Bellum Catilinae 60

Cat. 60.1Sed ubi omnibus rēbus explōrātīs Petrēius tubā signum dat, cohortīs paulātim incēdere iubet;

But when, after everything had been reconnoitred, Petreius gave the signal with the trumpet, he ordered the cohorts to advance slowly;

Cat. 60.1idem facit hostium exercitus.

the enemy's army did the same.

Cat. 60.2Postquam eō ventum est, unde ā ferentāriīs proelium conmittī posset, maxumō clāmōre cum īnfestīs signīs concurrunt;

When they had come to the point from which the battle could be begun by the skirmishers, they charged with a great shout, standards levelled against each other;

Note. eō … unde: 'to that point from which'. ventum est: impersonal passive, 'they came'. ferentāriīs: light-armed skirmishers who opened a battle with missiles. infestīs signīs: 'with standards levelled', i.e. in attack.

Cat. 60.2pīla omittunt, gladiīs rēs geritur.

they dropped their javelins; the fight was carried on with swords.

Cat. 60.3Veterānī prīstinae virtūtis memorēs comminus ācriter īnstāre, illī haud timidī resistunt: maxumā vī certātur.

The veterans, mindful of their old courage, pressed hard at close quarters; the others resisted without fear: the struggle was fought with the utmost force.

Note. īnstāre: historic infinitive. certātur: impersonal passive, 'the fight is fought'.

Cat. 60.4Intereā Catilīna cum expedītīs in prīmā aciē vorsārī, labōrantibus succurrere, integrōs prō sauciīs arcessere, omnia prōvidēre, multum ipse pugnāre, saepe hostem ferīre: strēnuī mīlitis et bonī imperātōris officia simul exequēbātur.

Meanwhile Catiline, with his light-armed men, was busy in the front line, helping those in trouble, calling up fresh men in place of the wounded, seeing to everything, fighting hard himself, often striking down an enemy: he was performing at once the duties of an energetic soldier and of a good general.

Note. A string of historic infinitives (vorsārī, succurrere, arcessere, prōvidēre, pugnāre, ferīre) gives a rapid picture of Catiline in action. Sallust grants him the qualities of a good soldier and general even in defeat.

Cat. 60.5Petrēius ubi videt Catilīnam, contrā ac ratus erat, magnā vī tendere, cohortem praetōriam in mediōs hostīs indūcit eōsque perturbātōs atque aliōs alibī resistentīs interficit.

When Petreius saw that Catiline was pressing on with great force, contrary to what he had expected, he led the praetorian cohort into the middle of the enemy, threw them into confusion, and killed them as they resisted, some in one place, some in another.

Note. contrā ac ratus erat: 'contrary to what he had thought'. cohortem praetōriam: the general's bodyguard of picked troops. resistentīs: accusative plural in -īs.

Cat. 60.5Deinde utrimque ex lateribus cēterōs aggreditur.

Then he attacked the rest from both flanks.

Cat. 60.6Mānlius et Faesulānus in prīmīs pugnantēs cadunt.

Manlius and the man from Faesulae fell fighting among the foremost.

Cat. 60.7Catilīna postquam fūsās cōpiās sēque cum paucīs relictum videt, memor generis atque prīstinae suae dignitātis in cōnfertissumōs hostīs incurrit ibique pugnāns cōnfoditur.

When Catiline saw his forces routed and himself left with a few men, mindful of his birth and his former rank, he charged into the thickest of the enemy and there, fighting, was run through.

Note. memor generis: Catiline came from an old patrician family, the Sergii. cōnfertissumōs: 'the most densely packed'.