1–3
hincinvictuspatriamdefensumrevocatusbellumgessitadversusP.Scipionem,filiumeius,quemipseprimoapudRhodanum,iterumapudPadum,tertioapudTrebiamfugarat.
5
Grammardefensum the supine of defendo, used to express purpose ('to defend').
Grammaripse refers to Hannibal; fugarat is a syncopated pluperfect for fugaverat.
Contexthinc invictus Hannibal had campaigned in Italy for 15 years and stayed almost undefeated, at a cost of around 300,000 Roman lives, though he did have some setbacks, notably at Nola in Campania.
ContextBy 204 BC the Romans had won back control of Italy and Spain, and had now crossed over to Africa. Hannibal was needed back home to deal with Scipio (the 'famous' Scipio Africanus, so-called for defeating Hannibal here — a title the Romans were initially reluctant to give him).
Tricolonprimo apud Rhodanum, iterum apud Padum, tertio apud Trebiam — three defeats, three rivers, lined up one after another with no et connecting them (asyndeton). It's a brisk, boastful little recap of Hannibal's greatest hits before the tide turns against him.
4–5
cumhocexhaustisiampatriaefacultatibuscupivitimpraesentiarumbellumcomponere,quovalentiorposteacongrederetur.
4
Grammarcum hoc refers to Scipio; exhaustis iam patriae facultatibus is an ablative absolute.
Vocabularybellum componere a set phrase meaning 'to arrange a truce'.
Vocabularyimpraesentiarum despite looking like a genitive plural, this is actually an adverb meaning 'for the moment', a shortened, everyday (colloquial) version of in praesentia rerum.
Grammarquo valentior a purpose clause; when a purpose clause contains a comparative (like valentior, 'stronger'), quo is used instead of ut. congrederetur is imperfect subjunctive, as you'd expect in a purpose clause.
5
incolloquiumconvenit;condicionesnonconvenerunt.
3
Asyndetonin colloquium convenit; condiciones non convenerunt no et joins these two short clauses; the abruptness gets across just how quickly the talks broke down.
AlliterationThe hard c-sound (colloquium, convenit, condiciones, convenerunt) runs right through the sentence, which suits the harsh, unyielding tone of the failed negotiations.
ContextScipio and Hannibal actually met face to face at the river Bagradas — a rare moment in this whole story where the two great rivals are in the same room. The terms on offer were still less brutal than what Carthage would end up with after losing Zama; with Hannibal home, Carthage clearly thought they could hold out for better.
6
postidfactumpaucisdiebusapudZamamcumeodemconflixit:
2
Grammarid factum refers to the conference just mentioned; paucis diebus is an ablative of time within which.
ContextThe Battle of Zama actually took place in October 202 BC, not quite at Zama itself but nearby at Naraggara. Hannibal had 50,000 men and 80 elephants; Scipio had 24,000 men.
6–8
pulsus-incredibiledictu-biduoetduabusnoctibusHadrumetumpervenit,quodabestabZamacircitermiliapassuumtrecenta.
3
Grammarincredibile dictu doesn't describe pulsus ('driven back') but Hadrumetum pervenit ('reached Hadrumetum') — it's the speed of the retreat that's meant to sound unbelievable.
Variatiobiduo et duabus noctibus 'in two days and two nights': saying it this roundabout way, rather than just 'in two days and nights', is a rare bit of variatio (using different words for variety) from Nepos, who usually keeps his phrasing plain.
Contextincredibile dictu really means 'impossible', not just 'hard to believe': the true distance to Zama is only around 100 Roman miles, and to Naraggara about 150 — Nepos is exaggerating again to make Hannibal's escape sound superhuman.
9–10
inhacfugaNumidae,quisimulcumeoexacieexcesserant,insidiatisuntei;quosnonsolumeffugit,sedetiamipsosoppressit.
2
Grammarei Hannibal; definitely a dative of disadvantage here, since he's the one being ambushed.
ContextNumidae the Numidians were renowned North African horsemen, and their switch to the Roman side here is a real gut-punch for Hannibal: these were exactly the kind of allies whose loyalty had underpinned his whole Italian campaign.
10–11
Hadrumetireliquosefugacollegit;novisdilectibuspaucisdiebusmultoscontraxit.
3
Grammarpaucis diebus ablative of time within which.
Contextnovis dilectibus from nothing, in a matter of days, Hannibal scraped together another 6,000 men. Whatever else had gone wrong for him by this point, his ability to rebuild an army out of thin air clearly hadn't deserted him.
Antithesispaucis diebus multos contraxit 'in few days, he gathered many': the contrast between paucis and multos, placed right next to each other, exists purely to demonstrate how quickly and effectively Hannibal could rebuild an army from almost nothing.
1–3
From here, undefeated, he was recalled to defend his homeland and waged war against Publius Scipio, the son of that Scipio whom he had put to flight first at the Rhone, then at the Po, and a third time at the Trebia.
4–5
With him, since the resources of his homeland were now exhausted, he wished to arrange a truce for the time being, so that he might fight from a stronger position later.
5
Then he had a meeting with Scipio, but they could not agree on terms.
6
A few days after the conference was held, he fought with the same man at Zama:
6–8
driven back, he reached Hadrumetum — incredible to say — within two days and two nights, which is about three hundred miles from Zama.
9–10
In this retreat, the Numidians who had left the battle line with him at the same time ambushed him; but he not only got away, but even crushed them.
10–11
At Hadrumetum he collected up those left from the retreat, and by means of new enlistments assembled many within a few days.