Bellum Hispaniense 31

B. Hisp. 31.1Hīc etsī virtūte nostrī antecēdēbant, adversāriī locō superiōre sē dēfendēbant ācerrimē, et vehemēns fīēbat ab utrīsque clāmor tēlōrumque missū concursus, sīc ut prope nostrī diffīderent victōriae.

Here, although our men were superior in courage, the enemy defended themselves very fiercely from the higher ground, and on both sides there was a mighty shout and a clash of hurled missiles, so that our men almost despaired of victory.

Note. virtūte: ablative of respect. locō superiōre: ablative of place. telōrumque missū concursus: 'a clash with the hurling of missiles'. diffīderent victōriae: diffīdō takes the dative.

B. Hisp. 31.2Congressus enim et clāmor, quibus rēbus maximē hostis conterrētur, in conlātū parī erant condiciōne.

For in the charge and the shout, the two things that most terrify an enemy, the sides were equally matched in the clash.

Note. Congressus … et clāmor: 'the charge and the shout'. quibus rēbus: connecting relative, 'the things by which'. in conlātū: 'in the clash, at close quarters', from the rare noun conlātus. parī … condiciōne: ablative of description, 'were on equal terms'.

B. Hisp. 31.3Ita ex utrōque genere cum parem virtūtem ad bellandum contulissent, pīlōrum missū fīxa cumulātur et concidit adversāriōrum multitūdō.

So, when both sides had brought equal courage to the fighting, the mass of the enemy, pierced by the volleys of javelins, was heaped up and fell.

Note. ex utrōque genere: 'on both sides'. ad bellandum: gerund. pīlōrum missū fīxa: 'pierced by the volley of javelins'. cumulātur et concidit: present tenses for vivid narrative; concidit here is from concidō, 'fall'.

B. Hisp. 31.4Dextrum ut dēmōnstrāvimus decumānōs cornum tenuisse;

The Tenth, as we have shown, held the right wing;

Note. The infinitive tenuisse depends on ut dēmōnstrāvimus as though it were a verb of saying: 'the Tenth, as we have shown, held the right wing'. Note dextrum … cornum again.

B. Hisp. 31.4quī etsī erant paucī, tamen propter virtūtem magnō adversāriōs timōre eōrum operā adficiēbat, quod ā suō locō hostēs vehementer premere coepērunt, ut ad subsidium, nē ab latere nostrī occupārent, legiō adversāriōrum trādūcī coepta sit ā dextrō.

although they were few, their courage and effort struck great fear into the enemy, because they began to press the foe hard from their position, so that a legion of the enemy began to be moved across from the right in support, to stop our men taking them in the flank.

Note. magnō … timōre … adficiēbat: 'struck great fear into'; the singular adficiēbat, with a plural subject, is loose. eōrum operā: 'by their efforts'. nē … occupārent: 'to stop our men outflanking them'. coepta sit: with a passive infinitive coepī itself goes into the passive. ā dextrō: understand cornū.

B. Hisp. 31.5Quae simul est mōta, equitātus Caesaris sinistrō cornū premere coepit, ita utī eximiā virtūte proelium facere possent, ut locus in aciem ad subsidium veniundī nōn darētur.

As soon as it moved, Caesar's cavalry began to press on the left wing, fighting with such outstanding courage that no room was left for coming into the line in support.

Note. Quae simul est mōta: simul for simul ac, 'as soon as'. sinistrō cornū: 'on the left wing'. uti: an older form of ut. veniundī: archaic gerund in -undī for veniendī.

B. Hisp. 31.6Ita cum clāmor esset intermixtus gemitū gladiōrumque crepītus auribus oblātus, inperītōrum mentēs timōre praepediēbat.

So, when the shouting was mixed with groans and the clash of swords struck the ears, it hampered the minds of the inexperienced with fear.

Note. intermixtus gemitū: 'mixed with groans'. gladiōrum crepitus: 'the clatter of swords'. inperītōrum: 'the inexperienced'; the subject of praepediēbat is the whole noise.

B. Hisp. 31.7Hīc, ut ait Ennius, pēs pede premitur, armīs teruntur arma, adversāriōsque vehementissimē pugnantēs nostrī agere coepērunt;

Here, as Ennius says, foot is pressed by foot and arms are ground against arms, and our men began to drive back the enemy, who were fighting with the greatest fury;

Note. The quotation is from Ennius' Annals, Rome's national epic: pes pede premitur, armīs teruntur arma, part of a hexameter. vehementissimē: superlative adverb of vehementer. pugnantēs: present participle with adversāriōs.

B. Hisp. 31.7quibus oppidum fuit subsidiō.

the town served them as a refuge.

Note. oppidum fuit subsidiō: predicative dative, 'served as a refuge'. quibus: dative of the persons helped (the 'double dative').

B. Hisp. 31.8Ita ipsīs Līberālibus fūsī fugātīque nōn superfuissent, nisi in eum locum cōnfūgissent, ex quō erant ēgressī.

So, on the very day of the Liberalia, they were routed and put to flight, and they would not have survived if they had not fled back to the place they had come out from.

Note. ipsīs Līberālibus: ablative of time, 'on the very day of the Liberalia', the festival of Liber on 17 March. The date links the victory to the god's day. fūsī fugātīque: a common pair, 'routed and put to flight'. nōn superfuissent, nisī … cōnfūgissent: past unreal condition.

B. Hisp. 31.9In quō proeliō cecidērunt mīlia hominum circiter xxx et sī quid amplius, praetereā Labiēnus, Attius Vārus, quibus occīsīs utrīsque fūnus est factum, itemque equitēs Rōmānī partim ex urbe partim ex prōvinciā ad mīlia iii.

In this battle about thirty thousand men fell, and perhaps more, besides Labienus and Attius Varus, both of whom were given funerals after they were killed, and also about three thousand Roman knights, some from the city and some from the province.

Note. et sī quid amplius: 'and perhaps more'. Labiēnus: Titus Labienus, once Caesar's chief officer in Gaul, who had gone over to Pompey in 49 BC. Attius Vārus: Publius Attius Varus, who had fought against Caesar in Africa. quibus occīsīs utrīsque fūnus est factum: Caesar allowed both a funeral. equitēs Rōmānī: 'Roman knights'.

B. Hisp. 31.10Nostrī dēsīderātī ad hominum mīlle partim equitum partim peditum;

Of our men about a thousand were lost, partly cavalry, partly infantry;

Note. dēsīderātī: 'missing, lost'. ad hominum mīlle: ad with a number is 'about'.

B. Hisp. 31.11sauciī ad D. Adversāriōrum aquilae sunt ablātae xiii et signa et fascēs…;

about five hundred were wounded. Thirteen eagles were taken from the enemy, along with standards and fasces …;

Note. ad D: the Roman numeral D is 500. aquilae: the legions' eagle standards. fascēs: the bundles of rods carried before magistrates; the text breaks off after them in Kübler's edition, marked here with an ellipsis.

B. Hisp. 31.11praetereā… Hōs habuit…

besides … These he had …

Note. The text of the manuscripts is defective here, and Kübler prints the gaps. Hōs habuit: 'he had these…', perhaps the start of a list of captured officers.