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tium, propulsarent. Nam in Jugurtha tantus dolus, tantaque peritia locorum et militiæ erat, uti, absens an præsens, pacem an bellum gerens, perniciosior esset, in incerto haberetur.

XLVII. Erat haud longe ab eo itinere, quo Metellus pergebat, oppidum Numidarum, nomine Vaga, forum rerum venalium1 totius regni maxime celebratum: ubi et incolere, et mercari consueverant Italici generis multi mortales. Huc consul, simul tentandi gratia3 et, si paterentur, opportunitate, loci, præsidium imposuit5; præterea imperavit frumentum, et alia, quæ bello usui forent comportare: ratus id, quod res monebat, frequentiam negotiatorum et commeatum juvaturum exercitum, et jam pacatis rebus munimento fore. Inter hæc negotia Jugurtha impensius modo legatos supplices mittere, pacem orare; præter suam liberorumque vitam, omnia Metello

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1 Forum rerum venalium, “a commercial emporium."

2 Celebratum, "frequented:" frequens relates to persons or things; celeber is confined to persons. Dæderl. Synon. i. 25. Hence celeber comes to mean one who is much spoken of by men. Tac. Ann. ii. 88. Arminius... canitur adhuc barbaras apud gentes... Romanis haud perinde celebris.

3 Tentandi gratia. Metellus places a garrison in Vaga on two accounts; first, in order to try and seduce the inhabitants from their fidelity to Jugurtha; and secondly, because of the eligibility of the position for a Roman station, if they should consent to be seduced.

4 Opportunitate loci, i. e. propter opp. loci.

5 Huc...præsidium imposuit. Imponere with an adverb of place. Comp. Jugur. 54. ubicunque res postulabat præsidium impositum. 66. quo Metellus præsidium imposuerat. 75. eoque imponit vasa. The reading huic, which is supported by a few MSS. only, is not necessary. 6 Juvaturum. This form occurs also in Plin. Ep. iv. 15, as sonaturum in Hor. Sat. i. 4. 44.

7 Impensius modo, i. e. supra modum impense. The ablat. after the compar., "beyond measure earnestly." The same phrase occurs Jugur. 75. Or impensius, scil. quam ante.

dedere1. Quos item, uti priores, consul illectos ad proditionem domum dimittebat: regi pacem, quam postulabat, neque abnuere, neque polliceri, et inter eas moras promissa legatorum exspectare.

XLVIII. Jugurtha ubi Metelli dicta cum factis composuit, ac se suis artibus tentari animadvertit ; quippe cui verbis pax nunciabatur, ceterum re bellum asperrimum erat, urbs maxima alienata, ager hostibus cognitus, animi popularium tentati; coactus rerum necessitudine, statuit armis certare. Igitur, explorato hostium itinere, in spem victoriæ adductus ex opportunitate loci, quam maximas copias potest omnium generum parat, ac per tramites occultos exercitum Metelli antevenit. Erat in ea parte Numidiæ, quam Adherbal in divisione possederat, flumen oriens a meridie, nomine Muthul; a quo aberat mons ferme millia passuum xx., tractu pari, vastus ab natura3 et humano cultu: sed ex eo medio quasi collis1 oriebatur, in immensum pertingens, vestitus oleastro ac myrtetis, aliisque generibus arborum, quæ humi3 arido atque arenoso gignuntur. Media autem planities deserta, penuria aquæ, præter flumini propinqua loca: ea consita arbustis, pecore atque cultoribus frequentabantur.

1 Dedere, "offered to surrender." 2 Tramites, "by-paths;" opposed

to military ways or high roads.

3 Vastus ab natura, "naturally desolate;" as ab equitatu firmus, ab doctoribus instructus; "on the part of." Vastus ab humano cultu, "as re

gards (the want of) cultivation:" qu. incultu. Comp. Catil. 55.

4 Quasi collis, "a sort of hill."

5 Humi: gen. cas. as, Tac. Ann. i. 61. humido paludum. iv. 41. secreto loci.

6 Consita, "planted;" but as a

XLIX. Igitur in eo colle, quem transverso itinere1 porrectum docuimus, Jugurtha, extenuata suorum acie2, consedit: elephantis et parti copiarum pedestrium Bomilcarem præfecit, eumque edocet, quæ ageret: ipse propior montem cum omni equitatu et peditibus delectis suos3 collocat: dein, singulas turmas atque manipulos circumiens, monet atque obtestatur, "uti, memores pristinæ virtutis et victoriæ, sese regnumque suum ab Romanorum avaritia defendant: cum his certamen fore, quos antea victos sub jugum miserint: ducem illis, non animum, mutatum: quæ ab imperatore decuerint 5, omnia suis provisa locum superiorem, uti prudentes cum imperitis, ne pauciores cum pluribus, aut rudes cum bello melioribus, manum consererent: proinde parati intentique essent, signo dato, Romanos invadere: illum diem aut omnes labores et victorias confirmaturum, aut maximarum ærumnarum initium fore." Ad hoc viritim, uti quemque, ob militare facinus, pecunia aut

:

stronger word than the simple satus,

it here means, 66 overgrown." Virg. En. iii. 127. crebris legimus freta consita terris.

