§30.11.1per eosdem forte dies cum Laelius et Masinissa quinto decimo ferme die in Numidiam pervenissent, Maesulii, regnum paternum Masinissae, laeti ut ad regem diu desideratum concessere.
By chance, about the same days, when Laelius and Masinissa had arrived in Numidia on about the fifteenth day, the Maesulii, the paternal kingdom of Masinissa, joyfully submitted to him as if to a king they had long desired.
§30.11.2Syphax pulsis inde praefectis praesidiisque suis vetere se continebat regno, neutiquam quieturus.
Syphax, his officers and garrisons having been expelled from there, confined himself to his old kingdom, by no means intending to remain quiet.
§30.11.3stimulabat aegrum amore uxor socerque, et ita viris equisque abundabat, ut subiectae oculis regni per multos florentis annos vires etiam minus barbaro atque inpotenti animo spiritus possent facere.
His wife and father-in-law were urging him on, sick as he was with love, and he so abounded in men and horses that the power of a kingdom flourishing through many years, placed before his eyes, could have inspired courage even in a mind less barbarian and unrestrained.
§30.11.4igitur omnibus, qui bello apti erant, in unum coactis equos, arma, tela dividit; equites in turmas, pedites in cohortes, sicut quondam ab Romanis centurionibus didicerat, distribuit.
Therefore, having gathered into one place all who were fit for war, he distributed horses, armor, and weapons; he divided the cavalry into squadrons and the infantry into cohorts, just as he had formerly learned from the Roman centurions.
§30.11.5exercitu haud minore, quam quem prius habuerat, ceterum omni prope novo atque incondito, ire ad hostes pergit.
With an army no smaller than the one he had previously held, though almost entirely raw and undisciplined, he proceeded to march against the enemy.
§30.11.6et castris in propinquo positis primo pauci equites ex tuto speculantes ab stationibus progredi, dein iaculis summoti recurrere ad suos; inde excursiones in vicem fieri et, cum pulsos indignatio accenderet, §30.11.7plures subire, quod inritamentum certaminum equestrium est, cum aut vincentibus spes aut pulsis ira adgregat suos.
And having pitched his camp nearby, at first a few horsemen, reconnoitering from a safe distance, advanced from the outposts, and then, driven back by javelins, retreated to their own men; from that, mutual incursions began to take place, and, when indignation fired those who had been repulsed, more of them came up, which is an incentive in cavalry skirmishes, when either hope draws the comrades of the victors or anger those of the defeated.
§30.11.8ita tum a paucis proelio accenso omnem utrimque postremo equitatum certaminis studium effudit.
Thus, the battle having been kindled then by a few, the eagerness for combat finally poured out all the cavalry on both sides.
ac dum sincerum equestre proelium erat, multitudo Masaesuliorum, ingentia agmina Syphace emittente, sustineri vix poterat; §30.11.9deinde, ut pedes Romanus repentino per turmas suas viam dantes intercursu stabilem aciem fecit absterruitque effuse invehentem sese hostem, primo barbari segnius permittere equos, §30.11.10dein stare ac prope stupere turbati novo genere pugnae, postremo non pediti solum cedere, sed ne equitem quidem sustinere peditis praesidio audentem.
And as long as it was a pure cavalry battle, the multitude of the Masaesulii could scarcely be withstood, as Syphax was sending out huge columns; then, as soon as the Roman infantry, by suddenly running through their own squadrons which opened a way for them, made a firm line of battle and terrified the enemy who were charging in a scattered manner, at first the barbarians urged on their horses more sluggishly, then they halted and stood almost astounded, thrown into confusion by this new kind of fighting, and finally they not only gave way to the infantry, but did not even dare to withstand the cavalry, who were emboldened by the protection of the infantry.
iam signa quoque legionum adpropinquabant.
Now the standards of the legions were also approaching.
§30.11.11tum vero Masaesulii non modo primum impetum sed ne conspectum quidem signorum atque armorum tulerunt: tantum seu memoria priorum cladium seu praesens terror valuit.
Then indeed the Masaesulii did not even endure the first onset, nor even the sight of the standards and armor; so much did either the memory of past defeats or their present terror prevail.