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Julius Caesar · Gallic War §5.47.1-5.47.4

Arrival of Crassus and Labienus's Report

Passage 203 of 404 · Latin

Summary

Caesar advances further upon learning of Crassus's arrival, leaving him in charge of Samarobriva. While Fabius joins Caesar, Labienus remains in his winter quarters due to the proximity of the enemy and sends a detailed report of the dangerous situation to Caesar.

§5.47.1Hora circiter tertia ab antecursoribus de Crassi adventu certior factus eo die milia passuum XX procedit.
About the third hour, being informed by the scouts of the arrival of Crassus, he advanced twenty miles that day.
§5.47.2Crassum Samarobrivae praeficit legionemque attribuit, quod ibi impedimenta exercitus, obsides civitatum, litteras publicas frumentumque omne quod eo tolerandae hiemis causa devexerat relinquebat.
He appointed Crassus over Samarobriva and assigned a legion to him, because he was leaving there the baggage of the army, the hostages of the states, the public documents, and all the grain which he had brought thither for the purpose of enduring the winter.
§5.47.3Fabius, ut imperatum erat, non ita multum moratus in itinere cum legione occurrit.
Fabius, as he had been commanded, having not delayed so long on his march, met him with his legion.
§5.47.4Labienus interitu Sabini et caede cohortium cognita, cum omnes ad eum Treverorum copiae venissent, veritus, si ex hibernis fugae similem profectionem fecisset, ut hostium impetum sustinere posset, praesertim quos recenti victoria efferri sciret, litteras Caesari remittit, quanto cum periculo legionem ex hibernis educturus esset; rem gestam in Eburonibus perscribit; docet omnes equitatus peditatusque copias Treverorum tria milia passuum longe ab suis castris consedisse.
Labienus, having learned of the death of Sabinus and the slaughter of the cohorts, since all the forces of the Treveri had come against him, fearing that, if he should make a departure from his winter quarters resembling a flight, he would not be able to sustain the onset of the enemy, especially since he knew they were elated by their recent victory, sent a letter back to Caesar, showing with how great danger he would lead out the legion from the winter quarters; he wrote in detail what had taken place among the Eburones; he informed him that all the cavalry and infantry forces of the Treveri had encamped three miles away from his own camp.

Notes

  1. §5.47.4veritus, ... ut hostium impetum sustinere posset — In noun clauses following verbs of fearing (here the participle `veritus`), `ut` is used to express a negative fear, meaning "fearing that ... not" (fearing that he would not be able to sustain). This contrasts with the usual `ne`, which expresses a positive fear ("fearing that ...").
  2. §5.47.4quos recenti victoria efferri sciret — The relative pronoun `quos` refers to `hostium` in the main clause and functions as the subject accusative of `efferri` (passive infinitive, "to be elated/puffed up") within the indirect statement. `sciret` is in the subjunctive mood because it introduces a relative clause of characteristic or subjective reason attributed to Labienus.

Cite this passage

Julius Caesar, Gallic War §5.47.1-5.47.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:5.47.1-5.47.4

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