[313] Proelium facere in manibus, the same as pugnare cominus, manus conserere, ‘to be engaged in close combat.’
[314] ‘Torches mixed of burning pitch and sulphur;’ that is, burning torches of pitch and sulphur. The singular taedam is used in a collective sense for the plural taedas.
[58.]
[315] ‘Those who had been left behind to protect the camp being remiss’ (careless, unconcerned); a figurative use of remissus, taken from a bow when it is not stretched.
[316] ‘As they, being few, less missed in throwing their darts among the many.’ The deponent frustari here has a reflective meaning, ‘to exert one’s self in vain,’ ‘to deceive one’s self,’ and must be conceived to come from the active frustrare, ‘to frustrate.’
[317] ‘Then, indeed (in truth), they showed,’ &c. Respecting vero in the apodosis, see note on [chap. 50].
[59.]
[318] ‘The Numidian horsemen would not have resisted any longer, had not their infantry mingled with the cavalry caused a great carnage’ (among the Romans). Respecting the imperfect in the protasis, though the apodosis contains the pluperfect, see Zumpt, § 525. The Numidian horse, accordingly, here did not follow their usual custom of making a sudden attack, and then retreating; on the contrary, they fought in such a manner that their own horses and those of the Romans stood head to head, and thus gained an almost complete victory, by procuring a respite for their struggling infantry.
[60.]
[319] ‘There they exerted themselves most actively,’ eo having the meaning of eo loco, or ibi.
[320] ‘More upon themselves than upon others.’ See Zumpt, § 725.
[321] ‘One might observe them.’ Zumpt, § 528, note 2.
[322] Sicuti — possent, ‘just as if,’ as sicut, like quasi, is used for velut. See [chap. 31]. For it is not possible that the two places of the struggle, near the walls of Zama, and on the other side of the Roman camp, should have been so near that the men could hear one another, or even distinctly see the separate charges.
[323] Niti corporibus, ‘to exert one’s self bodily,’ inasmuch as the body of the combatants is sometimes moved forward, and sometimes backward. The plural corpora is as common in Latin as animi, when several persons are spoken of.
[324] Sine tumultu, ‘without disturbance’ or ‘hindrance.’
[325] Astrictus, ‘fixed intent,’ whose attention was entirely directed to the contest at a distance. Occupatis also might have been used.
[61.]
[326] Ad eum, or ad illum, would have been strictly grammatical; and as Sallust uses ad se, it would have been more consistent to use the subjunctive defecissent; but the indicative is necessary, because a fact is to be expressed. All doubts would have been removed by ad ipsum, for this pronoun would turn our attention away from the secondary subject, urbes, and direct it to the leading subject, Metellus. But the ancient authors do not very often use this pronoun where is or sui, sibi, se, can be employed. Compare [chap. 66], and Zumpt, § 550.
[327] That is, Bomilcar ingenio infidus erat et metuebat.