sperabat propediem magnas copias sese habiturum, si Romae socii incepta
patravissent. Interea servitia repudiabat, cujus[323] initio ad eum
magnae copiae concurrebant, opibus conjurationis fretus, simul alienum
suis rationibus existimans, videri[324] causam civium cum servis
fugitivis communicavisse.

[318] A regular military force is more commonly called _copiae_, but
the singular, _copia_, also occurs in the sense of 'army,' especially
when it consists of an irregular mass of troops.
[319] _Cohortes complet_ cannot mean in this passage, 'he makes the
cohorts complete,' for such a completeness (consisting of at least
420 men) is incompatible with the addition _pro numero militum_,
'according to the number of his soldiers' in each cohort was not the
usual number of a complete cohort. _Complet_ refers to the number
of cohorts, ten of which made a legion. Translate therefore, 'he
makes the full number of cohorts.'
[320] _Duobus milibus_, Sallust might have said _duo milia_, with the
ellipsis of _quam_ so customary with _plus_, _amplius_, and _minus_.
See Zumpt, S 485.
[321] _Sparus_ is said to be a wooden kind of weapon, resembling a
shepherd's staff, turned at the top; and _lancea_ a spear with
a handle in the middle. Both these weapons were not used by Roman
soldiers, for the latter, besides the short and broad _gladius_,
used the _pilum_, as long as a man is high, and as thick as a
fist, the upper end of which was strongly provided with iron, and
sometimes the _hasta_, which was still longer, and had an
iron point.
[322] _L. Antonius_, the colleague of Cicero in the consulship, B.C. 63.
[323] _Servitia, cujus magnae copiae_; a singular construction, which
cannot be explained otherwise than by taking _cujus_ as a neuter,