Liv. 22.47.1Clamōre sublātō prōcursum ab auxiliīs et pugna levibus prīmum armīs commissa;A shout was raised, the auxiliaries ran forward, and the fight was begun first with the light arms; Liv. 22.47.1deinde equitum Gallōrum Hispānōrumque laevum cornū cum dextrō Rōmānō concurrit, minimē equestris mōre pugnae;then the left wing, of Gallic and Spanish cavalry, clashed with the Roman right, in a manner not at all like a cavalry battle; Liv. 22.47.1frontibus enim adversīs concurrendum erat, quia nūllō circā ad ēvagandum relictō spatiō hinc amnis, hinc peditum aciēs claudēbant.for they had to charge front to front, because no room had been left round about for manoeuvring, since the river on one side and the line of infantry on the other hemmed them in. Liv. 22.47.3In dērēctum utrimque nītentēs stantibus ac cōnfertīs postrēmō turbā equīs vir virum amplexus dētrahēbat equō.As both sides pressed straight ahead, with the horses brought to a standstill and finally packed together in a crowd, man grappled man and dragged him from his horse. Liv. 22.47.3Pedestre magnā iam ex parte certāmen factum erat;The contest had now become for the most part a fight on foot; Liv. 22.47.3ācrius tamen quam diūtius pugnātum est, pulsīque Rōmānī equitēs terga vertunt.yet it was fought more fiercely than long, and the Roman horsemen, driven back, turn their backs.
Liv. 22.47.4Sub equestris fīnem certāminis coorta est peditum pugna, prīmō et vīribus et animīs pār, dum cōnstābant ōrdinēs Gallīs Hispānīsque;Towards the end of the cavalry engagement the infantry battle broke out, at first equal both in strength and in spirit, as long as the ranks of the Gauls and Spaniards held firm; Liv. 22.47.5tandem Rōmānī, diū ac saepe cōnīsī, oblīquā fronte aciēque dēnsā inpulēre hostium cuneum nimis tenuem eōque parum validum, ā cēterā prōminentem aciē.at length the Romans, after long and repeated efforts, with a slanting front and a dense line drove back the enemy wedge, which was too thin and therefore not strong enough, jutting out as it did from the rest of the line. Liv. 22.47.6Inpulsīs deinde ac trepidē referentibus pedem īnstitēre, ac tenōre ūnō per praeceps pavōre fugientium agmen in mediam prīmum aciem inlātī postrēmō nūllō resistente ad subsidia Āfrōrum pervēnērunt, quī utrimque reductīs alīs cōnstiterant, mediā, quā Gallī Hispānīque steterant, aliquantum prōminente aciē.Then they pressed on the enemy as they were driven back and gave ground in alarm, and in one unbroken course, carried headlong through the column fleeing in panic, first into the middle of the line, at last, with no one resisting, they reached the African reserves, who had taken position on both sides with the wings drawn back, while the centre, where the Gauls and Spaniards had stood, projected some way.
Liv. 22.47.8Quī cuneus ut pulsus aequāvit frontem prīmum, Dein cēdendō etiam sinum in mediō dedit, Āfrī circā iam cornua fēcerant, irruentibusque incautē in medium Rōmānīs circumdedēre alās, mox cornua extendendō clausēre et ab tergō hostīs.As soon as this wedge, driven back, first made the front level, and then by yielding even created a hollow in the middle, the Africans had by now formed wings round about, and as the Romans rushed carelessly into the middle they enveloped them with their flanks, and soon, extending their wings, closed in the enemy from behind as well. Liv. 22.47.9Hinc Rōmānī dēfūnctī nēquīquam proeliō ūnō omissīs Gallīs Hispānīsque, quōrum terga cecīderant, adversus Āfrōs integram pugnam ineunt, nōn tantum eō inīquam, quod inclūsī adversus circumfūsōs, sed etiam quod fessī cum recentibus ac vegetīs pugnābant.From this point the Romans, having fought one battle to no purpose, let go of the Gauls and Spaniards, whose backs they had been cutting down, and begin a fresh fight against the Africans, unequal not only because they were shut in against men surrounding them, but also because they were weary and fighting against men fresh and vigorous.