esse solent. Ceteram ad ea patranda senatus auctoritate, socii nomenque
Latinum et reges ultro auxilia mittendo, postremo omnis civitas summo
studio adnitebatur. Itaque ex sententia omnibus rebus paratis
compositisque, in Numidiam proficiscitur, magna spe civium, quum propter
artes bonas, tum maxime, quod adversum divitias invictum animum gerebat,
et avaritia magistratuum ante id tempus in Numidia nostrae opes
contusae[254] hostiumque auctae erant.

[250] The consuls here mentioned entered upon their office on the 1st
of January, 109 B.C. The preparation for the campaign accordingly
belongs to the latter part of the year 110.
[251] 'An opponent of the popular party;' _adversus_ being used as a
substantive, in the sense of _adversarius_; as an adjective, it is
construed with the dative.
[252] _Cum collega_, a short expression for _conjuncta cum collega_,
'everything else he considered as common between himself and his
colleague, but to the Numidian war he alone directed his attention,
as though it were his own exclusive business.'
[253] _Praesidia_ is generally 'resources;' but here the same as
_auxilia_, 'auxiliary troops.'
[254] _Contusae_, from _contundere_, for _imminutae_, _debilitatae_,
_fractae_.

44. Sed ubi in Africam venit, exercitus ei traditur a Sp. Albino pro
consule iners, imbellis, neque periculi neque laboris patiens, lingua
quam manu promptior, praedator[255] ex sociis et ipse praeda hostium,
sine imperio et modestia habitus. Ita imperatori novo plus ex malis
moribus sollicitudinis quam ex copia militum auxilii aut spei bonae
accedebat. Statuit tamen Metellus, quamquam et aestivorum tempus[256]
comitiorum mora imminuerat, et expectatione eventus civium animos