ardentis fuisse lunaeque inter imbrem cadentis. Inde minoribus etiam dictu prodigiis1 fides habita: capras lanatas quibusdam factas, et gallinam in marem, gallum in feminam2 sese vertisse. His, sicut erant nunciata, expositis, auctoribusque in curiam introductis, consul de religione Patres consuluit. Decretum ut ea prodigia partim majoribus hostiis partim lactentibus procurarentur, et uti supplicatio per triduum ad omnia pulvinaria haberetur; cetera, cum decemviri libros inspexissent, ut ita fierent, quemadmodum cordi esse divis carminibus profarentur.3 Decemvirorum monitu decretum est, Jovi primum donum fulmen aureum pondo quinquaginta fieret, Junoni Minervaeque ex argento dona darentur, et Junoni Reginae in Aventino Junonique Sospitae Lanuvii majoribus hostiis sacrificaretur; matronaeque pecunia collata, quantum conferre cuique commodum esset, donum Junoni Reginae in Aventinum ferrent, lectisterniumque fieret; quin ut libertinae et ipsae, unde Feroniae donum daretur, pecuniam pro facultatibus suis conferrent. Haec ubi facta, decemviri Ardeae6 in foro majoribus hostiis sacrificarunt. Postremo Decembri jam mense ad aedem Saturni Romae immolatum est, lectisterniumque imperatum (et eum lectum senatores straverunt) et convivium publicum; ac per urbem Saturnalia diem ac noctem clamata,7 populusque eum diem festum habere ac servare in perpetuum jussus.

1 'Prodigies too trifling (because too absurd) even to be mentioned.' 2 See Gram. § 46, note 1.

3 As they (the decemvirs) should announce from the books to be agreeable to the gods.' The verb fari and its compounds have something antique and solemn about them. Comp. Zumpt, § 220.

4 See page 279, note 7.

5 Feronia, an old Italian divinity, who presided over natural fertility.

6 Why at Ardea, the old Italian town on the sea-coast, since no prodigy has been mentioned as occurring there? Probably the expiatory sacrifice was occasioned by the sea-shore's having been seen burning, or at least having appeared luminous.

7 The Saturnalia were shouted; that is, celebrated with joyful cries and invocations of the god (Io Saturne!) A festival of joy was thus proclaimed in a time of sorrow: it was wisely done, to raise the spirits of the people in the name of religion. The Saturnalia, in which our merry doings at Christmas took their origin, were always celebrated with great jollity, and with the utmost heedlessness of all the distinctions of rank.

2. Dum consul placandis Romae diis habendoque delectu1 dat operam, Hannibal profectus ex hibernis, quia jam Flaminium consulem Arretium praevenisse fama erat,2 cum aliud longius, ceterum commodius ostenderetur iter, propiorem viam per paludem petit, qua fluvius Arnus per eos dies solito magis inundaverat. Hispanos et Afros et omne veterani robur exercitus, admixtis ipsorum impedimentis, necubi consistere coactis necessaria ad usus deessent, primos ire jussit; sequi Gallos, ut id agminis medium esset; novissimos ire equites; Magonem inde cum expeditis Numidis cogere agmen, maxime Gallos, si taedio laboris longaeque viae, ut est mollis ad talia gens, dilaberentur aut subsisterent, cohibentem. Primi, qua modo praeirent duces, per praealtas fluvii ac profundas voragines,3 hausti pene limo immergentesque se tamen signa sequebantur. Galli neque sustinere se prolapsi neque assurgere ex voraginibus poterant, aut corpora animis aut animos spe sustinebant, alii fessa aegre trahentes membra, alii, ubi semel victis taedio animis procubuissent, inter jumenta et ipsa jacentia passim morientes. Maximeque omnium vigiliae conficiebant per quatriduum jam et tres noctes toleratae. Cum omnia obtinentibus aquis nihil, ubi in sicco fessa sternerent corpora, inveniri posset: cumulatis in aquas sarcinis insuper incumbebant; jumentorum itinere toto prostratorum passim acervi tantum, quod extaret aqua, quaerentibus ad quietem parvi temporis necessarium cubile dabant.5 Ipse Hannibal aeger oculis ex verna primum intemperie variante calores frigoraque, elephanto qui unus superfuerat, quo altius ab aqua extaret, vectus, vigiliis tandem et nocturno humore palus

1 For delectui; see Gram. § 71, note 2.

2 Flaminius had anticipated the enemy in occupying Etruria, though it might have been expected that Hannibal would proceed through Cisalpine Gaul to Ariminum. No doubt Flaminius, when taking up his position at Arretium (now Arezzo), in the higher part of Etruria, had at the same time obtained the command of the road from Gaul into Etruria; thus forcing Hannibal to take the route across the lower part of the Arno, between Florence and Pisa.

