Bellum Africum 32

Numidians and Gaetulians desert

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B. Afr. 32.1Scīpiō interim paulisper, ut anteā dīxī, in eō locō commorātus, ut quasi dēspexisse Caesarem vidērētur, paulātim redūcit suās cōpiās in castra et cōntiōne advocātā dē terrōre suō dēspērātiōneque exercitūs Caesaris facit verba et cohortātus suōs victōriam propriam sē eīs brevī datūrum pollicētur.Meanwhile Scipio, after lingering for a short while in that position, as I said before, so as to appear to have shown his contempt for Caesar, gradually withdrew his forces into camp; and calling an assembly, he spoke of the terror he inspired and the despair of Caesar's army, and encouraging his men he promised that he would soon give them a decisive victory.Note. ut anteā dīxī: the author speaks in his own voice. dē terrōre suō: 'about the terror he caused'. brevī (tempore): 'soon'. victōriam propriam: 'a lasting/decisive victory'. datūrum (esse): future infinitive after pollicētur. B. Afr. 32.2Caesar iubet mīlitēs rūrsus ad opus redīre et per causam mūnītiōnum tīrōnēs in labōre dēfatīgāre nōn intermittit.Caesar ordered the soldiers to go back to work, and under the pretext of the fortifications never stopped wearing out the recruits with labour.Note. per causam mūnītiōnum: 'on the pretext of the fortifications'. dēfatīgāre: hardening the recruits by work. B. Afr. 32.3Interim Numidae Gaetūlīque diffugere cōtīdiē ex castrīs Scīpiōnis et partim in regnum sē cōnferre, partim, quod ipsī maiōrēsque eōrum beneficiō C. Mariī ūsī fuissent Caesaremque eius adfīnem esse audiēbant, in eius castra perfugere catervātim nōn intermittunt.Meanwhile Numidians and Gaetulians kept slipping away every day from Scipio's camp, and some took themselves off to their own kingdom, while others, because they themselves and their ancestors had enjoyed the favour of Gaius Marius and they heard that Caesar was his relative by marriage, kept deserting in crowds to his camp.Note. Gaius Marius had settled veterans among the Gaetulians after the Jugurthine War, and Caesar's aunt Julia was Marius' wife, so Caesar was his adfīnis, 'relative by marriage'. beneficiō … ūsī fuissent: ūtor with the ablative, 'had enjoyed the benefit'; subjunctive as their own reason. catervātim: 'in crowds'.

B. Afr. 32.4Quōrum ex numerō ēlēctīs hominibus inlūstriōribus et litterīs ad suōs cīvēs datīs cohortātus, utī manū factā sē suōsque dēfenderent, nē suīs inimīcīs adversāriīsque dictō audientēs essent, mittit.From their number he chose the more distinguished men, gave them letters to their fellow-citizens, and sent them off, urging them to raise a force and defend themselves and their people, and not to be obedient to their enemies and opponents.Note. Quōrum ex numerō: connecting relative. utī (= ut) … dēfenderent, nē … essent: indirect commands. manū factā: 'having raised a force'. dictō audientēs esse: an idiom, 'to obey' (+ dative).

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Grammar in this passage: purpose clauses ×1, ablative absolute ×3, indirect statement ×3

Latin vocabulary for this passage (78 words)

interim (adv.)	meanwhile
paulisper (adv.)	for a short time
ut, conj.	as; when; that; ita ut, as
anteā, adv.	before
dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus	say, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day
in, prep. with acc. and abl.	with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
is, ea, id, dem. pron.	this, that; he, she, it, they
locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n.	place, situation
commoror, -morārī, -morātus	tarry, linger, delay, stay
quasi, conj.	as if
dēspiciō, -ere, -spexī, -spectum	look down on, despise
videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus	see; pass., seem
paulātim (adv.)	little by little, gradually
redūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus	lead or bring back; restore
suus, -a, -um	his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their
cōpia, -ae, f.	supply, abundance; plur., forces, troops
castra, -ōrum, n. plur.	camp
et, conj.	and; et ... et, both ... and
cōntiō, -ōnis f.	assembly, meeting; speech to an assembly
advocō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	call, summon (contiōnem advocāre: call an assembly)
dē, prep, with abl.	down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of
terror, -ōris, m.	terror, fright
dēspērātiō, -ōnis f.	despair, hopelessness
que, enclitic conj.	and
exercitus, -ūs, m.	army
faciō, facere, fēcī, factus	make, do; iter facere, see iter
verbum, -ī, n.	word
cohortor, -hortārī, -hortātus	encourage, exhort
victōria, -ae, f.	victory
proprius, -a, -um	one's own, private; characteristic (of)
suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron.	himself, herself, itself, themselves
brevis, -e	short
dō, dare, dedī, datus	give
polliceor, -licērī, -licitus	promise
iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussus	bid, order, command
mīles, mīlitis, m.	soldier
rūrsus, adv.	again
ad, prep. with acc.	to, toward; at, near; for
opus, operis, n.	work, task
redeō, -īre, -iī, -itus	go back, return
per, prep, with ace.	through, by means of
causa, -ae, f.	cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of
mūnītiō, -ōnis f.	fortification, defence works
tīrō, -ōnis m.	a recruit, a raw soldier
labor, -ōris, m.	labor, toil
dēfatīgō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum	wear out, exhaust
nōn, adv.	not
intermittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus	leave off, interrupt; let pass; pass., be left between, intervene, elapse
diffugiō, -ere, -fūgī	scatter in flight, flee in all directions
cottīdiē, adv.	daily, every day
ex, ē (prep. + abl.)	out of, from; of (ē only before consonants)
partim (adv.)	partly (partim … partim: some … others)
regnum, -ī, n.	royal power, rule, throne; kingdom, realm
cōnferō, cōnferre, contulī, conlātus	bring together; grant, confer; sē cōnferre, to betake oneself, make one's way
quod, conj.	that, in that, because
ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron.	self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very
maiōrēs, -um m. pl.	ancestors
beneficium, -ī, n.	well-doing, kindness, service, benefit
ūtor, ūtī, ūsus	use
sum, esse, fuī, futūrus	be
affīnis, -e	neighbouring; connected (with), implicated (in) (+ dat.)
audiō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus	hear; listen or attend to
perfugiō, -ere, -fūgī	flee for refuge, desert
catervātim, adv.	in troops, in crowds, in bands
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.	who, which
numerus, -ī, m.	number
ēligō, -ere, ēlēgī, ēlēctum	pick out, choose
homō, hominis, m.	man
illūstris, -e	distinguished, noble
littera, -ae f.	letter (of the alphabet); pl. letter, writing
cīvis, -is, m. and f.	citizen, fellow-citizen, subject
manus, -ūs, f.	hand
dēfendō, -fendere, -fendī, -fēnsus	ward off; defend
nē, adv.	not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest
inimīcus, -a, -um	unfriendly, hostile
adversārius, -ī m.	opponent, enemy
dictum, -ī n.	word, order (dictō audiēns: obedient)
mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus	send

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.