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Julius Caesar · Gallic War §1.22.1-1.22.4

Considius's False Alarm and the Lost Opportunity

Passage 22 of 404 · Latin

Summary

At dawn, Caesar approaches the enemy, but misses the opportunity to attack due to a false report from the scout Considius. When the error is discovered later in the day, Caesar resumes his pursuit.

§1.22.1Prima luce, cum summus mons a [Lucio] Labieno teneretur, ipse ab hostium castris non longius mille et quingentis passibus abesset neque, ut postea ex captivis comperit, aut ipsius adventus aut Labieni cognitus esset, §1.22.2Considius equo admisso ad eum accurrit, dicit montem, quem a Labieno occupari voluerit, ab hostibus teneri: id se a Gallicis armis atque insignibus cognovisse.
At dawn, when the summit of the mountain was held by Labienus, and he himself was not more than a mile and a half from the enemy's camp, and when—as he afterwards learned from captives—neither his own arrival nor that of Labienus had been discovered, Considius galloped up to him at full speed and reported that the mountain, which he had wanted to be occupied by Labienus, was held by the enemy; he said he had recognized this from the Gallic arms and insignia.
§1.22.3Caesar suas copias in proximum collem subducit, aciem instruit.
Caesar withdrew his forces to the nearest hill and drew up his battle line.
Labienus, ut erat ei praeceptum a Caesare ne proelium committeret, nisi ipsius copiae prope hostium castra visae essent, ut undique uno tempore in hostes impetus fieret, monte occupato nostros expectabat proelioque abstinebat.
Labienus, as he had been instructed by Caesar not to join battle unless Caesar's own forces were seen near the enemy's camp, so that an attack might be made upon the enemy from all sides at one time, having occupied the mountain, was waiting for our men and abstained from battle.
§1.22.4Multo denique die per exploratores Caesar cognovit et montem a suis teneri et Helvetios castra, movisse et Considium timore perterritum quod non vidisset pro viso sibi renuntiavisse.
At last, when the day was far spent, Caesar learned through scouts both that the mountain was held by his own men, and that the Helvetii had moved their camp, and that Considius, terrified by fear, had reported to him what he had not seen as if he had seen it.
Eo die quo consuerat intervallo hostes sequitur et milia passuum tria ab eorum castris castra ponit.
On that day, he followed the enemy at his usual interval and pitched his camp three miles from their camp.

Notes

  1. §1.22.1non longius mille et quingentis passibus — The ablative of comparison used with the comparative 'longius'. 'quingentis passibus' is in the ablative case, with the conjunction 'quam' omitted. 'mille et quingentis' functions adjectively modifying 'passibus'.
  2. §1.22.3ut erat ei praeceptum a Caesare ne proelium committeret, nisi ipsius copiae prope hostium castra visae essent, ut undique uno tempore in hostes impetus fieret — A complex subordinate structure modifying the main verb 'expectabat'. 'ut erat ei praeceptum...' is parenthetical. 'ne proelium committeret' is a subjunctive noun clause of command, serving as the subject of 'praeceptum erat'. 'nisi... visae essent' is a conditional clause representing a future perfect in past time (nisi visae erunt), shifted to the pluperfect subjunctive by sequence of tenses. 'ut undique...' is a subjunctive clause of purpose.
  3. §1.22.4quod non vidisset pro viso sibi renuntiavisse — 'pro viso' means 'as though seen' or 'as if seen' (where 'viso' is the neuter ablative of the perfect participle of video used substantively). 'quod non vidisset' is a relative clause which stands in subjunctive because it is subordinate to the indirect discourse (the accusative and infinitive 'renuntiavisse' depending on 'cognovit').

Cite this passage

Julius Caesar, Gallic War §1.22.1-1.22.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:1.22.1-1.22.4

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