Lectitō › Julius Caesar › The African War (Bellum Africum)
Bellum Africum 46
Scipio's revenge; Caesar punishes his captains
Anonymous, Bellum Africum. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōB. Afr. 46.1Postquam haec centuriō praesentī animō adversus opīniōnem eius est locūtus, īrā percitus Scīpiō atque animī dolōre incēnsus annuit centuriōnibus, quid fierī vellet, atque ante pedēs centuriōnem interfēcit reliquōsque veterānōs ā tīrōnibus iubet sēcernī.
When the centurion had spoken like this, boldly and against Scipio's expectation, Scipio, roused by anger and burning with resentment, nodded to his centurions to show what he wanted done, and had the centurion killed at his feet; and he ordered the other veterans to be separated from the recruits.
Note. praesentī animō: 'with a resolute spirit'. adversus opīniōnem eius: 'contrary to his expectation'. quid fierī vellet: indirect question.
B. Afr. 46.2"Abdūcite istōs", inquit, "nefāriō scelere contāminātōs et caede cīvium sagīnātōs."
"Take those men away," he said, "stained with an unspeakable crime and fattened on the slaughter of citizens."
Note. Abdūcite: plural imperative. caede cīvium sagīnātōs: 'fattened on the slaughter of citizens'.
B. Afr. 46.2Sīc extrā vallum dēductī sunt et cruciābiliter interfectī.
So they were led outside the rampart and put to death with torture.
Note. cruciābiliter: 'with torture'.
B. Afr. 46.3Tīrōnēs autem iubet inter legiōnēs dispertīrī et Cōminium cum Ticidā in cōnspectum suum prohibet addūcī.
The recruits he ordered to be divided among the legions, and he forbade Cominius and Ticida to be brought into his sight.
Note. in cōnspectum suum prohibet addūcī: 'forbids them to be brought into his presence'.
B. Afr. 46.4Quā ex rē Caesar commōtus eōs, quōs in statiōnibus cum longīs nāvibus apud Thapsum custōdiae causā in salō esse iusserat, ut suīs onerāriīs longīsque nāvibus praesidiō essent, ob neglegentiam ignōminiae causā dīmittendōs ab exercitū gravissimumque in eōs ēdictum prōpōnendum cūrāvit.
Caesar was disturbed by this, and he had the men whom he had ordered to lie at anchor off Thapsus with warships on guard duty, to protect his transport and warships, dismissed from the army in disgrace for their negligence, and a very severe edict published against them.
Note. in salō: 'in the open roadstead', at anchor off shore. ignōminiae causā: 'in disgrace'. dīmittendōs … prōpōnendum cūrāvit: cūrō with gerundives, as in sentence 61.
Vocabulary
| postquam, conj. | later than, after, when |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| centuriō, -ōnis m. | centurion (officer commanding about 80 men) |
| praesēns, -sentis, adj. | present, immediate, imminent |
| animus, -ī, m. | mind; heart; spirit, courage |
| adversus, -a, -um | facing; unfavourable, unsuccessful |
| opīniō, -ōnis, f. | opinion, expectation; reputation |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| loquor, loquī, locūtus | speak |
| īra, -ae, f. | anger, wrath |
| perciō, -īre, -īvī, -itus | stir up; percitus: roused, excited |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| dolor, -ōris, m. | pain, grief; anger |
| incendō, -ere, -cendī, -cēnsum | set on fire, burn |
| annuō, -ere, -nuī | nod, nod assent |
| quis, quid, interrog. pron. | who? which? what? |
| fīō, fierī, factus sum | be done or made, become, happen |
| volō, velle, voluī | wish |
| ante, prep, with acc. and adv. | before |
| pēs, pedis, m. | foot |
| interficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | put out of the way, kill |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| veterānus, -a, -um | veteran |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| tīrō, -ōnis m. | a recruit, a raw soldier |
| iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussus | bid, order, command |
| sēcernō, -cernere, -crēvī, -crētus | separate, set apart |
| abdūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead or take away |
| iste, ista, istud, dem. pron. | that of yours, that |
| inquam, inquis, inquit, defective verb | I say, you say, he says |
| nefārius, -a, -um | wicked, criminal |
| scelus, sceleris, n. | wickedness, crime |
| contāminō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | stain, defile |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| caedēs, -is, f. | cutting down, killing, slaughter |
| cīvis, -is, m. and f. | citizen, fellow-citizen, subject |
| sagīnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | fatten, feed up; glut |
| sīc, adv. | so, thus |
| extrā (prep. + acc.) | outside, beyond |
| vallum, -ī n. | rampart, palisade |
| dēdūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead down or away, bring; nāvem dēdūcere, to draw down or launch a ship |
| cruciābiliter (adv.) | with torture, cruelly |
| autem, conj. | moreover; but, however; now |
| inter, prep, with acc. | among, between |
| legiō, -ōnis f. | legion |
| dispertiō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus | divide up, distribute |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| cōnspectus, -ūs, m. | sight |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| prohibeō, -hibēre, -hibuī, -hibitus | hold back, prevent, hinder |
| addūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead to, bring, take; induce, influence |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| commoveō, -movēre, -mōvī, -mōtus | move, rouse; disturb |
| statiō, -ōnis f. | outpost, picket |
| longus, -a, -um | long; tedious |
| nāvis, -is, f. | ship |
| apud, prep, with acc. | among, with |
| custōdia, -ae f. | guard, protection |
| causa, -ae, f. | cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of |
| salum, -ī n. | the open sea, a roadstead |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| onerārius, -a, -um | for freight; nāvis onerāria: transport ship |
| praesidium, -ī, n. | protection; guard, escort |
| ob, prep. with acc. | on account of, for; in compounds, to, against |
| neglegentia, -ae f. | carelessness, neglect |
| ignōminia, -ae f. | disgrace, dishonor |
| dīmittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send different ways, send forth or away, despatch; let slip, lose |
| exercitus, -ūs, m. | army |
| gravis, -e | heavy; severe, grievous, serious |
| ēdictum, -ī n. | proclamation, edict (of a magistrate) |
| prōpōnō, -pōnere, -posuī, -positus | put or set before, offer, propose; set forth, say |
| cūrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | take care of; (+ gerundive) have something done |