Lectitō › Julius Caesar › The African War (Bellum Africum)
Bellum Africum 17
Caesar breaks the ring
Anonymous, Bellum Africum. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōB. Afr. 17.1Caesar interim cōnsiliō hostium cognitō iubet aciem in longitūdinem quam maximam porrigī et alternīs conversīs cohortibus, ut ūna post, altera ante signa contenderet, ita corōnam hostium dextrō sinistrōque cornū mediam dīvidit et ūnam partem ab alterā exclūsam equitibus intrīnsecus adortus cum peditātū tēlīs coniectīs in fugam vertit neque longius prōgressus veritus īnsidiās sē ad suōs recipit;
Caesar meanwhile, having grasped the enemy's plan, ordered the line to be stretched out as long as possible, and, by turning every other cohort about so that one fought facing the rear of the standards and the next in front of them, he split the enemy's ring through the middle with his right and left wings; and attacking one part, cut off from the other, from inside with cavalry and infantry, he put it to flight with volleys of missiles; but he did not advance too far, fearing an ambush, and withdrew to his own men;
Note. alternīs conversīs cohortibus: every second cohort turned to face the rear, so that the line fought both ways. corōnam: 'the ring' of enemy horsemen. intrinsecus: 'from the inside'. veritus īnsidiās: 'fearing an ambush'; veritus is the perfect participle of vereor, with present meaning.
B. Afr. 17.1idem altera pars equitum peditumque Caesaris fēcit.
the other part of Caesar's cavalry and infantry did the same.
Note. idem … fēcit: 'did the same'. altera pars: the other half of Caesar's divided line.
B. Afr. 17.2Hīs rēbus gestīs ac procul hostibus repulsīs convulnerātīsque ad sua praesidia sēsē, sīcut erat īnstrūctus, recipere coepit.
When this had been done and the enemy had been driven back a long way and badly wounded, he began to withdraw to his own defences in battle order, just as he was.
Note. sīcut erat īnstructus: 'drawn up as he was', in battle order.
Vocabulary
| interim (adv.) | meanwhile |
| cōnsilium, -ī, n. | advice; plan, design, purpose; prudence |
| hostis, -is, m. and f. | enemy, foe |
| cognōscō, -gnōscere, -gnōvī, -gnitus | find out, learn; in tenses of completed action, have found out, know |
| iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussus | bid, order, command |
| aciēs, -ēī, f. | line of battle |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| longitūdō, -inis f. | length |
| quam, adv. | how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| porrigō, -ere, -rēxī, -rēctus | stretch out, hold out, hand |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| alternus, -a, -um | one after the other, alternating |
| convertō, -vertere, -vertī, -versus | turn round, turn, change; in fugam convertere, to put to flight |
| cohors, cohortis f. | cohort (a tenth of a legion); company |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| ūnus, -a, -um | one; only, alone |
| post, adv. | after, later; prep. with acc., after, behind |
| alter, -era, -erum | one or the other (of two); another, second |
| ante, prep, with acc. and adv. | before |
| signum, -ī, n. | sign, signal |
| contendō, -tendere, -tendī, -tentus | stretch, hasten |
| ita, adv. | in this manner, thus, so; ita ut, as |
| corōna, -ae f. | crown, wreath (sub corōnā vēndere: sell as slaves) |
| dexter, -tra, -trum | right |
| sinister, -tra, -trum | left |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| cornū, -ūs, n. | horn |
| medius, -a, -um | mid, middle |
| dīvidō, -videre, -vīsī, -vīsus | divide, separate |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| exclūdō, -clūdere, -clūsī, -clūsus | shut out, hinder, prevent |
| eques, equitis m. | horseman; (pl.) cavalry |
| intrīnsecus (adv.) | on the inside, inwardly |
| adorior, -īrī, adortus sum | attack |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| peditātus, -ūs m. | infantry, foot soldiers |
| tēlum, -ī, n. | missile, spear, weapon |
| coniciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectus | throw together; throw, cast, hurl |
| fuga, -ae, f. | flight |
| vertō, vertere, vertī, versus | turn |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| longē, adv. | far |
| prōgredior, -gredī, -gressus | go forward, advance |
| vereor, -ērī, -itus | fear |
| īnsidiae, -ārum, f. plur. | ambush; plot, stratagem |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| recipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take or get back, recover; sē recipere, to betake oneself, withdraw; to collect oneself, recover |
| īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron. | the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also |
| pedes, peditis m. | foot soldier |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| gerō, gerere, gessī, gestus | carry, wear; carry on, do |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| procul, adv. | at or from a distance, far |
| repellō, repellere, reppulī, repulsus | drive back or away, repulse, repel |
| convulnerō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | wound severely, cover with wounds |
| praesidium, -ī, n. | protection; guard, escort |
| sīcut (conj.) | just as |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| īnstruo, -struere, -strūxī, -strūctus | build in or into; draw up; equip, furnish, |
| coepī, coepisse, coeptus (used in tenses of completed action) | have begun, began |