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Julius Caesar · Gallic War §5.45.1-5.45.5

Intensifying Siege and Vertico's Message to Caesar

Passage 201 of 404 · Latin

Summary

As the siege of Cicero's camp intensifies and defenders grow scarce, Vertico, a loyal Nervian, persuades a slave to carry a letter to Caesar, delivering news of their desperate situation.

§5.45.1Quanto erat in dies gravior atque asperior oppugnatio, et maxime quod magna parte militum confecta vulneribus res ad paucitatem defensorum pervenerat, tanto crebriores litterae nuntiique ad Caesarem mittebantur; quorum pars deprehensa in conspectu nostrorum militum cum cruciatu necabatur.
The more severe and difficult the siege became day by day, and especially because, with a great part of the soldiers exhausted by wounds, the matter had come to a scarcity of defenders, the more frequently letters and messengers were sent to Caesar; some of whom, when captured, were put to death with torture in the sight of our soldiers.
§5.45.2Erat unus intus Nervius nomine Vertico, loco natus honesto, qui a prima obsidione ad Ciceronem perfugerat suamque ei fidem praestiterat.
There was within a certain Nervian named Vertico, born of an honorable family, who from the beginning of the siege had fled to Cicero and had proven his loyalty to him.
§5.45.3Hic servo spe libertatis magnisque persuadet praemiis, ut litteras ad Caesarem deferat.
This man persuaded a slave, by the hope of freedom and great rewards, to carry letters to Caesar.
§5.45.4Has ille in iaculo illigatas effert et Gallus inter Gallos sine ulla suspicione versatus ad Caesarem pervenit.
He carried them out bound on a javelin, and, moving about as a Gaul among Gauls without any suspicion, reached Caesar.
§5.45.5Ab eo de periculis Ciceronis legionisque cognoscitur.
From him, information was obtained concerning the dangers of Cicero and the legion.

Notes

  1. 5.45.1Quanto ... tanto — A correlative construction meaning "the more... the more...". Both "quanto" and "tanto" are ablatives of degree of difference modifying the comparative adjectives "gravior" and "crebriores" respectively.
  2. 5.45.1magna parte militum confecta vulneribus — An ablative absolute clause ("with a great part of the soldiers having been worn out by wounds"). "confecta" is the perfect passive participle of "conficere" in the feminine ablative singular, agreeing with "parte". It is nested inside the causal "quod" clause.
  3. 5.45.2loco natus honesto — Meaning "born of an honorable family." The prepositionless ablative "loco" is used to express origin or parentage (ablative of origin) with the participle "natus" (from "nascor").
  4. 5.45.5Ab eo de periculis Ciceronis legionisque cognoscitur — The passive form "cognoscitur" is used impersonally ("it is learned from him about..."). While literally "it is known from him," in context it active-vocalizes as "Caesar learns of the dangers from him."

Cite this passage

Julius Caesar, Gallic War §5.45.1-5.45.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:5.45.1-5.45.5

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