1
ineomagistratuparidiligentiaseHannibalpraebuit,acfueratinbello.
2
Grammarpari diligentia ... ac 'with equal care as'; fuerat is pluperfect of esse but is better translated 'shown', to balance with se ... praebuit.
Chiasmuspari diligentia se Hannibal praebuit, ac fuerat in bello — the word order here (adjective-noun-verb ... verb-noun) mirrors itself around the middle, an a-b-b-a pattern called chiasmus, which nicely reflects the idea of Hannibal's peacetime and wartime selves being mirror images of each other.
1–3
namqueeffecitexnovisvectigalibusnonsolumutessetpecunia,quaeRomanisexfoederependeretur,sedetiamsuperesset,quaeinaerarioreponeretur.
3
Vocabularyvectigalibus a vectigal was an import-export tax, from veho, vehere, vexi, vectus ('to carry').
Anaphoraquae Romanis ex foedere penderetur ... quae in aerario reponeretur — both clauses start with quae, matching in structure. It lays out Hannibal's financial success as a neat, two-part achievement: he covers what Carthage owes, and then some.
ContextUnder the treaty, Carthage owed Rome 10,000 talents over 50 years, working out at 200 a year. Just like his father before him, Hannibal was really preparing for the next war as soon as the last one ended — which is exactly why he had opponents at home, who eventually reported him to Rome.
4
deindeM.ClaudioL.FurioconsulibusRomalegatiCarthaginemvenerunt.
1
GrammarM. Claudio L. Furio consulibus an ablative absolute or time phrase, dating this to 196 BC, a year into Hannibal's term of office.
4–6
hosHannibalratussuiexposcendigratiamissos,priusquamiissenatusdaretur,navemascenditclamatqueinSyriamadAntiochumprofugit.
3
Grammardaretur imperfect subjunctive passive, 'could be given', used to express purpose.
Contextsenatus daretur foreign envoys visiting Rome would normally be granted a formal hearing in front of the senate; the Romans described this, rather grandly, as being 'given a senate'.
ContextSyriam ad Antiochum Antiochus's kingdom at this point covered much of modern Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Jordan as well as Syria; he was seen as one of the most powerful kings alive.
7
hacrepalamfactaPoeninavesduas,quaeeumcomprehenderent,sipossentconsequi,miserunt,
2
Grammarquae eum comprehenderent a purpose clause.
ContextThe pursuit ships did actually catch up with him, at the Cercina Islands just north of Carthage — and Hannibal talked his way out of it yet again, entertaining the crew at a lavish meal and then simply stealing their sails while they weren't looking, before slipping away to Tyre, the original home of Dido, the legendary founder of Carthage herself.
8–9
bonaeiuspublicarunt,domumafundamentisdisiecerunt,ipsumexulemiudicarunt.
3
Grammarpublicarunt and iudicarunt are syncopated forms of publicaverunt and iudicaverunt.
Tricolonpublicarunt ... disiecerunt ... iudicarunt three punishments, three short clauses, no connecting words. The asyndeton makes Carthage's revenge feel swift, total and final.
Contextdomum a fundamentis disiecerunt demolishing an exile's house right down to its foundations was a common Roman (and evidently also Carthaginian) practice, meant to make sure they could never come home.
1
In that office Hannibal applied himself with the same energy as he had shown in war.
1–3
For by means of new import-export taxes he provided, not only that there should be money to pay to the Romans according to the treaty, but also that there should be a surplus to be put aside in the treasury.
4
Then when Marcus Claudius and Lucius Furius were consuls, envoys came to Carthage from Rome.
4–6
Hannibal, thinking they had been sent for the sake of demanding his surrender, before the senate audience could be given to them, secretly embarked on a ship and fled into Syria to King Antiochus.
7
When this deed had been done and was known, the Carthaginians sent two ships to arrest him, if they could catch up with him,
8–9
they confiscated his goods, demolished his house from its foundations, and declared him an exile.