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Julius Caesar · Gallic War §5.15.1-5.15.5

British Chariot Attack and the Death of Laberius

Passage 171 of 404 · Latin

Summary

A fierce battle takes place between Caesar's cavalry and the enemy's cavalry and charioteers, in which the enemy temporarily gains the upper hand. Caesar sends elite cohorts, but our men are confused by the enemy's unusual tactics, resulting in the death of the military tribune Laberius.

§5.15.1Equites hostium essedariique acriter proelio cum equitatu nostro in itinere conflixerunt, tamen ut nostri omnibus partibus superiores fuerint atque eos in silvas collesque compulerint.
The enemy's cavalry and chariot-fighters engaged in a sharp battle with our cavalry on the march, yet in such a way that our men were victorious in all quarters and drove them into the woods and hills. The enemy's cavalry and chariot-fighters engaged in a sharp battle with our cavalry on the march, yet in such a way that our men were victorious in all quarters and drove them into the woods and hills.
§5.15.2Sed compluribus interfectis cupidius insecuti nonnullos ex suis amiserunt.
But, having slain many of them, our men pursued too eagerly and lost some of their own number. But, having slain many of them, our men pursued too eagerly and lost some of their own number.
§5.15.3At illi intermisso spatio imprudentibus nostris atque occupatis in munitione castrorum subito se ex silvis eiecerunt, impetuque in eos facto qui erant in statione pro castris collocati, §5.15.4acriter pugnaverunt, duabusque missis subsidio cohortibus a Caesare atque eis primis legionum duarum, cum hae perexiguo intermisso loci spatio inter se constitissent, novo genere pugnae perterritis nostris per medios audacissime perruperunt seque inde incolumes receperunt.
But the enemy, after an interval of time, when our men were off their guard and occupied with the fortification of the camp, suddenly dashed out of the woods, and making a charge upon those who were stationed on guard before the camp, fought fiercely, and when two cohorts had been sent by Caesar to their relief, and those indeed the first cohorts of two legions, and when these had taken their stand with a very small space of ground between them, our men being terrified by this new method of fighting, the enemy most daringly broke through the middle of them and retreated thence in safety. And when two cohorts had been sent by Caesar to their relief, and those indeed the first cohorts of two legions, and when these had taken their stand with a very small space of ground between them, our men being terrified by this new method of fighting, the enemy most daringly broke through the middle of them and retreated thence in safety.
§5.15.5Eo die Quintus Laberius Durus, tribunus militum, interficitur.
On that day Quintus Laberius Durus, a military tribune, was killed.
Illi pluribus submissis cohortibus repelluntur.
The enemy were repulsed, more cohorts being sent to the rescue. On that day Quintus Laberius Durus, a military tribune, was killed. The enemy were repulsed, more cohorts being sent to the rescue.

Notes

  1. §5.15.1tamen ut — The subjunctive perfect (fuerint, compulerint) introduced by tamen ut forms a consecutive clause. It expresses the result as an actual fact in contrast to the preceding description of the battle.
  2. §5.15.2cupidius — An absolute comparative. It is used here not to compare with another group, but to mean 'too eagerly' or 'too impetuously'.
  3. §5.15.3imprudentibus nostris — The words imprudentibus nostris atque occupatis in munitione castrorum form an ablative absolute, describing the situational background (when our men were off their guard and busy) for the main action.
  4. §5.15.4eis primis — The pronoun eis refers back to cohortibus, with primis in apposition. It emphasizes that these were the first cohorts (the elite units) of the two legions.
  5. §5.15.4novo genere pugnae — An ablative of means or cause, modifying the participle perterritis in the ablative absolute construction perterritis nostris, explaining the reason for their terror.

Cite this passage

Julius Caesar, Gallic War §5.15.1-5.15.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:5.15.1-5.15.5

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