[499] ‘All things, not only his good arrangements, were interpreted as good services,’ so that to non we have to supply modo. For the phrase in virtutem trahere, see [chap. 85]: ducere in conscientiam.
[500] ‘He was either himself endowed with a divine mind, or everything was revealed to him by divine inspiration.’
[501] Capsensium; supply res, ‘the undertaking against Capsa;’ for the name of the inhabitants of a town is often used for that of the town itself.
[502] ‘For it was on all sides steep, as if made so by human hands, and purposely.’ The accusative omnia is to be taken adverbially, ‘on all sides,’ just as we frequently find cetera and reliqua. See Zumpt, § 459. Other editions and inferior manuscripts have per omnia, omni parte, omnis, all of which are only attempts to explain the true reading.
[503] ‘For the fort contained a sufficient number of men, arms, and provisions.’ This is the reading of the manuscripts; in modern editions et is omitted, and the passage is given with the following punctuation: nam castello virorum atque armorum satis, magna vis frumenti, which seems indeed to be supported by the sense; but violates the rule, that when there are three nouns, the conjunction must either be used twice, or omitted altogether.
[504] ‘The road of the inhabitants of the castle;’ that is, the only road which led up to the castle.
[505] ‘Do their work ;’ namely, break through the wall.
[93.]
[506] Aestuans is here used figuratively of one who is in care and anxiety.
[507] Ligus, ‘a Ligurian,’ belonging to the country of Liguria, which was then not yet considered as belonging to Italy, and the capital of which was Genoa. Four cohorts of Ligurian auxiliares in the Roman army were mentioned in [chap. 77], and those auxiliaries were no doubt of great service to the Romans in this war, since they were accustomed to climbing, ascending heights, and other hardships, from their own mountainous country. Livy, too, praises the quickness, perseverance, and adroitness of the Ligurians in the petty warfare in which they were engaged for many years against the Romans.
[508] Egressus est, the same as escendit or evasit, ‘he got up.’
[509] ‘The desire to accomplish difficult things changed his mind,’ inasmuch as he gave up collecting snails, and planned an attack upon the castle.
[510] ‘He drew an accurate plan of the area of the castle,’ as from his high position he could survey the whole. It is indeed hard to suppose that the Ligurian had with him the necessary drawing materials; but perscribit may possibly mean only to mark such points as would enable the soldier to make an accurate drawing of the locality after his return to the camp.
[511] ‘The Numidians were most intently observing the combatants, being with them.’
[512] ‘Marius despatched some of his followers to test the promises of the Ligurian.’
[513] ‘Out of the horn-blowers and trumpeters he chose five in number.’ Numero is almost superfluous.
[94.]
[514] Pergit; namely, Ligus.
[515] ‘That it might proceed more easily.’
[516] ‘In order that, if they stumbled against anything, they might make less noise.’
[517] ‘And the roots which, owing to their old age, were standing forth;’ for the roots of old trees rise out of the ground, and such knots remain on the surface even when the trees no longer exist.
[518] ‘He himself foremost (potissimus) tried those places which it was doubtful (dangerous) to climb up.’
[519] ‘And then immediately withdrawing;’ namely, in order to make room for those who followed.
[520] ‘The inconsiderate boldness of Marius (of attacking an impregnable fortress), when it became adjusted (justified, correcta) by chance, found praise instead of blame.’ The sudden terror of the Numidians on their hearing the military music of the Romans in their rear, was, according to Sallust, most advantageous to the Romans; for if the Numidians, while engaged in fighting, had despatched fifty men, they might easily have thrown down the few Romans who had found their way up; for the number of four centurions for the protection of the trumpeters is indeed surprisingly small, and we might almost be inclined to suppose that these centurions were followed by their centuries at some distance.
[95.]
[521] Quos refers to the equites implied in the word equitatus. This is a construction ad sensum, of which many examples occur in Sallust (compare [Cat. 7]), though the present case is rather unusual.
[522] Res, ‘the subject,’ ‘the present discussion,’ or ‘the context of the narrative.’
[523] Persecutus; supply Sullae naturam cultumque. L. Sisenna, an early contemporary of Cicero, had written a history of the civil war between Marius and Sulla; he was himself a partisan of Sulla, and therefore not quite unbiassed in his judgment.
[524] The patrician gens to which Sulla belonged was the gens Cornelia. The statement that the family of Sulla was almost extinct, in consequence of the inactivity of the ancestors of the great Sulla, applies to their loss of power and influence rather than to a physical decay of the family.
[525] Atque doctissime, ‘and that very profoundly;’ the same as et doctissime quidem.
[526] Nisi quod adds a limitation or exception to something stated before. Here the preceding praise is qualified or limited by the remark, that in his matrimonial relation he might have behaved better; for he was married several times, and chose his wives at the spur of a momentary passion. Potuit consuli; supply ab eo; that is, potuisset consulere.
[527] Amicitia facilis, ‘pleasing and agreeable in his friendship or friendly intercourse.’
[528] Altitudo animi, the unfathomableness of a man’s character and designs — a character which shows nothing outwardly of what is going on within. Such a character has all the requisites to become hypocritical, ad simulationem et dissimulationem.
[529] ‘His good fortune was never greater than his activity;’ that is, his activity was equal to his good fortune, and he therefore deserved all praise. But his doings after his victory in the civil war are utterly condemned by Sallust, who then assigns to him neither good-luck nor activity.
[96.]
[530] For intra breves tempestates, see note 3, page 59 [[note 304 in Cat.]].
[531] Id laboro. See Zumpt, § 385. Ut illi deberent should properly be sibi or ipsi; but see Zumpt, § 550.
[532] Multus adesse, ‘he was present in many places,’ multiplying, as it were, his own person. Compare [chap. 84].