Chapter 9
Hannibal flees to Crete · Life of Hannibal · A-level Latin · OCR H443/03
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SubjectObjectVerbGenitiveDativeAblativeConjunctionAdverb
Latin
English
Antiocho fugato verens ne dederetur, quod sine dubio accidisset, si sui fecisset potestatem,
Once Antiochus had been defeated, Hannibal, fearing he might be handed over — which would certainly have happened had he ever put himself in Roman hands —
Cretam ad Gortynios venit, ut ibi, quo se conferret, consideraret.
came to the Gortynians in Crete, to consider from there where he might go next.
vidit autem vir omnium callidissimus in magno se fore periculo, nisi quid providisset,
But this shrewdest of all men could see he would be in great danger, unless he took precautions,
propter avaritiam Cretensium. magnam enim secum pecuniam portabat, de qua sciebat
because of the Cretans' greed: he was carrying a large sum of money with him, and he knew
exisse famam.
word of it had already spread.
itaque capit tale consilium. amphoras complures complet plumbo, summas operit auro et
So he devised the following plan. He filled several jars with lead and covered the tops with gold and
argento. has praesentibus principibus deponit in templo Dianae, simulans se suas fortunas
silver. These he deposited, in front of the leading citizens, in the temple of Diana, pretending he was entrusting his fortune
illorum fidei credere. his in errorem inductis statuas aeneas, quas secum portabat, omni sua
to their good faith. With them thoroughly deceived, he then filled bronze statues he had been carrying with him with all his
pecunia complet easque in propatulo domi abicit.
actual money, and left these lying casually in the open courtyard of his house.
Gortynii templum magna cura custodiunt non tam a ceteris quam ab Hannibale, ne ille
The people of Gortyn guarded the temple with great care — not so much against anyone else as against Hannibal himself,
inscientibus iis tolleret sua secumque duceret.
in case he should try to remove his own property without their knowledge and take it away with him.
Style notes this section · 15Repetition and structure · 3Sound and metre · 1Word choice · 5Imagery and tone · 2Grammar · 4
Antiocho fugatoAblative absolute
Antiochus having been routed
The defeat of a great king is dismissed in two words, because Nepos's interest is Hannibal, not Antiochus.
verens ne dedereturCharacterisation
fearing that he would be handed over
Hannibal's fear of surrender, already seen in chapter 7, drives the rest of his life.
quod sine dubio accidissetAuthorial comment
which without doubt would have happened
Nepos steps in to confirm that the danger was real, so Hannibal's flight looks prudent rather than cowardly.
vir omnium callidissimusSuperlative
the cleverest man of all
The superlative introduces a trickster story. Callidus means shrewd but also cunning, a word that fits Roman ideas about "Punic" cleverness.
nisi quid providissetConditional
unless he took some precaution
The condition shows Hannibal thinking ahead, the quality that saves him in the trick that follows.
propter avaritiam CretensiumCharacterisation
because of the greed of the Cretans
The Cretans are defined by greed, so the reader enjoys seeing the greedy outwitted.
capit … complet … operitHistoric present
he takes … fills … covers
The switch to the present tense makes the trick vivid, as if we are watching Hannibal at work.
complet plumbo, summas operit auro et argentoAntithesis
fills them with lead, covers the tops with gold and silver
Worthless lead inside, precious metal on top: the whole trick is caught in one contrast.
praesentibus principibusAlliteration
in the presence of the leading men
The repeated p sound draws attention to the witnesses, who are the very people being fooled.
simulans se suas fortunas illorum fidei credereIrony
pretending to entrust his fortune to their good faith
Hannibal pretends to rely on fides, the honesty the Cretans lack, so the trick turns their own vice against them.
his in errorem inductisAblative absolute
with them led into error
The deception is finished in four words, and the story moves straight on to the real hiding place.
in propatulo domi abicitVivid detail
he throws them down in the open courtyard of his house
Abicit, "tosses aside", shows the real treasure left carelessly in full view, which is the cleverest part of the plan.
non tam a ceteris quam ab HannibaleAntithesis
not so much from others as from Hannibal
The temple is guarded against its depositor, a comic reversal that shows how completely the Cretans have been fooled.
ne ille inscientibus iis tolleret suaIrony
in case he took away his own property without their knowledge
The Cretans guard jars of lead, while Hannibal's real wealth lies in his courtyard. Sua, "his own things", adds to the joke.
tolleret sua secumque duceretPairing
should take away his own property and carry it off with him
Two verbs for removing the treasure show how anxiously the Cretans imagine Hannibal's escape.
Notes on the text 3
GortyniosGortyn
the people of Gortyn
Gortyn was one of the leading cities of central Crete, famous for its inscribed law code.
