Bellum Africum 71

B. Afr. 71.1Caesar contrā eiusmodī hostium genera cōpiās suās nōn ut imperātor exercitum veterānum victōremque maximīs rēbus gestīs, sed ut lanista tīrōnēs gladiātōrēs condocefacere;

Against enemies of this kind Caesar began to train his forces not like a commander training a veteran army that had won victories by its great achievements, but like a gladiator trainer training new gladiators:

Note. The infinitive condocefacere is historic, governed by nothing: 'Caesar set about training'. lanista: the owner and trainer of a gladiator troupe; tīrōnēs: raw recruits. The comparison is deliberately unflattering to the veteran army.

B. Afr. 71.1quot pedēs sē reciperent ab hoste et quemadmodum obversī adversāriīs et in quantulō spatiō resisterent, modo prōcurrerent modo recēderent comminārenturque impetum, ac prope quō locō et quemadmodum tēla mitterent, praecipere.

he taught them how many feet they should fall back from the enemy, and how, facing their opponents, they should make a stand in how small a space, now run forward, now retire and threaten an attack, and almost from what spot and how they should throw their weapons.

Note. Indirect questions: quot pedēs … reciperent, quemadmodum … resisterent, quō locō … mitterent. praecipere, another historic infinitive, governs them. quantulō: diminutive of quantus, 'how small'.

B. Afr. 71.2Mīrificē enim hostium levis armātūra ānxium exercitum nostrum atque sollicitum habēbat, quia et equitēs dēterrēbat proelium inīre propter equōrum interitum, quod eōs iaculīs interficiēbat, et legiōnārium mīlitem dēfatīgābat propter vēlōcitātem: gravis enim armātūrae mīles simulatque ab iīs īnsectātus cōnstiterat in eōsque impetum fēcerat, illī vēlōcī cursū perīculum facile vītābant.

For the enemy's light-armed troops kept our army wonderfully anxious and troubled, because they deterred the cavalry from joining battle by killing the horses with javelins, and wore out the legionary soldier by their speed: for as soon as a heavily armed soldier, pursued by them, had halted and made an attack on them, they easily escaped the danger by running fast.

Note. Mīrificē: 'wonderfully', i.e. extremely. simulatque: 'as soon as'. gravis armātūrae mīles: genitive of description, 'a soldier of heavy armour'. illī: the enemy.