- 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-lat2:6.35.1-6.35.10
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-31
As the scheduled date of Caesar's return approaches, the German Sugambri, hearing rumors of plunder, cross the Rhine. Instructed by a captive that the main Roman army is away and that Aduatuca, where immense wealth is stored, is poorly guarded, they abandon their current plunder and rush to assault it.
Haec in omnibus Eburonum partibus gerebantur, diesque appetebat septimus, quem ad diem Caesar ad impedimenta legionemque reverti constituerat.
These things were being done in all parts of the Eburones, and the seventh day was approaching, by which day Caesar had resolved to return to the baggage and the legion.
Hic quantum in bello fortuna possit et quantos adferat casus cognosci potuit.
On this occasion it could be learned how much power fortune has in war, and how great chances it brings.
Dissipatis ac perterritis hostibus, ut demonstravimus, manus erat nulla quae parvam modo causam timoris adferret.
Since the enemy were scattered and terrified, as we have shown, there was no band which could bring even a slight cause of fear.
Trans Rhenum ad Germanos pervenit fama, diripi Eburones atque ultro omnes ad praedam evocari.
Across the Rhine, a rumor reached the Germans that the Eburones were being pillaged, and moreover that all were being summoned to the plunder.
Cogunt equitum duo milia Sugambri, qui sunt proximi Rheno, a quibus receptos ex fuga Tencteros atque Vsipetes supra docuimus.
The Sugambri, who are nearest to the Rhine, and by whom we have shown above that the Tencteri and Usipetes were received from flight, collect two thousand cavalry.
Transeunt Rhenum navibus ratibusque triginta milibus passuum1 infra eum locum, ubi pons erat perfectus praesidiumque ab Caesare relictum: primos Eburonum fines adeunt; multos ex fuga dispersos excipiunt, magno pecoris numero, cuius sunt cupidissimi barbari,2 potiuntur.
They cross the Rhine with ships and rafts thirty miles below that place where the bridge had been completed and a garrison left by Caesar: they enter the first borders of the Eburones; they capture many scattered from flight, and gain possession of a great number of cattle, of which the barbarians are extremely fond.
Invitati praeda longius procedunt. Non hos palus in bello latrociniisque natos, non silvae morantur. Quibus in locis sit Caesar ex captivis quaerunt; profectum longius reperiunt omnemque exercitum discessisse cognoscunt.
Allured by the plunder, they proceed further. Neither marsh nor woods delay these men, who were born in war and robbery. They inquire of the captives in what places Caesar is; they discover that he has set out further, and learn that the whole army has departed.
Atque unus ex captivis "Quid vos," inquit, "hanc miseram ac tenuem sectamini praedam, quibus licet iam esse fortunatissimos?3
And one of the captives says, “Why do you pursue this wretched and meager plunder, when it is permitted to you now to be the most fortunate of men?
Tribus horis Aduatucam venire potestis: huc omnes suas fortunas exercitus Romanorum contulit: praesidi tantum est,4 ut ne murus quidem cingi possit, neque quisquam egredi extra munitiones audeat."
In three hours you can come to Aduatuca: hither the army of the Romans has brought all its fortunes: there is so little of a garrison that not even the wall can be manned, nor does anyone dare to step out outside the fortifications.”
Oblata spe Germani quam nacti erant praedam in occulto relinquunt; ipsi Aduatucam contendunt usi eodem duce, cuius haec indicio cognoverant.
This hope being offered, the Germans leave in a secret place the plunder which they had obtained; they themselves hasten to Aduatuca, using the same guide by whose disclosure they had learned these things.
- 6.35.6triginta milibus passuum
An ablative of degree of difference (or measure of space) used in connection with infra (below) to express the distance from the baseline (the bridge). It means 'thirty miles (thirty thousand paces) below'.
- 6.35.6cuius sunt cupidissimi barbari
The relative pronoun cuius (genitive singular, referring back to pecoris) is an objective genitive governed by cupidissimi, the superlative of the adjective cupidus (desirous of, fond of), which regularly takes the genitive.
- 6.35.8quibus licet iam esse fortunatissimos
Although there is a dative relative pronoun quibus acting as the logical subject for the impersonal verb licet (with its antecedent vos), the predicate adjective of the infinitive esse is in the accusative (fortunatissimos) rather than the dative (fortunatissimis). This construction is a well-known Latin usage where the predicate of the infinitive remains in the accusative despite the presence of a dative with licet.
- 6.35.9praesidi tantum est
praesidi is a partitive genitive depending on tantum (so much / only so much). Here tantum has a restrictive sense ('only so much', i.e., 'so little'), which introduces the consecutive clause starting with ut.