In his Epitome of Roman History, Florus uses the Latin perfect passive participle destricta (from the verb destringo, meaning "to unsheathe" or "to draw" a weapon). [1, 2]

The actual phrase in the original Latin text is "securi destricta", which literally translates to "with an unsheathed axe" or "having drawn the axe". [1]

The Contextual Breakdown

In Book I, Chapter 18, Florus describes the Roman soldiers' intense fear of crossing the Punic sea during the First Punic War. The military tribune Nautius worsened this panic by vocally opposing the campaign. The general, Marcus Atilius Regulus, quickly stopped the mutinous fear by physically threatening Nautius with execution. [1, 2, 3]

• The Latin Passage:

  "...insuper augente Nautio tribuno metum, in quem, nisi paruisset, securi destrictaimperator metu mortis navigandi fecit audaciam."

  [1]
• The English Translation (Loeb Classical Library):

  "...their alarm being further increased by the tribune Nautius; but the general, by threatening him with the axe if he refused to obey, inspired them with courage..."

  [1, 2]

Rather than using a standard verb for "to threaten" (like minor), Florus uses the action destricta (drawing the executioner's axe) to vividly illustrate how Regulus delivered the physical threat. [1, 2, 3]

If you are examining this specific chapter of the Punic Wars, would you like to explore the tactical results of Regulus's African campaign or examine how other Roman historians recorded this dispute with Nautius?