De Bello Civili 1.44

BC 1.44.1Genus erat pugnae mīlitum illōrum, ut magnō impetū prīmō prōcurrerent, audācter locum caperent, ōrdinēs suōs nōn magnō opere servārent, rārī dispersīque pugnārent, sī premerentur, pedem referre et locō excēdere nōn turpe exīstimārent, cum Lūsītānīs reliquīsque barbarīs genere quōdam pugnae assuēfactī;

The way those soldiers fought was this: they would charge forward with a great rush at first, boldly seize a position, not keep their ranks very carefully, and fight scattered and spread out; if they were pressed, they did not think it shameful to give ground and leave their position, having grown used to a certain way of fighting against the Lusitanians and the other barbarians;

Note. Genus erat pugnae … ut …: 'the kind of fighting … was that they would …', the ut clause explaining genus. rārī dispersīque: 'thinly spread and scattered'. pedem referre: 'to give ground'. cum Lūsītānīs: 'against the Lusitanians'.

BC 1.44.2quod ferē fit, quibus quisque in locīs mīles inveterāverit, ut multum eārum regiōnum cōnsuētūdine moveātur.

for it generally happens that a soldier is strongly influenced by the customs of the regions in which he has served a long time.

Note. quod ferē fit: 'as generally happens'. quibus quisque in locīs: the antecedent locīs is pulled into the relative clause, 'in whatever regions each man'.

BC 1.44.3haec tum ratiō nostrōs perturbāvit īnsuētōs huius generis pugnae;

This method then threw our men into confusion, since they were not used to this kind of fighting;

Note. īnsuētōs huius generis pugnae: īnsuētus takes a genitive, 'unused to this kind of fighting'.

BC 1.44.3circumīrī enim sēsē ab apertō latere prōcurrentibus singulīs arbitrābantur;

for as individual enemies ran forward they thought they were being surrounded on their exposed flank.

Note. circumīrī … sēsē: 'that they were being surrounded'. ab apertō latere: the right, unshielded side. prōcurrentibus singulīs: ablative absolute, 'as individual men ran forward'.

BC 1.44.3ipsī autem suōs ōrdinēs servāre neque ab signīs discēdere neque sine gravī causā eum locum, quem cēperant, dīmittī cēnsuerant oportēre.

They themselves, however, had thought it right to keep their ranks, not to leave the standards, and not to give up a position they had taken without serious reason.

Note. ipsī: Caesar's men. cēnsuerant oportēre: 'had thought it proper'; the infinitives servāre, discēdere and dīmittī depend on oportēre.

BC 1.44.4itaque perturbātīs antesignānīs legiō, quae in eō cornū cōnstiterat, locum nōn tenuit atque in proximum collem sēsē recēpit.

So when the front-line men were thrown into confusion, the legion which had stood on that wing did not hold its ground and fell back to the nearest hill.

Note. perturbātīs antesignānīs: ablative absolute. in eō cornū: 'on that wing'. cornū is neuter.