Lectitō › Julius Caesar › The African War (Bellum Africum)
Bellum Africum 77
Thabena revolts; reinforcements arrive
Anonymous, Bellum Africum. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōB. Afr. 77.1Thabenēnsēs interim, quī sub diciōne et potestāte Iubae esse cōnsuēssent in extrēmā eius regnī regiōne maritumā locātī, interfectō rēgiō praesidiō lēgātōs ad Caesarem mittunt, rem gestam docent, petunt ōrantque, ut suīs fortūnīs, cum dē populō Rōmānō bene meritī essent, auxilium ferret.
Meanwhile the people of Thabena, who had been used to being under the rule and power of Juba, situated in the furthest coastal region of his kingdom, killed the king's garrison and sent envoys to Caesar; they told him what they had done and begged and prayed him to bring help to their fortunes, since they had deserved well of the Roman people.
Note. quī … cōnsuēssent: a relative clause of cause, 'since they had been accustomed'. maritimā: the edition prints the older spelling marituma. petunt ōrantque, ut … ferret: indirect command. cum … meritī essent: causal cum.
B. Afr. 77.2Caesar eōrum cōnsiliō probātō Mārcium Crispum tribūnum cum cohorte et sagittāriīs tormentīsque complūribus praesidiō Thabenam mittit.
Caesar approved their decision and sent Marcius Crispus, a tribune, with a cohort, archers and a number of artillery pieces to Thabena as a garrison.
Note. praesidiō: dative of purpose, 'as a garrison'. Thabenam: accusative of the town name with no preposition after a verb of motion.
B. Afr. 77.3Eōdem tempore ex legiōnibus omnibus mīlitēs, quī aut morbō impedītī aut commeātū datō cum signīs nōn potuerant ante trānsīre Āfricam, ad mīlia IV, equitēs CCCC, funditōrēs sagittāriīque mīlle ūnō commeātū Caesarī occurrērunt.
At the same time soldiers from all the legions who had not been able to cross to Africa earlier with the standards, either held back by illness or because they had been given leave, about four thousand of them, with four hundred cavalry and a thousand slingers and archers, joined Caesar in a single convoy.
Note. commeātū datō: 'having been given leave'. ad mīlia IV: ad with numbers means 'about'. ūnō commeātū: 'in one convoy'.
B. Afr. 77.4Itaque cum hīs cōpiīs et omnibus legiōnibus ēductīs, sīcut erat īnstrūctus, V mīlibus passuum ab suīs castrīs, ab Scīpiōnis vērō II mīlibus passuum longē cōnstitit in campō.
So with these forces and all the legions led out, drawn up as he was, he halted on the plain five miles from his own camp, but only two miles from Scipio's.
Note. sīcut erat īnstrūctus: 'just as he was, in battle order'. V mīlibus passuum … longē: ablative of degree of difference with longē.
Vocabulary
| interim (adv.) | meanwhile |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| sub, prep. with acc. and abl. | under; sub vesperum, towards evening |
| diciō, -ōnis f. | power, rule, control |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| potestās, -ātis f. | power, authority |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| cōnsuēscō, -suēscere, -suēvī, -suētus | become accustomed; in tenses of completed action, have become accustomed, be accustomed or wont |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| extrēmus, -a, -um | last, extreme, furthest |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| regnum, -ī, n. | royal power, rule, throne; kingdom, realm |
| regiō, -ōnis, f. | direction; country, region |
| maritimus, -a, -um | of the sea, coastal |
| locō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | place; let out a contract for (a public work) |
| interficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | put out of the way, kill |
| rēgius, -a, -um | royal, kingly |
| praesidium, -ī, n. | protection; guard, escort |
| lēgātus, -ī, m. | ambassador |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus | send |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| gerō, gerere, gessī, gestus | carry, wear; carry on, do |
| doceo, -ēre, -uī, -tus | teach, explain |
| petō, -ere, -īvī or -iī, -ītus | seek, ask; attack |
| ōrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | speak; beg, pray |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| fortūna, -ae, f. | fortune |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| populus, -ī m. | people, nation |
| Rōmānus, -a, -um | Roman |
| bene, adv. | well; successfully |
| mereor, -ērī, meritus sum | deserve; (dē) do service to |
| auxilium, -ī, n. | help, aid |
| ferō, ferre, tulī, lātus | bear, bring |
| cōnsilium, -ī, n. | advice; plan, design, purpose; prudence |
| probō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | prove, show; approve |
| tribūnus, -ī m. | tribune (tribūnus mīlitum: senior officer of a legion) |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| cohors, cohortis f. | cohort (a tenth of a legion); company |
| sagittārius, -ī m. | archer |
| tormentum, -ī n. | artillery, siege engine |
| complūrēs, -plūra, plur. adj. | several, many |
| īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron. | the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also |
| tempus, temporis, n. | time, season |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| legiō, -ōnis f. | legion |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| mīles, mīlitis, m. | soldier |
| aut, conj. | or; aut ... aut, either ... or |
| morbus, -ī m. | sickness, disease |
| impediō, -pedīre, -pedīvī, -pedītus | hinder, prevent, impede |
| commeātus, -ūs, m. | supplies, provisions |
| dō, dare, dedī, datus | give |
| signum, -ī, n. | sign, signal |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| ante, prep, with acc. and adv. | before |
| trānseō, -īre, -iī, -itus | go across or over, cross |
| mīlle, indecl. adj. | a thousand; mīlia, -ium, n. plur., thousands; |
| Roman numeral | a number written with letters: I 1, V 5, X 10, L 50, C 100, D 500, M 1000 |
| eques, equitis m. | horseman; (pl.) cavalry |
| funditor, -ōris m. | slinger |
| ūnus, -a, -um | one; only, alone |
| occurrō, -currere, -currī, -cursus | run against, meet |
| itaque, adv. | and so, accordingly, therefore |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| cōpia, -ae, f. | supply, abundance; plur., forces, troops |
| ēdūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead out, draw |
| sīcut (conj.) | just as |
| īnstruo, -struere, -strūxī, -strūctus | build in or into; draw up; equip, furnish, |
| passus, -ūs, m. | pace (mīlia passuum: miles) |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| vērō, adv. | in truth, indeed; however |
| longē, adv. | far |
| cōnsistō, -sistere, -stitī, -stitus | station oneself, take one's stand; consist |
| campus, -ī, m. | plain, field |