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Julius Caesar · Gallic War §5.26.1-5.26.4

Uprising of Ambiorix and Request for Parley

Passage 182 of 404 · Latin

Summary

About fifteen days after arriving at their winter quarters, Ambiorix and Catuvolcus launch a sudden revolt and attack the Roman camp. After being repulsed by the Romans, they request a conference to discuss their common interests.

§5.26.1Diebus circiter XV, quibus in hiberna ventum est, initium repentini tumultus ac defectionis ortum est ab Ambiorige et Catuvolco; §5.26.2qui, cum ad fines regni sui Sabino Cottaeque praesto fuissent frumentumque in hiberna comportavissent, Indutiomari Treveri nuntiis impulsi suos concitaverunt subitoque oppressis lignatoribus magna manu ad castra oppugnatum venerunt.
About fifteen days after they had arrived at the winter quarters, the beginning of a sudden outbreak and revolt arose from Ambiorix and Catuvolcus; who, although they had met Sabinus and Cotta at the borders of their kingdom and had conveyed grain into the winter quarters, instigated by the messengers of Indutiomarus, one of the Treveri, excited their people, and having suddenly cut off the woodcutters, came with a large force to attack the camp.
§5.26.3Cum celeriter nostri arma cepissent vallumque adscendissent atque una ex parte Hispanis equitibus emissis equestri proelio superiores fuissent, desperata re hostes suos ab oppugnatione reduxerunt.
When our men had quickly taken up arms and ascended the rampart, and, sending out Spanish horsemen from one side, had proved superior in a cavalry battle, the enemy, despairing of success, drew back their men from the assault.
§5.26.4Tum suo more conclamaverunt, uti aliqui ex nostris ad colloquium prodiret: habere sese, quae de re communi dicere vellent, quibus rebus controversias minui posse sperarent.
Then, according to their custom, they cried out that some of our men should come forward to a conference: [saying] that they had things which they wished to say concerning their common interest, by which things they hoped their disputes could be minimized.

Notes

  1. 5.26.1Diebus circiter XV, quibus in hiberna ventum est — The ablative of the relative pronoun 'quibus' with the antecedent 'diebus' expresses an interval of time, functioning similarly to 'postquam' (after). 'in hiberna ventum est' is an impersonal passive, meaning 'after they had arrived at the winter quarters.'
  2. 5.26.2qui, cum — The relative 'qui' is a connecting relative in the nominative plural, referring back to 'Ambiorige et Catuvolco'. The 'cum' clause takes the pluperfect subjunctive ('fuissent', 'comportavissent') and has a concessive force here ('although they had...').
  3. 5.26.2oppugnatum — The supine in -um (accusative of purpose) of the transitive verb 'oppugnare', depending on the verb of motion 'venerunt', meaning 'to attack' or 'for the purpose of attacking'.
  4. 5.26.4habere sese — An accusative with infinitive construction in indirect discourse (Oratio Obliqua) depending on the implied statement in 'conclamaverunt'. 'sese' (an emphatic form of 'se') is the subject accusative of 'habere'. The subsequent verbs 'vellent' and 'sperarent' are in the subjunctive because they are in subordinate clauses within indirect discourse.

Cite this passage

Julius Caesar, Gallic War §5.26.1-5.26.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:5.26.1-5.26.4

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