- 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-lat2:3.23.1-3.23.8
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-27
As Crassus marches into the territory of the Vocates, the alarmed natives summon reinforcements from Nearer Spain and adopt Roman-style tactics, prompting Crassus to resolve on an immediate decisive battle.
Armis obsidibusque acceptis, Crassus in fines Vocatium et Tarusatium profectus est.
Having received the arms and hostages, Crassus set out into the territories of the Vocates and the Tarusates.
Tum vero barbari commoti, quod oppidum et natura loci et manu munitum paucis diebus quibus eo ventum erat1 expugnatum cognoverant, legatos quoque versus dimittere, coniurare, obsides inter se dare, copias parare coeperunt.
Then indeed the barbarians, being alarmed because they had learned that a town fortified both by the nature of the ground and by hand had been taken within a few days after they had arrived there, began to send ambassadors in all directions, to conspire, to give hostages to one another, and to prepare forces.
Mittuntur etiam ad eas civitates legati quae sunt citerioris Hispaniae finitimae Aquitaniae:2 inde auxilia ducesque arcessuntur.
Ambassadors were also sent to those states of Nearer Spain which are adjacent to Aquitania; from there, auxiliary troops and leaders were summoned.
Quorum adventu magna cum auctoritate et magna [cum] hominum multitudine bellum gerere conantur.
Upon their arrival, they attempted to wage war with great authority and with a great multitude of men.
Duces vero ii deliguntur qui una cum Q. Sertorio omnes annos fuerant summamque scientiam rei militaris habere existimabantur.
But those men were chosen as leaders who had been with Quintus Sertorius during all those years and were considered to possess the greatest knowledge of military science.
Hi consuetudine populi Romani loca capere, castra munire, commeatibus nostros intercludere instituunt.
These men, according to the custom of the Roman people, began to occupy advantageous positions, to fortify camps, and to cut off our men from supplies.
Quod ubi Crassus animadvertit, suas copias propter exiguitatem non facile diduci, hostem et vagari et vias obsidere et castris satis praesidii relinquere, ob eam causam minus commode frumentum commeatumque sibi supportari, in dies hostium numerum augeri, non cunctandum existimavit quin pugna decertaret.3
When Crassus noticed this—that his own forces, on account of their small number, could not easily be distributed, while the enemy was both roaming about, blockading the roads, and leaving a sufficient garrison for their camp, and for this reason corn and provisions were less conveniently brought to him, and the number of the enemy was increasing day by day—he thought that he must not delay in deciding the issue by battle.
Hac re ad consilium delata, ubi omnes idem sentire intellexit, posterum diem pugnae constituit.
This matter having been laid before the council, when he understood that everyone held the same opinion, he appointed the following day for the battle.
- 3.23.2paucis diebus quibus eo ventum erat
quibus is a relative pronoun in the ablative of time, modifying the antecedent paucis diebus. Combined with the impersonal passive ventum erat (literally 'it had been arrived there'), the clause means 'within a few days after they had arrived there'.
- 3.23.3citerioris Hispaniae finitimae Aquitaniae
finitimae is the nominative feminine plural of the adjective finitimus, agreeing with the relative pronoun quae (referring to eas civitates). It governs the dative Aquitaniae ('adjacent to Aquitania'). citerioris Hispaniae is a genitive of possession/location ('of Nearer Spain') modifying the subject phrase.
- 3.23.7non cunctandum quin pugna decertaret
non cunctandum [esse] is an impersonal passive periphrastic (gerundive) indicating obligation ('that there should be no delay'). The particle quin with the subjunctive decertaret is regularly used after negated verbs of delaying or doubting, here meaning 'that he ought not to delay to decide the issue by battle'.