1 Transverso itinere, "in a direction at right angles," i. e. to the mountain.

2 Extenuata acie, "drawn out in a thin line." Comp. Suet. de Bell. Afric. 14. adversariorum equitatus sese extendus, et... Cæsaris equitatum extenuare.

3 Suos, "his own division."

4 Manipulos, "bands of infantry:" the Roman term applied loosely to the array of a foreign people.

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5 Decuerint: scil. provideri ; to be supplied from provisa, which follows. Decuerit would be the proper construction.

6 Locum superiorem, etc. Observe the four particulars in which Jugurtha had provided, like a good general, for victory; 1. higher ground; 2. knowledge of the country, and of the kind of warfare required in it; 3. no inferiority in numbers; 4. nor in skill and discipline.

7 Prudentes: scil. belli; in every thing relating to the conduct of the

war.

honore extulerat1, commonefacere beneficii sui, et eum ipsum aliis ostentare: postremo, pro cujusque ingenio, pollicendo, minitando, obtestando, alium alio modo excitare; cum interim Metellus, ignarus hostium, monte degrediens cum exercitu conspicatur 2 : primo dubius, quidnam insolita facies ostenderet (nam inter virgulta equi Numidæque3 consederant, neque plane occultati humilitate arborum, et tamen incerti, quidnam esset1, cum natura loci, tum dolo, ipsi atque signa militaria obscurati), dein, brevi cognitis. insidiis, paullisper agmen constituit: ibi, commutatis ordinibus in dextero latere, quod proximum hostes erat, triplicibus subsidiis aciem instruxit: inter manipulos funditores et sagittarios dispertit: equitatum omnem in cornibus locat: ac, pauca pro tempore milites hortatus, aciem, sicuti instruxerat, transversis principiis, in planum deducit.

1 Pecunia aut honore extulerat, "had advanced in wealth or dignity:" the proper meaning of extollere, to raise, promote, is extended by a zeugma to pecunia, which should properly be connected with such a word as ornare, or locupletare.

2 Conspicatur: scil. hostes; MSS. conspicitur. But Donatus quotes Sallust's use of conspicor for conspicio; and the passage evidently requires the active sense here.

3 Equi Numidaque, "the Numidians, horse and foot." So equi virique for equites peditesque. Cæs. B. G. viii. 36. Germanos equitesque.

• Incerti quidnam esset: passivè, "they were not clearly distinguished,

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as to what it was they were."

5 Commutatis ordinibus in dextero latere, "facing right about." Jugurtha occupied the hill on the right of the Roman army as it descended the mountain.

Triplicibus subsidiis, "in three lines, supporting each other:" the usual Roman battle-array.

7 Transversis principiis, "with the first rank at right angles to the line of march." Principes are properly the second line, but principia the first rank of any line. The army having wheeled right about, continues to descend, in three columns, instead of, as before, in three lines.

L. Sed, ubi Numidas quietos, neque colle degredi, animadvertit, veritus, ex anni tempore et inopia aquæ, ne siti conficeretur exercitus, Rutilium legatum cum expeditis cohortibus et parte equitum præmisit ad flumen, uti locum castris antecaperet, existimans, hostes crebro impetu et transversis præliis 2 iter suum remoraturos, et, quoniam armis diffiderent3, lassitudinem et sitim militum tentaturos. Dein ipse, pro re atque loco, sicuti monte descenderat, paullatim procedere: Marium post principia1 habere ipse cum sinistra alæ equitibus esse, qui in agmine principes facti erant. At Jugurtha, ubi extremum agmen Metelli primos suos prætergressum videt, præsidio quasi duum millium peditum montem occupat, qua Metellus descenderat; ne forte cedentibus adversariis receptui, ac post munimento foret dein repente, signo dato, hostes invadit. Numidæ, alii postremos cædere; pars a sinistra ac dextera tentare: infensi adesse atque instare: omni

1 Cum expeditis cohortibus, i.e. sine impedimentis, "leaving their baggage behind to expedite their movement."

2 Crebro impetu et transversis præliis, "by repeated attacks and skirmishes on his flank."

3 Quoniam armis diffiderent, "since they, the Numidians, dared not engage in a pitched battle."

Post principia, "behind the first rank, in the first line;" which in the movement which Metellus was exe

ing, became the right wing of the

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5

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army, and was immediately opposed to the flank attacks of the Numidians. On the other hand, the left wing had become the first rank of the advancing columns who are here called principes. 5 Primos suos: scil. his own left wing, which was most in advance towards the mountain.

6 Quasi duum millium, i. e. circiter duo millia. Comp. Suet. Calig. 58. Hora quasi septima.

7 Adesse. Sometimes in the sense of attacking, harassing, particularly when coupled with an adjective of

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