B. Afr. 13.1Hostēs interim, quōrum dux erat Labiēnus et duo Pacīdēī, aciem dērigunt mīrābilī longitūdine Nōn peditum, sed equitum cōnfertam, et inter eōs levis armātūrae Numidās et sagittāriōs peditēs interposuerant et ita condēnsāverant, ut procul Caesariānī pedestrēs cōpiās arbitrārentur;Meanwhile the enemy, whose leaders were Labienus and the two Pacideii, drew up a line of wonderful length, packed not with infantry but with cavalry, and among them they had placed light-armed Numidians and archers on foot, and had massed them so closely that from a distance the Caesarians thought they were infantry forces;Note. Labiēnus: Titus Labienus, Caesar's chief lieutenant in Gaul, who had gone over to Pompey in 49 BC. duo Pacīdēiī: two brothers who commanded Pompeian cavalry. dērigunt = dīrigunt. cōnfertam: 'packed', agreeing with aciem. Caesariānī: 'Caesar's men', a word the author uses often. B. Afr. 13.1dextrum ac sinistrum cornū magnīs equitum cōpiīs firmāverant.they had strengthened the right and left wings with large forces of cavalry.Note. dextrum ac sinistrum cornū: neuter singular accusatives with cornū. B. Afr. 13.2Interim Caesar aciem dērigit simplicem, ut poterat propter paucitātem;Meanwhile Caesar drew up a single line, as he was able to because of his small numbers;Note. ut poterat: 'as far as he could'. B. Afr. 13.2sagittāriōs ante aciem cōnstituit, equitēs dextrō sinistrōque cornū oppōnit et ita praecipit, ut prōvidērent, nē multitūdine equitātūs hostium circumvenīrentur: exīstimābat enim sē aciē īnstrūctā cum pedestribus cōpiīs dīmicātūrum.he placed the archers in front of the line, set the cavalry against the enemy on the right and left wings, and instructed them to take care not to be surrounded by the mass of the enemy's cavalry; for he thought he would be fighting with infantry forces in a drawn-up line.Note. nē multitūdine … circumvenīrentur: purpose clause after prōvidērent. dīmicātūrum (sc. esse): future infinitive in indirect statement.
Lectitō › Julius Caesar › The African War (Bellum Africum) › Bellum Africum 13
Anonymous · Bellum Africum
Bellum Africum 13
The two battle lines
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Read in LectitōGrammar in this passage: purpose clauses ×1, ablative absolute ×1
Latin vocabulary for this passage (56 words)
| hostis, -is, m. and f. | enemy, foe |
| interim (adv.) | meanwhile |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| dux, ducis, m. and f. | leader, commander |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| duo, -ae, -o, plur. adj. | two |
| aciēs, -ēī, f. | line of battle |
| dīrigō (dērigō), -ere, -rēxī, -rēctus | set straight, arrange in line; dērēctus: straight |
| mīrābilis, -e | wonderful, marvellous |
| longitūdō, -inis f. | length |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| pedes, peditis m. | foot soldier |
| sed, conj. | but |
| eques, equitis m. | horseman; (pl.) cavalry |
| cōnfertus, -a, -um | crowded, close-packed |
| inter, prep, with acc. | among, between |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| levis, -e | light, slight |
| armātūra, -ae f. | armour, equipment (levis armātūra: light-armed troops) |
| sagittārius, -ī m. | archer |
| interpōnō, -ere, -posuī, -positum | put between; bring forward (an excuse) |
| ita, adv. | in this manner, thus, so; ita ut, as |
| condēnsō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | press close together, pack tightly |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| procul, adv. | at or from a distance, far |
| Caesariānus, -a, -um | of Caesar, Caesarian; (pl. as noun) Caesar's men |
| pedester, -tris, -tre | on foot, infantry (pedestrēs cōpiae: infantry) |
| cōpia, -ae, f. | supply, abundance; plur., forces, troops |
| arbitror, -ārī, -ātus | consider, think, judge |
| dexter, -tra, -trum | right |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| sinister, -tra, -trum | left |
| cornū, -ūs, n. | horn |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| firmō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | strengthen, secure |
| simplex, -icis | simple, unmixed, pure |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| propter, prep. with acc. | on account of, because of |
| paucitās, -ātis f. | small number, scarcity |
| ante, prep, with acc. and adv. | before |
| cōnstituō, -stituere, -stituī, -stitūtus | set together or up; appoint; determine |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| oppōnō, -ere, -posuī, -positus | set against, place opposite |
| praecipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take beforehand, anticipate; order, charge |
| prōvideō, -ēre, -vīdī, -vīsum | foresee; provide for |
| nē, adv. | not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest |
| multitūdō, -tūdinis, f. | multitude |
| equitātus, -ūs m. | cavalry |
| circumveniō, -īre, -vēnī, -ventum | surround |
| exīstimō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | consider, believe, think |
| enim, conj. | for |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| īnstruo, -struere, -strūxī, -strūctus | build in or into; draw up; equip, furnish, |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| dīmicō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | fight |
Anonymous, Bellum Africum. Latin text: B. Kübler and E. Wölfflin, C. Iulii Caesaris Commentarii, vol. III (Leipzig: Teubner, 1896–97), public domain; transcribed for this app from the Internet Archive scan. Word analysis: LatinCy, then every word checked and corrected by hand. English translation, notes and grammar hints: written for this app.