De Bello Gallico 5.33

5.33.1Tum dēmum Titūrius, quī nihil ante prōvīdisset, trepidāre et concursāre cohortēsque dispōnere, haec tamen ipsa timidē atque ut eum omnia dēficere vidērentur;

Then at last Titurius, as a man who had foreseen nothing beforehand, began to panic, run about and post cohorts, but even this timidly and in such a way that everything seemed to be failing him;

Note. trepidāre, concursāre, dispōnere: historical infinitives, used like past indicatives in vivid narrative.

5.33.1quod plērumque eīs accidere cōnsuēvit, quī in ipsō negōtiō cōnsilium capere cōguntur.

this usually happens to those who are forced to make plans in the middle of the action.

5.33.2At Cotta, quī cōgitāsset haec posse in itinere accidere atque ob eam causam profectiōnis auctor nōn fuisset, nūllā in rē commūnī salūtī dēerat et in appellandīs cohortandīsque mīlitibus imperātōris et in pugnā mīlitis officia praestābat.

But Cotta, who had considered that this could happen on the march and for that reason had not been in favour of setting out, failed the common safety in nothing; in calling on and encouraging the soldiers he did the duties of a commander, and in the fighting those of a soldier.

5.33.3Cum propter longitūdinem agminis minus facile omnia per sē obīre et, quid quōque locō faciendum esset, prōvidēre possent, iussērunt prōnūntiāre, ut impedīmenta relinquerent atque in orbem cōnsisterent.

Since because of the length of the column they could less easily see to everything themselves and foresee what had to be done in each place, they ordered word to be passed that the men should leave the baggage and form a circle.

5.33.4Quod cōnsilium etsī in eiusmodī cāsū reprehendendum nōn est, tamen incommodē accidit: nam et nostrīs mīlitibus spem minuit et hostēs ad pugnam alacriōrēs effēcit, quod nōn sine summō timōre et dēspērātiōne id factum vidēbātur.

This plan, though it is not to be blamed in such an emergency, nevertheless turned out badly: it both lessened the hope of our soldiers and made the enemy keener to fight, because it seemed to have been done only out of the greatest fear and despair.

5.33.5Praetereā accidit, quod fierī necesse erat, ut vulgō mīlitēs ab signīs discēderent, quae quisque eōrum cārissima habēret, ab impedīmentīs petere atque arripere properāret, clāmōre et flētū omnia complērentur.

Besides, it happened, as was bound to happen, that soldiers everywhere left their standards and each hurried to fetch and snatch from the baggage whatever he held most dear, and everything was filled with shouting and weeping.