§36.44.1Polyxenidas, ut appropinquare hostis adlatum est, occasione pugnandi laetus sinistrum ipse cornu in altum extendit, dextrum cornu praefectos navium ad terram explicare iubet, et aequa fronte ad pugnam procedebat.
Polyxenidas, when news was brought that the enemy was approaching, glad of the opportunity to fight, himself extended his left wing into the deep, ordered the captains of the ships to deploy the right wing toward the land, and advanced to the battle with an even front.
§36.44.2quod ubi vidit Romanus, vela contrahit malosque inclinat et simul armamenta componens opperitur insequentis navis.
When the Roman commander saw this, he furled the sails, lowered the masts, and at the same time, putting the tackle in order, awaited the oncoming ships.
§36.44.3iam ferme triginta in fronte erant, quibus ut aequaret laevum cornu, dolonibus erectis altum petere intendit, iussis qui sequebantur adversus dextrum cornu prope terram proras derigere.
Already about thirty ships were in the front line, and in order to match the enemy's left wing with them, he intended to head for the deep with auxiliary sails raised, having ordered those who followed to direct their prows toward the right wing near the land.
§36.44.4Eumenes agmen cogebat; ceterum, ut demendis armamentis tumultuari primum coeptum est, et ipse, quanta maxime celeritate potest, §36.44.5concitat naves.
Eumenes was bringing up the rear; but as soon as the confusion began with the removal of the tackle, he himself also, with the greatest speed he could, urged on his ships.
iam omnibus in conspectu erant.
Now they were all in sight of one another.
duae Punicae naves antecedebant Romanam classem, quibus obviae tres fuerunt regiae naves; §36.44.6et, ut in numero impari, duae regiae unam circumsistunt, et primum ab utroque latere remos detergunt, deinde transcendunt armati et deiectis caesisque propugnatoribus navem capiunt; §36.44.7una, quae pari Marte concurrerat, postquam captam alteram navem vidit, priusquam ab tribus simul circumveniretur, retro ad classem refugit.
Two Carthaginian ships were preceding the Roman fleet, which were met by three of the king's ships; and, as was natural in an unequal number, two of the king's ships surrounded one, and first swept away its oars on both sides, then armed men boarded it and, having thrown down and slain its defenders, captured the ship; the other, which had engaged with equal fortune, when it saw the other ship captured, fled back to the fleet before it could be surrounded by the three at once.
§36.44.8Livius indignatione accensus praetoria nave in hostes tendit.
Livius, inflamed with indignation, headed for the enemy in his flagship.
adversus quam eadem spe duae, quae Punicam unam navem circumvenerant, cum inferrentur, demittere remos in aquam ab utroque latere remiges stabiliendae navis causa iussit, et in advenientis hostium naves ferreas manus inicere et, §36.44.9ubi pugnam pedestri similem fecissent, meminisse Romanae virtutis nec pro viris ducere regia mancipia.
When the two ships which had surrounded the single Carthaginian ship, inspired by the same hope, bore down upon it, he ordered the oarsmen to lower their oars into the water on both sides to steady the ship, and to cast iron grapples into the oncoming ships of the enemy, and, when they had made the battle like a land fight, to remember Roman valor and not to consider the king's slaves as men.
haud paulo facilius quam ante duae unam, tunc una duas naves expugnavit cepitque.
Far more easily than the two had conquered the one before, the single ship then stormed and captured the two.
§36.44.10et iam classes quoque undique concurrerant, et passim permixtis navibus pugnabatur.
And now the fleets also had clashed on all sides, and the battle was being fought everywhere with the ships intermingled.
§36.44.11Eumenes, qui commisso certamine advenerat, ut animadvertit laevum cornu hostium ab Livio turbatum, dextrum ipse, ubi aequa pugna erat, invadit.
Eumenes, who had arrived after the battle had begun, when he noticed that the left wing of the enemy had been thrown into confusion by Livius, himself attacked their right wing, where the fight was equal.