§27.2.1Marcellus nihil admodum tanta clade territus litteras Romam ad senatum de duce atque exercitu ad Herdoneam amisso scribit: §27.2.2ceterum eundem se, qui post Cannensem pugnam ferocem victoria Hannibalem contuderit, ire adversus eum, brevem illi laetitiam, qua exultet, facturum.
Marcellus, not at all terrified by so great a disaster, wrote a letter to the senate at Rome concerning the general and the army lost at Herdonea: namely, that he, the very same man who after the battle of Cannae had crushed Hannibal when he was fierce with victory, was marching against him, and would make the joy in which he exulted short-lived.
§27.2.3et Romae quidem cum luctus ingens ex praeterito tum timor in futurum erat.
And indeed at Rome there was both huge grief from the past and fear for the future.
§27.2.4consul ex Samnio in Lucanos transgressus ad Numistronem in conspectu Hannibalis loco plano, cum Poenus collem teneret, posuit castra.
The consul, having crossed from Samnium into the territory of the Lucanians, pitched his camp near Numistro, in the sight of Hannibal, on level ground, while the Carthaginian held a hill.
§27.2.5addidit et aliam fidentis speciem, quod prior in aciem eduxit; nec detractavit Hannibal, at signa portis efferri vidit.
He also added another appearance of confidence, in that he was the first to lead his men out into battle array; nor did Hannibal decline, as he saw the standards being carried out from the gates.
§27.2.6ita tamen aciem instruxerunt, ut Poenus dextrum cornu in collem erigeret, Romani sinistrum ad oppidum adplicarent.
However, they so drew up their lines that the Carthaginian extended his right wing onto the hill, and the Romans aligned their left wing near the town.
ab hora tertia cum ad noctem pugnam extendissent, fessaeque pugnando primae acies essent — ab Romanis prima legio et dextra ala, ab Hannibale Hispani milites et funditores Baliaris, elephanti quoque commisso iam certamine in proelium acti —, diu pugna neutro inclinata stetit.
Although they had prolonged the battle from the third hour until night, and the first lines were exhausted by fighting — on the Roman side, the first legion and the right wing, on Hannibal's, the Spanish soldiers and the Balearic slingers, with elephants also driven into the battle after the contest had already begun —, for a long time the battle stood without inclining to either side.
§27.2.7ut primae legioni tertia, dextrae alae sinistra subiit, et apud hostis integri a fessis pugnam accepere, §27.2.8novum atque atrox proelium ex iam segni repente exarsit recentibus animis corporibusque; sed nox incerta victoria diremit pugnantis.
When the third legion succeeded the first, and the left wing succeeded the right wing, and among the enemy the fresh troops took over the fight from the exhausted ones, a new and fierce battle suddenly flared up from what had now become sluggish, with fresh minds and bodies; but night separated the combatants, with the victory undecided.
§27.2.9postero die Romani ab sole orto in multum diei stetere in acie; ubi nemo hostium adversus prodiit, spolia per otium legere et congestos in unum locum cremavere suos.
On the following day, the Romans stood in battle array from sunrise far into the day; when none of the enemy came out against them, they gathered the spoils at leisure and burned their own dead, who had been piled into one place.
nocte insequenti Hannibal silentio movit castra §27.2.10et in Apuliam abiit.
On the following night, Hannibal moved his camp in silence, and departed into Apulia.
Marcellus, ubi lux fugam hostium aperuit, sauciis cum praesidio modico Numistrone relictis praepositoque iis L. Furio Purpurione tribuno militum, vestigiis institit sequi.
Marcellus, when daylight revealed the flight of the enemy, left the wounded at Numistro with a moderate garrison, putting the military tribune Lucius Furius Purpurio in command of them, and pressed on to follow their tracks.
ad Venusiam adeptus eum est.
He caught up with him near Venusia.
§27.2.11ibi per dies aliquot, cum ab stationibus procursaretur, mixta equitum peditumque tumultuosa magis proelia quam magna, et ferme omnia Romanis secunda fuere.
There, for several days, as skirmishes were made from the outposts, there were combined battles of cavalry and infantry, which were more tumultuous than large, and almost all of them were favorable to the Romans.
§27.2.12inde per Apuliam ducti exercitus sine ullo memorando certamine, cum Hannibal nocte signa moveret, locum insidiis quaerens, Marcellus nisi certa luce et explorato ante non sequeretur.
From there, the armies were led through Apulia without any memorable battle; while Hannibal moved his standards by night, seeking a place for an ambush, Marcellus would not follow except in clear daylight and after the ground had been reconnoitered beforehand.