De Bello Civili 1.45

BC 1.45.1Caesar paene omnī aciē perterritā, quod praeter opīniōnem cōnsuētūdinemque acciderat, cohortātus suōs legiōnem nōnam subsidiō dūcit;

Since almost the whole line was terrified, which had happened contrary to expectation and experience, Caesar encourages his men and leads up the Ninth Legion in support;

Note. omnī aciē perterritā: ablative absolute. quod: the fact that the whole line was frightened. subsidiō: dative of purpose, 'as support'.

BC 1.45.1hostem īnsolenter atque ācriter nostrōs īnsequentem supprimit rūrsusque terga vertere sēque ad oppidum Ilerdam recipere et sub mūrō cōnsistere cōgit.

he checks the enemy, who were pursuing our men insolently and fiercely, and forces them in turn to turn their backs, fall back to the town of Ilerda, and halt under the wall.

Note. īnsequentem: present participle of the deponent īnsequor. supprimit: 'checks, stops'.

BC 1.45.2sed nōnae legiōnis mīlitēs ēlātī studiō, dum sarcīre acceptum dētrīmentum volunt, temerē īnsecūtī longius fugientīs in locum inīquum prōgrediuntur et sub montem, in quō erat oppidum positum Ilerda, succēdunt.

But the soldiers of the Ninth Legion, carried away by eagerness and wanting to make good the loss they had suffered, pursued the fleeing men rashly too far, advanced onto unfavourable ground, and came right up under the hill on which the town of Ilerda stood.

Note. ēlātī studiō: 'carried away by eagerness'. sarcīre acceptum dētrīmentum: 'to make good the loss suffered'. fugientīs = fugientēs, accusative plural.

BC 1.45.3hinc sē recipere cum vellent, rūrsus illī ex locō superiōre nostrōs premēbant.

When they wanted to withdraw from there, the enemy in turn pressed our men from higher ground.

Note. cum vellent: cum with the subjunctive, 'when they wanted'. illī: the Afranians.

BC 1.45.4praeruptus locus erat utrāque ex parte dērēctus, ac tantum in lātitūdinem patēbat, ut trēs īnstrūctae cohortēs eum locum explērent, ut neque subsidia ā lateribus submittī neque equitēs labōrantibus ūsuī esse possent.

The place was steep and sheer on both sides and only so wide that three cohorts drawn up in line filled it, so that neither could reinforcements be sent up on the flanks nor could the cavalry be of use to those in trouble.

Note. dērēctus: 'sheer', from dērigō (dīrigō). ut neque … neque …: a result clause. labōrantibus ūsuī: a double dative, 'of use to those in difficulty'.

BC 1.45.5ab oppidō autem dēclīvis locus tenuī fastīgiō vergēbat in longitūdinem passūs circiter cccc.

From the town, however, the ground sloped down gently for about four hundred paces.

Note. tenuī fastīgiō: 'with a gentle slope'. in longitūdinem passūs circiter cccc: 'for about four hundred paces in length'.

BC 1.45.6hāc nostrīs erat receptus, quod eō incitātī studiō incōnsultius prōcesserant;

This was our men's way back, since in their eagerness they had advanced there too rashly;

Note. hāc: 'by this way'. nostrīs erat receptus: a dative of possession, 'our men had their retreat'. incōnsultius: comparative adverb, 'too rashly'.

BC 1.45.6hōc pugnābātur locō et propter angustiās inīquō, et quod sub ipsīs rādīcibus montis cōnstiterant, ut nūllum frūstrā tēlum in eōs mitterētur.

the fighting was in this place, unfavourable both because of its narrowness and because they had halted right under the roots of the hill, so that no weapon was thrown at them in vain.

Note. ut nūllum frūstrā tēlum … mitterētur: a result clause, 'so that no weapon was thrown at them in vain', i.e. every missile found a target.

BC 1.45.6tamen virtūte et patientiā nītēbantur atque omnia vulnera sustinēbant.

Yet they struggled on with courage and endurance and bore all their wounds.

Note. nītēbantur: 'they struggled, made their effort'; nītor is deponent.

BC 1.45.7augēbantur illīs cōpiae, atque ex castrīs cohortēs per oppidum crēbrō submittēbantur, ut integrī dēfessīs succēderent.

The enemy's forces were growing, and cohorts were often sent up from the camp through the town, so that fresh men could take the place of the tired.

Note. integrī dēfessīs succēderent: 'fresh men might take the place of the tired', succēdō with the dative.

BC 1.45.8hoc idem Caesar facere cōgēbātur, ut submissīs in eundem locum cohortibus dēfessōs reciperet.

Caesar was forced to do the same, sending cohorts up to the same place to relieve the exhausted.

Note. hoc idem: 'the same thing'.