Notes to Livy's Sophonisba
intro
(1)
go in, enter; penetrate. The victorious Numidian general
Masinissa enters the defeated Numidian capital city Cirta, over which
Sophonisba and her husband King Syphax were ruling as monarchs.
vestibulum, -i
n.
forecourt, entrance.
limen, -inis n.
threshold; entrance; doorway.
Sophoniba, -ae f. Her name is also recorded as Sophonisba and Saphanbaâ'l in Punic.
Syphax, -cis, m. (d. 202/1 BCE) King of Western Numidia and the tribe of the Masaeisylians. After the death of King Gala/Gaia of Eastern Numidia (father of Massinissa), Syphax annexed portions of that kingdom. Originally allied to the Romans, he was persuaded by Hasdrubal, Sophonisba's father, to become a Carthaginian ally by his offer of marriage to Sophonisba.
Hasdrubal, -is m. (d. 202 BCE), a son of Hannibal Gisco/Gesco (not the famous Hannibal) who, during the 1st Punic War, was an unsuccessful general of Carthaginian land and sea forces. Hasdrubal was a general during the 2nd Punic War in Spain where he fought successfully against the Romans.
Poenus, -a, -um
Punic, Carthaginian.
occurro, -ere,
-curri, -cursus + dative
run up to, meet, hurry to.
cum conjunction
when; it introduces a temporal clause with the subjunctive
(conspexisset).
agmen, -inis n.
procession, train; army on the march.
armo (1)
arm,
equip; the perfect passive participle is used here as a substantive noun
(armatorum).
Mas(s)inissa, -ae m. (c. 238-148 BCE), one of two sons of Gala/Gaia, King of Eastern Numidia and the tribe of the Massylians, a North African kingdom settled by the Lydians. As a young man he was held hostage in Carthage, where he received an education in Latin and Greek. Originally an ally of Carthage, he was persuaded of ultimate Roman victory and switched his alliance, joining his cavalry with the troops of Scipio Africanus and Laelius to conquer Syphax and reclaim his father's capital, Cirta. With Roman support, after the war Numidia was united under Massinissa as king.
insignis,
-e
recognizable, conspicuous; remarkable,
noteworthy.
cum . . .tum correlative
conjunctions
not only . . . but also; both . . . and.
ceterus, -a, -um
(usually plural)
the rest of; the remaining part of.
habitus, -us m.
appearance; dress; manner, posture.
conspicio, -ere,
-spexi, -spectum
catch sight of; observe; look (with
admiration).
reor, reri, ratus/a
sum
think, suppose; followed by indirect statement (regem
esse).
genu, -us n.
knee; translate with eius (=Masinissa).
advolvo, -ere,
-volvi, -volutum
prostrate; understand se.
quidem adverb
in fact; it is true.
possum, posse,
potui
to be able, have power; with omnia, an
internal accusative or accusative of respect, and in +
ablative nobis (over us).
inquam (intransitive
verb in limited forms)
say/said (reports direct speech); the
speaker is Sophonisba.
do, dare, dedi, datum
grant, give, bestow; followed by ut and the
subjunctive (possis). Sophonisba lists as empowering agents
first the divine (di), then the human
(virtus), and finally the accidental
(felicitas).
apud preposition with the
accusative
in the presence of, to.
suae: refers back to the speaker (=Sophonisba).
vox, vocis f.
voice; cry; word.
supplex, -icis
suppliant; in entreaty; here an adjective, it is repeated below in
§14 as a substantive.
licet, licuit, licitum
est
it is possible, it is allowed; impersonal verb followed here
by the dative of person (captivae) and the infinitives
mittere, attingere.
victrix, -icis
victorious; modifies dextram (understand
manum).
attingo, -ere,
-tigi, -tactum
touch; reach for; make contact with.
precor (1)
pray, beg, implore, entreat.
quaeso, -ere
ask for, pray for, request; followed by the subjunctive (§14
des).
per preposition +
accusative
by, by reason of; for the sake of; namely:
maiestatem, nomen, deos.
maiestas, -tatis
f.
dignity, majesty, greatness.
paulo ante adverb
a little while before.
gens, gentis f.
tribe, nation, people.
Numida, -ae m.
Numidian, people of North Africa; often found in the plural (see use
of singular below in §15).
communis, -e
common; with the dative of possession (tibi fuit)=
have in common.
regia, -ae f.
palace; court; capital; modified by huius +
-ce (enclitic deictic particle used for emphasis).
melior, -ius
A comparative adjective from bonus
better; followed by quam [illis ominibus quibus] Syphacem . .
