Chapter 5
Flashback before the Battle of Cannae · Life of Hannibal · A-level Latin · OCR H443/03
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SubjectObjectVerbGenitiveDativeAblativeConjunctionAdverb
Latin
English
hac pugna pugnata Romam profectus est nullo resistente. in propinquis urbi montibus
After fighting this battle he set out for Rome, unopposed. He waited for some days in the hills near the city,
moratus est. cum aliquot ibi dies castra habuisset et Capuam reverteretur, Q. Fabius
and, having camped there, was on his way back to Capua when Quintus Fabius
Maximus, dictator Romanus, in agro Falerno ei se obiecit.
Maximus, the Roman dictator, blocked his path in Falernian territory.
hic clausus locorum angustiis noctu sine ullo detrimento exercitus se expedivit Fabioque,
Trapped by the narrowness of the terrain, Hannibal got his army out that night without a single loss, and tricked Fabius
callidissimo imperatori, dedit verba. namque obducta nocte sarmenta in cornibus
— for all his skill as a commander. For, under cover of darkness, he had bundles of twigs tied to the horns
iuvencorum deligata incendit eiusque generis multitudinem magnam dispalatam immisit.
of young cattle and set alight, then sent a great many of these animals scattering across the hillside.
quo repentino visu obiecto tantum terrorem iniecit exercitui Romanorum, ut egredi extra
By presenting this sudden sight he struck such terror into the Roman army that not one man dared go beyond
vallum nemo sit ausus.
the rampart.
hanc post rem gestam non ita multis diebus M. Minucium Rufum, magistrum equitum pari
Not many days after this, he lured Marcus Minucius Rufus — the Master of Horse, holding power equal
ac dictatorem imperio, dolo productum in proelium fugavit. Ti. Sempronium Gracchum,
to the dictator's — into battle by a trick, and routed him. He destroyed Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus,
iterum consulem, in Lucanis absens in insidias inductum sustulit. M. Claudium Marcellum,
consul for the second time, by luring him into an ambush in Lucania while Hannibal himself was elsewhere, and killed Marcus Claudius Marcellus,
quinquies consulem, apud Venusiam pari modo interfecit.
five times consul, near Venusia in much the same way.
longum est omnia enumerare proelia. quare hoc unum satis erit dictum, ex quo intellegi
It would take too long to list every battle. So this one fact will be enough to show
possit, quantus ille fuerit: quamdiu in Italia fuit, nemo ei in acie restitit, nemo adversus eum
how great a man he was: as long as he remained in Italy, no one stood against him in open battle, and no one
post Cannensem pugnam in campo castra posuit.
pitched camp against him in the open field after Cannae.
Style notes this section · 18Repetition and structure · 4Sound and metre · 1Word choice · 8Imagery and tone · 1Grammar · 4
hac pugna pugnataFigura etymologica
this battle having been fought
The noun and the participle come from the same root, a heavy, emphatic way of marking the end of Cannae.
nullo resistenteAblative absolute
with no one resisting
Two words tell us that after Cannae there was nothing between Hannibal and Rome.
in propinquis urbi montibus moratus estVivid detail
he lingered in the hills near the city
Hannibal camping within sight of Rome is a frightening image for Roman readers, and moratus est hints at a missed chance.
Q. Fabius Maximus, dictator RomanusCharacterisation
Quintus Fabius Maximus, the Roman dictator
Fabius is given his full name and title, which builds him up as a worthy opponent before Hannibal outwits him.
hic clausus locorum angustiisParticiple
trapped here by the narrow terrain
The perfect participle shows Hannibal apparently caught, which makes his escape more striking.
sine ullo detrimento exercitusEmphatic negative
without any loss to his army
Ullo stresses that the escape was complete: not a single man was lost.
Fabioque, callidissimo imperatori, dedit verbaIrony
and he tricked Fabius, the most cunning of commanders
The superlative praises Fabius' cunning in the very clause where he is fooled, which makes Hannibal even cleverer. Dare verba is an idiom for deceiving someone.
obducta nocteAblative absolute
with night drawn over
The darkness is described as a covering, which suits a trick that depends on not being seen clearly.
sarmenta in cornibus iuvencorum deligata incenditVivid detail
he set fire to bundles of twigs tied to the horns of young cattle
The precise, strange detail of burning branches on the cattle's horns lets the reader picture the trick in the dark.
multitudinem magnam dispalatamEmphasis
a great number, scattered everywhere
Numbers and scattering make the lights seem like a whole army on the move.
repentino visuEmphasis
the sudden sight
Repentino stresses the shock of the moment, which explains the panic that follows.
tantum terrorem iniecit … ut egredi extra vallum nemo sit aususResult clause
he caused such terror that no one dared to go outside the rampart
The result clause shows the scale of the fear: a whole Roman army stays behind its wall.
dolo productum in proeliumCharacterisation
lured into battle by a trick
Dolo again: Hannibal wins by deception, the quality Romans both feared and condemned as Punic treachery.
