← Julius Caesar

Gallic War

§5.46.1-5.46.4

Caesar's Orders to Winter Camps to Relieve Cicero

Upon receiving Cicero's letter, Caesar immediately ordered Crassus, Fabius, and Labienus to lead their legions and join him, while he himself assembled cavalry to prepare for a swift rescue.

View ▾
View
Translation
Typeface
AI ↗
← PrevNext →
§5.46.1

​Caesar acceptis litteris hora circiter XI diei1 statim nuntium in Bellovacos ad M. Crassum quaestorem mittit, cuius hiberna aberant ab eo milia passuum XXV;

​Caesar, having received the letter about the eleventh hour of the day, immediately sent a messenger into the territory of the Bellovaci to Marcus Crassus the quaestor, whose winter quarters were twenty-five miles away from him;

§5.46.2

​iubet media nocte legionem proficisci celeriterque ad se venire.

​he ordered the legion to set out at midnight and to come to him quickly.

§5.46.3

​Exit cum nuntio2 Crassus. Alterum ad Gaium Fabium legatum mittit, ut in Atrebatium fines legionem adducat, qua sibi iter faciendum sciebat.3

​Crassus set out immediately upon the arrival of the messenger. Caesar sent another messenger to Gaius Fabius the lieutenant, directing him to lead his legion into the borders of the Atrebates, by which route he knew he himself had to march.

§5.46.4

​Scribit Labieno, si rei publicae commodo facere posset,4 cum legione ad fines Nerviorum veniat. Reliquam partem exercitus, quod paulo aberat longius, non putat exspectandam;5 equites circiter quadringentos ex proximis hibernis colligit.

​He wrote to Labienus that, if he could do so with advantage to the public service, he should come with his legion to the borders of the Nervii. He did not think that the remaining part of the army, because it was a little too far off, should be waited for; he assembled about four hundred cavalry from the nearest winter quarters.

Syntax notes5 items
  1. 5.46.1hora circiter XI diei

    'About the eleventh hour of the day.' Since the Roman day from sunrise to sunset was divided into twelve equal hours, the eleventh hour corresponds to about one hour before sunset (around 4 p.m. in winter).

  2. 5.46.3cum nuntio

    'With the messenger.' It expresses immediate action, meaning 'upon the arrival of the messenger' or 'along with the messenger.'

  3. 5.46.3qua sibi iter faciendum sciebat

    The relative adverb 'qua' (by which route) refers back to the direction of 'Atrebatium fines' or an implied 'via'. 'sibi' is a dative of agent accompanying the passive periphrastic 'faciendum [esse]', meaning 'by which route he knew he had to march.'

  4. 5.46.4si rei publicae commodo facere posset

    'commodo' is the ablative of manner of the noun 'commodum' (advantage, interest), and 'rei publicae' is a genitive. The phrase means 'if he could do so with advantage to the state' (or 'without detriment to the public interest').

  5. 5.46.4non putat exspectandam

    'exspectandam' is a future passive participle (gerundive) in the accusative feminine singular, agreeing with 'reliquam partem' (the remaining part of the army), with 'esse' omitted in indirect discourse. It expresses obligation: 'he did not think it should be waited for.'

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:5.46.1-5.46.4