Iug. 88.1Metellus intereā Rōmam profectus contrā spem suam laetissumīs animīs accipitur, plēbī patribusque, postquam invidia dēcesserat, iūxtā cārus.Metellus meanwhile, having set out for Rome, is received, contrary to his own expectation, with the greatest joy, being dear to the people and the senators alike now that envy had died away. Iug. 88.2Sed Marius inpigrē prūdenterque suōrum et hostium rēs pariter attendere: cognōscere, quid bonī utrīsque aut contrā esset, explōrāre itinera rēgum, cōnsilia et īnsidiās eōrum antevenīre, nihil apud sē remissum neque apud illōs tūtum patī.But Marius attended energetically and prudently to his own affairs and the enemy's alike: he learned what was advantageous or the reverse to each side, spied out the kings' movements, forestalled their plans and ambushes, and allowed nothing slack on his own side or safe on theirs. Iug. 88.3Itaque et Gaetūlōs et Iugurtham ex sociīs nostrīs praedās agentīs saepe aggressus in itinere fūderat ipsumque rēgem haud procul ab oppidō Cirtā armīs exuerat.Therefore he had often attacked the Gaetulians and Jugurtha on the march as they were driving off plunder from our allies, and had routed them, and not far from the town of Cirta had stripped the king himself of his arms.
Iug. 88.4Quae postquam glōriōsa modo neque bellī patrandī cognōvit, statuit urbīs, quae virīs aut locō prō hostibus et advorsum sē opportūnissumae erant, singulās circumvenīre: ita Iugurtham aut praesidiīs nūdātum īrī, sī ea paterētur, aut proeliō certātūrum.When he realised that these exploits were merely glorious and did not bring the war to an end, he decided to surround one by one the cities which, by their garrisons or position, were most useful to the enemy and most dangerous to himself: in this way Jugurtha would either be stripped of his garrisons, if he allowed it, or would fight a battle. Iug. 88.5Nam Bocchus nūntiōs ad eum saepe mīserat: velle populī Rōmānī amīcitiam;For Bocchus had often sent messengers to him: that he wanted the friendship of the Roman people; Iug. 88.5nē quid ab sē hostīle timēret.that Marius should fear nothing hostile from him. Iug. 88.6Id simulāveritne, quō inprōvīsus gravior accideret, an mōbilitāte ingenī pācem atque bellum mūtāre solitus, parum explōrātum est.Whether he pretended this, so as to strike a heavier blow when unexpected, or whether through fickleness of character he was in the habit of alternating between peace and war, has not been well established.