Ti. Sempronium Gracchum, iterum consulem … M. Claudium Marcellum, quinquies consulemClimax
Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus, consul for the second time … Marcus Claudius Marcellus, five times consul
The victims grow in seniority, ending with a man who had been consul five times, so the list builds to its most impressive name.
absensRepetition
while absent
The same word was used of Hannibal turning Philip against Rome (chapter 2). Hannibal can destroy his enemies even when he is not there.
longum est omnia enumerare proeliaPraeteritio
it would take too long to list all the battles
Nepos says he will not list every battle, which suggests there were far too many victories to count.
quantus ille fueritRhetorical emphasis
how great that man was
Ille gives Hannibal a grand, almost admiring tone, and the whole sentence is built to prove his greatness.
nemo ei in acie restitit, nemo adversus eumAnaphora
no one stood against him in battle, no one against him
Repeating nemo at the start of both clauses drives home the claim that no Roman could face him.
Notes on the text 4
CapuamCapua
Capua
The richest city of Campania, which went over to Hannibal after Cannae and served as his base. Rome besieged and retook it in 211 BC.
in agro FalernoThe ager Falernus
in the Falernian territory
Rich farmland in northern Campania, famous for its wine. In 217 BC Fabius tried to trap Hannibal in the valley there.
M. Minucium RufumMinucius
Marcus Minucius Rufus
Fabius' Master of Horse in 217 BC. Frustrated with Fabius' caution, the people gave him equal command; he attacked Hannibal and had to be rescued by Fabius.
M. Claudium MarcellumGracchus and Marcellus
Marcus Claudius Marcellus
Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus was killed in an ambush in Lucania in 212 BC. Marcellus, the captor of Syracuse and called the Sword of Rome, died in an ambush near Venusia in 208 BC.
Questions to think about · 3
- Nepos' order of events here is not the historical order (see the background panel). Does this matter for a biography? What does he gain by arranging the material this way?
- How does the trick with the cattle show the qualities Nepos most admires in Hannibal?
- Look at the final sentence (units 13 to 15). How does Nepos turn a list of battles into a judgement on Hannibal's greatness?
Nepos and chronology background
Nepos is not interested in strict chronological order. Hannibal did not march on Rome straight after Cannae: he did that in 211 BC, five years later, in an attempt to draw the Romans away from the siege of Capua. The trick with the cattle against Fabius came in 217 BC, before Cannae, and the defeat of Minucius in the same year. Gracchus was killed in 212 BC and Marcellus in 208 BC.
Quintus Fabius Maximus was made dictator after Trasimene in 217 BC. His strategy was to shadow Hannibal and avoid pitched battle, wearing down the invaders while Rome recovered. It was unpopular at the time, and it earned him the nickname Cunctator, the Delayer, but after Cannae Rome came back to it.
Vocabulary in this section · 125 wordsVocabulary tester
hic, haec, hoc this; he, she, it
pugna, -ae (f.) battle, fight
pugno, pugnare, pugnavi, pugnatum fight
Roma, -ae (f.) Rome
proficiscor, proficisci, profectus sum set out, depart
sum, esse, fui be
nullus, -a, -um no, none; (as noun) no one
resisto, resistere, restiti resist, oppose (+ dat.)
in (prep. + acc./abl.) into, to; in, on
propinquus, -a, -um near, neighbouring (+ dat.)
urbs, urbis (f.) city
mons, montis (m.) mountain, hill
moror, morari, moratus sum delay, wait, linger
cum (conj.) when, since (+ subj.)
