Chapter 2.4–6
Hannibal concludes his speech · Life of Hannibal · A-level Latin · OCR H443/03
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SubjectObjectVerbDativeAblativeConjunctionAdverb
Latin
English
‘quae divina res dum conficiebatur, quaesivit a me, vellemne secum in castra proficisci. id
'While that sacred rite was being carried out, he asked me whether I wanted to go with him to the camp.
cum libenter accepissem atque ab eo petere coepissem ne dubitaret ducere, tum ille,
When I gladly agreed and began to beg him not to hesitate to take me, he said,
“faciam,” inquit, “si mihi fidem, quam postulo, dederis.” simul me ad aram adduxit, apud
"I will — if you give me the pledge I ask for." He then led me to the altar
quam sacrificare instituerat, eamque ceteris remotis tenentem iurare iussit numquam me in
where he had begun the sacrifice, and, sending everyone else away, made me hold it and swear that I would never be
amicitia cum Romanis fore.
a friend to Rome.
id ego iusiurandum patri datum usque ad hanc aetatem ita conservavi, ut nemini dubium
That oath, given to my father, I have kept right up to this day so completely that no one should doubt
esse debeat, quin reliquo tempore eadem mente sim futurus.
I will remain of the same mind for whatever time is left to me.
quare, si quid amice de Romanis cogitabis, non imprudenter feceris, si me celaris; cum
So if you plan anything friendly towards Rome, you will not be acting unwisely if you keep it from me; but when
quidem bellum parabis, te ipsum frustraberis, si non me in eo principem posueris.’ hac
you prepare for war, you will only cheat yourself if you do not put me in command of it.' It was at that
igitur, qua diximus, aetate cum patre in Hispaniam profectus est.
age, then, as I have said, that he set out for Spain with his father.
Style notes this section · 18Word order · 2Repetition and structure · 4Word choice · 8Grammar · 4
divina resEmphasis
the sacred rite
Calling the sacrifice a "divine matter" reminds the reader that the oath is sworn in the presence of the gods, which makes it binding for life.
vellemne secum in castra proficisciIndirect question
whether I wanted to go with him to the camp
Hamilcar asks rather than orders, so the boy appears to choose his future freely.
libenter accepissemCharacterisation
I had gladly accepted
Libenter shows the boy's eagerness: from the very beginning Hannibal wanted to be a soldier.
ab eo petere coepissem ne dubitaret ducereRole reversal
I began to beg him not to hesitate to take me
The father makes the offer, but it is the son who ends up pleading, which shows how keen Hannibal was.
Faciam", inquit si mihi fidem, quam postulo, dederis'Direct speech
"I will," he said, "if you give me the pledge I ask for."
Hamilcar's words are quoted, short and conditional. The bargain is made in a single sentence, which gives it the force of a contract.
fidemKey word
pledge, loyalty
Fides, good faith, is exactly what Antiochus doubts. By using the word, Hannibal reminds the king that his loyalty was promised before the gods.
simul me ad aram adduxitFast pace
at once he led me to the altar
Simul makes the action follow at once: there is no time for the boy to reconsider.
eamque … tenentemVivid detail
holding it
The boy swears with his hand on the altar, a physical gesture that makes the scene easy to picture and the oath sacred.
ceteris remotisAblative absolute
everyone else having been sent away
Sending the others away makes the oath private and solemn, a bond between father and son alone.
numquam me in amicitia cum Romanis foreEmphatic negative
that I would never be on friendly terms with the Romans
Numquam makes the oath absolute and lifelong. The phrasing is careful: he swears never to be Rome's friend, which echoes the end of chapter 1.
id ego iusiurandumEmphatic position
that oath I
The oath comes first and the pronoun ego is added for emphasis, so Hannibal moves from the story to his own personal claim.
usque ad hanc aetatemEmphasis
right up to this time of life
The oath has lasted from boyhood to old age, so the reader feels the length of Hannibal's commitment.
ita conservavi, ut nemini dubium esse debeatResult clause
I have kept it so well that no one ought to doubt
The result clause turns his past record into proof: if he kept the oath this long, he will keep it now.
si quid amice de Romanis cogitabis … cum quidem bellum parabisContrast
if you are thinking kindly of the Romans … when you prepare for war
The two halves of his advice are set side by side: keep peace plans from him, but give him war. The balance shows that Hannibal is useful to the king only as an enemy of Rome.
non imprudenter fecerisLitotes
you will not act unwisely
"Not unwisely" is a polite understatement. Hannibal tells the king to hide any friendliness towards Rome from him without sounding like a threat.
te ipsum frustraberisCharacterisation
you will be cheating yourself
Hannibal bluntly tells a king that he would be fooling himself without him, which shows his confidence in his own value.
principemEmphatic position
leader
Hannibal ends his speech by asking to be put in command, so the last word of his self-defence is a claim to leadership.
hac igitur, qua diximus, aetate cum patre in Hispaniam profectus estRing structure
so it was at that age, as I have said, that he set out for Spain with his father
Nepos steps back in with qua diximus and returns to Hannibal's age, rounding off the story and taking the narrative back to the start of his career.
