Bellum Africum 81

B. Afr. 81.1Quō postquam Caesar pervēnit et animadvertit aciem prō vallō Scīpiōnis elephantīs dextrō sinistrōque cornū conlocātīs, et nihilō minus partem mīlitum castra nōn ignāviter mūnīre, ipse aciē triplicī conlocātā, legiōne X XIIIque dextrō cornū, XIV et IX sinistrō oppositīs, quīnque legiōnēs… in quārta aciē ad ipsa cornua quīnīs cohortibus contrā bēstiās conlocātīs, sagittāriīs, funditōribus in utrīsque cornibus dispositīs levīque armātūrā inter equitēs interiectā, ipse pedibus circum mīlitēs concursāns virtūtēsque veterānōrum proeliaque superiōra commemorāns blandēque appellāns animōs eōrum excitābat.

When Caesar arrived there and saw Scipio's battle line drawn up in front of the rampart, with elephants posted on the right and left wings, and part of the troops nonetheless energetically fortifying the camp, he himself drew up his army in three lines: the Tenth and Thirteenth legions were set on the right wing and the Fourteenth and Ninth on the left, facing them; five legions … in a fourth line, at the very wings, five cohorts were posted against the beasts, archers and slingers were stationed on both wings, and the light troops were placed among the cavalry; then he himself went round the soldiers on foot, reminding the veterans of their courage and their earlier battles, addressing them warmly, and so roused their spirits.

Note. One huge period: two postquam-verbs (pervēnit, animadvertit), then a long run of ablatives absolute (aciē triplicī conlocātā, legiōne … oppositīs, cohortibus … conlocātīs, sagittāriīs … dispositīs, armātūrā … interiectā) before the main verb excitābat at the very end. aciem … elephantīs … conlocātīs: accusative of the thing seen, with an ablative absolute inside it. nihilō minus: 'none the less'. nōn ignāviter: litotes, 'not lazily', i.e. 'energetically'. The dots (…) mark a gap in the manuscripts. quīnīs cohortibus: the distributive 'five cohorts on each wing'. concursāns … commemorāns … appellāns: present participles describing Caesar's actions as he goes round.

B. Afr. 81.2Tīrōnēs autem, quī numquam in aciē dīmicāssent, hortābātur, ut veterānōrum virtūtem aemulārentur eōrumque fāmam, locum, nōmen victōriā partā cuperent possidēre.

The recruits, who had never fought in a battle line, he urged to rival the courage of the veterans and to want to win, by victory, their reputation, their rank and their name.

Note. dīmicāssent: contracted pluperfect subjunctive (= dīmicāvissent), subjunctive in a relative clause with a causal tinge, 'since they had never fought'. aemulārentur: deponent. victōriā partā: ablative absolute, from pariō 'win, gain'. famam, locum, nōmen: asyndeton, three objects without a conjunction.