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Julius Caesar · Gallic War §3.15.1-3.15.5

Boarding Actions and Destruction of the Fleet in a Calm

Passage 104 of 404 · Latin

Summary

The Roman soldiers board the enemy ships to capture them one by one, and a sudden calm paralyzes the Gallic fleet, allowing the Romans to pursue and almost completely destroy them.

§3.15.1Deiectis, ut diximus, antemnis, cum singulas binae ac ternae naves circumsteterant, milites summa vi transcendere in hostium naves contendebant.
When the yards were cast down, as we have said, and since two or three of our ships had surrounded each single ship of theirs, the soldiers strove with the utmost force to board the enemy's vessels.
§3.15.2Quod postquam barbari fieri animadverterunt, expugnatis compluribus navibus, cum ei rei nullum reperiretur auxilium, fuga salutem petere contenderunt.
When the barbarians noticed that this was being done, after several ships had been captured and since no help could be found for this situation, they hastened to seek safety in flight.
§3.15.3Ac iam conversis in eam partem navibus quo ventus ferebat, tanta subito malacia ac tranquillitas extitit ut se ex loco movere non possent.
And when they had already turned their ships in that direction where the wind was blowing, so great a calm and stillness suddenly arose that they could not move themselves from the spot.
§3.15.4Quae quidem res ad negotium conficiendum maximae fuit oportunitati: §3.15.5nam singulas nostri consectati expugnaverunt, ut perpaucae ex omni numero noctis interventu ad terram per venirent, cum ab hora fere IIII usque ad solis occasum pugnaretur.
This indeed was of the greatest advantage for finishing the business; for our men, pursuing them, captured them one by one, so that very few out of the whole number reached the land by the intervention of night, since the battle was fought from about the fourth hour until sunset.

Notes

  1. §3.15.1singulas binae ac ternae — Contrast of distributive numerals. The feminine forms agree with the omitted noun `naves`. `singulas` (accusative) refers to the enemy ships, while `binae ac ternae` (nominative) refers to the Roman ships, meaning "two or three [of our] ships [surrounded] each single [of theirs]".
  2. §3.15.2Quod — A relative connection (linking relative), where `Quod` refers back to the entire action of the Roman soldiers attempting to board the enemy ships described in the previous sentence, serving as the subject accusative of the term `fieri`.
  3. §3.15.4maximae fuit oportunitati — The dative of purpose (or effect) `oportunitati` is used with the copula `fuit`. This is a double dative construction with the dative of interest (such as `nobis`) omitted, meaning "it served as the greatest advantage [to us]".
  4. §3.15.5cum... pugnaretur — `cum` with the imperfect subjunctive. The verb `pugnaretur` is an impersonal passive, describing the background circumstance ("while the battle was being fought").

Cite this passage

Julius Caesar, Gallic War §3.15.1-3.15.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:3.15.1-3.15.5

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