Different punctuations of Eutropius

[feng]

Hi friends,

About this question, i have got several responses, but they all failed to satisfy my doubt.

I was reading Eutropius lately and was puzzled by different punctuations of the following sentence:

1. The Latin Library:

source: http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/eutropiu ... ius2.shtml

[21] L. Manlio Vulsone M. Atilio Regulo consulibus bellum in Africam translatum est. Contra Hamilcarem, Carthaginiensium ducem, in mari pugnatum victusque est. Nam perditis sexaginta quattuor navibus retro se recepit. Romani viginti duas amiserunt. Sed cum in Africam transissent, primam Clypeam, Africae civitatem, in deditionem acceperunt. Consules usque ad Carthaginem processerunt multisque castellis vastatis Manlius victor Romam rediit et viginti septem milia captivorum reduxit, Atilius Regulus in Africa remansit.

There is, however, a second punctuation which reads:

2. Selections from Latin authors for sight-reading

http://books.google.com/books?id=XG8VAA ... 22&f=false

Lucio Manlio Volsone, Marco Atilio Regulo consulibus, bellum in Africam translatum est contra Hamilcarem, Carthaginiensium ducem. In mari est pugnatnm, victusque est ; nam perditis sexaginta quattuor navibus, retro se recepit: Romani viginti duas amiserunt : sed quum in Africam transissent, consules usque ad Carthaginem processerunt ; multisque vastatis, Manlius victor Romam rediit, et viginti septem millia captivorum reduxit.

Which of the two makes better sense? I don't know enough Latin to say whether "contra Hamilcarem" can END a sentence or not.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

[adrianus]

Salve feng
Either reading makes sense I believe, but I, for what it's worth, would prefer the first reading because the connection between Hamilcar and the subject of the verb "victus est" is nicer there, I reckon. Thinking about it a bit more, in the second however, the emphasis of Hamilcar at the sentence end makes the subject of the following very clear anyway, so it doesn't matter, I suppose.

Utra lectio bona est, nisi fallor; prima autem praeferenda est (ut audeam), cum clarior ibi sit nexus inter Hamilcarem et subjectum verbi "victus est" enim. Re plus consideratâ, id non refert quia emphasis nominis sententiam terminantis jam sufficit ut manifestum sit subjectum sententiae sequentis.

[feng]

Hi, Adrianus, you are so nice. Thanks for your great help. Hopefully i could make more sense of it as i read more latin.