autem, Pūblī, in librō Cornēlī Nepōtis profectō lēgistī, quō modō Hannibal incolās istīus īnsulae ēlūserit. Certō sciō hōs līberōs id audīre velle.”
Tum Cornēlia: “Narrā, sīs, frāter. Nōs omnēs ad audiendum compositī sumus.”
“Fābula haud longa est,” inquit Pūblius. ‘‘Postquam Poenī Zamae[1] dēvictī sunt, aliquamdiū Hannibal in Āfricā mānsit, et multīs modīs patriam suam adiūvit.[2] Postrēmō autem Rōmā lēgātī Carthāginem vēnērunt. Eōs suī poscendī causā missōs ratus, Hannibal nāvem cōnscendit atque in Syriam ad rēgem Antiochum sē contulit; cui persuāsit ut bellum Rōmānīs īnferret.
“Antiochō victō, veritus nē Rōmānīs dēderētur, Crētam Poenus fūgit. Sēcum pecūniam grandem portābat; quam nē raperent Crētēnsēs, cōnsilium tāle[3] iniit: Amphorās aliquot complēvit plumbō,[4] summās[5] autem aurō et argentō operuit. Hās, praesentibus magistrātibus,[6] in templō Diānae collocāvit, cum simulāret sē fortūnās suās ibi custōdiendās[7] relinquere. Interim quāsdam statuās cavās pecūniā suā complēverat, eāsque domī summā neglegentiā[8] servābat, quasi nihilī[9] essent.
“Crētēnsēs, sīc in errōrem inductī, templum magnā cūrā custōdiēbant, nē Hannibal cum suā pecūniā clam abīret. Ille autem, occāsiōne oblātā, statuās in nāvem imposuit, et, fortūnīs ita cōnservātīs, in Pontum incolumis pervēnit.’”
“Quantō plūra dē Hannibale audiō,” inquit Sextus, “tantō[10] magis eius sollertiam admīror. Minimē mīrum est eum totiēns imperātōrēs nostrōs superāsse. Sed nunc mē exercēre paulisper iussus sum.” Quae cum dīxisset, surrēxit, omnēsque aliī in aliam[11] partem discessērunt.
- ↑ Zamae: loc.
- ↑ adiūvit: e.g., in finance.
- ↑ tāle: i.e., the following.
- ↑ plumbum, -i, n., lead.
- ↑ summās: cf. extrēmam, II, 43.
- ↑ praesentibus magistrātibus: abl. absol.
- ↑ custōdiendās: cf. exhibendās, II, 30.
- ↑ neglegentia, -ae, f., carelessness.
- ↑ nihilī: gen. of value.
- ↑ Quantō … tantō; cf. III, 12.
- ↑ aliī in aliam: see Vocab.
