- 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-lat2:3.14.1-3.14.9
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-27
Caesar decides to wait for his fleet to avoid futile efforts on land. Once assembled, the Roman fleet successfully neutralizes the enemy's sturdy and high-built ships by using sharp hooks attached to long poles to cut down the ropes supporting their rigging.
Compluribus expugnatis oppidis Caesar, ubi intellexit frustra tantum laborem sumi neque hostium fugam captis oppidis reprimi neque iis noceri posse,1 statuit expectandam classem.
Caesar, having stormed many towns, when he realized that so much labor was taken in vain, and that neither the flight of the enemy could be restrained by the capture of the towns nor could they be harmed, decided that the fleet must be waited for.
Quae2 ubi convenit ac primum ab hostibus visa est, circiter CCXX naves eorum paratissimae atque omni genere armorum ornatissimae profectae ex portu nostris adversae constiterunt;
When this assembled and was first seen by the enemy, about 220 of their ships, fully prepared and most excellently equipped with every kind of armaments, having set out from the harbor, drew up opposite our ships;
neque satis Bruto, qui classi praeerat, vel tribunis militum centurionibusque, quibus singulae naves erant attributae, constabat quid agerent aut quam rationem pugnae insisterent.
nor was it sufficiently clear to Brutus, who was in command of the fleet, or to the military tribunes and centurions, to whom individual ships had been assigned, what they should do or what tactics they should pursue.
Rostro enim noceri non posse cognoverant; turribus autem excitatis tamen has altitudo puppium ex barbaris navibus superabat, ut neque ex inferiore loco satis commode tela adigi possent et missa a Gallis gravius acciderent.
For they had known that they could not be injured by the beak; and although towers had been erected, nevertheless the height of the sterns of the barbarian ships surpassed these, so that neither could missiles be cast with sufficient convenience from a lower position and those sent by the Gauls fell with greater force.
Una erat magno usui3 res praeparata a nostris, falces praeacutae insertae adfixaeque longuriis, non absimili forma muralium falcium.
There was one thing prepared by our men which was of great use: extremely sharp hooks inserted and fastened to long poles, of a form not unlike that of wall-hooks.
His cum funes qui antemnas ad malos destinabant comprehensi adductique erant, navigio remis incitato praerumpebantur.4
When with these the ropes which fastened the yards to the masts had been gripped and pulled tight, they were snapped by the vessel being urged forward by oars.
Quibus abscisis antemnae necessario concidebant, ut, cum omnis Gallicis navibus spes in velis armamentisque consisteret, his ereptis omnis usus navium uno tempore eriperetur.
These being cut down, the yards of necessity fell, so that, since all hope for the Gallic ships depended on their sails and rigging, when these were snatched away, all use of the ships was taken away at one and the same time.
Reliquum erat certamen positum in virtute, qua nostri milites facile superabant, atque eo magis quod5 in conspectu Caesaris atque omnis exercitus res gerebatur, ut nullum paulo fortius factum latere posset;
The remaining conflict depended on courage, in which our soldiers easily excelled, and all the more so because the action was carried on in the sight of Caesar and of the whole army, so that no deed a little braver than usual could go unnoticed;
omnes enim colles ac loca superiora, unde erat propinquus despectus in mare, ab exercitu tenebantur.
for all the hills and higher places, from where there was a close view down onto the sea, were occupied by the army.
- 3.14.1neque iis noceri posse
Since 'noceo' is an intransitive verb governing the dative, it cannot be used personally in the passive with a subjective nominative; it must be used impersonally (noceri), while the logical object (iis) remains in the dative case.
- 3.14.2Quae
A connecting relative pronoun (relative connection) at the beginning of the sentence, referring back to the feminine singular noun 'classis' (expectandam classem) at the end of the preceding sentence.
- 3.14.5magno usui
A dative of purpose (or service) functioning as a predicate with the verb 'erat' ('was of great use'). Note that 'a nostris' is an ablative of agent with the preposition 'a'.
- 3.14.6comprehensi adductique erant... praerumpebantur
The combination of the pluperfect indicative (comprehensi adductique erant) in the 'cum' clause and the imperfect indicative (praerumpebantur) in the main clause denotes a repeated or customary action in the past ('whenever they had been... they were...').
- 3.14.8eo magis quod
'eo' is an ablative of degree of difference ('by so much'), which is paired with the comparative 'magis' and the causal conjunction 'quod' to mean 'all the more because'.
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-21)
- 2026-09-21 AI review — note 1