Iug. 98.1Neque in eō tam asperō negōtiō Marius territus aut magis quam anteā dēmissō animō fuit, sed cum turmā suā, quam ex fortissumīs magis quam familiārissumīs parāverat, vagārī passim ac modo labōrantibus suīs succurrere, modo hostīs, ubi cōnfertissumī obstiterant, invādere;Nor in so grave a situation was Marius frightened or more downcast than before, but with his own squadron, which he had formed of the bravest rather than of his closest friends, he ranged everywhere, now going to the help of his men in difficulty, now charging the enemy where they had made their thickest stand; Iug. 98.1manū cōnsulere mīlitibus, quoniam imperāre conturbātīs omnibus nōn poterat.he looked after his soldiers with his own hand, since he could not command them when all was in confusion. Iug. 98.2Iamque diēs cōnsūmptus erat, quom tamen barbarī nihil remittere atque, utī rēgēs praecēperant, noctem prō sē ratī ācrius īnstāre.And now the day was spent, when still the barbarians did not slacken at all and, thinking the night was on their side, as the kings had instructed them, pressed on more fiercely. Iug. 98.3Tum Marius ex cōpiā rērum cōnsilium trahit atque, utī suīs receptuī locus esset, collīs duōs propinquōs inter sē occupat, quōrum in ūnō castrīs parum amplō fōns aquae magnus erat, alter ūsuī opportūnus, quia magnā parte ēditus et praeceps pauca mūnīmenta quaerēbat.Then Marius takes counsel from the circumstances and, so that his men might have a place of retreat, seizes two hills near each other, on one of which, too small for a camp, there was a large spring of water, while the other was convenient for use, because, being for the most part high and steep, it needed few fortifications.
Iug. 98.4Cēterum apud aquam Sullam cum equitibus noctem agitāre iubet, ipse paulātim dispersōs mīlitēs neque minus hostibus conturbātīs in ūnum contrahit, Dein cūnctōs plēnō gradū in collem subdūcit.He orders Sulla to spend the night with the cavalry by the water, while he himself gradually gathers together the scattered soldiers, the enemy being no less disordered, and then leads them all at full pace up on to the hill. Iug. 98.5Ita rēgēs locī difficultāte coāctī proeliō dēterrentur, neque tamen suōs longius abīre sinunt, sed utrōque colle multitūdine circumdatō effūsī cōnsēdēre.So the kings, compelled by the difficulty of the position, are deterred from battle, but they do not let their men go farther away; instead, surrounding both hills with their host, they encamped in loose order. Iug. 98.6Dein crēbrīs ignibus factīs plērumque noctis barbarī mōre suō laetārī, exultāre, strepere vōcibus;Then, having lit many fires, for most of the night the barbarians, after their custom, rejoiced, leapt about and made a din with their shouting; Iug. 98.6et ipsī ducēs ferōcēs, quia nōn fūgerant, prō victōribus agere.and the leaders themselves, emboldened because they had not fled, behaved like victors.
Iug. 98.7Sed ea cūncta Rōmānīs ex tenebrīs et ēditiōribus locīs facilia vīsū magnōque hortāmentō erant.But all this was easily seen by the Romans from the darkness and from higher ground, and was a great encouragement to them.