. .
omen, -inis
n.
omen, sign; translate as ablative of means.
accipio, -ere,
-cepi, -ceptum
receive, treat, accept.
venia, -ae
favor, indulgence, kindness; object of des.
ut conjunction
that;
after des, followedby the subjunctives statuas,
sinas.
quicumque,
quaedumque, quodcumque
whoever, whatever; all that.
animus, -i m.
mind, reason, heart, purpose.
statuo (1)
determine, establish, decree; translate with the emphatic ipse
as subject.
quisquam,
quaequam, quic/dquam
any, anyone; with a negative = no
one.
superbus, -a,
-um
arrogant, overbearing; modifies
arbitrium.
crudelis, -e
heard-hearted, cruel.
arbitrium, -i
n.
mastery, control.
sino, -ere, sivi,
situm
let, allow (a person to do something); followed by
accusative of direct object (me) and infinitive
(venire).
si conjunction
if; introduces a contrary to fact (past) construction (fuissem
. . . mallem).
tamen adverb
nevertheless, all the same.
gigno, -ere, genui,
genitum
beget, bear; geniti is used
substantively, in the genitive after fidem .
alienigena,
-ae m.
foreigner; genitive after fidem.
externus, -a,
-um
outside, external, not belonging; used as a noun together with
alienigenae, it parallels Numidae atque in . . .
Africa geniti.
fides, -ei f.
honor, promise, guarantee, protection.
experior, -iri,
expertus/a sum
test, attempt, experience.
malo, malle, malui
prefer, would rather; followed by a direct object
(fidem) and quam .
Carthaginiensis, -is
Carthaginian; dative of agent (also filiae) with
timendum sit.
timeo, -ere, timui
fear; be afraid; timendum sit (a passive periphrastic
construction) is subjunctive in the indirect question introduced by
quid . . . [et] quid . . . vides .
vindico (1)
protect, liberate; it takes a direct object (me) and
ablative of means (morte).
obtestor (1)
entreat, implore;invoke; call to witness.
forma, -ae f.
appearance, beauty.
florens, -entis
in bloom, blossom; in the superlative.
itaque conjunction
and so, therefore, accordingly.
modo ... modo
: correlative adverbs
now . . . now.
amplector,
-plecti, -plexus/a sum
embrace, clasp.
in id = toward this; clarified byne cui (= ut non alicui) Romano traderetur (Sophonisba is the subject).
trado, -ere, -didi,
traditum
surrender, entrust; betray.
exposco, -ere,
-poposci
implore, pray for; demand.
propius adverb,
comparative of prope
nearer, more closely.
blanditia, -ae
f. (usually plural)
flattery, blandishments; charm,
allurement.
iam adverb
already,
by then; now.
prex, precis f.
request, entreaty; prayer.
nuntius, -i m.
message, news; after meeting with Scipio, Masinissa sends word that he
can no longer keep Sophonisba safe from the Romans, even though he supposed his
marriage to her would have ensured her invulnerability; instead, he honors his
promise (fides) to her (thus violating his alliance with
Scipio) by sending her a means of escape if she chose it.
simul adverb
at
the same time, together.
venenum, -i n.
drug, potion; poison.
minister, -tri
m.
attendant;a trusted servant sent by Masinissa.
cum conjunction
when; here introduces a temporal subjunctive
(venisset).
nuptialis,
-e
of the wedding, nuptial; note the heavy irony in her three
references (vir, uxor) to their marriage
bond.
munus, -eris n.
gift; service; tribute (funeral).
ingratus, -a,
-um
disagreeable, unwelcome; ungrateful; supply
est.
maior, maius adjective,
A comparative of magnus
greater,
more.
praesto, -are,
-stiti, -itum + dative
give, offer; provide.
nuntio (1)
announce, report, tell; followed by indirect statement
(me morituram).
morior, -iri,
mortuus/a sum
die; morituram
fuisse = future active infinitive in the conclusion of a past
contrary to fact condition with me as the subject (in indirect
statement); translate melius more properly, more
fittingly.
funus, -eris n.
funeral; death.
nubo, -ere, nupsi,
nuptum
to be married (to be a bride); contrary to fact condition
in past time.
ferocius adverb,
comparative of ferox
spirited, proud; brave;
followed by quam.
trepidatio,
-nis f.
agitation, alarm, concern.
haurio, -ire, hausi,
haustum
drain, drink, swallow.
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