De Bello Civili 2.37

BC 2.37.1Nūntiābantur haec eadem Cūriōnī, sed aliquamdiū fidēs fierī nōn poterat;

The same news was reported to Curio, but for some time he could not believe it;

Note. fidēs fierī nōn poterat: 'belief could not be produced', i.e. he could not be made to believe it.

BC 2.37.1tantam habēbat suārum rērum fīdūciam.

so great was his confidence in his own success.

Note. tantam … fīdūciam: 'so great was his confidence'. suārum rērum: in his own affairs.

BC 2.37.2iamque Caesaris in Hispāniā rēs secundae in Āfricam nūntiīs ac litterīs perferēbantur.

And now news and letters of Caesar's successes in Spain were reaching Africa.

Note. rēs secundae: 'successes'.

BC 2.37.2quibus omnibus rēbus sublātus nihil contrā sē rēgem nīsūrum exīstimābat.

Elated by all this, he thought the king would make no move against him.

Note. quibus omnibus rēbus sublātus: 'carried away by all these things'. nīsūrum (esse): future infinitive of the deponent nītor, 'that the king would make any move'.

BC 2.37.3sed ubi certīs auctōribus comperit minus v et xx mīlibus longē ab Uticā eius cōpiās abesse, relictīs mūnītiōnibus sēsē in Castra Cornēlia recēpit.

But when he learned from reliable sources that Juba's forces were less than twenty-five miles from Utica, he left his siege works and withdrew to the Cornelian Camp.

Note. certīs auctōribus: ablative, 'from reliable informants'. minus V et XX mīlibus: 'less than twenty-five miles'. Castra Cornēlia: a headland near Utica named after the camp of Scipio Africanus in 204 BC.

BC 2.37.4hūc frūmentum comportāre, castra mūnīre, māteriam cōnferre coepit, statimque in Siciliam mīsit, utī duae legiōnēs reliquusque equitātus ad sē mitterētur.

There he began to bring in grain, to fortify the camp and to collect timber, and at once sent to Sicily for two legions and the rest of the cavalry to be sent to him.

Note. frūmentum comportāre … mūnīre … cōnferre: infinitives with coepit. utī … mitterētur: indirect command after mīsit, 'sent (word) that … should be sent'.

BC 2.37.5castra erant ad bellum dūcendum aptissima nātūrā et locī mūnītiōne et maris propinquitāte et aquae et salis cōpiā, cuius magna vīs iam ex proximīs erat salīnīs eō congesta.

The camp was very well suited to a long campaign, both by the nature and the strength of the place, and by the nearness of the sea and the abundance of water and of salt, a great quantity of which had already been brought there from the salt-works nearby.

Note. ad bellum dūcendum: gerundive of purpose, 'for prolonging the war'. salis cōpiā: salt was needed for men and animals. salīnīs: salt pans on the coast.

BC 2.37.6nōn māteria multitūdine arborum, nōn frūmentum, cuius erant plēnissimī agrī, dēficere poterat.

Neither timber could run short, given the number of trees, nor grain, of which the fields were full.

Note. nōn māteria … nōn frūmentum … dēficere poterat: 'neither timber nor grain could run short'. cuius: the grain.

BC 2.37.6itaque omnium suōrum cōnsēnsū Cūriō reliquās cōpiās expectāre et bellum dūcere parābat.

So with the agreement of all his officers Curio was preparing to wait for the rest of his forces and to draw out the war.

Note. bellum dūcere: 'to drag out the war', i.e. to avoid a decisive battle until reinforcements came.