Bellum Africum 5

B. Afr. 5.1Postquam ūnā nocte ad oppidum cōnsūmptā neque respōnsum ūllum ā Cōnsidiō dabātur neque eī reliquae cōpiae succurrēbant neque equitātū abundābat et ad oppidum oppugnandum Nōn satis cōpiārum habēbat et eās tīrōnum neque prīmō adventū convulnerārī exercitum volēbat et oppidī ēgregia mūnītiō et difficilis ad oppugnandum erat accessus et nūntiābātur auxilia magna equitātūs oppidānīs suppetiās venīre, Nōn est vīsa ratiō ad oppugnandum oppidum commorandī, nē, dum in eā rē Caesar esset occupātus, circumventus ā tergō ab equitātū hostium labōrāret.

After one night had been spent near the town and no answer was given by Considius, and the rest of his forces were not coming to his help, and he was not well supplied with cavalry, and he did not have enough troops to attack the town, and these were recruits, and he did not want his army to be badly wounded on its first arrival, and the town's fortifications were excellent and the approach difficult for an attack, and it was reported that a large force of cavalry was coming to the townspeople's rescue, he saw no reason to stay to attack the town, lest while he was busy with that he should get into trouble, surrounded from the rear by the enemy's cavalry.

Note. One huge sentence, a chain of reasons all governed by Postquam, with the main clause nōn est vīsa ratiō … commorandī ('there seemed no reason for staying'). suppetiās venīre: 'come to the rescue'; suppetiās is an accusative of purpose used only in this phrase. ad oppidum oppugnandum: gerundive. nē … labōrāret: purpose clause, 'so as not to be in difficulty'.