- 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-lat2:7.46.1-7.46.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-01
Caesar's soldiers quickly reach the fortifications of Gergovia and capture three camps. The speed of the attack is so overwhelming that the enemy king, Teutomatus, is caught by surprise while resting and barely escapes.
Oppidi murus ab planitie atque initio ascensus recta regione,1 si nullus anfractus intercederet, MCC passus aberat:
The wall of the town was 1,200 paces away from the plain and the beginning of the ascent in a straight line, if no detour intervened:
quidquid huc circuitus2 ad molliendum clivum accesserat, id spatium itineris augebat.
whatever detour was added here to soften the slope increased the distance of the journey.
A medio fere colle in longitudinem, ut natura montis ferebat, ex grandibus saxis sex pedum murum qui nostrorum impetum tardaret3 praeduxerant Galli, atque inferiore omni spatio vacuo relicto superiorem partem collis usque ad murum oppidi densissimis castris compleverant.
From almost the middle of the hill lengthwise, as the nature of the mountain allowed, the Gauls had built a six-foot wall of large stones to delay the onset of our men; and leaving all the lower space empty, they had filled the upper part of the hill, right up to the wall of the town, with very dense camps.
Milites dato signo celeriter ad munitionem perveniunt eamque transgressi trinis castris potiuntur;
The soldiers, upon the signal being given, quickly reach the fortification and, having crossed it, take possession of three camps;
ac tanta fuit in castris capiendis celeritas, ut Teutomatus, rex Nitiobrigum, subito in tabernaculo oppressus, ut meridie conquieverat,4 superiore corporis parte nudata vulnerato equo5 vix se ex manibus praedantium militum eriperet.
and so great was the speed in capturing the camps, that Teutomatus, the king of the Nitiobriges, having been suddenly surprised in his tent, as he had laid down to rest at midday, with the upper part of his body bare, barely escaped on a wounded horse from the hands of the plundering soldiers.
- 7.46.1recta regione
An ablative phrase meaning "in a straight line" or "by a direct route," denoting manner or direction.
- 7.46.2quidquid huc circuitus
The relative pronoun quidquid (nominative neuter singular) is construed with the partitive genitive circuitus (4th declension, genitive singular). Literally "whatever of detour," meaning "whatever detour was added here." This clause acts as the subject, resumed by id in the main clause.
- 7.46.3qui nostrorum impetum tardaret
A relative clause modifying murum. The verb tardaret is in the imperfect subjunctive, expressing the purpose or intention of the Gauls ("a wall to delay the onset of our men").
- 7.46.5ut meridie conquieverat
The conjunction ut here can be interpreted as temporal ("when") or causal/situational ("as he had laid down to rest"), explaining the circumstance of the king resting in his tent at midday when the sudden attack occurred.
- 7.46.5vulnerato equo
An ablative phrase. It can be understood either as an ablative of means ("by means of a wounded horse," i.e., riding it) or as an ablative absolute ("his horse being wounded"), describing how the king managed to escape, albeit with difficulty, on a wounded horse.