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... homines certioris spei quam quantam fides promissi humani aut...

How quantam Fits into the Clause The presence of quantam right after quam looks jarring to a modern reader because it creates a double relative/comparative structure (quam quantam), which we generally condense in English. Here is how it functions: 1. The Correlative Core (tantus... quantus) Livy is working with a classic "as great... as" (tantus... quantus) comparison, but he has omitted the first half (tantam) because it is implied by the comparative adjective certioris. If you were to fill in the missing words that the Roman mind automatically supplied, the underlying structure looks like this: ...certioris spei quam [tantam spem] quantam... "...a more certain hope than [a hope as great] as..." 2. Syntactic Agreement Quantam is a relative/interrogative adjective meaning "how great" or "as much as." Gender/Number: It is feminine accusative singular because it modifies an understood spem (hope) inside its own subordinate clause. Case Function: It functions as the direct object of the verb subicere ("to suggest / inspire"). 3. The Literal Logic Breaking down the end of the clause piece by piece: quam = than quantam = [a hope] as great as fides promissi humani (subject 1) = the credibility of a human promise aut ratio ex fiducia rerum (subject 2) = or calculation based on confidence in facts subicere solet = is accustomed to inspire/suggest. English Translation Literal Translation: "...so that he might rouse again and renew that passion which had subsided, and fill the men with a more certain hope than how great a hope the credibility of a human promise or calculation from the confidence of facts is accustomed to suggest." Smooth/Idiomatic Translation: "...in order to reawaken and renew the enthusiasm that had died down, inspiring the people with a confidence far greater than any that could normally be generated by mere human promises or rational calculations based on the facts."