Quem antea oppidani rumore exoptato de Caesaris victoria audito ob has causas oppido prohibuerunt, quod bello contra populum Romanum suscepto in oppido Zamae lignis congestis maximam in medio foro pyram construxerat ut, si forte bello foret superatus, omnibus rebus eo coacervatis, dein civibus cunctis interfectis eodemque proiectis igne subiecto tum demum se ipse insuper interficeret atque una cum liberis, coniugibus, civibus cunctaque gaza regia cremaretur.
But the townsfolk, who had already heard the much-desired tidings of Caesars victory, refused him admittance on the following grounds: when he entered upon hostilities with the Roman people he had collected a mass of wooden billets and built a vast pyre in the town of Zama in the middle of the market-place, so that, should it so chance he was beaten in the war, he might pile all his possessions on it, then massacre all his citizens and fling them also on to it, set it alight, and then finally slay himself on top of it, and thus be consumed by fire along with his children, wives, citizens and the entire royal treasure.
final_alignments\Caesar_African.json