Notes on the text 1
in HispaniamSpain
to Spain
Carthage had lost Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica to Rome after the First Punic War. Hamilcar's Spanish empire, with its silver mines and manpower, gave Carthage the resources for a second war.
Questions to think about · 3
- Hannibal tells this story to Antiochus to prove his loyalty. How does the way he tells it (the details he chooses, the direct speech) make it convincing?
- The oath is made by a nine-year-old boy. Does that make Hannibal's lifelong hatred of Rome more or less admirable in Nepos' eyes?
- Look at Hannibal's final advice to the king (units 8 and 9). Is it a threat, a boast, or a piece of good counsel?
The oath at the altar background
The story of the boy Hannibal swearing eternal enmity to Rome was famous in antiquity: Polybius tells it, and Livy repeats it. Both, like Nepos, put it in the context of Hannibal's time with Antiochus, where he told it himself to win back the king's trust. For Roman readers it explained why the Second Punic War happened: not only because of Saguntum or Spain, but because Hamilcar's family had sworn never to make peace with Rome.
Notice that the whole passage is Hannibal's own words, reported by Nepos. It is a speech with a purpose, and the details he chooses are chosen to persuade.
Vocabulary in this section · 87 wordsVocabulary tester
qui, quae, quod who, which; this
divinus, -a, -um divine, sacred
res, rei (f.) thing, matter (divina res = religious rite)
dum (conj.) while
conficio, conficere, confeci, confectum complete, carry out
quaero, quaerere, quaesivi, quaesitum ask, seek
a, ab (prep. + abl.) from; by
ego, mei, mihi, me I, me
volo, velle, volui + -ne (interrog. particle) want, wish, be willing; whether
sui, sibi, se himself (reflexive) + cum (prep. + abl.) with
in (prep. + acc.) into, to
castra, -orum (n. pl.) camp
proficiscor, proficisci, profectus sum set out, go
is, ea, id he, she, it; that
cum (conj.) when, since
libenter (adv.) gladly, willingly
accipio, accipere, accepi, acceptum accept, receive
atque (conj.) and
peto, petere, petivi, petitum ask, beg, seek
coepi, coepisse, coeptum began, have begun
ne (conj.) that not, not to
dubito, dubitare, dubitavi, dubitatum hesitate; doubt
duco, ducere, duxi, ductum lead, take
tum (adv.) then
ille, illa, illud that; he, she, it
facio, facere, feci, factum do, make
inquam, inquit (defective verb) say (with direct speech)
si (conj.) if
fides, -ei (f.) pledge, promise; loyalty
postulo, postulare, postulavi, postulatum demand, ask for
do, dare, dedi, datum give
simul (adv.) at once, at the same time
ad (prep. + acc.) to, towards
ara, -ae (f.) altar
adduco, adducere, adduxi, adductum lead to, bring
apud (prep. + acc.) at, beside, in the presence of
sacrifico, sacrificare, sacrificavi, sacrificatum sacrifice
instituo, instituere, institui, institutum begin, set up, establish
is, ea, id + -que (conj.) he, she, it; that; and
ceteri, -ae, -a the other, the rest
removeo, removere, removi, remotum remove, send away
teneo, tenere, tenui, tentum hold
iuro, iurare, iuravi, iuratum swear
iubeo, iubere, iussi, iussum order, tell
numquam (adv.) never
in (prep. + abl.) in
amicitia, -ae (f.) friendship
cum (prep. + abl.) with
Romanus, -i (m.) a Roman; (pl.) the Romans
sum, esse, fui, futurus be
iusiurandum, iurisiurandi (n.) oath
pater, patris (m.) father
usque (adv.) all the way, right up
hic, haec, hoc this; he, she, it
aetas, -atis (f.) age, time of life
ita (adv.) so, in such a way
conservo, conservare, conservavi, conservatum keep, preserve, maintain
ut (conj.) that (result)
nemo, neminis (m.) no one, nobody
dubius, -a, -um doubtful, uncertain
sum, esse, fui be
debeo, debere, debui, debitum ought, must; owe
quin (conj.) that (after expressions of doubt)
reliquus, -a, -um remaining, the rest of
tempus, -oris (n.) time
idem, eadem, idem the same
mens, mentis (f.) mind, attitude
futurus, -a, -um about to be, future (future participle of sum)
quare (adv.) therefore, for which reason
quis, quid anyone, anything (after si)
amice (adv.) in a friendly way, kindly
de (prep. + abl.) about, concerning
cogito, cogitare, cogitavi, cogitatum think, consider, plan
non (adv.) not
imprudenter (adv.) unwisely, foolishly
celo, celare, celavi, celatum hide, conceal, keep (someone) in the dark
quidem (adv.) indeed, certainly
bellum, -i (n.) war
paro, parare, paravi, paratum prepare, get ready
tu, tui, tibi, te you (sing.)
ipse, ipsa, ipsum -self; he himself
frustror, frustrari, frustratus sum deceive, disappoint, cheat
princeps, -ipis (m.) leader, chief
pono, ponere, posui, positum put, place
igitur (conj.) therefore, so, then
dico, dicere, dixi, dictum say
Hispania, -ae (f.) Spain