- Source
- Julius Caesar. Aulus Hirtius. C. Iuli Commentarii Rerum in Gallia Gestarum VII A. Hirti Commentarius VII. Holmes, T. Rice (Thomas Rice), editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1914.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:1.48.1-1.48.7
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-25
Ariovistus advances his camp to cut off Caesar's supply lines, and the two armies face each other. The specific German tactical system, combining cavalry with selected agile infantry, is described.
Eodem die castra promovit et milibus passuum VI a Caesaris castris sub monte consedit.
On the same day he moved his camp forward and pitched camp under a mountain six miles from Caesar’s camp.
Postridie eius diei praeter castra Caesaris suas copias traduxit et milibus passuum duobus ultra eum castra fecit eo consilio uti frumento commeatuque qui ex Sequanis et Haeduis supportaretur Caesarem intercluderet.1
On the day after that day he led his forces past Caesar’s camp and made camp two miles beyond him, with the design of cutting off Caesar from the grain and provisions which were being brought up from the Sequani and the Haedui.
Ex eo die dies continuos V Caesar pro castris suas copias produxit et aciem instructam habuit, ut, si vellet Ariovistus proelio contendere, ei potestas non deesset.
From that day, for five consecutive days, Caesar led out his forces in front of the camp and kept his battle line drawn up, so that, if Ariovistus wished to engage in battle, the opportunity might not be wanting to him.
Ariovistus his omnibus diebus exercitum castris continuit, equestri proelio cotidie contendit. Genus hoc erat pugnae, quo se Germani exercuerant:
Ariovistus kept his army in camp all these days, but engaged daily in cavalry battles. This was the kind of fighting in which the Germans had trained themselves:
equitum milia erant VI, totidem numero pedites velocissimi ac fortissimi, quos ex omni copia singuli singulos2 suae salutis causa delegerant:
there were six thousand cavalry, and as many in number of the swiftest and bravest infantry, whom each of the cavalry had selected from the whole force, one for one, for the sake of his own safety.
cum his in proeliis versabantur, ad eos se equites recipiebant; hi, si quid erat durius, concurrebant, si qui graviore vulnere accepto equo deciderat, circumsistebant;
With these they associated in battles; to them the cavalry would retreat; these, if there was any harder struggle, would run to help; if anyone, having received a rather severe wound, had fallen from his horse, they would stand around him;
si quo erat longius prodeundum aut celerius recipiendum, tanta erat horum exercitatione celeritas ut iubis sublevati equorum3 cursum adaequarent.
if it was necessary to advance further anywhere or to retreat more quickly, such was their speed from practice that, supported by the manes of the horses, they kept pace with their speed.
- 1.48.2Caesarem intercluderet
The verb 'intercludere' takes an accusative of the person cut off (Caesarem) and an ablative of separation indicating what they are cut off from (frumento commeatuque).
- 1.48.5singuli singulos
Meaning 'each [of the cavalry] had selected one [of the infantry].' The nominative 'singuli' refers to the individual horsemen (as the subject of 'delegerant'), while the accusative 'singulos' stands in apposition to 'quos' (referring to the infantry).
- 1.48.7iubis sublevati equorum
Although 'sublevati' is a passive participle, it is used here in a middle (reflexive) sense, meaning 'supporting themselves by holding onto [the manes].' 'iubis' is an ablative of means.