Bellum Africum 82

B. Afr. 82.1Itaque in circumeundō exercitū animadvertit hostēs circā vallum trepidāre atque ultrō citrōque pavidōs concursāre et modo sē intrā portās recipere, modo incōnstanter immoderātēque prōdīre.

So, as he went round the army, he noticed that the enemy were in a flurry about their rampart, running fearfully this way and that, now retreating inside the gates, now coming out in an unsteady and disorderly way.

Note. in circumeundō exercitū: gerundive phrase, 'in going round the army'. ultrō citrōque: 'to and fro'. modo … modo: 'now … now'. The infinitives trepidāre, concursāre, recipere, prōdīre depend on animadvertit (accusative and infinitive).

B. Afr. 82.2Cum idem ā plūribus animadvertī coeptum esset, subitō lēgātī ēvocātīque obsecrāre Caesarem, nē dubitāret signum dare: victōriam sibi propriam ā dīs immortālibus portendī.

When several others had begun to notice the same thing, the legates and the re-enlisted veterans suddenly begged Caesar not to hesitate to give the signal: the immortal gods, they said, were foretelling a victory that was theirs alone.

Note. animadvertī coeptum esset: with a passive infinitive coepī itself goes into the passive, 'it had begun to be noticed'. ēvocātī: veterans who had served their time and re-enlisted at their general's call. obsecrāre: historic infinitive, used for a main verb in lively narrative ('they begged'). victōriam … portendī: reported speech, with sibi referring to the speakers; dīs = deīs.

B. Afr. 82.3Dubitante Caesare atque eōrum studiō cupiditātīque resistente sibique ēruptiōne pugnārī nōn placēre clāmitante, etiam atque etiam aciem sustentante, subitō dextrō cornū iniussū Caesaris tubicen ā mīlitibus coāctus canere coepit.

While Caesar hesitated and resisted their eagerness and longing, shouting that he did not approve of fighting by a sally, and kept holding the line back again and again, suddenly on the right wing, without Caesar's orders, a trumpeter was forced by the soldiers to sound the call.

Note. Four present participles in ablatives absolute with Caesare: dubitante, resistente, clāmitante, sustentante. sibi … pugnārī nōn placēre: impersonal passive pugnārī, 'that fighting by a sally did not please him'. iniussū Caesaris: 'without Caesar's order'; iniussū exists only in the ablative. This story of the battle starting against Caesar's will is told by the author in praise of the troops' eagerness.

B. Afr. 82.4Quō factō ab ūniversīs cohortibus signa in hostem coepēre īnferrī, cum centuriōnēs pectore adversō resisterent vīque continērent mīlitēs, nē iniussū imperātōris concurrerent, nec quicquam prōficerent.

At this the standards began to advance against the enemy from all the cohorts, though the centurions stood in the way, chest to chest, and held the soldiers back by force to stop them charging without their general's orders; but they achieved nothing.

Note. coepēre = coepērunt. pectore adversō: 'face to face', literally 'with chest turned towards them'. vīque: vī + que, ablative of vīs. nē … concurrerent: clause of purpose after continērent, 'to stop them charging'. nec quicquam prōficerent: still part of the cum-clause, 'and yet were achieving nothing'.