 124. The Numidians resort to Strategy |
126-8. An Episode from the Gallic War  |
Repentīnā rē minimē permōtus Cūriō ōrdinēs circumiit mīlitēsque hortātus est ut spem omnem in virtūte pōnerent. Hī prīmō fortissimē dīmicābant[1]; sed hostēs, quī numerō longē erant superiōrēs, mox aciem nostram circumventam[2] ā tergō[3] adorīrī coepērunt. Tum Cūriō, ubi perterritīs omnibus cohortātiōnēs[4] suās nōn audīrī intellēxit, ūnam salūtis esse spem[5] reliquam arbitrātus, proximōs collēs capere atque eō[6] sīgna ferre iussit. Sed hōs quoque praeoccupat missus ā Saburrā equitātus.
Tum vērō ad summam dēspērātiōnem[7] nostrī perveniunt, et Cn. Domitius, praefectus equitum, cum paucīs equitibus circumsistēns, Cūriōnem ōrat ut fugā petat salūtem, et sē ab eō nōn discessūrum pollicētur. At Cūriō numquam sē, āmissō exercitū quem ā Caesare accēpisset, in eius cōnspectum reditūrum cōnfirmat, atque ita pugnāns interficitur.
Ē proeliō equitēs nostrī perpaucī effūgērunt; quibuscum nōnnūllī, quī equōrum reficiendōrum[8] causā in itinere paulum morātī erant, fugā tōtīus exercitūs procul animadversā, incolumēs in castra[9] sē contulērunt. Peditēs ad ūnum omnēs interfectī sunt.
- ↑ dīmicābant: kept up the fight.
- ↑ circumventam: translate as if circumvēnissent eamque.
- ↑ ā tergō: cf. p. 78, l. 18, omnibus: noun, forming an abl. absol. with perterritīs.
- ↑ cohortātiōnēs: cohortātiō, -ōnis: f, exhortation.
- ↑ spem: f, chance, capere: make for; as subject, suōs may be supplied.
- ↑ eō: adv., the adv., sīgna: see the notes on pp. 130, l. 1, and 131, l. 16; hōs: i.e. collēs.
- ↑ dēspērātiōnem: dēspērātiō, -ōnis: f, despair.
- ↑ reficiendōrum: reficiō, 3, -fēcī, -fectus: refresh.
- ↑ castra: n, i.e. the camp at Castra Cornēlia.