aliquot (indecl. adj.) several, some
ibi (adv.) there
dies, diei (m.) day
castra, -orum (n. pl.) camp
habeo, habere, habui, habitum have, hold; (castra habere) be encamped
et (conj.) and
Capua, -ae (f.) Capua, city in Campania
revertor, reverti, reversus sum turn back, return
Quintus, -i (m.) Quintus, Roman first name
Fabius, -i (m.) Fabius (Q. Fabius Maximus, dictator 217 BC)
Maximus, -i (m.) Maximus, surname of Q. Fabius
dictator, -oris (m.) dictator
Romanus, -a, -um Roman
ager, agri (m.) field, land, territory
Falernus, -a, -um Falernian, of the Falernian district in Campania
is, ea, id he, she, it; this, that
se (reflexive pron.) himself
obicio, obicere, obieci, obiectum throw in the way, put in front of; (se obicere) block, confront
claudo, claudere, clausi, clausum shut in, trap, enclose
locus, -i (m.; n. in pl. loca) place; (pl.) region, ground
angustiae, -arum (f. pl.) narrowness, narrow pass
noctu (adv.) by night, at night
sine (prep. + abl.) without
ullus, -a, -um any
detrimentum, -i (n.) loss, damage
exercitus, -us (m.) army
expedio, expedire, expedivi, expeditum free, extricate, get out
callidus, -a, -um clever, cunning, shrewd
imperator, -oris (m.) commander, general
do, dare, dedi, datum give; (verba dare + dat.) deceive, cheat
verbum, -i (n.) word
namque (conj.) for, for indeed
obduco, obducere, obduxi, obductum draw over, cover
nox, noctis (f.) night
sarmentum, -i (n.) twig, brushwood; (pl.) bundles of twigs
cornu, -us (n.) horn; wing (of an army)
iuvencus, -i (m.) young bull, bullock
deligo, deligare, deligavi, deligatum tie, fasten
incendo, incendere, incendi, incensum set fire to, burn
is, ea, id + -que (conj.) he, she, it; this, that; and
genus, generis (n.) kind, type, sort
multitudo, -inis (f.) great number, crowd
magnus, -a, -um great, large
dispalor, dispalari, dispalatus sum wander about, scatter
immitto, immittere, immisi, immissum send in, let loose
qui, quae, quod who, which; (connecting) this, he
repentinus, -a, -um sudden, unexpected
visus, -us (m.) sight, appearance
tantus, -a, -um so great, such
terror, -oris (m.) terror, fear
inicio, inicere, inieci, iniectum throw into; inspire (+ dat.)
ut (conj.) that, so that (+ subj.)
egredior, egredi, egressus sum go out, leave
extra (prep. + acc.) outside, beyond
vallum, -i (n.) rampart, palisade
nemo, neminis (m.) no one, nobody
audeo, audere, ausus sum dare
post (prep. + acc.) after
res, rei (f.) thing, matter, affair; (res gesta) deed, event
gero, gerere, gessi, gestum carry on, do, wage
non (adv.) not
ita (adv.) so, thus
multus, -a, -um much, many
Marcus, -i (m.) Marcus, Roman first name
Minucius, -i (m.) Minucius, Roman family name
Rufus, -i (m.) Rufus (M. Minucius Rufus)
magister, -tri (m.) master, chief; (magister equitum) Master of Horse
eques, equitis (m.) horseman; (pl.) cavalry
par, paris equal
ac (conj.) and; (after par) as, to
imperium, -i (n.) command, power
dolus, -i (m.) trick, deceit
produco, producere, produxi, productum lead out, draw out, lure
proelium, -i (n.) battle
fugo, fugare, fugavi, fugatum put to flight, rout
Tiberius, -i (m.) Tiberius, Roman first name
Sempronius, -i (m.) Sempronius, Roman family name
Gracchus, -i (m.) Gracchus (Ti. Sempronius Gracchus)
iterum (adv.) again, for the second time
consul, -is (m.) consul
Lucani, -orum (m. pl.) the Lucanians, a people of southern Italy
absens, -entis absent, away
insidiae, -arum (f. pl.) ambush, trap
induco, inducere, induxi, inductum lead in, lure
tollo, tollere, sustuli, sublatum raise; remove, destroy, kill
Claudius, -i (m.) Claudius, Roman family name
Marcellus, -i (m.) Marcellus (M. Claudius Marcellus)
quinquies (adv.) five times
apud (prep. + acc.) at, near, among
Venusia, -ae (f.) Venusia, town in Apulia
modus, -i (m.) way, manner
interficio, interficere, interfeci, interfectum kill
longus, -a, -um long; tedious
omnis, -e all, every, whole
enumero, enumerare, enumeravi, enumeratum count up, list
quare (adv.) therefore, for which reason
unus, -a, -um one
satis (adv.) enough, sufficiently
dico, dicere, dixi, dictum say
ex (prep. + abl.) out of, from
intellego, intellegere, intellexi, intellectum understand, realise
possum, posse, potui be able, can
quantus, -a, -um how great, how much
ille, illa, illud that; he, she, it
quamdiu (conj.) as long as
Italia, -ae (f.) Italy
acies, -ei (f.) battle line, battle
adversus (prep. + acc.) against, opposite
Cannensis, -e of Cannae
campus, -i (m.) plain, open field
pono, ponere, posui, positum put, place; (castra ponere) pitch camp