XXII.
Vixdum orto die plena propugnatoribus moenia, fulgentes armis virisque campi: densum legionum agmen, sparsa auxiliorum manus altiora murorum sagittis aut saxis incessere, (incessere: could be perfect indicative from incessi, an alternate form of the perfect incessui, or, more lilely, historical infinitive or infinitive of narration, like adgredi next.) neglecta aut aevo fluxa comminus adgredi. (neglecta aut aevo fluxa comminus adgredi: ‘attacked at close range the parts [of the walls] less well defended or weakened by age’; neglecta may also refer to the physical state of the wall.) ingerunt desuper Othoniani pila librato magis et certo ictu adversus temere subeuntis cohortis Germanorum, cantu truci et more patrio nudis corporibus super umeros scuta quatientium. (quatientium: refers to Germanorum.) legionarius pluteis et cratibus tectus subruit muros, instruit aggerem, molitur portas: contra praetoriani dispositos ad id ipsum molaris ingenti pondere ac fragore provolvunt. (molaris ingenti pondere ac fragore provolvunt: lit. ‘they roll down boulders with the mighty sound of heavy impact’. ingenti pondere ac fragore: hendiadys; molares are rocks as large as millstones. provolvunt: switch to present tense for added drama; other examples are ingerunt, instruit, and molitur above.) pars subeuntium obruti, pars confixi et exangues aut laceri: cum augeret stragem trepidatio eoque acrius e moenibus vulnerarentur, (cum augeret stragem trepidatio eoque acrius e moenibus vulnerarentur: ‘as panic was adding to their losses and for that reason were injured more severely from the walls, they …’; cum, here with causal rather than temporal sense, is followed by subjunctive as required.) rediere infracta partium fama. et Caecina pudore coeptae temere obpugnationis, (pudore coeptae temere obpugnationis: lit. ‘out of shame of his rashly undertaken assault’) ne inrisus ac vanus isdem castris adsideret, traiecto rursus Pado Cremonam petere intendit. (traiecto … Pado Cremonam petere intendit: from Vicenza on the south side of the Po to reach Cremona on the north side, Caecina had to recross the river.) tradidere sese abeunti (abeunti: i. e. to the departing Caecina) Turullius Cerialis cum compluribus classicis et Iulius Briganticus (Iulius Briganticus: Julius Briganticus will receive larger mention later in Book 4 and 5.) cum paucis equitum, hic praefectus alae in Batavis genitus, ille primipilaris et Caecinae haud alienus, quod ordines in Germania duxerat. (ordines …duxerat: ordo is usually a century, thus ordinum dux is a centurion.)