Bellum Africum 87

B. Afr. 87.1Equitēs interim Scīpiōnis, quī ex proeliō fūgerant, cum Uticam versus iter facerent, perveniunt ad oppidum Paradae.

Meanwhile Scipio's cavalry, who had fled from the battle, were making their way towards Utica when they reached the town of Parada.

Note. Uticam versus: 'towards Utica'; versus follows its noun. oppidum Paradae: 'the town of Parada', a genitive of definition.

B. Afr. 87.2Ubi cum ab incolīs nōn reciperentur, ideō quod fāma dē victōriā Caesaris praecucurrisset, vī oppidō potītī in mediō forō lignīs coacervātīs omnibusque rēbus eō congestīs ignem subiciunt atque eius oppidī incolās cuiusque generis aetātisque vīvōs cōnstrictōsque in flammam coiciunt atque ita acerbissimō adficiunt suppliciō;

When the inhabitants would not let them in, because the news of Caesar's victory had run ahead of them, they took the town by force, piled up wood in the middle of the forum with all the townspeople's goods heaped on it, set it alight, and threw the inhabitants of that town, of every class and age, alive and bound into the flames, and so inflicted the cruellest of punishments on them;

Note. fāma … praecucurrisset: subjunctive in a quod-clause because it gives the riders' reason. vī oppidō potītī: potior with the ablative. cuiusque generis aetātisque: genitive of description, 'of every class and age'. acerbissimō … suppliciō: ablative with afficiunt, 'visit them with the cruellest punishment'.

B. Afr. 87.2deinde prōtinus Uticam perveniunt.

then they went straight on to Utica.

Note. The narrative returns to Utica, Cato's headquarters, before telling of his death.

B. Afr. 87.3Superiōre tempore M. Catō, quod in Uticēnsibus propter beneficium lēgis Iūliae parum suīs partibus praesidiī esse exīstimāverat, plēbem inermem oppidō ēiēcerat et ante portam bellicam castrīs fossāque parvulā dumtaxat mūnīverat ibique custōdiīs circumdatīs habitāre coēgerat;

Some time before, Marcus Cato, believing that the people of Utica gave too little support to his side because of the favour they had received under the Julian law, had driven the unarmed common people out of the town, fortified a camp for them in front of the War Gate with no more than a small ditch, and forced them to live there with guards posted round them;

Note. M. Catō: Cato the Younger, the leading Republican, who held Utica for the Pompeians. lēgis Iūliae: a Julian law, probably one of Caesar's from 59 BC, that had favoured the Uticans; Cato therefore suspected them. parum … praesidiī: 'too little support', partitive genitive. portam bellicam: the 'War Gate' of Utica. coēgerat: the diaeresis (ë) in Kübler's text shows that the o and e are pronounced separately.

B. Afr. 87.3senātum autem oppidī custōdiā tenēbat.

the town council he kept under guard.

Note. senātum … oppidī: the town council of Utica, held under guard as hostages for the town's loyalty.

B. Afr. 87.4Eōrum castra illī equitēs adortī expugnāre coepērunt, ideō quod eōs Caesaris partibus fāvisse sciēbant, ut eīs interfectīs eōrum perniciē dolōrem suum ulcīscerentur.

These cavalrymen attacked the people's camp and began to storm it, because they knew they had supported Caesar's side, meaning to kill them and avenge their own grief by their destruction.

Note. illī equitēs: the Pompeian cavalry from Parada. Caesaris partibus fāvisse: faveō takes the dative. ut … ulcīscerentur: purpose clause; eōrum perniciē, 'by their destruction'.

B. Afr. 87.5Uticēnsēs animō additō ex Caesaris victōriā lapidibus fūstibusque equitēs reppulērunt.

The people of Utica, emboldened by Caesar's victory, drove the cavalry off with stones and clubs.

Note. animō additō: 'with courage added', i.e. 'emboldened'. fūstibus: from fūstis, 'club'.

B. Afr. 87.6Itaque posteāquam castra nōn potuerant potīrī, Uticam sē in oppidum coniēcērunt atque ibi multōs Uticēnsēs interfēcērunt domōsque eōrum expugnāvērunt ac dīripuērunt.

So, after failing to take the camp, they threw themselves into the town of Utica, killed many of its people, and stormed and plundered their houses.

Note. posteāquam = postquam. castra … potīrī: potior here takes an accusative, an older construction. Uticam … in oppidum: 'into the town, Utica'.

B. Afr. 87.7Quibus cum Catō persuādēre nūllā ratiōne quīret, ut sēcum oppidum dēfenderent et caede rapīnīsque dēsisterent, et, quid sibi vellent, scīret, sēdandae eōrum importūnitātis grātiā singulīs C dīvīsit.

Since Cato could in no way persuade them to defend the town with him and stop their killing and looting, and knew what they wanted, he gave them a hundred sesterces each to calm their unruliness.

Note. quīret: imperfect subjunctive of queō, 'be able'. quid sibi vellent: indirect question, 'what they were after'. sēdandae … importūnitātis grātiā: gerundive with grātiā, 'for the sake of calming their unruliness'. singulīs C: 'a hundred (sesterces) each'.

B. Afr. 87.8Idem Sylla Faustus fēcit ac dē suā pecūniā largītus est ūnāque cum hīs ab Uticā proficīscitur atque in regnum īre contendit.

Faustus Sulla did the same, giving out money from his own purse, and set off from Utica with them, hurrying to march into the kingdom.

Note. Sylla Faustus: Faustus Cornelius Sulla, son of the dictator and son-in-law of Pompey; Kübler spells the name Sylla here. largītus est: from the deponent largior, 'give freely'. in regnum: into Juba's kingdom of Numidia.