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Julius Caesar · Gallic War §5.39.1-5.39.4

Nervian Surprise Attack on Cicero's Winter Camp

Passage 195 of 404 · Latin

Summary

The Nervii muster neighboring tribes and launch a surprise attack on Cicero's winter camp, cutting off Roman soldiers foraging in the woods and beginning a fierce siege. The Romans barely manage to hold their ground on the first day.

§5.39.1Itaque confestim dimissis nuntiis ad Ceutrones, Grudios, Levacos, Pleumoxios, Geidumnos, qui omnes sub eorum imperio sunt, quam maximas manus possunt cogunt et de improviso ad Ciceronis hiberna advolant nondum ad eum fama de Tituri morte perlata.
Therefore, having immediately dispatched messengers to the Ceutrones, Grudii, Levaci, Pleumoxii, and Geidumni, all of whom are under their rule, they assemble as large forces as possible and fly unexpectedly to Cicero’s winter quarters, before the report of the death of Titurius had yet been brought to him.
§5.39.2Huic quoque accidit, quod fuit necesse, ut nonnulli milites, qui lignationis munitionisque causa in silvas discessissent, repentino equitum adventu interciperentur.
To him also it happened, as was unavoidable, that some soldiers, who had gone off into the woods for the purpose of procuring wood and fortifying the camp, were intercepted by the sudden arrival of the cavalry.
§5.39.3His circumventis magna manu Eburones, Nervii, Aduatuci atque horum omnium socii et clientes legionem oppugnare incipiunt.
These having been surrounded, the Eburones, Nervii, and Aduatuci, and the allies and dependents of all of them, begin to attack the legion with a large force.
Nostri celeriter ad arma concurrunt, vallum conscendunt.
Our men quickly rush to arms and mount the rampart.
§5.39.4Aegre is dies sustentatur, quod omnem spem hostes in celeritate ponebant atque hanc adepti victoriam in perpetuum se fore victores confidebant.
That day is sustained with difficulty, because the enemy placed all their hope in dispatch, and trusted that, if they obtained this victory, they would be victors forever.

Notes

  1. §5.39.1nondum ad eum fama de Tituri morte perlata — An ablative absolute construction consisting of the noun fama (report) and the perfect participle perlata (brought). The pronoun eum refers to Cicero (Ciceronis) in the context. The phrase means 'before the report of the death of Titurius had yet been brought to him.'
  2. §5.39.2Huic quoque accidit, quod fuit necesse, ut nonnulli milites ... interciperentur — A construction with the impersonal verb accidit (it happened) taking the dative huic (referring to Cicero) and the noun clause introduced by ut (ut... interciperentur) as its subject. The parenthetical clause quod fuit necesse means 'which was inevitable.'
  3. §5.39.4hanc adepti victoriam in perpetuum se fore victores confidebant — The perfect participle adepti from the deponent verb adipiscor (to obtain) has an active meaning and here carries a conditional force ('if they should obtain this victory'). In the indirect speech, the accusative with infinitive clause se fore (= futurum esse) victores (that they would be victors forever) serves as the object of confidebant (they trusted/were confident).

Cite this passage

Julius Caesar, Gallic War §5.39.1-5.39.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:5.39.1-5.39.4

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