Trogus, Historiae Philippicae 18.5
Stopping on Cyprus, a priest of Jupiter joins Elissa, who takes advantage of a Cypriot custom to steal brides for her crew.
| 1 | Prīmus illīs adpulsus terrae Cyprus īnsula fuit, |
| 2 | ubi sacerdōs Iovis cum coniuge et līberīs deōrum monitū comitem sē Elissae sociumque fortūnae offert pactus sibi posterīsque perpetuam honōrem sacerdōtiī. |
| 3 | Condiciō prō manifēstō ōmine accepta. |
| 4 | Mōs erat Cypriīs virginēs ante nūptiās statūtīs diēbus dōtālem pecūniam quaesītūrās in quaestum ad lītus maris mittere, prō reliquā pudīcitiā lībāmenta Venerī solūtūrās. |
| 5 | Hārum igitur ex numerō LXXX admodum virginēs raptās nāvibus inpōnī Elissa iubet ut et iuventūs mātrimōnia et urbs subolem habēre posset. |
| 1 | adpulsus: the noun, with terrae, “landing place” |
| 2 | deōrum monitū: “at the suggestion/instigation of the gods”
comitem in apposition with sē. pactus < paciscor, “agreeing, making an agreement, stipulating that…” |
| 3 | Condiciō: i.e., the agreement struck in the previous sentence.
accepta [est]. |
| 4 | virginēs: objective of mittere;
statūtīs diēbus: ablative of time when. quaesītūrās: the future active participle, which agrees with virginēs, indicates purpose, as does solūtūrās. in quaestum: while it could refer to any means of acquiring profit or advantage, it is often used euphemistically for prostitution, as here. prō reliquā pudīcitiā: i.e., they will be chaste in their future marriages. |
| 5 | admodum virginēs: i.e., they hadn’t yet engaged in prostitution.
inpōnī: passive infinite; note the same verbs as in 18.4.12. ut… posset: purpose clause. |
Pygmalion prepares to pursue Elissa, but is dissuaded for a time by unfavorable omens. Elissa in Africa, secures a large site for a settlement, and begins trading with the local inhabitants.
| 6 | Dum haec aguntur, Pygmaliōn, cognitā sorōris fugā, cum impiō bellō fugientem persequī parāret, aegrē precibus mātris deōrumque minīs victus quiēvit; |
| 7 | cui cum īnspīrātī vātēs canerent nōn inpūne lātūrum, sī incrēmenta urbis tōtō orbe auspicātissimae interpellāsset, hōc modō spatium respīrandī fugientibus datum. |
| 8 | Itaque Elīssa dēlāta in Āfricae sinum incolās locī ēius adventū peregrīnōrum mūtuārumque rērum commerciō gaudentēs in amīcitiam sollicitat, |
| 9 | dein ēmptō locō, quī coriō bovis tegī posset, in quō fessōs longā nāvigātiōne sociōs, quoad proficīscerētur, reficere posset, corium in tenuissimās partēs secārī iubet atque ita māius locī spatium quam petierat, occupat, unde posteā eī locō Byrsae nōmen fuit. |
| 10 | Cōnfluentibus deinde vīcīnīs locōrum, quī spē lucrī multa hospitibus vēnālia īnferēbant, |
| 11 | sēdēsque ibi statuentibus ex frequentiā hominum velut īnstar cīvitātis effectum est. |
| 12 | Uticensium quoque lēgātī dōna ut cōnsanguineīs adtulērunt hortātīque sunt, urbem ibi conderent ubi sēdēs sortītī essent. |
| 6 | cognitā sorōris fugā: ablative absolute.
aegrē: “scarcely”, i.e., the prayers of his mother and the threats by the gods did not stop him. |
| 7 | cui: connective relative, referring to Pygmalion.
canerent: sing a song of prophesy, which introduces the future infinitive, lātūrum [esse], “he would not be unpunished”. auspicātissimae: the most (good) omened, i.e., the most prosperous. spatium respīrandī: nominative, “breathing space”, the same idiom as in English. |
| 8 | locī ēius: i.e., the future site of Carthage, who inhabitants were welcoming of migrants and the commercial opportunities of trade (adventū peregrīnōrum mūtuārumque rērum commerciō).
sollicitat: although often with negative connotations, you can “excite” or “induce” an accusative (incolās) into something (in amīcitiam). |
| 9 | ēmptō locō: ablative absolute
tegī: passive infinitive quoad proficīscerētur: “until she could set out (again with her companions) Byrsae: the Byrsa would become the citadel of Carthage. |
| 10 | Cōnfluentibus deinde vīcīnīs locōrum: ablative absolute.
spē: ablative of cause, limited by lucrī. īnferēbant: the subject is quī (i.e. the vīcīnī, although they appear in the ablative absolute. |
| 11 | statuentibus: a further action of the vīcīnī, in an ablative absolute.
ex frequentiā hominum: ex can indicate the cause or reason of a thing or condition. īnstar + genitive (cīvitātis). effectum est: understand something like quidquid as the subject. |
| 12 | Uticensium: < Uticensis → “of the people of Utica”.
ut cōnsanguineīs: a parenthetical, “as relatives” (of the new inhabitants who had joined with Elissa). conderent: imperfect subjunctive in an indirect command after hortātī… sunt. sortītī < sortior → “they had chanced to gain, they had gained by chance…” |
The Africans allow the new Carthaginians to stay in return for an annual tribute; omens bad and good influence the site of the new city, which flourishes.
| 13 | Sed et Āfrōs dētinendī advenās amor cēpit. |
| 14 | Itaque cōnsentientibus omnibus Karthāgō conditur statūtō annuō vectīgālī prō solō urbis. |
| 15 | In prīmīs fundāmentīs caput būbulum inventum est, quod auspicium frūctuōsae quidem, sed labōriōsae perpetuōque servae urbis fuit ; propter quod in alium locum urbs trānslāta, |
| 16 | ibi quoque equī caput repertum, bellicōsum potentemque populum futūrum significāns, urbī auspicātam sēdem dedit. |
| 17 | Tunc ad opīniōnem novae urbis concurrentibus gentibus brevī et populus et cīvitās magna facta. |
| 13 | advenās: accusative object of the gerund, dētinendī, which limits amor, and conveys a sense of purpose. |
| 14 | cōnsentientibus omnibus: ablative absolute.
statūtō annuō vectīgālī prō solō urbis: ablative absolute; vectīgāl was the annual tribute or tax paid by the new city. solō: note the short o → solum –ī n. ‘soil, land’, not sōlus -a -um. |
| 15 | In prīmīs fundāmentīs: i.e., when excavating the first/lowest foundations of what was to be the new citadel.
In prīmīs fundāmentīs caput būbulum inventum est, quod auspicium frūctuōsae quidem, sed labōriōsae perpetuōque servae urbis fuit ; propter quod in alium locum urbs trānslāta, quod auspicium… urbis fuit: “which was an omen of a city…” perpetuō: abverbial, characterizing the servile status of the city (servae). |
| 16 | bellicōsum potentemque populum futūrum [esse]: indirect statement introduced by significāns. |
| 17 | ad opīniōnem novae urbis concurrentibus gentibus: ablative absolute.
ad opīniōnem novae urbis: not ‘opinion’ but “belief about the new city”. brevī: ablative with understood tempore, “in a short time”. facta [est]. |
