unt. Quā rē animadversā exercitūsque timōre cōgnitō, Vārus, būcinātōre tabernāculīsque paucīs in castrīs ad speciem[1] relictīs, tertiā vigiliā reliquum quoque exercitum silentiō in oppidum redūcit.
Postrīdiē eius diēī[2] Cūriō obsidēre Uticam coepit. Sed iam ad urbem perveniunt ā rēge Iubā[3] nūntiī, quī illum adesse magnīs cum cōpiīs dīcant oppidānōsque dē dēfēnsiōne urbis hortentur. Nūntiābantur haec eadem[4] Cūriōnī. Ille tamen prīmō rēgem nihil contrā sē ausūrum exīstimābat; sed ubi certior est factus cōpiās Iubae ab Uticā minus[5] quīnque et vīgintī mīlia passuum abesse, relictīs mūnītiōnibus sēsē in Castra Cornēlia[6] recēpit. Hūc comportāre coepit omnia[7], quae ad obsidiōnem sustinendam ūsuī erant.
Dum haec fīunt, ex oppidānīs perfugīs[8] audīvit Iubam aliō bellō[9] esse revocātum, et Saburram, eius praefectum, parvīs cum cōpiīs Uticae appropinquāre. Quō audītō, cōnsilium temerē mūtāvit, proeliōque rem committere con-
- ↑ būcinātōre . . . ad speciem: būcinātor, -ōris, M., trumpeter, ad speciem: i.e. to keep up the appearance of occupancy.
- ↑ eius diēī: omit in translating. The gen. depends upon the diē which enters into the composition of postrīdiē..
- ↑ Iubā: m, see the note on p. 148, l. 5.
- ↑ haec eadem: n, neut.; translate as singular.
- ↑ minus: less (than); cf. the use of amplius, p. 101, l. 3.
- ↑ Castra Cornēlia: see again the map on p. 146.
- ↑ omnia: n, all sorts of things, obsidiōnem: of the same derivation as the verb obsidēre, l. 5.
- ↑ perfugīs: m, with adj. force, deserting.
- ↑ aliō bellō: abl. of means. Apparently this item of news regarding Juba's movements was deliberately fabricated, the “desertions” from the city having been planned for the express purpose of deceiving Curio..
