Bellum Africum 75

Labienus is routed

LatinLatin and EnglishEnglish onlyRead it word by word

B. Afr. 75.1Caesar interim lūstrātō exercitū a. d. XII Kal. Aprīl.Caesar meanwhile, having purified the army, on 21 MarchNote. The date: a. d. XII Kal. Aprīl. = ante diem duodecimum Kalendās Aprīlēs, the 12th day before 1 April counting inclusively, i.e. 21 March (of the unreformed calendar). lūstrātō exercitū: a ritual purification of the army before campaigning. The sentence runs on in the next one. B. Afr. 75.1posterō diē prōductīs ūniversīs cōpiīs prōgressus ab suīs castrīs mīlia passuum V, ā Scīpiōnis circiter duum mīlium interiectō spatiō, in aciē cōnstitit.the next day led out all his forces, advanced five miles from his own camp, and stood in battle line about two miles from Scipio's.Note. duum mīlium interiectō spatiō: ablative absolute, 'with a distance of two miles between'. B. Afr. 75.2Postquam satis diū adversāriōs ab sē ad dīmicandum invītātōs supersedēre pugnae animadvertit, redūcit cōpiās posterōque diē castra movet atque iter ad oppidum Sarsūram, ubi Scīpiō Numidārum habuerat praesidium frūmentumque comportāverat, īre contendit.When he noticed that his opponents, though invited to fight for long enough, were avoiding battle, he led his forces back, and on the next day he moved camp and pressed on to march to the town of Sarsura, where Scipio had stationed a garrison of Numidians and collected grain.Note. supersedēre pugnae: supersedeō takes the ablative or dative, 'refrain from battle'. ad dīmicandum invītātōs: 'though invited to fight'. īre contendit: 'hurried to go'. B. Afr. 75.3Quod ubi Labiēnus animadvertit, cum equitātū levīque armātūrā agmen eius extrēmum carpere coepit atque ita lixārum mercātōrumque, quī plōstrīs mercēs portābant, interceptīs sarcinīs additō animō propius audāciusque accēdit ad legiōnēs, quod exīstimābat mīlitēs sub onere ac sub sarcinīs dēfatīgātōs pugnāre nōn posse.When Labienus noticed this, he began to harass his rearguard with his cavalry and light-armed troops, and so, after seizing the packs of the camp followers and traders who were carrying goods in wagons, he grew bolder and came up closer and more daringly to the legions, because he thought that soldiers worn out under their loads and packs could not fight.Note. lixārum mercātōrumque: the traders and sutlers following the army. plōstrīs: = plaustrīs, 'wagons'. propius audāciusque: comparative adverbs.

B. Afr. 75.4Quae rēs Caesarem nōn fefellerat: namque expedītōs ex singulīs legiōnibus trecēnōs mīlitēs esse iusserat.This had not escaped Caesar: for he had ordered three hundred soldiers from each legion to be ready for action without baggage.Note. trecēnōs: distributive numeral, 'three hundred from each'. expedītōs: without baggage, ready for action. B. Afr. 75.4Itaque eōs in equitātum Labiēnī immissōs turmīs suōrum suppetiās mittit.So he sent them against Labienus' cavalry to the help of his own squadrons.Note. turmīs suōrum suppetiās: 'to the help of the squadrons of his men'. B. Afr. 75.5Tum Labiēnus conversīs equīs signōrum cōnspectū perterritus turpissimē fugere contendit.Then Labienus wheeled his horses round and, terrified by the sight of the standards, fled most disgracefully.Note. turpissimē: superlative adverb of turpis. The author enjoys Labienus' discomfiture. B. Afr. 75.6Multīs eius occīsīs, complūribus vulnerātīs mīlitēs legiōnāriī ad sua sē recipiunt signa atque iter inceptum īre coepērunt.Many of his men killed and a good number wounded, the legionaries went back to their standards and resumed the march they had begun.Note. Multīs … occīsīs, complūribus vulnerātīs: ablatives absolute, in asyndeton. ad sua … signa: the soldiers return to their places in the column. B. Afr. 75.6Labiēnus per iugum summum collis dextrōrsus procul subsequī nōn dēstitit.Labienus did not stop following at a distance along the top of the ridge on the right.Note. dēstitit: perfect of dēsistō, with the infinitive subsequī.

Read the Latin itself: tap any word for its meaning and grammar, save words to review, and keep your place.

Read in Lectitō

Grammar in this passage: ablative absolute ×7, gerunds and gerundives ×1, indirect statement ×2

Latin vocabulary for this passage (119 words)

