Lectitō › Julius Caesar › The African War (Bellum Africum)
Bellum Africum 39
The fight for the hill
Anonymous, Bellum Africum. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōB. Afr. 39.1Caesar in opere mīlitēs adhortārī neque adversāriōrum cōpiīs movērī.
Caesar went on encouraging his soldiers at the work and not letting them be disturbed by the enemy's forces.
Note. adhortārī … movērī: historical infinitives, as in sentence 14.
B. Afr. 39.2Iam cum nōn amplius passūs MD inter hostium aciem suāsque mūnītiōnēs esse animadvertisset intellēxissetque ad impediendōs mīlitēs suōs et ab opere dēpellendōs hostem propius accēdere necesseque habēret legiōnēs ā mūnītiōnibus dēdūcere, imperat, turmae Hispānōrum ut ad proximum collem properē accurrerent praesidiumque inde dēturbārent locumque caperent, eōdemque iubet levis armātūrae paucōs cōnsequī subsidiō.
When he noticed that there were now no more than 1,500 paces between the enemy's line and his own fortifications, and understood that the enemy was coming closer to hinder his soldiers and drive them from their work, and that he had to lead the legions away from the fortifications, he ordered a squadron of Spaniards to run quickly to the nearest hill, dislodge the garrison from it and take the position, and he ordered a few light-armed troops to follow them to the same place in support.
Note. ad impediendōs mīlitēs … dēpellendōs: gerundives of purpose. necesse habēret: 'he considered it necessary'. levis armātūrae paucōs: 'a few of the light-armed troops', genitive of description.
B. Afr. 39.3Quī missī celeriter Numidās adortī partim vīvōs capiunt, nōnnūllōs equitēs fugientēs convulnerāvērunt locōque sunt potītī.
Sent off, they quickly attacked the Numidians, took some alive, wounded some of the horsemen badly as they fled, and gained possession of the position.
Note. partim … nōnnūllōs: the sentence moves from capiunt to the perfect convulnerāvērunt without a change of meaning.
B. Afr. 39.4Postquam id Labiēnus animadvertit, quō celerius iīs auxilium ferret, ex aciē īnstrūctā equitātūs suī prope tōtum dextrum cornū āvertit atque suīs fugientibus suppetiās īre contendit.
When Labienus noticed this, he turned almost the whole right wing of his cavalry from the line he had drawn up, so as to bring them help more quickly, and hurried to go to the aid of his men in flight.
Note. quō celerius: purpose clause with a comparative. suppetiās īre: 'go to help', with the dative of the people helped.
B. Afr. 39.5Quod ubi Caesar cōnspexit, Labiēnum ab suīs cōpiīs longius iam abscessisse, equitātūs suī ālam sinistram ad interclūdendōs hostēs immīsit.
When Caesar saw that Labienus had now gone rather far from his own forces, he sent the left wing of his cavalry in to cut the enemy off.
Note. Quod ubi: connecting relative, 'When … this'. Labiēnum … abscessisse: indirect statement explaining what Caesar saw.
Vocabulary
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| opus, operis, n. | work, task |
| mīles, mīlitis, m. | soldier |
| adhortor, -ārī, -ātus sum | encourage, urge on |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| adversārius, -ī m. | opponent, enemy |
| cōpia, -ae, f. | supply, abundance; plur., forces, troops |
| moveō, movēre, mōvī, mōtus | move |
| iam, adv. | now, already |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| amplius (adv.) | more, further |
| 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 |
| inter, prep, with acc. | among, between |
| hostis, -is, m. and f. | enemy, foe |
| aciēs, -ēī, f. | line of battle |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| mūnītiō, -ōnis f. | fortification, defence works |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| animadvertō, -vertere, -vertī, -versus | turn the mind to, observe |
| intellegō, -legere, -lēxī, -lēctus | perceive, understand |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| impediō, -pedīre, -pedīvī, -pedītus | hinder, prevent, impede |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| dēpellō, -pellere, -pulī, -pulsus | drive off or away, drive |
| propius (comp. adv. and prep. + acc.) | nearer, closer (to) |
| accēdō, -ere, accessī, accessum | come near, approach; be added |
| necesse, indecl. adj. | necessary |
| habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | have, hold; consider |
| legiō, -ōnis f. | legion |
| dēdūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead down or away, bring; nāvem dēdūcere, to draw down or launch a ship |
| imperō, -perāre, -perāvī, -perātus | command, order, enjoin |
| turma, -ae f. | troop, squadron of cavalry |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| proximus, -a, -um | nearest, next |
| collis, -is m. | hill |
| properē (adv.) | quickly, in haste |
| accurrō, -currere, -currī, -cursus | run to, come up |
| praesidium, -ī, n. | protection; guard, escort |
| inde (adv.) | from there; then |
| dēturbō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | drive off, dislodge, knock down |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| capiō, capere, cēpī, captus | take, catch, seize; receive, suffer; adopt |
| eōdem | to the same place |
| iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussus | bid, order, command |
| levis, -e | light, slight |
| armātūra, -ae f. | armour, equipment (levis armātūra: light-armed troops) |
| paucī, -ae, -a, plur. adj. | few |
| cōnsequor, -sequī, -secūtus | follow up, follow; overtake |
| subsidium, -ī, n. | reserve, reinforcement, support, help |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus | send |
| celeriter, adv. | swiftly, quickly |
| adorior, -īrī, adortus sum | attack |
| partim (adv.) | partly (partim … partim: some … others) |
| vīvus, -a, -um | alive, living |
| nōnnūllus, -a, -um | not none, some, several |
| eques, equitis m. | horseman; (pl.) cavalry |
| fugiō, fugere, fūgī, fugitūrus | flee, run away |
| convulnerō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | wound severely, cover with wounds |
| potior, -īrī, -ītus | become master of, get possession of |
| postquam, conj. | later than, after, when |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| quō, adv. | to what place? whither? to which place, whither; for which reason, wherefore, therefore; quō ūsque, till when? how long? |
| auxilium, -ī, n. | help, aid |
| ferō, ferre, tulī, lātus | bear, bring |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| īnstruo, -struere, -strūxī, -strūctus | build in or into; draw up; equip, furnish, |
| equitātus, -ūs m. | cavalry |
| prope (adv. and prep. + acc.) | near, nearly |
| tōtus, -a, -um | all the, the whole or entire |
| dexter, -tra, -trum | right |
| cornū, -ūs, n. | horn |
| āvertō, -ere, āvertī, āversum | turn away, turn aside |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| suppetiae, -ārum f. pl. | help, relief (suppetiās venīre: come to the rescue) |
| eō, īre, iī, itus | go |
| contendō, -tendere, -tendī, -tentus | stretch, hasten |
| ubi, adv. | where; conj., when |
| cōnspiciō, -spicere, -spēxī, -spectus | behold, perceive, see |
| longē, adv. | far |
| abscēdō, -ere, -cessī, -cessum | go away, withdraw |
| ala, -ae, f. | wing |
| sinister, -tra, -trum | left |
| interclūdō, -ere, -clūsī, -clūsum | cut off, block |
| immittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send or let in |