- 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-lat2:7.73.1-7.73.9
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-02
To compensate for the reduced manning of the fortifications, Caesar installs three types of obstacles outside the ramparts: the "cippi" (intertwined stakes in trenches), the "lilies" (hidden pits with fire-hardened pegs arranged in a quincunx), and the "spurs" (buried wooden pegs with iron hooks).
Erat eodem tempore et materiari et frumentari et tantas munitiones fieri necesse deminutis nostris copiis quae longius ab castris progrediebantur:1 ac non numquam opera nostra Galli temptare atque eruptionem ex oppido pluribus portis summa vi facere conabantur.
At the same time, it was necessary both to gather timber and to forage for corn, and to construct such great fortifications, since our forces were diminished, as they were proceeding rather far from the camp; and sometimes the Gauls would attempt to harass our works and make a sally from the town with the greatest force through several gates.
Qua re ad haec rursus opera addendum Caesar putavit, quo minore numero2 militum munitiones defendi possent. Itaque truncis arborum aut admodum firmis ramis abscisis atque horum delibratis ac praeacutis cacuminibus perpetuae fossae quinos pedes altae ducebantur.
For this reason, Caesar thought that something should be added to these works, so that the fortifications could be defended by a smaller number of soldiers. Therefore, having cut off the trunks of trees or very sturdy branches, and having barked them and sharpened their points, continuous trenches five feet deep were dug.
Huc illi stipites demissi et ab infimo revincti, ne revelli possent, ab ramis eminebant.
Into these the stakes were sunk and fastened at the bottom so that they could not be pulled out, and they projected from the ground with their branches.
Quini erant ordines coniuncti inter se atque implicati; quo qui intraverant,3 se ipsi acutissimis vallis induebant.
There were five rows connected and intertwined with one another; those who entered there impaled themselves upon the very sharp stakes.
Hos cippos appellabant. Ante quos obliquis ordinibus in quincuncem dispositis scrobes tres in altitudinem pedes fodiebantur paulatim angustiore ad infimum fastigio.
These they called “cippi.” In front of these, arranged in oblique rows in the form of a quincunx, pits three feet deep were dug, with the slope gradually narrowing toward the bottom.
Huc teretes stipites feminis crassitudine ab summo praeacuti et praeusti demittebantur, ita ut non amplius digitis quattuor ex terra eminerent;
Into these, round stakes of the thickness of a man’s thigh, sharpened at the top and hardened by fire, were let down, in such a way that they did not project more than four inches from the ground;
simul confirmandi et stabiliendi causa singuli ab infimo solo pedes terra exculcabantur, reliqua pars scrobis ad occultandas insidias viminibus ac virgultis integebatur.
at the same time, for the sake of strengthening and stabilizing them, they were trodden down with earth for one foot each from the bottom of the pit, and the remaining part of the pit was covered with twigs and brushwood to conceal the trap.
Huius generis octoni ordines ducti ternos inter se pedes distabant.
Eight rows of this kind were drawn, which were three feet apart from one another.
Id ex similitudine floris lilium appellabant. Ante haec taleae pedem longae ferreis hamis infixis totae in terram infodiebantur mediocribusque intermissis spatiis omnibus locis disserebantur; quos stimulos nominabant.4
This, from its resemblance to the flower, they called the “lily.” In front of these, pegs a foot long, with iron hooks fixed in them, were buried entirely in the ground and scattered everywhere at moderate intervals; these they called “spurs.”
- 7.73.1deminutis nostris copiis quae longius ab castris progrediebantur
deminutis nostris copiis is an ablative absolute indicating cause or attendant circumstance. The comparative longius functions as an absolute comparative, meaning "rather far" or "too far" from the camp.
- 7.73.2quo minore numero
The conjunction quo (ablative of the relative pronoun used instead of ut) introduces a purpose clause containing a comparative adjective (minore), indicating "by which means, with a smaller number."
- 7.73.4quo qui intraverant
quo is a relative adverb meaning "whither" or "into which." The clause qui intraverant ("those who had entered") acts as the subject of the main verb induebant. The verb induere with the reflexive pronoun se and the ablative of instrument acutissimis vallis means "to impale oneself upon the very sharp stakes."
- 7.73.9quos stimulos nominabant
The relative pronoun quos grammatically refers back to the feminine noun taleae in the preceding sentence, but it has been attracted into the masculine plural to agree with the predicate noun stimulos.