CretensiumCretans
of the Cretans
The Cretans had a proverbial reputation for greed and dishonesty: the line "Cretans are always liars" is attributed to the Cretan poet Epimenides.
templo DianaeDiana
the temple of Diana
The temple of Artemis (Diana to the Romans). Temples were often used as safe places to deposit money and valuables.
Questions to think about · 3
- How does Nepos turn this episode into a story about character, both Hannibal's and the Cretans'?
- Why do you think Nepos includes such a light-hearted anecdote in a Life mostly about war and exile?
- Find the places where Nepos tells us what to think about Hannibal rather than letting the story speak for itself. How effective is this?
Why Hannibal had to run background
After Antiochus was defeated at Magnesia (190 or 189 BC), the peace terms dictated by Rome included the surrender of Hannibal. He escaped before he could be handed over. Crete, a collection of independent cities with a reputation for piracy and mercenary service, offered a temporary refuge outside the reach of both Rome and the Seleucid king.
Vocabulary in this section · 91 wordsVocabulary tester
Antiochus, -i (m.) Antiochus III, king of Syria
fugo, fugare, fugavi, fugatum put to flight, rout, defeat
vereor, vereri, veritus sum fear
ne (conj.) that (after a verb of fearing)
dedo, dedere, dedidi, deditum hand over, surrender
qui, quae, quod who, which
sine (prep. + abl.) without
dubium, -i (n.) doubt
accido, accidere, accidi happen
si (conj.) if
sui (reflexive pronoun) himself
facio, facere, feci, factum make, do; potestatem sui facere put oneself in someone's power
potestas, -atis (f.) power
Creta, -ae (f.) Crete
ad (prep. + acc.) to
Gortynii, -orum (m. pl.) the people of Gortyn, a city in Crete
venio, venire, veni, ventum come
ut (conj.) in order to, so that
ibi (adv.) there
quo (adv.) where, to where
se (reflexive pronoun) himself
confero, conferre, contuli, collatum bring together; se conferre go, betake oneself
considero, considerare, consideravi, consideratum consider, think over
video, videre, vidi, visum see
autem (conj.) but, however
vir, viri (m.) man
omnis, -e all, every
callidus, -a, -um shrewd, cunning
in (prep. + abl.) in
magnus, -a, -um great, large
sum, esse, fui be
periculum, -i (n.) danger
nisi (conj.) unless, if not
quis, quid (after si, nisi, ne, num) anyone, anything
provideo, providere, providi, provisum foresee; take precautions
propter (prep. + acc.) because of
avaritia, -ae (f.) greed
Cretenses, -ium (m. pl.) the Cretans
enim (conj.) for
pecunia, -ae (f.) money
porto, portare, portavi, portatum carry
de (prep. + abl.) about, concerning
scio, scire, scivi, scitum know
exeo, exire, exii, exitum go out; (of news) spread
fama, -ae (f.) rumour, report, word
itaque (adv.) and so, therefore
capio, capere, cepi, captum take; (consilium) form, adopt
talis, -e such, of this kind
consilium, -i (n.) plan
amphora, -ae (f.) jar, amphora
complures, -a several
compleo, complere, complevi, completum fill
plumbum, -i (n.) lead
summus, -a, -um highest; the top of
operio, operire, operui, opertum cover
aurum, -i (n.) gold
et (conj.) and
argentum, -i (n.) silver
hic, haec, hoc this; (pl.) these
praesens, -entis present, in person
princeps, -ipis (m.) leading man, chief citizen
depono, deponere, deposui, depositum put down, deposit
templum, -i (n.) temple
Diana, -ae (f.) Diana, goddess of hunting
simulo, simulare, simulavi, simulatum pretend
suus, -a, -um his own
fortuna, -ae (f.) fortune; (pl.) possessions, wealth
ille, illa, illud that; he, she, it
fides, -ei (f.) trust, good faith, loyalty
credo, credere, credidi, creditum (+ dat.) entrust, trust
in (prep. + acc.) into
error, -oris (m.) mistake, error
induco, inducere, induxi, inductum lead in; (in errorem) mislead, deceive
statua, -ae (f.) statue
aeneus, -a, -um bronze, made of bronze
is, ea, id he, she, it; (pl.) they, them + -que (conj.) and
propatulum, -i (n.) open space, forecourt
domus, -us (f.) house, home
abicio, abicere, abieci, abiectum throw down, toss aside, leave lying carelessly
cura, -ae (f.) care
custodio, custodire, custodivi, custoditum guard
non (adv.) not
tam (adv.) so, so much
a (prep. + abl.) from; (here) against
ceteri, -ae, -a the others, the rest
quam (adv.) as, than
ab (prep. + abl.) from; (here) against
Hannibal, -alis (m.) Hannibal
insciens, -entis unaware, not knowing
tollo, tollere, sustuli, sublatum raise; remove, take away
duco, ducere, duxi, ductum lead, take