Lectitō › Julius Caesar › The African War (Bellum Africum)
Bellum Africum 30
Scipio offers battle
Anonymous, Bellum Africum. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōB. Afr. 30.1Scīpiō interim ferē cōtīdiē nōn longē ā suīs castrīs, passibus CCC, īnstruere aciem ac maiōre parte diēī cōnsūmptā rūrsus in castra sē recipere.
Meanwhile Scipio almost every day drew up his line not far from his camp, three hundred paces away, and after most of the day had been spent, withdrew into camp again.
Note. Historic infinitives again: īnstruere, recipere. passibus CCC: ablative of distance.
B. Afr. 30.2Quod cum saepius fieret, neque ex Caesaris castrīs quisquam prōdīret neque propius eius cōpiās accēderet, dēspectā patientiā Caesaris exercitūsque eius, ūniversīs cōpiīs prōductīs elephantīsque turrītīs XXX ante aciem īnstrūctīs, quam lātissimē potuit, porrēctā equitum peditumque multitūdine ūnō tempore prōgressus haud ita longē ā Caesaris castrīs cōnstitit in campō.
When this happened time and again, and no one came out of Caesar's camp or approached nearer to his forces, Scipio, scorning the patience of Caesar and his army, led out all his forces with thirty elephants carrying towers drawn up in front of the line, spread out his mass of cavalry and infantry as widely as he could, advanced all together, and halted on the plain not very far from Caesar's camp.
Note. Quod cum saepius fieret: 'since this happened rather often'. dēspectā patientiā: ablative absolute, 'scorning (Caesar's) patience'. elephantīs turrītīs: elephants carrying towers with fighting men. quam lātissimē potuit: quam with a superlative, 'as widely as he could'.
Vocabulary
| interim (adv.) | meanwhile |
| ferē, adv. | nearly, about, almost, for the most part |
| cottīdiē, adv. | daily, every day |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| longē, adv. | far |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| passus, -ūs, m. | pace (mīlia passuum: miles) |
| Roman numeral | a number written with letters: I 1, V 5, X 10, L 50, C 100, D 500, M 1000 |
| īnstruo, -struere, -strūxī, -strūctus | build in or into; draw up; equip, furnish, |
| aciēs, -ēī, f. | line of battle |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| cōnsūmō, -sūmere, -sūmpsī, -sūmptus | take completely, use up, consume, spend |
| rūrsus, adv. | again |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| recipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take or get back, recover; sē recipere, to betake oneself, withdraw; to collect oneself, recover |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| saepe, adv. | often, frequently |
| fīō, fierī, factus sum | be done or made, become, happen |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| quisquam, quicquam, indef. pron. | any one, anything |
| prōdeō, -īre, prōdiī, prōditum | go forward, come out |
| prope (adv. and prep. + acc.) | near, nearly |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| cōpia, -ae, f. | supply, abundance; plur., forces, troops |
| accēdō, -ere, accessī, accessum | come near, approach; be added |
| dēspiciō, -ere, -spexī, -spectum | look down on, despise |
| patientia, -ae f. | endurance, hardiness |
| exercitus, -ūs, m. | army |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| ūniversus, -a, -um | all together, whole, entire, all |
| prōdūcō, -ere, -dūxī, -ductum | lead out, bring out |
| elephantus, -ī m. | elephant |
| turrītus, -a, -um | towered, crowned with towers |
| ante, prep, with acc. and adv. | before |
| quam, adv. | how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible |
| lātē | widely |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| porrigō, -ere, -rēxī, -rēctus | stretch out, hold out, hand |
| eques, equitis m. | horseman; (pl.) cavalry |
| pedes, peditis m. | foot soldier |
| multitūdō, -tūdinis, f. | multitude |
| ūnus, -a, -um | one; only, alone |
| tempus, temporis, n. | time, season |
| prōgredior, -gredī, -gressus | go forward, advance |
| haud, adv. | not at all, by no means, not |
| ita, adv. | in this manner, thus, so; ita ut, as |
| cōnsistō, -sistere, -stitī, -stitus | station oneself, take one's stand; consist |
| campus, -ī, m. | plain, field |