1
namutomittamPhilippum,quemabsenshostemreddiditRomanis,omniumiistemporibuspotentissimusrexAntiochusfuit.
5
Vocabularyabsens refers to Hannibal; hostem is Philip.
Praeteritiout omittam Philippum 'so that I might leave out Philip' — but of course, by saying that, Nepos mentions him anyway. This trick — claiming you'll pass over something while actually bringing it up — is called praeteritio, and it's a standard move borrowed from public speaking.
ContextPhilippus Philip V of Macedon (North Greece), king from 220–179 BC, came to the throne aged just 17.
Contextabsens Hannibal and Philip never actually met; they were allies through ambassadors only, after Hannibal's win at Cannae.
Contextquem absens hostem reddidit Romanis Nepos makes it sound like Hannibal stirred Philip up, but really Philip didn't need much encouraging: in the First Macedonian War (214–205 BC) he grabbed Illyria for himself, and the Romans later made a treaty with him that cut Hannibal out completely.
2–3
hunctantacupiditateincenditbellandi,utusquearubromariarmaconatussitinferreItaliae.
4
GrammarItaliae dative, going with inferre.
ContextAntiochus Antiochus III, king of the Seleucid Empire (223–187 BC), covering modern Turkey, the eastern Mediterranean, Iran and Iraq. Hannibal went to him in 195 BC.
Stylecupiditate incendit literally 'set on fire with desire' — a metaphor. It's a vivid way of putting across how keen Hannibal was trying to make Antiochus, even though (as we're told below) Antiochus wasn't actually that bothered.
Styleusque a rubro mari 'the Romans' called the whole sea around the Arabian peninsula the 'Red Sea', and Antiochus was really in Ephesus (western Turkey) at this point, nowhere near it. usque ('all the way from') is Nepos laying it on thick — this is an exaggeration to make Hannibal's ambitions sound huge.
4–5
adquemcumlegativenissentRomani,quideeiusvoluntateexplorarentdarentqueoperamconsiliisclandestinisutHannibaleminsuspicionemregiadducerent,
4
Grammarad quem a connecting relative pronoun, picking up from Antiochus in the sentence before.
Grammarregi dative of disadvantage: they're stirring up suspicions 'against/for' the king, i.e. in the king's mind.
Contextlegati venissent Romani the chief Roman diplomat was Tappulus, who arrived at Antiochus's court in 193 BC and found out that Hannibal was there too, in Ephesus.
Alliterationconsiliis clandestinis the repeated c-sound adds a bit of drama to the sneaky secret plotting.
5–7
tamquamabipsiscorruptusaliaatqueanteasentiret,nequeidfrustrafecissentidqueHannibalcomperissetsequeabinterioribusconsiliissegregarividisset,
2
Vocabularytamquam 'as if'.
Polysyndetonatque ... neque ... -que ... -que ... se — que and other connectors are stacked up one after another rather than being left out. This is the opposite trick to praeteritio's asyndeton above: it makes the envoys' plotting feel relentless and drawn-out, exactly how persistent they were being.
7–8
temporedatoadiitadregem,eiquecummultadefidesuaetodioinRomanoscommemorasset,hocadiunxit:
2
Grammarcommemorasset a syncopated (shortened) form of commemoravisset, pluperfect subjunctive.
StyleThis whole cum ... venissent sentence (lines 4–8) is a good example of Nepos's occasional periodic style — one long, carefully built sentence made up of several purpose clauses (qui explorarent, darentque operam; ut adducerent) plus a comparison (tamquam ... sentiret), before finally landing on the main verb, adiit ad regem. It mimics, in its own structure, just how long and drawn-out the Roman scheming actually was.
8–10
'Patermeus'inquit'Hamilcarpuerulome,utpotenonampliusVIIII(novem)annosnato,inHispaniamimperatorproficiscensCarthagineIovioptimomaximohostiasimmolavit.'
4
Grammarpuerulo me an ablative absolute; utpote explains why the diminutive puerulo ('little boy') is used.
GrammarCarthagine ablative of separation ('away from Carthage').
Vocabularyimperator the Carthaginians didn't actually use this Roman title for their leaders; this is Nepos applying Roman vocabulary to a non-Roman culture, for the benefit of his Roman readers.
VocabularyIovi likewise, Nepos gives the Roman name (Jupiter) for the Carthaginian chief god, Baal, again to help his audience.
1
For, that I may leave out Philip, whom Hannibal, though not there, made an enemy of the Romans, king Antiochus was the most powerful of all kings in those times.
2–3
He inflamed this king Antiochus with such a great desire for waging war, that he attempted to wage war on Italy from as far as the Red Sea.
4–5
When Roman envoys had come to him to sound out his intention and to give support to his secret intrigues so that they might stir up the king's suspicions of Hannibal,
5–7
as if Hannibal, corrupted by themselves, felt differently than before. Nor had they done this in vain, and when Hannibal learned it and noticed that he was excluded from the king's inner councils,
7–8
he went to Antiochus as soon as the opportunity was given, and when he had reminded him of the many proofs of his loyalty and his hatred towards the Romans, he added this:
8–10
'My father Hamilcar, when I was a small boy, that is not more than nine years old, just as he was setting out from Carthage to Spain as commander-in-chief, sacrificed victims to Jupiter Greatest and Best of gods.'