interim (adv.)	meanwhile
lūstrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	purify by sacrifice; review (an army)
exercitus, -ūs, m.	army
ante, prep, with acc. and adv.	before
diēs, -ēī, m. and f.	day
Roman numeral	a number written with letters: I 1, V 5, X 10, L 50, C 100, D 500, M 1000
Kalendae, -ārum f. pl.	the Kalends (1st day of the month)
Aprīlis, -e	of April
posterus, -a, -um	following, next
prōdūcō, -ere, -dūxī, -ductum	lead out, bring out
ūniversus, -a, -um	all together, whole, entire, all
cōpia, -ae, f.	supply, abundance; plur., forces, troops
prōgredior, -gredī, -gressus	go forward, advance
ā, ab (prep. + abl.)	away from, from; by (ā only before consonants)
suus, -a, -um	his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their
castra, -ōrum, n. plur.	camp
mīlle, indecl. adj.	a thousand; mīlia, -ium, n. plur., thousands;
passus, -ūs, m.	pace (mīlia passuum: miles)
circiter, prep. with acc. and adv.	about
duo, -ae, -o, plur. adj.	two
intericiō, -ere, -iēcī, -iectum	put between, interweave
spatium, -ī, n.	space, interval; space of time, time
in, prep. with acc. and abl.	with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
aciēs, -ēī, f.	line of battle
cōnsistō, -sistere, -stitī, -stitus	station oneself, take one's stand; consist
postquam, conj.	later than, after, when
satis, adv.	enough, sufficiently
diū, adv.	for a long time, a long time or while, long; comp
adversārius, -ī m.	opponent, enemy
suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron.	himself, herself, itself, themselves
ad, prep. with acc.	to, toward; at, near; for
dīmicō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum	fight
invītō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	invite
supersedeō, -ēre, -sēdī, -sessum (+ abl.)	refrain from, avoid
pugna, -ae, f.	fighting, battle, combat
animadvertō, -vertere, -vertī, -versus	turn the mind to, observe
redūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus	lead or bring back; restore
que, enclitic conj.	and
moveō, movēre, mōvī, mōtus	move
atque, ac (conj.)	and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants)
iter, itineris, n.	a going, journey, march; iter facere, to journey, march
oppidum, -ī, n.	town
ubi, adv.	where; conj., when
habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus	have, hold; consider
praesidium, -ī, n.	protection; guard, escort
frūmentum, -ī, n.	grain
comportō, -portāre, -portāvī, -portātus	carry or bring together, collect
eō, īre, iī, itus	go
contendō, -tendere, -tendī, -tentus	stretch, hasten
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.	who, which
cum, prep, with abl.	with
equitātus, -ūs m.	cavalry
levis, -e	light, slight
armātūra, -ae f.	armour, equipment (levis armātūra: light-armed troops)
agmen, -minis, n.	band, column
is, ea, id, dem. pron.	this, that; he, she, it, they
extrēmus, -a, -um	last, extreme, furthest
carpō, -ere, -sī, -tus	pluck
coepī, coepisse, coeptus (used in tenses of completed action)	have begun, began
ita, adv.	in this manner, thus, so; ita ut, as
lixa, -ae m.	camp follower, sutler
mercātor, -ōris, m.	trader, merchant
plaustrum (plōstrum), -ī n.	wagon, cart
merx, mercis f.	goods, wares, merchandise
portō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum	carry
intercipiō, -ere, -cēpī, -ceptum	intercept, catch
sarcina, -ae f.	pack; (pl.) soldiers' kit
addō, -ere, -didī, -ditus	add, put to
animus, -ī, m.	mind; heart; spirit, courage
propius (comp. adv. and prep. + acc.)	nearer, closer (to)
audācter (adv.; comp. audācius)	boldly
accēdō, -ere, accessī, accessum	come near, approach; be added
legiō, -ōnis f.	legion
quod, conj.	that, in that, because
exīstimō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	consider, believe, think
mīles, mīlitis, m.	soldier
sub, prep. with acc. and abl.	under; sub vesperum, towards evening
onus, oneris n.	load, weight
dēfatīgō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum	wear out, exhaust
pugnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	fight
nōn, adv.	not
possum, posse, potuī	be able, have power, can
rēs, reī, f.	thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really
fallō, fallere, fefellī, falsus	deceive
namque, conj.	for
expedītus, -a, -um	unobstructed, easy; lightly equipped
ex, ē (prep. + abl.)	out of, from; of (ē only before consonants)
singulī, -ae, -a	one at a time, single
trecēnī, -ae, -a	three hundred each, three hundred at a time
sum, esse, fuī, futūrus	be
iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussus	bid, order, command
itaque, adv.	and so, accordingly, therefore
immittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus	send or let in
turma, -ae f.	troop, squadron of cavalry
suppetiae, -ārum f. pl.	help, relief (suppetiās venīre: come to the rescue)
mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus	send
tum, adv.	then, at that time
convertō, -vertere, -vertī, -versus	turn round, turn, change; in fugam convertere, to put to flight
equus, -ī, m.	horse
signum, -ī, n.	sign, signal
cōnspectus, -ūs, m.	sight
perterreō, -terrēre, -terrui, -territus	thoroughly frighten, terrify
turpiter (adv.)	shamefully, disgracefully
fugiō, fugere, fūgī, fugitūrus	flee, run away
multus, -a, -um	much, great; plur., many
occīdō, -cīdere, -cīdī, -cīsus	cut down, kill
complūrēs, -plūra, plur. adj.	several, many
vulnerō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	wound
legiōnārius, -a, -um	of a legion, legionary
recipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus	take or get back, recover; sē recipere, to betake oneself, withdraw; to collect oneself, recover
incipiō, -ere, incēpī, inceptum	begin
per, prep, with ace.	through, by means of
iugum, -ī, n.	yoke
summus, -a, -um	uppermost, highest, greatest
collis, -is m.	hill
dextrōrsus (adv.)	to the right, on the right
procul, adv.	at or from a distance, far
subsequor, -ī, -secūtus sum	follow closely
dēsistō, -sistere, -stitī, -stitus	set down; leave off, desist, cease, stop

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.