De Bello Civili 1.41

BC 1.41.1Eō bīduō Caesar cum equitibus dcccc, quōs sibi praesidiō relīquerat, in castra pervēnit.

Within those two days Caesar arrived at the camp with the nine hundred cavalry he had kept back as his bodyguard.

Note. Eō bīduō: 'within those two days'. sibi praesidiō: double dative, 'as a guard for himself'.

BC 1.41.1pōns, quī fuerat tempestāte interruptus, paene erat refectus;

The bridge which had been broken by the storm was almost rebuilt;

Note. fuerat … interruptus: an older pluperfect passive, = erat interruptus.

BC 1.41.1hunc noctū perficī iussit.

he ordered it to be finished during the night.

Note. noctū: 'by night'.

BC 1.41.2ipse cognitā locōrum nātūrā pontī castrīsque praesidiō sex cohortēs relinquit atque omnia impedīmenta et posterō diē omnibus cōpiīs triplicī īnstrūctā aciē ad Ilerdam proficīscitur et sub castrīs Afrānī cōnsistit et ibi paulisper sub armīs morātus facit aequō locō pugnandī potestātem.

Having learned the lie of the land, he leaves six cohorts to guard the bridge and the camp, together with all the baggage, and the next day he sets out for Ilerda with all his forces drawn up in three lines, halts below Afranius' camp, and after waiting there under arms for a little while offers battle on level ground.

Note. cognitā locōrum nātūrā: ablative absolute. triplicī īnstrūctā aciē: Caesar's usual battle order in three lines. aequō locō pugnandī potestātem: 'the opportunity of fighting on level ground'.

BC 1.41.2potestāte factā Afrānius cōpiās ēdūcit et in mediō colle sub castrīs cōnstituit.

When battle had been offered, Afranius leads out his forces and draws them up halfway down the hill below his camp.

Note. potestāte factā: 'the opportunity having been given'. in mediō colle: 'halfway up the hill', a strong defensive position.

BC 1.41.3Caesar ubi cognōvit per Afrānium stāre, quōminus proeliō dīmicārētur, ab īnfimīs rādīcibus montis intermissīs circiter passibus cccc castra facere cōnstituit, et, nē in opere faciundō mīlitēs repentīnō hostium incursū exterrērentur atque opere prohibērentur, vallō mūnīrī vetuit, quod ēminēre et procul vidērī necesse erat, sed ā fronte contrā hostem pedum xv fossam fierī iussit.

When Caesar learned that it was Afranius' doing that no battle was fought, he decided to make a camp about four hundred paces from the lowest roots of the hill; and so that the soldiers should not be frightened by a sudden attack of the enemy while making it and kept from their work, he forbade fortifying it with a rampart, which would necessarily stand out and be seen from far off, but ordered a ditch fifteen feet wide to be dug on the front facing the enemy.

Note. per Afrānium stāre quōminus …: 'that it was owing to Afranius that (no battle) was fought'; stat per aliquem with quōminus is an idiom. faciundō: an old form of the gerundive faciendō. pedum xv fossam: a genitive of measure, 'a fifteen-foot ditch'.

BC 1.41.5et prīma et secunda aciēs in armīs, ut ab initiō cōnstitūta erat, permanēbat;

The first and second lines stayed under arms, as they had been drawn up at the start;

Note. ut ab initiō cōnstitūta erat: 'as it had been drawn up from the start'.

BC 1.41.5post hōs opus in occultō ā iii aciē fīēbat.

behind them the work was done out of sight by the third line.

Note. in occultō: 'out of sight'. ā iii aciē: 'by the third line', iii being the ordinal tertiā.

BC 1.41.5sīc omne prius est perfectum opus, quam intellegerētur ab Afrāniō castra mūnīrī.

So the whole work was finished before Afranius realized that a camp was being fortified.

Note. prius … quam: 'before'; prius is separated from quam (tmesis of priusquam), and the subjunctive intellegerētur is used because Afranius' noticing is prevented.

BC 1.41.6sub vesperum Caesar intrā hanc fossam legiōnēs redūcit atque ibi sub armīs proximā nocte conquiēscit.

Towards evening Caesar brings the legions back inside this ditch and rests there under arms the following night.

Note. sub vesperum: 'towards evening'. proximā nocte: ablative of time, 'during the following night'.