3Deep and bottomless holes,' a pleonasm.

4 A very good exhibition of the Celtic character-warlike and excitable, but not steady or persevering.

5 The heaps of fallen beasts afforded them a restingplace only in so far as it rose out of the water.'

6At last,' pointing back to primum.

trique coelo gravante caput, et quia medendi nec locus nec tempus erat, altero oculo capitur.1

3. Multis hominibus jumentisque foede amissis cum tandem de paludibus emersisset, ubi primum in sicco potuit, castra locat; certumque per praemissos exploratores habuit exercitum Romanum circa Arretii moenia esse. Consulis deinde consilia atque animum et situm regionum itineraque et copias ad commeatus expediendos, et cetera quae cognosse in rem erat,2 summa omnia cum cura inquirendo exequebatur. Regio erat in primis Italiae fertilis, Etrusci campi, qui Faesulas inter3 Arretiumque jacent, frumenti ac pecoris et omnium copia rerum opulenti. Consul ferox ab consulatu priore, et non modo legum aut Patrum majestatis, sed ne deorum quidem satis metuens. Hanc insitam ingenio ejus temeritatem fortuna prospero civilibus bellicisque rebus successu aluerat. Itaque satis apparebat nec deos nec homines consulentem ferociter omnia ac praepropere acturum. Quoque pronior esset in vitia sua, agitare eum atque irritare Poenus parat; et laeva relicto hoste Faesulas petens, medio Etruriae agro praedatum profectus, quantam maximam vastitatem potest, caedibus incendiisque consuli procul ostendit. Flaminius, qui ne quieto quidem hoste ipse quieturus erat, tum vero, postquam res sociorum ante oculos prope suos ferri agique vidit, suum id dedecus ratus, per mediam jam Italiam vagari Poenum atque obsistente nullo ad ipsa Romana moenia ire oppugnanda, ceteris omnibus in consilio salutaria magis quam speciosa suadentibus, collegam expectandum, ut conjunctis exercitibus, communi animo consilioque rem gererent; interim equitatu auxiliisque levium armorum ab effusa praedandi licentia hostem

1 Compare xxi. 58, p. 274, note 1. Hannibal saw henceforward only with the left eye.

2 Equivalent to quorum cognitio expediebat or proderat; literally, 'to be acquainted with which was conducive to the successful carrying on of the affair that is, the war.' Aliquid est in rem, something is useful for an affair;' compare the English expression, to the point.'

6

3 As to the position of the preposition, see Zumpt, § 324.

4 For metuens governing the genitive, see Gram. 277, 1.

5 Ferre et agere is a fuller expression for 'to plunder;' the former term referring to the carrying off of valuables, furniture, and the like; and the latter to the driving away of cattle. The Greeks have the same expression, φέρειν καὶ ἄγειν.

6 Not nemine. See Zumpt, § 676, sub fin.

S

1

cohibendum iratus se ex consilio proripuit, signumque simul itineris pugnaeque proposuit. 'Quin immo Arretii ante moenia sedeamus' inquit: hic enim patria et penates sunt. Hannibal emissus e manibus perpopuletur Italiam, vastandoque et urendo omnia ad Romana moenia perveniat; nec ante nos hinc moverimus quam, sicut olim Camillum ab Veiis, C. Flaminium ab Arretio Patres acciverint.' Haec simul increpans, cum ocius signa convelli juberet et ipse in equum insiluisset, equus repente corruit consulemque lapsum super caput effudit. Territis omnibus, qui circa erant, velut foedo omine incipiendae rei, insuper nunciatur signum omni vi moliente signifero convelli nequire. Conversus ad nuncium 'Num litteras quoque' inquit ‘ab senatu affers, quae me rem gerere vetent? Abi, nuncia, effodiant signum, si ad convellendum manus prae metu obtorpuerint.' Incedere inde agmen coepit, primoribus, superquam quod dissenserant a consilio, territis etiam duplici prodigio, milite in vulgus laeto ferocia ducis, cum spem magis ipsam quam causam spei intueretur.

