome anyone; Iug. 17.6ad hoc maleficī generis plūruma animālia.besides, there are very many animals of a harmful kind. Iug. 17.7Sed quī mortālēs initiō Āfricam habuerint quīque posteā adcesserint aut quō modō inter sē permixtī sint, quamquam ab eā fāmā, quae plērōsque obtinet, dīvorsum est, tamen, utī ex librīs Pūnicīs, quī rēgis Hiempsalis dīcēbantur, interpretātum nōbīs est utique rem sēsē habēre cultōrēs eius terrae putant, quam paucissumīs dīcam.But who were the first inhabitants of Africa and who came afterwards, or how they intermingled, although it differs from the tradition which most people hold, I shall nevertheless tell in as few words as possible, as it was translated for me from the Punic books which were said to be King Hiempsal's, and as the inhabitants of that land think the matter stands.
Iug. 17.7Cēterum fidēs eius reī penes auctōrēs erit.But the responsibility for its truth will rest with the authors.