Bellum Hispaniense 36

B. Hisp. 36.1Dum haec geruntur, lēgātī Carteiēnsēs renūntiāvērunt, quod Pompēium in potestāte habērent.

While this is going on, envoys from Carteia reported that they had Pompey in their power.

Note. quod Pompeium in potestāte habērent: quod with the subjunctive gives what the envoys reported.

B. Hisp. 36.1Quod ante Caesarī portās praeclūsissent, illō beneficiō suum maleficium exīstimābant sē lucrī facere.

Because they had earlier shut their gates against Caesar, they thought that by this service they would turn their offence to profit.

Note. lucrī facere: 'to make (a thing) into profit', with genitive of value: by handing over Pompey they hoped to cancel their offence.

B. Hisp. 36.1Lūsītānī Hispalī pugnāre nūllō tempore dēsistēbant.

At Hispalis the Lusitanians never stopped fighting.

Note. Hispalī: locative, 'at Hispalis'. nūllō tempore: 'at no time, never'.

B. Hisp. 36.2Quod Caesar cum animadverteret, sī oppidum capere contenderet, timuit, ne hominēs perditī incenderent et moenia dēlērent, ita cōnsiliō habitō noctū patitur Lūsītānōs ēruptiōnem facere;

When Caesar noticed this, he feared that if he made an all-out effort to take the town, these desperate men would set it on fire and destroy the walls; so, having taken counsel, he lets the Lusitanians make a sortie by night;

Note. Quod: connecting relative, object of animadverteret. perditī: 'desperate, abandoned' men. ita cōnsiliō habitō: ablative absolute. patitur: the deponent patior, 'allows'.

B. Hisp. 36.2id quod cōnsultō nōn exīstimābant fierī.

they did not think this was being done on purpose.

Note. id quod: 'a thing which'. cōnsultō: adverb, 'deliberately'.

B. Hisp. 36.2Ita ērumpendō nāvīs, quae ad Baetim flūmen fuissent, incendunt.

So, as they break out, they set fire to the ships that were on the river Baetis.

Note. ērumpendō: gerund in the ablative, 'by breaking out'. nāvīs: accusative plural in -īs. fuissent: the subjunctive in a relative clause is a loose usage of this author.

B. Hisp. 36.3Nostrī dum incendiō dētinentur, illī profugiunt et ab equitibus concīduntur.

While our men are kept busy by the fire, they flee and are cut down by the cavalry.

Note. dum incendiō dētinentur: dum with the present, 'while'. conciduntur: from concīdō, 'are cut down'.

B. Hisp. 36.4Quō factō oppidō recuperātō Astam iter facere coepit;

When this had been done and the town recovered, he began to march to Asta;

Note. Quō factō: ablative absolute with connecting relative. Asta lay near Gades.

B. Hisp. 36.4ex quā cīvitāte lēgātī ad dēditiōnem vēnērunt.

envoys came from that city to surrender.

Note. ad dēditiōnem: 'to surrender'.

B. Hisp. 36.4Mundēnsēs, quī ex proeliō in oppidum cōnfūgerant, cum diūtius circumsedērentur, bene multī dēditiōnem faciunt, et cum essent in legiōnem distribūtī, coniūrant inter sēsē, ut noctū signō datō, quī in oppidō fuissent, ēruptiōnem facerent, illī caedem in castrīs administrārent.

The men of Munda who had fled from the battle into the town, after being besieged for a long time, surrendered in large numbers; and when they had been distributed into a legion, they swore among themselves that at a signal at night those in the town should make a sortie and they themselves should carry out a massacre in the camp.

Note. Mundēnsēs: the men holding out at Munda. bene multī: 'very many'. in legiōnem distribūtī: 'distributed into a legion' as prisoners. coniūrant … ut … ēruptiōnem facerent, illī caedem … administrārent: two sides of the plot, one inside the town and one in the camp.

B. Hisp. 36.5Hāc rē cognitā īnsequentī nocte vigiliā tertiā tesserā datā extrā vallum omnēs sunt concīsī.

When this was discovered, on the following night at the third watch, after the watchword was given, they were all cut down outside the rampart.

Note. īnsequentī nocte: 'on the following night'; īnsequēns is a deponent present participle. tesserā datā: the tessera was the tablet with the night's watchword.