4. Hannibal, quod agri est inter Cortonam urbem Trasimenumque lacum, omni clade belli pervastat, quo magis iram hosti ad vindicandas sociorum injurias acuat. Et jam pervenerant ad loca nata insidiis, ubi maxime montes Cortonenses in Trasimenum sidunt.4 Via tantum interest perangusta, velut ad id ipsum de industria relicto spatio; deinde paulo latior patescit campus; inde colles adinsurgunt.5 Ibi castra in aperto locat, ubi ipse cum Afris modo Hispanisque

1 When Rome was in the possession of the Gauls, Camillus went to its deliverance from Veii; to which, after the taking of the city, the routed army had retired.

2 Equivalent to praeterquam.

3 Commonly, for the mass, for the most part;' analogous to in

universum.

4The hills of Cortona sink down to the lake.' The scene of the battle is on the northern bank of the lake, where now the road runs from Cortona to Arezzo (Arretium). About half-way along this road, near the modern Passignano, stand the hills where Hannibal pitched his camp. In order to reach Cortona, and to make the attack from that point, the Romans entered the defile between the hills and the lake, without observing the hostile troops stationed behind the nearest hills on their left.

5 We have, in accordance with the manuscripts, introduced adinsurgunt, instead of the ordinary assurgunt. Adinsurgere is a doubly-compounded verb, like adimplere, containing the idea of addition.

consideret.

Baleares ceteramque levem armaturam post montes circumducit; equites ad ipsas fauces saltus, tumulis apte tegentibus, locat, ut ubi intrassent Romani, objecto equitatu clausa omnia lacu ac montibus essent.

Flaminius cum pridie solis occasu ad lacum pervenisset, inexplorato postero die, vixdum satis certa luce, angustiis superatis, postquam in patentiorem campum pandi agmen coepit, id tantum hostium, quod ex adverso erat, conspexit : ab tergo ac super caput decepere insidiae.1 Poenus ubi, id quod petierat, clausum lacu ac montibus et circumfusum suis copiis habuit hostem, signum omnibus dat simul invadendi. Qui ubi, qua cuique proximum fuit, decucurrerunt, eo magis Romanis subita atque improvisa res fuit, quod orta ex lacu nebula campo quam montibus densior sederat, agminaque hostium ex pluribus collibus ipsa inter se satis conspecta eoque magis pariter decucurrerant. Romanus clamore prius undique orto, quam satis cerneret, se circumventum esse sensit; et ante in frontem lateraque pugnari coeptum est, quam satis instrueretur acies aut expediri arma stringique gladii possent.

5. Consul perculsis omnibus ipse satis, ut in trepida re, impavidus turbatos ordines, vertente se quoque ad dissonos clamores, instruit ut tempus locusque patitur; et quacunque adire audirique potest, adhortatur ac stare et pugnare jubet: nec enim inde votis aut imploratione deum, sed vi ac virtute evadendum esse. Per medias acies ferro viam fieri; et quo timoris minus sit, eo minus ferme periculi esse. Ceterum prae strepitu ac tumultu nec consilium nec imperium accipi poterat; tantumque aberat ut sua signa atque ordinem et locum nosceret miles, ut vix ad arma capienda aptandaque pugnae competeret animus,2 opprimerenturque quidam onerati magis his quam tecti.3 Et erat in tanta caligine major usus aurium quam oculorum: ad gemitus vulnerum ictusque corporum aut armorum et mixtos stre

1The ambush escaped him;' decipere, like fallere, means both "to deceive,' and 'to escape the notice of.'

2 That they had scarcely their wits about them sufficiently to.' 3 Naturally enough, because the Romans, when on the march, carried their helmets and shields at their backs.

4 A somewhat free use of the genitive, no doubt on account of its connection with the following ictus corporum, for ob vulnera.