Romani tardiores[5] viderentur, "Cur
dubitas," inquit, "Vorene? Quam commodiorem occasionem exspectas? Hic
dies de virtute nostra iudicabit." Haec[6] cum dixisset, extra
munitiones processit et in eam hostium partem quae cofertissima
[7]videbatur inrupit. Neque Vorenus quidem tum vallo[8] sese continet,
sed Pullonem subsequitur. Tum Pullo pilum in hostis immittit atque unum
ex multitudine procurrentem traicit. Hunc percussum et exanimatum hostes
scutis protegunt et in Pullonem omnes tela coniciunt. Eius scutum
transfigitur et telum in balteo defigitur. Hic casus vaginam avertit et
dextram manum eius gladium educere conantis[9] moratur. Eum ita
impeditum hostes circumsistunt.

Tum vero [10]ei laboranti Vorenus, cum sit inimicus, tamen auxilium dat.
Ad hunc confestim [11]a Pullone omnis multitudo se convertit. Gladio
comminus pugnat Vorenus, atque, uno interfecto, reliquos paulum
propellit. Sed instans cupidius[12] infelix, [13]pede se fallente,
concidit.

Huic rursus circumvento auxilium dat Pullo, atque ambo incolumes,
pluribus interfectis, summa cum laude intra munitiones se recipiunt. Sic
inimicorum alter alteri auxilium dedit nec de eorum virtute quisquam
iudicare potuit.

[Footnote 1: A centurion commanded a company of about sixty men. He
was a common soldier who had been promoted from the ranks for his
courage and fighting qualities. The centurions were the real leaders
of the men in battle. There were sixty of them in a legion. The
centurion in the picture (p. 216) has in his hand a staff with a
crook at one end, the symbol of his authority.]

[Footnote 2: /virtute\, Sec. 501.30.]

[Footnote 3: Abl. of manner.]

[Footnote 4: /cum ... viderentur\, Sec. 501.46.]

[Footnote 5: /tardiores\, _too slow_, a not infrequent translation
of the comparative degree.]

[Footnote 6: /Haec\, obj. of /dixisset\. It is placed before /cum\
to make a close connection with the preceding sentence. What is the
construction of /dixisset\?]

[Footnote 7: /videbatur, inrupit\. Why is the imperfect used in one
case and the perfect in the other? Cf. Sec. 190.]

[Footnote 8: /vallo\, abl. of means, but in English we should say
_within the rampart_. Cf. /ingenti stabulo\, p. 201, l. 13, and
note.]

[Footnote 9: /conantis\, pres. part. agreeing with /eius\.]

[Footnote 10: /ei laboranti\, indir. obj. of dat.]

[Footnote 11: /a Pullone\, _fro