Bellum Hispaniense 18

B. Hisp. 18.1Remissīs lēgātīs, cum ad portam vēnissent… Ti. Tullius, et cum introëuntem Antōnius īnsecūtus nōn esset, revertit ad portam et hominem adprehendit.

When the envoys had been sent back and had come to the gate, … Tiberius Tullius, and when Antonius did not follow him as he went in, he turned back to the gate and seized the man.

Note. Another gap follows venissent. introëuntem: the diaeresis marks that the e and u are separate syllables (intrō-euntem), present participle of introeō. Antōnius: someone from inside the town, otherwise unknown; Kübler marks the passage as corrupt. revertit: perfect of revertor, which uses active forms in the perfect.

B. Hisp. 18.2Quod Tiberius cum fierī animadvertit, simul pugiōnem ēdūxit et manum eius incīdit.

When Tiberius saw this happening, he at once drew a dagger and cut his hand.

Note. Quod … cum fierī animadvertit: 'when he noticed this happening'; quod is a connecting relative, object of animadvertit. incīdit: from incīdō (long ī), 'cut into'; do not confuse with incidō, 'fall into'.

B. Hisp. 18.2Ita refūgērunt ad Caesarem.

So they fled to Caesar.

Note. refūgērunt: 'fled back' — Tullius and his party.

B. Hisp. 18.3Eōdemque tempore signifer dē legiōne prīmā trānsfūgit et nūntiāvit, quō diē equestre proelium factum esset, suō signō perīsse hominēs XXXV, neque licēre castrīs Cn. Pompēī nūntiāre neque dīcere perīsse quemquam.

At the same time a standard-bearer from the first legion deserted and reported that on the day the cavalry battle had been fought, thirty-five men of his own unit had died, but that in Gnaeus Pompey's camp nobody was allowed to report it or to say that anyone had died.

Note. signifer: the standard-bearer of the first legion of the Pompeian army. suō signō: 'in his own unit' (literally 'standard'). hominēs xxxv: 35 men. licēre … nūntiāre: impersonal licet, 'it was not allowed (in the camp) to report'; Pompey was hiding his losses.

B. Hisp. 18.4Servus, cuius dominus in Caesaris castrīs fuisset— uxōrem et fīliōs in oppidō relīquerat—, dominam iugulāvit et ita clam ā Caesaris praesidiīs in Pompēī castra discessit… et indicium glande scrīptum mīsit, per quod certior fieret Caesar, quae in oppidō ad dēfendendum comparārentur.

A slave, whose master was in Caesar's camp — he had left his wife and sons in the town — cut his mistress's throat, and so slipped away unseen through Caesar's posts into Pompey's camp … and sent a message written on a sling-bullet, by which Caesar was informed what was being prepared in the town for its defence.

Note. The slave's master was serving in Caesar's camp. The parenthesis (— … —) explains why the slave killed his mistress: the family had been left in the town. Another lacuna (…) follows discessit. glande: a lead sling-bullet; messages were scratched on them and slung into the enemy's lines. certior fieret: certiōrem facere is 'inform'; passive certior fierī, 'be informed'.

B. Hisp. 18.5Ita litterīs acceptīs, cum in oppidum revertisset, quī mittere glandem īnscrīptam solēbat… Īnsequentī tempore duo Lūsītānī frātrēs trānsfūgērunt nūntiāruntque Pompēium cōntiōnem habuisse: quoniam oppidō subsidiō nōn posset venīre, noctū ex adversāriōrum cōnspectū sē dēdūcerent ad mare versum;

So, when the letter had been received, and the man who used to send the inscribed sling-bullet had gone back into the town … Some time later two Lusitanian brothers deserted and reported that Pompey had held an assembly: since he could not come to the relief of the town, they should withdraw by night out of sight of the enemy towards the sea;

Note. The first part breaks off in a gap after solēbat. Insequentī tempore: 'some time later', a favourite phrase of this author. Pompeium contiōnem habuisse: 'that Pompey had held an assembly' of the garrison. quoniam … nōn posset, … sē dēdūcerent: the words of the assembly in reported speech; the subjunctive dēdūcerent is a command, 'they should withdraw'. oppidō subsidiō: double dative, 'to the help of the town'. ad mare versum: versus is an adverb placed after its accusative, 'towards the sea'.

B. Hisp. 18.6ūnum respondisse, ut potius ad dīmicandum dēscenderet, quam signum fugae ostenderet;

one man had answered that he should rather go down to battle than show the signal for flight;

Note. ūnum respondisse: 'that one man had answered'. ut potius … dēscenderet, quam … ostenderet: 'that he should rather come down to fight than show the signal for flight'. ad dīmicandum: gerund of purpose.

B. Hisp. 18.6eum, quī ita locūtus esset, iugulātum.

the man who had spoken in this way had had his throat cut.

Note. iugulātum (esse): the infinitive esse is left out, as often.

B. Hisp. 18.7Eōdem tempore tabellāriī eius dēprehēnsī, quī ad oppidum veniēbant: quōrum litterās Caesar oppidānīs abiēcit et, quī vītam sibi peteret, iussit turrem ligneam oppidānōrum incendere;

At the same time some of his couriers were caught as they were coming to the town; Caesar threw their letters to the townspeople, and to one of them who begged for his life he gave orders to set fire to the townspeople's wooden tower;

Note. tabellāriī eius dēprehēnsī (sunt): Pompey's couriers. oppidānīs abiēcit: Caesar threw the captured letters (into the town) to the townspeople. quī vītam sibi peteret: 'one who was begging for his life', a relative clause with the subjunctive.

B. Hisp. 18.7id sī fēcisset, eī sē prōmīsit omnia concessūrum.

if he did that, he promised to grant him everything.

Note. concessūrum (esse): future infinitive in indirect statement after prōmīsit, 'that he would grant'. id sī fēcisset: the future perfect of direct speech becomes pluperfect subjunctive.

B. Hisp. 18.7Quod difficile erat factū, ut eam turrem sine perīculō quis incenderet.

This was a hard thing to do, for anyone to set fire to that tower without danger.

Note. factū: supine in -ū, 'difficult to do'. quis: indefinite, 'anyone' (after ut, as after sī, nisi, nē).

B. Hisp. 18.8Ita fūne crūre dē lignō cum propius accessisset, ab oppidānīs est occīsus.

So, with a rope round his leg from a beam (the text here is corrupt), when he had come closer, he was killed by the townspeople.

Note. The text is corrupt (Kübler marks it with a dagger, left out here): it seems the man was lowered or protected by a rope tied to his leg. propius: comparative of the adverb prope, 'nearer'.

B. Hisp. 18.9Eādem nocte trānsfuga nūntiāvit Pompēium et Labiēnum dē iugulātiōne oppidānōrum indignātōs esse.

The same night a deserter reported that Pompey and Labienus were indignant at the massacre of the townspeople.

Note. indignātōs esse: perfect infinitive of the deponent indignor, 'were indignant'. Labienus, Caesar's former second-in-command in Gaul, had joined the Pompeians in 49 BC.