Bellum Hispaniense 15

B. Hisp. 15.1Ferē apud exercitūs haec est equestris proeliī cōnsuētūdō: cum eques ad dīmicandum dīmissō equō cum pedite congreditur, nēquāquam pār habētur;

In armies the usual rule of a cavalry battle is this: when a horseman sends away his horse to fight and engages a foot soldier, he is by no means considered a match for him;

Note. Fere apud exercitūs: 'generally among armies'. cum eques … congreditur: a general statement, so cum takes the indicative. dīmissō equō: ablative absolute, 'having sent away his horse'. nēquāquam pār habētur: 'is by no means considered a match'.

B. Hisp. 15.1id quod in hōc accidit proeliō.

and this is what happened in this battle.

Note. id quod: 'a thing which', summing up the previous sentence; compare 59.

B. Hisp. 15.2Cum peditēs levī armātūrā lēctī ad pugnam equitibus nostrīs necopīnantibus vēnissent, idque in proeliō animadversum esset, complūrēs ex equīs dēscendērunt.

When picked light-armed infantry came to the fight while our cavalry were off guard, and this was noticed in the battle, several of them got down from their horses.

Note. levī armātūrā lēctī: 'chosen as light-armed troops'. equitibus nostrīs necopīnantibus: dative with vēnissent, 'came upon our cavalry unawares'. animadversum esset: impersonal, 'it had been noticed'.

B. Hisp. 15.3Ita exiguō tempore eques pedestre proelium facere coepit, usque eō, ut caedem proximē ā vallō fēcerint.

So in a short time the horseman began to fight a foot battle, to such an extent that they made a slaughter right up to the rampart.

Note. Kübler deletes the words pedes equestre that follow pedestre in the manuscripts; the transcription leaves them out. usque eō, ut: 'to such an extent that'. fēcerint: perfect subjunctive in a result clause, stressing the fact.

B. Hisp. 15.4In quō proeliō adversāriōrum cecidērunt CXXIII, complūrēsque armīs exūtī, multī vulneribus adfectī in castra sunt redāctī.

In that battle 123 of the enemy fell, several threw away their arms, and many wounded were driven back into their camp.

Note. adversāriōrum: partitive genitive with the number CXXIII (123). in castra sunt redāctī: 'were driven back into camp'.

B. Hisp. 15.5Nostrī cecidērunt III;

Of our men three fell;

Note. Caesar's losses are given as precisely as the enemy's, though the figures may be flattering.

B. Hisp. 15.5sauciī XII peditēs et equitēs V. Eius diēī īnsequentī tempore prīstinā cōnsuētūdine prō mūrō pugnārī coeptum est.

twelve infantry and five cavalry were wounded. Later on that same day fighting began before the wall in the old way.

Note. The sentence-division here follows the numeral V, which ends one sentence in Kübler's text: saucii XII peditēs et equitēs V, 'twelve infantry and five cavalry wounded'. Eius diēī īnsequentī tempore: 'later on that same day'. prīstinā cōnsuētūdine: 'in the old way'. pugnārī coeptum est: impersonal passive, 'fighting began'.

B. Hisp. 15.6Cum bene magnam multitūdinem tēlōrum ignemque nostrīs dēfendentibus iniēcissent, nefandum crūdēlissimumque facinus sunt adgressī in cōnspectūque nostrō hospitēs, quī in oppidō erant, iugulāre et dē mūrō praecipitēs mittere coepērunt, sīcutī apud barbarōs;

When they had thrown a very great quantity of missiles and fire at our men as they defended themselves, they undertook an unspeakable and most cruel crime, and in our sight began to cut the throats of their hosts who were in the town and throw them headlong from the wall, just as among barbarians;

Note. nostrīs dēfendentibus: dative with iniēcissent, 'at our men as they defended themselves'. nefandum crūdēlissimumque facinus: 'an unspeakable and most cruel crime'. hospitēs: 'guest-friends', here the townspeople of Ategua with ties to Caesar's side. praecipitēs: 'headlong', agreeing with hospitēs. sīcutī apud barbarōs: 'as among barbarians'.

B. Hisp. 15.6quod post hominum memoriam numquam est factum.

a thing that has never been done in human memory.

Note. quod: 'a thing which', referring to the whole massacre. post hominum memoriam: 'within human memory'. The author's indignation is strong.