| [22] Prima luce, cum summus
mons a [Lucio] Labieno teneretur, ipse ab hostium
castris non longius mille et quingentis passibus
abesset neque, ut postea
ex captivis comperit, aut
ipsius adventus aut Labieni cognitus
esset, Considius equo admisso ad eum accurrit,
dicit montem, quem a Labieno occupari voluerit, ab hostibus
teneri: id se a Gallicis armis
atque insignibus cognovisse. Caesar
suas copias in proximum collem subducit,
aciem instruit. Labienus, ut erat ei praeceptum
a Caesare ne proelium committeret, nisi
ipsius copiae prope hostium castra visae
essent, ut undique uno
tempore in hostes impetus fieret,
monte occupato nostros expectabat proelioque
abstinebat. Multo denique die per exploratores
Caesar cognovit et montem a suis teneri et Helvetios castra movisse, et
Considium timore perterritum quod non vidisset
pro viso sibi renuntiavisse. Eo
die quo consuerat intervallo hostes sequitur
et milia passuum tria ab eorum castris castra ponit.
[23] Postridie eius diei, quod omnino
biduum supererat, cum exercitui frumentum
metiri oporteret, et quod a Bibracte,
oppido Haeduorum longe maximo et copiosissimo, non amplius
milibus passuum XVIII aberat, rei frumentariae prospiciendum
existimavit; itaque iter ab Helvetiis avertit
ac Bibracte ire contendit. Ea res per fugitivos L. Aemilii,
decurionis equitum Gallorum, hostibus
nuntiatur. Helvetii, seu quod timore perterritos
Romanos discedere a se existimarent,
eo magis quod pridie superioribus
locis occupatis proelium non commisissent, sive
eo quod re frumentaria
intercludi posse confiderent, commutato
consilio atque itinere converso nostros
|
[1.22] At day-break, when the summit of the mountain was
in the possession of Titus Labienus, and he himself was not further off
than a mile and half from the enemy's camp, nor, as he afterward ascertained
from the captives, had either his arrival or that of Labienus been discovered;
Considius, with his horse at full gallop, comes up to him says that the
mountain which he [Caesar] wished should be seized by Labienus, is in possession
of the enemy; that he has discovered this by the Gallic arms and ensigns.
Caesar leads off his forces to the next hill: [and] draws them up in battle-order.
Labienus, as he had been ordered by Caesar not to come to an engagement
unless [Caesar's] own forces were seen near the enemy's camp, that the
attack upon the enemy might be made on every side at the same time, was,
after having taken possession of the mountain, waiting for our men, and
refraining from battle. When, at length, the day was far advanced, Caesar
learned through spies, that the mountain was in possession of his own men,
and that the Helvetii had moved their camp, and that Considius, struck
with fear, had reported to him, as seen, that which he had not seen. On
that day he follows the enemy at his usual distance, and pitches his camp
three miles from theirs.
[1.23] The next day (as there remained in all only two day's space [to the time] when he must serve out the corn to his army, and as he was not more than eighteen miles from Bibracte, by far the largest and best-stored town of the Aedui), he thought that he ought to provide for a supply of corn; and diverted his march from the Helvetii, and advanced rapidly to Bibracte. This circumstance is reported to the enemy by some deserters from Lucius Aemilius, a captain, of the Gallic horse. The Helvetii, either because they thought that the Romans, struck with terror, were retreating from them, the more so, as the day before, though they had seized on the higher grounds, they had not joined battle or because they flattered themselves that they might be cut of from the provisions, altering their plan and changing their route, began to pursue, and to annoy our men in the rear. |
"teneretur"
teneo, -êre, -ui, -tum to hold
"prima luce"
abl. of time: at the first light, at dawn
"summus mons"
= the top of the mountain
"quingentis"
quingenti, -ae, -a 500
"passibus"
passus, -ûs m. step
"neque ... aut ... aut"
nor .. either ... or
neque ... aut ipsius adventus aut [adventus] Lavieni
"captivis"
captivus, -a, -um captive; prisoner of war
"comperit"
comperio, -ire, -peri, -pertum learn, discover, find out
"adventus"
adventus, -ûs m. arrival
"neque .... aut ipsius adventus
