Bellum Hispaniense 29

B. Hisp. 29.1Plānitiēs inter utraque castra intercēdēbat circiter mīlia passuum v, ut auxilia Pompēī duābus dēfenderentur rēbus, oppidō et excelsī locī nātūrā.

Between the two camps lay a plain about five miles across, so that Pompey's forces were protected by two things: the town and the nature of the high ground.

Note. mīlia passuum v: about five Roman miles (the Roman mile was a thousand paces, c. 1.48 km). ut … dēfenderentur: result clause. duābus … rēbus, oppidō et … nātūrā: the two things are spelled out in apposition.

B. Hisp. 29.2Hinc dērigēns proxima plānitiēs aequābātur.

From here the nearest stretch of plain ran out level.

Note. dērigēns: Kübler prints the older spelling dērigō for dīrigō; the present participle, 'stretching straight out', goes with plānitiēs. aequābātur: 'was level'.

B. Hisp. 29.2Cuius dēcursum antecēdēbat rīvus, quī ad eōrum accessum summam efficiēbat locī inīquitātem: nam palūstrī et vorāginōsō solō currēns erat ad dextram.

In front of its descent ran a stream, which made the approach to them extremely difficult: for it flowed on the right through marshy, boggy ground.

Note. Cuius: connecting relative, referring back to the plain. summam … inīquitātem: summus here means 'the greatest', 'made the approach extremely difficult'. palūstrī et vorāginōsō solō: ablative of place, 'over marshy and boggy ground'. currēns erat: the participle with erat is almost an adjective, 'it was running'.

B. Hisp. 29.3Itaque Caesar cum aciem dērēctam vīdisset, nōn habuit dubium, quīn mediā plānitiē in aequum ad dīmicandum adversāriī prōcēderent.

So when Caesar saw the battle line drawn up, he had no doubt that his opponents would advance into the middle of the plain to fight on level terms.

Note. aciem dērēctam: the enemy's line 'drawn up'. nōn habuit dubium quīn: 'he had no doubt that', with the subjunctive. in aequum: 'onto level ground'. ad dīmicandum: gerund of purpose.

B. Hisp. 29.3Hoc erat in omnium cōnspectū.

This was in everyone's view.

Note. A very short sentence, typical of this author's abrupt style.

B. Hisp. 29.4Hoc accēdēbat, ut locus illā plānitiē aequitāte ōrnārētur et diēs sōlis serēnitāte, ut mīrificum et optandum tempus prope ab diīs immortālibus illud tribūtum esset ad proelium committendum.

On top of this, the place was graced by the evenness of that plain and the day by bright sunshine, so that it seemed a wonderful and longed-for moment, all but granted by the immortal gods for joining battle.

Note. Hōc accēdēbat ut: 'there was added to this the fact that', a favourite phrase of this writer. diēs: ordinary masculine. mīrificum et optandum tempus: 'a wonderful moment, one to be wished for'; optandum is a gerundive. dīs immortālibus: diīs is the older spelling. tribūtum esset: understand 'it seemed that'.

B. Hisp. 29.5Nostrī laetārī, nōnnūllī etiam timēre, quod in eum locum rēs fortūnaeque omnium dēdūcerentur, ut, quidquid post hōram cāsus tribuisset, in dubiō pōnerētur.

Our men rejoiced, though some were also afraid, because everyone's fortunes and possessions were being brought to the point where whatever chance granted in the next hour would be left in doubt.

Note. laetārī, timēre: historic infinitives, standing for imperfect indicatives in lively narrative. rēs fortūnaeque: 'their fortunes and possessions'. quidquid … cāsus tribuisset: the pluperfect subjunctive represents a future perfect in a subordinate clause. in dubiō pōnerētur: 'would be put at risk'. The author plainly writes as an eyewitness.

B. Hisp. 29.6Itaque nostrī ad dīmicandum prōcēdunt, id quod adversāriōs exīstimābāmus esse factūrōs;

So our men advanced to fight, as we thought our opponents would also do;

Note. id quod … exīstimābāmus: 'as we thought'; the first person shows the writer was in Caesar's army. esse factūrōs: future infinitive, with adversāriōs as its subject.

B. Hisp. 29.6quī tamen ā mūnītiōne oppidī longius nōn audēbant prōcēdere, in quō sibi prope mūrum praesidium ab adversāriīs cōnstituēbant.

but they did not dare to advance far from the town's fortifications, in which they had established a refuge for themselves near the wall.

Note. longius: comparative adverb, 'too far'. in quō: the relative refers to the town. praesidium: 'protection, refuge'.

B. Hisp. 29.6Itaque nostrī prōcēdunt.

So our men advance.

Note. The repetition of Itaque nostrī prōcēdunt (compare sentence 14) is part of this author's plain, repetitive style.

B. Hisp. 29.7Interdum aequitās locī adversāriōs efflāgitābat, ut tālī condiciōne contenderent ad victōriam;

At times the evenness of the ground tempted the enemy to contend for victory on such terms;

Note. efflāgitābat: 'urgently invited, tempted'; the subject is aequitās locī. tālī condiciōne: 'on such terms'.

B. Hisp. 29.7neque tamen illī ā suā cōnsuētūdine discēdēbant, ut aut ab excelsō locō aut ab oppidō discēderent.

yet they did not depart from their habit of never leaving either the high ground or the town.

Note. ut aut … aut … discēderent: a noun clause explaining their consuētūdō, 'their habit of (not) leaving'. The neque at the start carries over.

B. Hisp. 29.8Nostrī pede pressō propius rīvum cum adpropinquāssent, adversāriī patrōcinārī locō inīquō nōn dēsinunt.

When our men had come step by step closer to the stream, the enemy did not stop taking advantage of the unfavourable ground.

Note. pede pressō: 'with a firm step, step by step'. propius rīvum: propius as a preposition with the accusative, 'nearer the stream'. adpropinquāssent: syncopated form of adpropinquāvissent. patrōcinārī locō inīquō: patrōcinor normally means 'protect'; here with the dative it seems to mean 'use for protection, take advantage of' the ground that was unfavourable to us.