De Bello Civili 3.28

BC 3.28.1Nostrae nāvēs duae tardius cursū cōnfectō in noctem coniectae, cum ignōrārent, quem locum reliquae cēpissent, contrā Lissum in ancorīs cōnstitērunt.

Two of our ships, which had completed the voyage more slowly and had been caught by the night, did not know where the others had put in, and anchored opposite Lissus.

Note. tardius cursū cōnfectō: ablative absolute, 'having completed the voyage more slowly'. in noctem coniectae: 'thrown into the night', i.e. overtaken by darkness. quem locum: indirect question. in ancorīs cōnstitērunt: 'came to rest at anchor'.

BC 3.28.2hās scaphīs minōribusque nāvigiīs complūribus summissīs Otacilius Crassus, quī Lissī praeerat, expugnāre parābat;

Otacilius Crassus, who commanded at Lissus, sent out boats and a number of smaller craft and prepared to capture them;

Note. scaphīs minōribusque nāvigiīs … summissīs: ablative absolute. Lissī: locative.

BC 3.28.2simul dē dēditiōne eōrum agēbat et incolumitātem dēditīs pollicēbātur.

at the same time he was negotiating their surrender and promising safety to those who surrendered.

Note. dē dēditiōne eōrum agēbat: 'he was negotiating their surrender'. dēditīs: 'to those who surrendered'.

BC 3.28.3hārum altera nāvis ccxx ē legiōne tīrōnum sustulerat, altera ex veterānā paulō minus cc.

One of these ships had taken on two hundred and twenty men from a legion of recruits, the other a little under two hundred from a veteran legion.

Note. ccxx: 220. ē legiōne tīrōnum: 'from a legion of recruits'.

BC 3.28.4hīc cognōscī licuit, quantum esset hominibus praesidiī in animī firmitūdine.

Here one could see how great a protection men have in firmness of spirit.

Note. quantum esset … praesidiī: indirect question with partitive genitive, 'how much protection there was'.

BC 3.28.4tīrōnēs enim multitūdine nāvium perterritī et salō nausiāque cōnfectī iūreiūrandō acceptō nihil iīs nocitūrōs hostēs sē Otaciliō dēdidērunt;

For the recruits, terrified by the number of ships and worn out by the swell and seasickness, accepted an oath that the enemy would do them no harm and surrendered to Otacilius;

Note. salō nausiāque cōnfectī: 'worn out by the swell and seasickness'; nausia is the edition's spelling of nausea. iūreiūrandō acceptō: ablative absolute, 'an oath having been accepted', with the indirect statement nihil iīs nocitūrōs hostēs, 'that the enemy would not harm them at all'.

BC 3.28.4quī omnēs ad eum prōductī contrā religiōnem iūrisiūrandī in eius cōnspectū crūdēlissimē interficiuntur.

but when they were all brought before him, they were cruelly killed in his sight, against the sanctity of the oath.

Note. contrā religiōnem iūrisiūrandī: 'against the sanctity of the oath'. Caesar contrasts the Pompeians' cruelty with his own clemency in sentence 90.

BC 3.28.5at veterānae legiōnis mīlitēs, item cōnflīctātī et tempestātis et sentīnae vitiīs, neque ex prīstinā virtūte remittendum aliquid putāvērunt, et trāctandīs condiciōnibus et simulātiōne dēditiōnis extrāctō prīmō noctis tempore gubernātōrem in terram nāvem ēicere cōgunt, ipsī idōneum locum nactī reliquam noctis partem ibi cōnfēcērunt et lūce prīmā missīs ad eōs ab Otaciliō equitibus, quī eam partem ōrae maritimae adservābant, circiter cccc, quīque eōs armātī ex praesidiō secūtī sunt, sē dēfendērunt et nōnnūllīs eōrum interfectīs incolumēs sē ad nostrōs recēpērunt.

But the soldiers of the veteran legion, though equally afflicted by the storm and the stench of the bilge, thought they should give up nothing of their old courage: by discussing terms and pretending to surrender they spun out the first part of the night, then forced the helmsman to run the ship ashore; finding a suitable spot, they spent the rest of the night there, and at first light, when about four hundred horsemen were sent against them by Otacilius, men who were guarding that part of the coast, and armed men from the garrison followed them too, they defended themselves, killed a number of the enemy, and got back safely to our men.

Note. A long sentence telling the veterans' escape. remittendum aliquid: impersonal gerundive, 'that anything should be given up'. tractandīs condiciōnibus et simulātiōne dēditiōnis: 'by discussing terms and pretending to surrender'. extractō prīmō noctis tempore: 'having drawn out the first part of the night'. quīque eōs … secūtī sunt: 'and (the men) who followed them'.