Battle with the Hernici and the Dismounted Cavalry Charge — Livy, History of Rome Book 7 (7.7.1–7.7.9), Latin & English

§7.7.1

priusquam dictator legionesque novae in Hernicos venirent, ductu C. Sulpici legati res per occasionem gesta egregie est.

Before the dictator and the new legions arrived among the Hernici, a brilliant success was achieved under the leadership of the lieutenant Gaius Sulpicius, who took advantage of an opportunity.

§7.7.2

in Hernicos, morte consulis contemptim ad castra Romana cum haud dubia expugnandi spe succedentes, hortante legato et plenis irae atque indignitatis militum animis eruptio est facta. multum ab spe adeundi valli res Hernicis afuit;¹ adeo turbatis inde ordinibus abscessere.

Against the Hernici, who, despising the death of the consul, were advancing toward the Roman camp with no doubtful hope of storming it, a sally was made at the encouragement of the lieutenant, and with the minds of the soldiers full of anger and indignation. The result for the Hernici was far from their hope of reaching the rampart; they retreated from there with their ranks greatly disordered.

§7.7.3

dictatoris deinde adventu novus veteri exercitus iungitur et copiae duplicantur; et pro contione dictator laudibus legati militumque, quorum virtute castra defensa erant, simul audientibus laudes meritas tollit animos, simul ceteros ad aemulandas virtutes acuit.

Then, upon the arrival of the dictator, the new army was joined to the old, and the forces were doubled; and in an assembly, by praising the lieutenant and the soldiers by whose valor the camp had been defended, the dictator at once raised the spirits of those who heard their well-deserved praises, and at the same time stimulated the rest to emulate their valor.

§7.7.4

neque segnius ad hostes bellum apparatur, qui et parti ante decoris memores neque ignari auctarum virium hostis suas quoque vires augent. omne Hernicum nomen, omnis militaris aetas excitur; quadringenariae octo cohortes, lecta robora virorum, scribuntur.

Nor was the war prepared for with less vigor by the enemy, who, mindful of their former glory and not unaware of the increased strength of the foe, also increased their own forces. All who bore the Hernician name, and all of military age, were called out; eight cohorts of four hundred men each, the chosen strength of their men, were enrolled.

§7.7.5

hunc eximium florem iuventutis eo etiam, quod, ut duplex acciperent stipendium, decreverant, spei animorumque inplevere;² inmunes quoque operum militarium erant, ut in unum pugnae laborem reservati plus sibi quam pro virili parte adnitendum scirent;

They filled this choice flower of the youth with hope and courage, also by the fact that they had decreed that they should receive double pay; they were also exempt from military labors, so that, being reserved for the single labor of the battle, they might know that they had to exert themselves beyond the ordinary share of a man;

§7.7.6

extra ordinem etiam in acie locati, quo conspectior virtus esset. duum milium planities castra Romana ab Hernicis dirimebat;

they were also posted outside the regular ranks in the battle line, so that their valor might be more conspicuous. A plain of two miles separated the Roman camp from the Hernici.

§7.7.7

ibi pari ferme utrimque spatio in medio pugnatum est. primo stetit ambigua spe pugna nequiquam saepe conatis equitibus Romanis impetu turbare³ hostium aciem.

There, they fought in the middle, at an almost equal distance from both sides. At first, the battle stood in suspense, with doubtful hope, the Roman cavalry having often attempted in vain to throw the enemy’s line into confusion by a charge.

§7.7.8

postquam equestris pugna effectu quam conatibus vanior erat, consulto prius dictatore equites, permissu deinde eius relictis equis, clamore ingenti provolant ante signa et novam integrant pugnam.

After the cavalry fight proved more fruitless in result than in effort, the cavalry, having first consulted the dictator, and then with his permission left their horses, dashed forward before the standards with a huge shout and renewed the battle.

§7.7.9

neque sustineri poterant, ni extraordinariae cohortes pari corporum animorumque robore se obiecissent.⁴

Nor could they have been withstood, if the extraordinary cohorts had not opposed them with equal strength of body and mind.

Syntax notes4 items

7.7.2multum ab spe adeundi valli res Hernicis afuit
Here, res is the subject, afuit is the predicate verb, and Hernicis functions as a dative of reference (or advantage/disadvantage). Literally, 'the matter was far off for the Hernici from their hope of reaching the rampart,' meaning that their expectations were completely thwarted.
7.7.5spei animorumque inplevere
inplevere is a syncopated form of the third-person plural perfect impleverunt. It takes hunc eximium florem iuventutis as its direct object (accusative), while spei animorumque are genitives of plenty/content governed by the verb impleo.
7.7.7nequiquam saepe conatis equitibus Romanis impetu turbare
An ablative absolute construction with equitibus Romanis as the logical subject, accompanied by conatis, the perfect participle of the deponent verb conor. The infinitive turbare functions as the complement of the participle conatis.
7.7.9neque sustineri poterant, ni... obiecissent
A mixed conditional sentence expressing a past contrary-to-fact situation. While the protasis (ni... obiecissent) is in the pluperfect subjunctive, the apodosis (neque sustineri poterant) uses the imperfect indicative (poterant). In Latin, verbs of ability or possibility like possum regularly take the indicative in the apodosis of contrary-to-fact conditionals.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-22)

2026-09-22 AI review — source 1

urn:cts:latinLit:phi0914.phi001.humanitext-lat2:7.7.1-7.7.9