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Julius Caesar · Gallic War §3.28.1-3.28.4

Campaign against the Morini and Menapii and Woods Ambush

Passage 117 of 404 · Latin

Summary

Caesar marches against the Morini and Menapii, who remain in arms, but they retreat into the forests and marshes. While building the camp, the Roman forces are suddenly attacked from the woods but manage to repulse the enemy.

§3.28.1Eodem fere tempore Caesar, etsi prope exacta iam aestas erat, tamen, quod omni Gallia pacata Morini Menapiique supererant, qui in armis essent neque ad eum umquam legatos de pace misissent, arbitratus id bellum celeriter confici posse eo exercitum duxit; qui longe alia ratione ac reliqui Galli bellum gerere coeperunt.
At almost the same time, Caesar, although the summer was now nearly spent, yet, because, while all the rest of Gaul was pacified, the Morini and Menapii remained, who were in arms and had never sent ambassadors to him about peace, thinking that this war could be speedily terminated, led his army thither; but they began to conduct the war in a far different manner from the rest of the Gauls.
§3.28.2Nam quod intellegebant maximas nationes, quae proelio contendissent, pulsas superatasque esse, continentesque silvas ac paludes habebant, eo se suaque omnia contulerunt.
For, because they understood that the most powerful nations, which had contended in battle, had been routed and overcome, and they possessed continuous forests and morasses, they conveyed themselves and all their property thither.
§3.28.3Ad quarum initium silvarum cum Caesar pervenisset castraque munire instituisset neque hostis interim visus esset, dispersis in opere nostris subito ex omnibus partibus silvae evolaverunt et in nostros impetum fecerunt.
When Caesar had arrived at the entrance of these forests, and had begun to fortify his camp, and no enemy had been seen in the meantime, while our men were dispersed in their work, they suddenly rushed out from all parts of the forest and made an attack upon our men.
§3.28.4Nostri celeriter arma ceperunt eosque in silvas repulerunt et compluribus interfectis longius impeditioribus locis secuti paucos ex suis deperdiderunt.
Our men quickly took up arms and drove them back into the forests, and, having slain a great many, having pursued them too far in places that were more obstructed, lost a few of their own men.

Notes

  1. §3.28.1Eodem fere tempore Caesar... eo exercitum duxit — The core of the main clause is `Caesar ... eo exercitum duxit` (Caesar led his army thither). Interposed within this structure are a concessive clause (`etsi...`), a causal clause (`quod...`, which itself contains a relative clause `qui...`), and the perfect participle `arbitratus` (thinking) which governs an accusative with infinitive clause (`id bellum... posse`).
  2. §3.28.2continentesque silvas ac paludes habebant — The enclitic `-que` in `continentesque` connects the two verbs `intellegebant` (they understood) and `habebant` (they possessed), both functioning under the governing causal conjunction `quod`. Thus, it translates to "because they understood... and they possessed...".
  3. §3.28.4longius impeditioribus locis secuti — The comparatives `longius` (further) and `impeditioribus` (more obstructed) function as absolute comparatives, indicating an excess beyond a standard measure ("too far", "rather difficult/obstructed"). `secuti` is the perfect participle of the deponent verb `sequor`, agreeing with the subject `Nostri`.

Cite this passage

Julius Caesar, Gallic War §3.28.1-3.28.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:3.28.1-3.28.4

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