Bellum Hispaniense 30

B. Hisp. 30.1Erat aciēs xiii aquilīs cōnstitūta, quae lateribus equitātū tegēbātur cum levī armātūrā mīlibus sex, praetereā auxiliārēs accēdēbant prope alterum tantum;

Their battle line was made up of thirteen eagles; it was covered on the flanks by cavalry together with six thousand light-armed troops, and besides there were auxiliaries nearly as many again;

Note. xiii aquilīs: thirteen eagles, that is thirteen legions. lateribus: ablative of place, 'on the flanks'. levī armātūrā: 'light-armed troops'. alterum tantum: 'as many again'.

B. Hisp. 30.1nostra praesidia lxxx cohortibus et viii mīlibus equitum.

our forces were eighty cohorts and eight thousand cavalry.

Note. A verbless sentence: understand erant. lxxx cohortibus: eighty cohorts, eight legions' worth. The author's numbers, as so often in ancient battle accounts, are hard to trust.

B. Hisp. 30.2Ita cum in extrēma plānitiē inīquum in locum nostrī adpropinquāssent, parātus hostis erat superior, ut trānseundum superius iter vehementer esset perīculōsum.

So when our men, at the far edge of the plain, had come close to the unfavourable ground, the enemy was ready on higher ground, so that crossing the higher route would be extremely dangerous.

Note. in extrēmā plānitiē: 'at the edge of the plain'. superior: predicative, 'on higher ground'. trānseundum: gerundive of trānseō; superius iter is 'the route higher up'.

B. Hisp. 30.3Quod cum ā Caesare esset animadversum, nē quid temerē culpa suōrum admitterētur, eum locum dēfīnīre coepit.

When Caesar noticed this, he began to mark out the limit, so that nothing should be done rashly through his men's fault.

Note. Quod: connecting relative, 'this'. nē quid: quid after nē is indefinite, 'anything'. culpā suōrum: 'through his men's fault'. eum locum dēfīnīre: 'to fix that line as a limit', so that his men would not advance beyond it.

B. Hisp. 30.4Quod cum hominum auribus esset obiectum, molestē et acerbē accipiēbant, sē impedīrī, quō minus proelium cōnficere possent.

When this reached the men's ears, they took it hard and bitterly that they were being kept from finishing the battle.

Note. Quod … obiectum: 'when this came to the men's ears'. molestē et acerbē accipiēbant: 'they took it hard and bitterly'. quō minus: after a verb of hindering, 'from finishing'.

B. Hisp. 30.5Haec mora adversāriōs alacriōrēs efficiēbat: Caesaris cōpiās timōre impedīrī ad committendum proelium.

This delay made the enemy keener: they thought Caesar's forces were held back by fear from joining battle.

Note. alacriōrēs: comparative of alacer. The colon introduces what the enemy believed: Caesaris cōpiās timōre impedīrī, indirect statement depending on an understood verb of thinking.

B. Hisp. 30.6Ita sē efferentēs inīquō locō suī potestātem faciēbant, ut magnō tamen perīculō accessus eōrum habērētur.

So, carrying themselves forward, they gave our men a chance at them on unfavourable ground, though even so the approach to them was very dangerous.

Note. sē efferentēs: 'carrying themselves forward', i.e. advancing too boldly. suī potestātem faciēbant: 'gave (us) a chance at them'; suī is the genitive of the reflexive. magnō tamen perīculō: ablative of attendant circumstance.

B. Hisp. 30.7Hīc decumānī suum locum, cornum dextrum, tenēbant, sinistrum iii et v legiō itemque et cētera auxilia et equitātus.

Here the Tenth held their own place, the right wing; the left was held by the Third and the Fifth legion, and also the rest of the auxiliaries and the cavalry.

Note. decumānī: the men of the Tenth legion, Caesar's favourite. cornum: Kübler prints this second-declension neuter form for the usual cornū. iii et v legiō: the Third and the Fifth; the singular legiō is used with two numbers.

B. Hisp. 30.7Proelium clāmōre factō committitur.

With a shout raised, battle is joined.

Note. clāmōre factō: ablative absolute. Armies raised a war cry as they charged.