§25.39.1erant ultra proxuma castra sex milium interuallo distantes aliae copiae Poenorum.
were other forces of the Carthaginians beyond the nearest camp, at a distance of six miles.
valles cava intererat, condensa arboribus.
A hollow valley lay between, thick with trees.
in huius silvae medio ferme spatio cohors Romana arte Punica abditur et equites. §25.39.2ita medio itinere intercepto ceterae copiae silenti agmine ad proximos hostis, ductae, et, cum statio nulla pro portis neque in vallo custodiae essent, velut in sua castra nullo usquam obsistente penetravere. §25.39.3inde signa canunt et tollitur clamor.
In almost the middle of this forest, a Roman cohort and cavalry were hidden by Carthaginian artifice. road in between being thus intercepted, the rest of the forces were led in a silent column to the nearest enemy, and, since there was no outpost before the gates nor guards on the rampart, they penetrated as if into their own camp, with no one resisting anywhere. they sound the signals and a shout is raised.
pars semisomnos hostis caedunt, pars ignes casis stramento arido tectis iniciunt, pars portas occupant, ut fugam intercludant. §25.39.4hostes simul ignis, clamor, caedes velut alienatos sensibus nec audire nec providere quicquam sinunt. §25.39.5incidunt inermes inter catervas armatorum.
Some slaughter the half-asleep enemy, some throw fire upon the huts covered with dry straw, some occupy the gates to cut off escape. fire, the shouting, and the slaughter, all at the same time, did not allow the enemy, as if deprived of their senses, either to hear or to foresee anything. men fell in among the crowds of armed men.
alii ruunt ad portas, alii obsaeptis itineribus super vallum saliunt. §25.39.6et ut quisque evaserat, protinus ad castra altera fugiunt, ubi ab cohorte et equitibus ex occulto procurrentibus circumventi caesique ad unum omnes sunt; §25.39.7quamquam, etiamsi quis ex ea caede effugisset, adeo raptim a captis propioribus castris in altera transcursum castra ab Romanis est, ut praevenire nuntius cladis non posset. §25.39.8ibi vero, quo longius ab hoste aberant, et quia sub lucem pabulatum lignatumque et praedatum quidam dilapsi fuerant, neglecta magis omnia ac soluta invenere, arma tantum in stationibus posita, milites inermes aut humi sedentes accubantesque aut obambulantes ante vallum portasque. §25.39.9cum his tam securis solutisque Romani calentes adhuc ab recenti pugna ferocesque victoria proelium ineunt.
Some rushed to the gates, others, their ways being blocked, leaped over the rampart. as each one escaped, they fled immediately to the other camp, where they were surrounded and slain to a man by the cohort and cavalry rushing out from their hiding place., even if anyone had escaped from that slaughter, the run from the captured nearer camp to the other camp was made so rapidly by the Romans that a messenger of the disaster could not arrive beforehand. indeed, as they were further away from the enemy, and because some had dispersed around dawn to forage, gather wood, and plunder, they found everything even more neglected and loose: only arms placed at the outposts, the soldiers unarmed, either sitting or lying on the ground, or walking about before the rampart and the gates. these men so secure and relaxed, the Romans, still warm from the recent battle and fierce with victory, entered the fight.
itaque nequaquam resisti in portis potuit.
And so, resistance could by no means be made at the gates.
intra portas concursu ex totis castris ad primum clamorem et tumultum facto atrox proelium oritur. §25.39.10diuque tenuisset, ni cruenta scuta Romanorum visa indicium alterius cladis poenis atque inde pavorem iniecissent. §25.39.11hic terror in fugam avertit omnis; effusique, qua iter est, nisi quos caedes oppressit, exuuntur castris.
Inside the gates, a fierce battle arose, a rush being made from the whole camp at the first shout and tumult. it would have held out for a long time, had not the bloody shields of the Romans, being seen, cast a proof of the other disaster upon the Carthaginians and thrown panic among them. terror turned all into flight; and pouring out where there was a path, except those whom the slaughter oppressed, they were stripped of their camp.
ita nocte ac die bina castra hostium expugnata ductu L. Marcii.
Thus by night and by day, two camps of the enemy were captured under the leadership of L.
§25.39.12ad triginta septem milia hostium caesa auctor est Claudius, qui annales Acilianos ex Graeco in Latinum sermonem vertit, captos ad mille octingentos triginta, praedam ingentem partam; §25.39.13in ea fuisse clipeum argenteum pondo centum triginta septem cum imagine Barcini Hasdrubalis. §25.39.14Valerius Antias una castra Magonis capta tradit, septem milia caesa hostium; altero proelio eruptione pugnatum cum Hasdrubale, decem milia occisa, quattuor milia trecentos triginta captos. §25.39.15Piso quinque milia hominum, cum Mago cedentis nostros effuse sequeretur, caesa ex insidiis scribit. §25.39.16apud omnis magnum nomen Marcii ducis est.
Marcius., who translated the Acilian annals from Greek into the Latin language, is the authority that about thirty-seven thousand of the enemy were slain, about one thousand eight hundred and thirty captured, and immense booty obtained; that in it there was a silver shield of one hundred and thirty-seven pounds in weight with the image of Hasdrubal Barca. Antias records that only one camp, that of Mago, was captured, seven thousand of the enemy slain; and that in another battle, fought in a sally against Hasdrubal, ten thousand were killed and four thousand three hundred and thirty captured. writes that five thousand men were slain from ambush when Mago was in scattered pursuit of our retreating men. all, the name of the commander Marcius is great.
et verae gloriae eius etiam miracula addunt: flammam ei contionanti fusam e capite sine ipsius sensu cum magno pavore circumstantium militum; §25.39.17monumentumque victoriae eius de Poenis usque ad incensum Capitolium fuisse in templo clipeum Marcium appellatum cum imagine Hasdrubalis. — §25.39.18quietae deinde aliquamdiu in Hispania res fuere utrisque post tantas in vicem acceptas inlatasque clades cunctantibus periculum summae rerum facere.
And to his true glory they also add miracles: that a flame poured from his head while he was speaking, without his own awareness, to the great terror of the surrounding soldiers; that a monument of his victory over the Carthaginians, called the Marcian shield with the image of Hasdrubal, was in the temple until the burning of the Capitol., affairs in Spain were quiet for some time, since both sides, after receiving and inflicting such great disasters in turn, hesitated to risk the sum of things.