XXVI
Quod ubi cognitum hosti, mutato repente consilio universi nonam legionem ut maxime invalidam (nonam legionem ut maxime invalidam: ‘most particularly our weakest legion, the Ninth’) nocte adgressi, inter somnum ac trepidationem caesis vigilibus inrupere. Iamque in ipsis castris pugnabatur, cum Agricola iter hostium ab exploratoribus edoctus et vestigiis insecutus, velocissimos equitum peditumque adsultare tergis (adsultare tergis: adsultare is intrans. and takes dat.) pugnantium iubet, mox ab universis adici clamorem; (iubet … adici clamorem: whenever a subject can be assigned to the infinitive following iubeo, the passive form of the infinitive is used, with its subject in the accusative.) et propinqua luce fulsere signa. (propinqua luce fulgere signa: ‘the standards shone in the approaching light’; fulgere is infinitive of narration, as is erupere further on.) Ita ancipiti malo territi (ancipiti malo territi: ‘terrified by a two-headed danger’) Britanni; et nonanis rediit animus, ac securi pro salute de gloria certabant. Ultro quin etiam erupere, (ultro quin etiam erupere: ‘nay, they even sallied forth’.) et fuit atrox in ipsis portarum angustiis proelium, donec pulsi hostes, utroque exercitu certante, his, ut tulisse opem, illis, ne eguisse auxilio viderentur. (utroque exercitu certante, his, ut tulisse opem [viderentur], illis, ne eguisse auxilio viderentur: abl. abs. with two subordinate final clauses, ‘both armies fighting, these men in order that they should appear to have brought help, those that they should appear to have needed no help’; eguisse auxilio: egere is found with either abl. or gen.) Quod nisi (quod nisi: cf. note in ch. 16.) paludes et silvae fugientis texissent, debellatum illa victoria foret. (nisi …texissent, debellatum illa victoria foret: pluperf. subjunctive in both protasis and apodosis of conditional sentence when supposition referring to past event is contrary to fact; debellatum foret is example of impersonal use of passive of intrans. verbs: lit. ‘it would have been fought to the finish with that victory’.)