§2.25.1Caesar ab X. legionis cohortatione ad dextrum cornu profectus, ubi suos urgeri signisque in unum locum conlatis XII. legionis confertos milites sibi ipsos ad pugnam esse impedimento vidit, quartae cohortis omnibus centurionibus occisis signiferoque interfecto, signo amisso, reliquarum cohortium omnibus fere centurionibus aut vulneratis aut occisis, in his primipilo P. Sextio Baculo, fortissimo viro, multis gravibusque vulneribus confecto, ut iam se sustinere non posset, reliquos esse tardiores et non nullos ab novissimis deserto loco proelio excedere ac tela vitare, hostes neque a fronte ex inferiore loco subeuntes intermittere et ab utroque latere instare et rem esse in angusto vidit, neque ullum esse subsidium quod submitti posset, §2.25.2scuto ab novissimis [uni] militi detracto, quod ipse eo sine scuto venerat, in primam aciem processit centurionibusque nominatim appellatis reliquos cohortatus milites signa inferre et manipulos laxare iussit, quo facilius gladiis uti possent.
Caesar, having proceeded from his encouragement of the tenth legion to the right wing, where he saw his men hard pressed and the soldiers of the twelfth legion, having their standards collected into one place, crowded together so that they themselves were a hindrance to one another for fighting, all the centurions of the fourth cohort being slain and the standard-bearer killed, the standard lost, almost all the centurions of the remaining cohorts either wounded or slain, among these the chief centurion Publius Sextius Baculus, a very brave man, exhausted by many and severe wounds, so that he could no longer support himself, the rest being less active and some from the rear, abandoning their post, withdrawing from the battle and avoiding the missiles, and the enemy not ceasing to come up from the lower ground in front and pressing hard on both sides, and he saw that the situation was in a critical state and that there was no reserve that could be sent, snatching a shield from a soldier in the rear (because he himself had come thither without a shield), he advanced to the front line, and having called the centurions by name and encouraged the rest of the soldiers, he ordered them to advance the standards and open their ranks, so that they might be able to use their swords more easily.
§2.25.3Cuius adventu spe inlata militibus ac redintegrato animo, cum pro se quisque in conspectu imperatoris etiam in extremis suis rebus operam navare cuperet, paulum hostium impetus tardatus est.
By his arrival, hope being brought to the soldiers and their courage renewed, since each one, in the sight of the general, desired to do his best even in his utmost danger, the onset of the enemy was delayed a little.