§23.29.1quinque milium intervallo castra distantia habuere paucos dies, nec sine levibus proeliis nec ut in aciem exirent;
For a few days they held their camps at a distance of five miles from each other, not without light skirmishes, yet not so that they went out into line of battle.
§23.29.2tandem uno eodemque die velut ex composito utrimque signum pugnae propositum est atque omnibus copiis in campum descensum.
At last, on one and the same day, as if by agreement, the signal for battle was displayed on both sides, and they marched down into the plain with all their forces.
§23.29.3triplex stetit Romana acies: velitum pars inter antesignanos locata, pars post signa accepta; equites cornua cinxere.
The Roman line of battle stood threefold: a part of the velites was placed among the antesignani, and a part was received behind the standards; the cavalry flanked the wings.
§23.29.4Hasdrubal mediam aciem Hispanis firmat; in cornibus dextro Poenos locat, laevo Afros mercennariorumque auxilia; equitum Numidas Poenorum peditibus, ceteros Afris pro cornibus apponit.
Hasdrubal strengthened his center with Spaniards; on the wings he placed the Carthaginians on the right, and the Africans and mercenary auxiliaries on the left; of the cavalry, he stationed the Numidians in front of the Carthaginian infantry, and the rest in front of the Africans on the wings.
§23.29.5nec omnes Numidae in dextro locati cornu sed quibus desultorum in modum binos trahentibus equos inter acerrimam saepe pugnam in recentem equum ex fesso armatis transultare mos erat: §23.29.6tanta velocitas ipsis tamque docile equorum genus est.
Nor were all the Numidians placed on the right wing, but only those whose custom it was, after the manner of vaulting riders, leading two horses, to leap in full armor from a tired horse to a fresh one, often in the midst of the fiercest fighting: so great was their own agility and so docile the breed of their horses.
cum hoc modo instructi starent, imperatorum utriusque partis haud ferme dispares spes erant; nam ne minimum quidem aut numero aut genere militum hi aut illi praestabant; militibus longe dispar animus erat.
When they stood drawn up in this manner, the hopes of the generals of both sides were nearly equal; for neither the one nor the other excelled in the least, either in the number or the kind of soldiers; but the spirit of the soldiers was far different.
§23.29.7Romanis enim, quamquam procul a patria pugnarent, facile persuaserant duces pro Italia atque urbe Romana eos pugnare; itaque, velut quibus reditus in patriam eo discrimine pugnae verteretur, obstinaverant animis vincere aut mori.
For as to the Romans, although they were fighting far from their country, the generals had easily persuaded them that they were fighting for Italy and the city of Rome; and so, as if their return to their country depended on the outcome of that battle, they had resolved in their minds to conquer or to die.
§23.29.8minus pertinaces viros habebat altera acies; nam maxima pars Hispani erant, qui vinci in Hispania quam victores in Italiam trahi malebant.
The other line of battle had less determined men; for the greatest part were Spaniards, who preferred to be conquered in Spain rather than to be dragged as victors into Italy.
§23.29.9primo igitur concursu, cum vix pila coniecta essent, rettulit pedem media acies, inferentibusque se magno impetu Romanis vertit terga.
At the first clash, therefore, when the javelins had scarcely been thrown, the center fell back, and as the Romans pressed on with great force, it turned its back.
nihilo segnius in cornibus proelium fuit.
The battle on the wings was no less vigorous.
§23.29.10hinc Poenus, hinc Afer urguet, et velut in circumventos proelio ancipiti pugnant; §23.29.11sed cum in medium tota iam coisset Romana acies, satis virium ad dimovenda hostium cornua habuit.
On one side the Carthaginian, on the other the African pressed hard, and they fought in a double-fronted battle as if against surrounded men; but when the entire Roman line of battle had already concentrated in the center, it had sufficient strength to push back the wings of the enemy.
§23.29.12ita duo diversa proelia erant.
Thus there were two separate battles.
utroque Romani, ut qui pulsis iam ante mediis et numero et robore virorum praestarent, haud dubie superant.
In both, the Romans, as they excelled both in number and in the strength of their men since the center had already been beaten, undoubtedly prevailed.
§23.29.13magna vis hominum ibi occisa et nisi Hispani vixdum conserto proelio tam effuse fugissent, perpauci ex tota superfuissent acie.
A great force of men was slain there, and if the Spaniards had not fled so dispersedly when the battle had scarcely begun, very few would have survived from the whole line.
§23.29.14equestris pugna nulla admodum fuit, quia, simul inclinatam mediam aciem Mauri Numidaeque videre, extemplo fuga effusa nuda cornua elephantis quoque prae se actis deseruere.
There was scarcely any cavalry battle, because as soon as the Moors and Numidians saw the center giving way, they immediately fled dispersedly, abandoning the unprotected wings and driving the elephants also before them.
§23.29.15Hasdrubal usque ad ultimum eventum pugnae moratus e media caede cum paucis effugit.
Hasdrubal, having tarried until the final outcome of the battle, escaped with a few men from the midst of the slaughter.
§23.29.16castra Romani cepere atque diripuere.
The Romans captured and plundered the camp.
ea pugna, si qua dubia in Hispania erant, Romanis adiunxit, Hasdrubalique non modo in Italiam traducendi exercitus sed ne manendi quidem satis tuto in Hispania spes reliqua erat.
That battle joined to the Romans whatever was wavering in Spain, and left Hasdrubal no hope, not only of leading his army into Italy, but not even of remaining safely enough in Spain.
§23.29.17quae posteaquam litteris Scipionum Romae volgata sunt, non tam victoria quam prohibito Hasdrubalis in Italiam transitu laetabantur
When these things were made known at Rome by the letter of the Scipios, they rejoiced not so much for the victory as for the prevention of Hasdrubal's passage into Italy.