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... fortunam etiam domus horrebant nomenque ex funestis duabus familiis...

Note the extreme hyperbaton: nomenque...profiscientis." Livy’s use of hyperbaton here—stretching the distance between nomen and proficiscentis to an extreme degree—is a brilliant piece of literary word-painting. He isn't just writing about the crowd's dread; he is forcing the reader to experience it syntactically. By separating the substantive concept (the name of the young man) from its participle (setting out), Livy achieves several striking rhetorical and psychological effects: 1. Iconicity (Word Painting) In Latin poetry and highly stylized prose, word order often mimics physical reality. Here, Scipio (nomen... proficiscentis) is syntactically wrapped around the death and tragedy of his family (ex funestis... sepulcra...). The sentence structure physically traps him in his family’s grief. He cannot "set out" (proficiscentis) without first passing through the "grieving families" and the "tombs." 2. Mimicking the Burden of the Journey The sheer length of the intervening clause forces the reader to slog through the heavy, depressing context before reaching the grammatical resolution. We start with his name (nomenque). We are immediately dragged through the grief of his household (ex funestis duabus familiis). We are sent to the dangerous provinces (in eas provincias). We are reminded of the ghosts waiting for him there (ubi inter sepulcra patris patruique). We are reminded of the heavy duty required (res gerendae essent). Finally, we get the action of him leaving (proficiscentis). The grammatical journey is long, fraught, and full of death—exactly mirroring the literal journey Scipio is about to take. 3. Suspense and Dramatic Tension Livy is the master of the "periodic sentence," where the complete meaning is suspended until the very final word. By holding back proficiscentis, Livy sustains the emotional tension of the crowd's horror. The crowd isn't just dreading "Scipio." They are dreading Scipio + his dead father + his dead uncle + the cursed province + the fact that he is actually going there. Dropping proficiscentis at the very end acts as the final, fatalistic thud of the thought: he is actually setting out into this graveyard. 4. Emphasizing the "Nomen" Placing nomen at the very beginning of this thought isolates it and gives it immense weight. Scipio isn't just a man; he is carrying the nomen (the reputation, the legacy, the omen) of the Cornelii Scipiones. By separating the name from the man acting, Livy highlights that it is the name itself—and all the baggage attached to it—that the crowd fears just as much as the military situation.