[32] It is not armies, or treasures, etc.—[Greek: Ou tode to chrusoun skaeptron to taen basileian diasozon estin, alla oi polloi philoi skaeptron basileioin ulaethestaton kai asphalestaton.] "It is not this golden scepter that can preserve a kingdom; but numerous friends are to princes their trust and safest scepter." Xen. Cyrop., viii. 7,14.
[33] And who can be a greater friend than one brother to another? —Quis autem amicior, quam frater fratri? "[Greek: Nomiz adelphous tous alaethinous philous] Menander." Wasse.
[34] That I have not adopted a better son, &c—Ne ego meliores liberos sumsissevidear quam genuisse. As there is no allusion to Micipsa's adoption of any other son than Jugurtha, Sallust's expression liberos sumsisse can hardly be defended. It is necessary to give son in the singular, in the translation.
[35] XI. Had spoken insincerely—Ficta locutum. Jugurtha saw that Micipsa pretended more love for him than he really felt. Compare c. 6,7.
[36] Which is regarded by the Numidians as the seat of honor—Quad apud Numidas honori ducitur. "I incline," says Sir Henry Steuart, "to consider those manuscripts as the most correct, in which the word et is placed immediately before apud, Quod et apud Numidas honori ducitur." Sir Henry might have learned, had he consulted the commentators, that " the word et is placed immediately before apud" in no manuscript; that Lipsius was the first who proposed its insertion; and that Crispinus, the only editor who has received it into his text, is ridiculed by Wasse for his folly. "Lipsius," says Cortius, "cùm sciret apud Romanos etiam medium locum honoratiorem fuisse, corrigit: quod et apud Numidas honori ducitur. Sed quis talia ab historico exegerit? Si de Numidis narrat, non facile aliquis intulerit, aliter propterea fuisse apud Romanos."
[37] To the other seat—In alteram partem. We must suppose that the three seats were placed ready for the three princes; that Adherbal sat down first, in one of the outside seats; the one, namely, that would be on the right hand of a spectator facing them; and that Hiempsal immediately took the middle seat, on Adherbal's right hand, so as to force Jugurtha to take the other outside one. Adherbal had then to remove Hiempsal in alteram partem, that is, to induce him to take the seat corresponding to his own, on the other side of the middle one.
[38] Chief lictor—Proximus lictor. "The proximus lictor was he who, when the lictors walked before the prince or magistrate in a regular line, one behind the other, was last, or next to the person on whom they attended." Cortius. He would thus be ready to receive the great man's commands, and be in immediate communication with him. We must suppose either that Sallust merely speaks in conformity with the practice of the Romans, or, what is more probable, that the Roman custom of being preceded by lictors had been adopted in Numidia.
[39] Hut of a maid-servant—Tugurio muliers ancillae Rose renders tugurio "a mean apartment," and other translators have given something similar, as if they thought that the servant must have had a room in the house. But she, and other Numidian servants, may have had huts apart from the dwelling-house. Tugurium undoubtedly signifies a hut in general.
[40] XIII. Into our province—In Provinciam. "The word province, in this place, signifies that part of Africa which, after the destruction of Carthage, fell to the Romans by the right of conquest, in opposition to the kingdom of Micipsa." Wasse.
[41] Having thus accomplished his purposes—Patratis consiliis. After consiliis, in all the manuscripts, occur the words postquam omnis Numidia potiebatur, which were struck out by Cortius, as being turpissima glossa. The recent editors, Gerlach, Kritz, Dietsch, and Burnouf, have restored them.