1–2
cuminapparandoacerrimeessetoccupatus,CarthaginiensesbellumcumRomaniscomposuerunt.
3
Grammarapparando a gerund.
Vocabularybellum ... composuerunt bellum compono is a set phrase meaning 'I make peace'.
ContextNepos doesn't give any detail here, but the terms were brutal: Carthage's empire was shrunk to just Africa, its navy cut to ten ships, and it had to pay 200 talents (over 5 tonnes) of silver every year for 50 years — and even had to ask Rome's permission before making war on anyone. In 149 BC the Carthaginians finally rebelled against these terms, starting the Third Punic War, which ended with Carthage being wiped out completely.
2–3
illenihilosetiusexercituiposteapraefuitresqueinAfricagessititemqueMagofratereiususqueadP.SulpiciumC.Aureliumconsules.
3
Vocabularynihilo setius 'none the less'.
ContextP. Sulpicium C. Aurelium consules dates this to 200 BC; both men had already built solid reputations as generals in their own right, which tells you Rome wasn't taking any chances with the peace settlement.
ContextMago according to some Roman sources, Mago had actually already died in 203 BC, so this may be a mistake by Nepos, unless Hannibal had a second, different brother also called Mago.
4–6
hisenimmagistratibuslegatiCarthaginiensesRomamvenerunt,quisenatuipopuloqueRomanogratiasagerent,quodcumiispacemfecissent,obeamqueremcoronaaureaeosdonarent
3
Grammarhis enim magistratibus an ablative absolute, or ablative of time when.
Grammarcum iis refers to the Carthaginians; corona aurea is ablative; eos refers to the senate.
Contextcum iis pacem fecissent peace was actually agreed in 201 BC.
6
simulquepeterent,utobsideseorumFregellisessentcaptiviqueredderentur.
2
GrammarFregellis locative.
ContextFregellae was a town in central-western Italy, in what's now Lazio — a fairly ordinary detail, but worth noting since exam questions do sometimes ask you to place these minor names.
7–8
hisexsenatusconsultoresponsumest:munuseorumgratumacceptumqueesse;obsides,quolocorogarent,futuros;
2
Grammarhis the Carthaginians. This is the senate's reply, given as indirect statement: notice how the subject goes into the accusative and the main verbs become infinitives (munus ... acceptumque esse; obsides ... futuros).
Hendiadysgratum acceptumque 'pleasing and accepted', two words that mean almost the same thing used together for extra emphasis; this doubling-up is called hendiadys.
8–10
captivosnonremissuros,quodHannibalem,cuiusoperasusceptumbellumforet,inimicissimumnominiRomano,etiamnumcumimperioapudexercitumhaberentitemquefratremeiusMagonem.
2
Grammarhaberent refers to the Carthaginians keeping Hannibal in command; the clauses inside the reported speech (rogarent, foret, haberent) are subjunctive, as expected in indirect statement.
Asyndetonmunus eorum gratum acceptumque esse; obsides ... futuros; captivos non remissuros — the senate answers the Carthaginians' three requests one after another with no connecting word, giving a blunt, no-nonsense effect: they know exactly what they will and won't grant.
11
hocresponsoCarthaginiensescognitoHannibalemdomumetMagonemrevocarunt.
2
Grammardomum 'home', meaning Carthage; revocarunt is a syncopated perfect for revocaverunt.
ContextThe Carthaginians are clearly trying to appease Rome by bringing Hannibal home — Rome wanted to make sure he couldn't raise another army, so effectively Hannibal is being given a desk job.
11–12
hucutrediit,rexfactusest,postquampraetorfuerat,annosecundoetvicesimo.
2
Grammarut rediit the verb here isn't subjunctive, so ut is translated 'when' rather than 'so that'.
Contextanno secundo et vicesimo counting all the way back to 221 BC, when an 18-year-old Hannibal was first made general in Spain. Twenty-two years of near-constant campaigning have brought him, remarkably, back to a desk job in his home city.
12–13
utenimRomaeconsules,sicCarthaginequotannisannuibiniregescreabantur.
3
Vocabularyrex ... reges Nepos's use of 'king' here is really his Roman shorthand for the two Carthaginian officials properly called suffetes, more like 'judges' than kings.
Vocabularybini is the special Latin word used for things that naturally come in pairs, like these two annually-elected officials.
Polyptotonquotannis annui bini three words in a row all built around the same idea of 'every year, yearly, in pairs': repeating a root idea like this in slightly different grammatical forms is polyptoton, and it hammers home just how regular and formal this Carthaginian system was.
1–2
While he had been very busily engaged in preparations, the Carthaginians made peace with the Romans.
2–3
Hannibal, nevertheless, afterwards was in command of the army and carried on war in Africa, and so did his brother Mago, right up until Publius Sulpicius and Gaius Aurelius were consuls.
4–6
For while these men were magistrates, Carthaginian envoys came to Rome, to give thanks to the senate and Roman people because they had made peace with them, and on account of this to present them with a golden crown,
6
and at the same time to ask that their hostages might live at Fregellae and that their prisoners should be returned.
7–8
To them, in accordance with a decree of the senate, the reply was given: that their gift was pleasing and accepted; that the hostages would be where they had requested;
8–10
that they would not return the prisoners, because they were still keeping in charge of the army Hannibal, a man very hostile to the Roman name, through whose efforts the war had been undertaken, and likewise his brother Mago.
11
When this reply was known, the Carthaginians recalled Hannibal and Mago home.
11–12
On his return here, Hannibal was made a king, in the twenty-second year after he had been praetor.
12–13
For, as is true of the consuls at Rome, so at Carthage a pair of kings was created annually every year.