aut [adventus] Labieni congnitus esset"
aut .. aut either.. or
= nor (neque) had either his own arrival or
that of Labienus been discovered
"cognitus"
cognosco, -ere, -novi, cognitus learn, ascertain, discover
"accurrit"
accurro, -ere, accurri
run to, hasten to
"equo admisso"
abl. abs. = at full gallop lit. his hors having been
let go
"teneri"
teneo, tenêre, -ui, tentum to hold
"occupari voluerit"
pass. inf. of occupare to seize
which he wanted to be seized
"armis"
arma, armorum n. weapons
"insignibus"
insigne, -is n. sign, mark, decoration
"cognovisse"
cognosco, -ere, -novi, cognitus learn, ascertain, discover
"subducit"
subduco, -ere
to lead up (from lower to highter position)
"praeceptum"
praecipio, -ere, -cepi, -ceptum to order
lit. (as) it was ordered to him
"aciem instruit"
aciem instruere to draw up the line of battle
insstruo, -ere, -struxi, -structum
"ne proelium committeret"
purpose clause (negative):
that he (should) not start the battle
"impetus"
impetus, -ûs m. attack
"fieret"
fio, fieri, factus sum acts as pass. of facio, -ere
to happen, be done
"visae essent"
video, -êre, vidi, visum to see = had
been seen
"uno tempore"
abl. of time: at one (= the same) time
"expectabat"
expecto, -are, -avi, -atum to wait
=- [Labienus] waited [for our troops]
"abstinebat"
abstineo, -êre, -ui to abstain, refrain from
"monte occupato"
abl. abs. the mountain having been seized
= after [Labienus] had taken the mountain
"Multo denique die"
multo die abl. of time: late in the day
denique finally, at last
"timore perterritum"
perterreo, -êre, -ui, -itum to frighten
timor, -oris m. fear
= thoroughly frightened
"quod non vidisset pro visoi"
[he reported] what he had not seen for something seen
"sibi"
[he reported it] to him (i.e. to Caesar. The reflex. pron.
refers to the subject)
"renuntiavisse"
renuntiom -are to report
perf. act. inf. to have reported
"sequitur"
sequor, sequi, secutus to follow
"quo consuerat intervallo"
intervallum, -i n. intervall, space, distance
consuesco, -ere, -suevi, -tum to be accustomed
= at the usual distance, lit. at the distance to which he was accustomed
"castra ponit"
castra ponere to set up camp
pono, ponere, posui, positum to put, place
"Postridie"
on the following day
"omnino"
alltogether, at all, entirely
"biduum"
biduum, -i n. two days
"supererat"
superesse to be left
"frumentum"
frumentum, -i n. grain
"metiri"
metior, -iri, mensus sum to measure out, distribute
"oporteret"
oportet, oportêre, oportuit (impersonal)
it is right, proper, necessary; ought
"longe maximo et copiosissimo"
copiosus, -a, -um well supplied; rich, wealthy
= by far the largest and best supplied [city]
"rei frumentariae"
res frumentaria = the grain supply (lit.the
matter of grain)
"prospiciendum"
prospicio, -ere, -spexi, -spectum watch for,
provide for
"existimavit"
exixtimo, -are to think
"avertit"
averto, -ere, -ti -sum turn away from, avert
" contendit"
contendo, -ere, -tendi to hasten
"decurionis"
decurio, -onis m. decurion, officer in charge of a decuria
(= squad)
"equitum"
eques, equitis m. horseman ,cavalry man;
plural: cavalry
= a decurion (squad leader) of the cavalry (gen. plural)
"perterritos"
perterritus, -a, um thoroughly frightened
"discedere"
discedo, -ere, -cessi, -cessum to leave, retreat
" existimarent"
existimo, -are to think, reckon
"eo magis"
all the more (lit. more by that)
"superioribus locis occupatis"
abl. abs. after the higher terrain had been seized
superior, -ius higher
"commisissent"
proelium committere to engage in battle
commiotto, -ere, -misi, -missum
"seu ... sive"
whether ... or
sive eo quod ... or for the reason that ...
" intercludi posse confiderent
"
= that they were confident that they could blockade [their grain
supply - res frumentaria]
"intercludi"
intercludo, -ere, -clusi, -clusum cut off, blockade,
keep from
"confiderent"
confido, -ere trust, believe, be confident
" nostros "
= our troops
"commutatio consilio"
abl. abs. [their] plan having been changed
commuto, -are to change
"a novissimo agmine"
= from the rear guard
agmen, -inis troop, marching army
novus, -a, -um new; superlative
novissimus: last, at the rear
"insequi"
insequor, -sequi, -secutus to attack, pursue
"lacessere"
lacesso, -ere, -sivi, -situm to provoke,
harrass