Bellum Hispaniense 3

B. Hisp. 3.1Erat idem temporis Sex. Pompēius frāter, quī cum praesidiō Cordubam tenēbat, quod eius prōvinciae caput esse exīstimābātur;

At the same time his brother Sextus Pompeius was holding Corduba with a garrison, since it was considered the capital of that province;

Note. The scene shifts to the Pompeian side. idem temporis: 'at the same time', an adverbial accusative with a partitive genitive (literally 'the same of time'). Sex. Pompeius frāter: Sextus, the younger brother. quod … caput esse exīstimābātur: the relative quod refers to Corduba but takes its gender from caput.

B. Hisp. 3.1ipse autem Cn. Pompēius adulēscēns Uliam oppidum oppugnābat et ferē iam aliquot mēnsibus ibi dētinēbātur.

the young Gnaeus Pompeius himself, however, was besieging the town of Ulia and had already been held up there for some months.

Note. Cn. Pompeius adulēscēns: Gnaeus, here Pompey's son. Uliam oppidum: Ulia, a hill-town south of Corduba. aliquot mēnsibus: ablative for duration, where classical prose prefers the accusative.

B. Hisp. 3.2Quō ex oppidō cognitō Caesaris adventū lēgātī clam praesidia Cn. Pompēī Caesarem cum adīssent, petere coepērunt, utī sibi prīmō quōque tempore subsidium mitteret.

When the news of Caesar's arrival was learned, envoys from this town slipped past Gnaeus Pompeius' outposts, came to Caesar and began to ask him to send them help at the earliest possible moment.

Note. Quō ex oppidō: connecting relative with its noun, 'from this town'. cognitō Caesaris adventū: ablative absolute. clam praesidia: clam here is a preposition with the accusative, 'unknown to the outposts', i.e. slipping past them. Caesarem cum adīssent: the cum-clause is wrapped round by its own object. utī = ut. prīmō quōque tempore: 'at the very first opportunity'.

B. Hisp. 3.3Caesar— eam cīvitātem omnī tempore optimē dē populō Rōmānō meritam esse…— celeriter Sex cohortēs secundā vigiliā iubet proficīscī, parī equitēs numerō.

Caesar — that community had always deserved very well of the Roman people … — quickly ordered six cohorts to set out in the second watch, with an equal number of cavalry.

Note. The sentence is broken by a gap: the clause about Ulia's loyalty (eam cīvitātem … meritam esse) must have depended on a word like 'thinking', now lost. dē populō Rōmānō meritam: bene merērī dē, as in 3. secundā vigiliā: the second of the four night watches, roughly 9 p.m. to midnight. parī equitēs numerō: 'cavalry in equal number'.

B. Hisp. 3.4Quibus praefēcit hominem eius prōvinciae nōtum et nōn parum scientem, L. Vibium Paciaecum.

He put in command of them a man well known in that province and very knowledgeable, Lucius Vibius Paciaecus.

Note. Quibus: dative with praefēcit, 'put in charge of them'. nōtum: 'well known', with the genitive eius prōvinciae, 'in that province'. nōn parum scientem: litotes, 'not a little knowledgeable', i.e. very experienced. L. Vibius Paciaecus was a Spaniard who had long served Caesar.

B. Hisp. 3.5Quī cum ad Cn. Pompēī praesidia vēnisset, incidit idem temporis, ut tempestāte adversā vehementīque ventō adflīctārētur;

When he had reached Gnaeus Pompeius' outposts, it so happened at that very moment that he was battered by foul weather and a violent wind;

Note. incidit … ut: 'it happened that', with a consecutive subjunctive. idem temporis: see 9. tempestāte adversā vehementīque ventō: ablatives of cause or means. adflīctārētur: frequentative of afflīgō, 'was battered'.

B. Hisp. 3.5aditusque vīs tempestātis ita obscūrābat, ut vix proximum adgnōscere possent.

and the force of the storm so darkened the approaches that they could hardly recognise the man next to them.

Note. aditūs: plural, 'the approaches'. ut vix proximum adgnōscere possent: result clause; proximum, 'the man next to them'. adgnōscō is the older spelling of agnōscō.

B. Hisp. 3.6Cuius incommodum summam ūtilitātem ipsīs praebēbat.

This inconvenience proved of the greatest use to them.

Note. Cuius incommodum: 'the inconvenience of which (the storm)'. ipsīs: dative, 'to the men themselves'. A neat paradox: bad weather became their best ally.

B. Hisp. 3.6Ita cum ad eum locum vēnērunt, iubet bīnōs equitēs cōnscendere, et rēctā per adversāriōrum praesidia ad oppidum contendunt.

So when they reached that spot, he ordered the cavalry to mount two to a horse, and they made straight for the town through the enemy's outposts.

Note. venērunt: indicative after cum in a narrative, where classical prose would have the subjunctive; this author often does this. bīnōs equitēs cōnscendere: each horse carried two men, a cavalryman and an infantryman, so the infantry could slip through in the dark. rēctā: 'straight', an ablative with via understood.

B. Hisp. 3.7Mediīsque eōrum praesidiīs cum essent, cum quaererētur, quī essent, ūnus ex nostrīs respondit, ut sileat verbum facere: nam id temporis cōnārī ad mūrum accēdere, ut oppidum capiant;

When they were in the middle of the enemy posts and someone asked who they were, one of our men told him to hold his tongue: they were just then trying to approach the wall in order to take the town;

Note. Mediīs … praesidiīs: 'in the middle of the posts'. cum quaererētur, quī essent: an indirect question inside a cum-clause. ut sileat verbum facere: a colloquial jumble, literally 'that he should be silent about making a word', i.e. 'not to say a word'. The rest is the soldier's bluff in reported speech: conārī (understand sē) … ut oppidum capiant, 'they were trying … to take the town', as if they were Pompeians.

B. Hisp. 3.7et partim tempestāte inpedītī vigilēs nōn poterant dīligentiam praestāre, partim illō respōnsō dēterrēbantur.

and the sentries, partly hampered by the storm, could not keep proper watch, and were partly deterred by that answer.

Note. partim … partim: 'partly … partly'. inpedītī: the older spelling of impedītī. diligentiam praestāre: 'to show proper care', i.e. keep a careful watch.

B. Hisp. 3.8Cum ad portam adpropinquāssent, signō datō ab oppidānīs sunt receptī, et peditēs dispositī partim ibi remānsērunt, equitēs clāmōre factō ēruptiōnem in adversāriōrum castra fēcērunt.

When they had come up to the gate, they were let in by the townspeople at a given signal; the infantry were posted and some of them stayed there, while the cavalry raised a shout and made a sortie against the enemy's camp.

Note. adpropinquāssent: contracted pluperfect subjunctive, from adpropinquāvissent. signō datō: ablative absolute.

B. Hisp. 3.9Sīc in illō factō, cum īnscientibus accidisset, exīstimant magna pars hominum, quī in hīs castrīs fuissent, sē prope captōs esse.

So in that action, since it fell upon them unawares, a great many of the men in that camp thought that they had all but been captured.

Note. in illō factō: 'in that action'. cum īnscientibus accidisset: 'since it happened to them unawares'. exīstimant magna pars: a collective subject with a plural verb, a construction by sense. The present existimant in a past narrative is vivid. prope: 'almost'.