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Julius Caesar · Gallic War §5.52.1-5.52.6

Caesar's Arrival at Cicero's Camp and Address to Troops

Passage 208 of 404 · Latin

Summary

Caesar decided not to pursue the enemy further and arrived at Cicero's camp, where he praised the soldiers' valor, learned about the disaster of Sabinus and Cotta, and consoled the troops by explaining that the loss had been expiated by divine favor and their own courage.

§5.52.1Longius prosequi veritus, quod silvae paludesque intercedebant neque etiam parvulo detrimento illorum locum relinqui videbat, omnibus suis incolumibus copiis eodem die ad Ciceronem pervenit. §5.52.2Institutas turres, testudines munitionesque hostium admiratur; legione producta cognoscit non decimum quemque esse reliquum militem sine vulnere: §5.52.3ex his omnibus iudicat rebus, quanto cum periculo et quanta cum virtute res sint administratae. §5.52.4Ciceronem pro eius merito legionemque collaudat; centuriones singillatim tribunosque militum appellat, quorum egregiam fuisse virtutem testimonio Ciceronis cognoverat.
\nFearing to pursue further, because woods and marshes intervened and he saw that no opportunity was left for inflicting even a very small loss upon them, he arrived on the same day at Cicero's camp with all his forces safe and sound.\n\nHe admired the towers, tortoises, and fortifications set up by the enemy; having drawn up the legion, he learned that not even one soldier in ten was left without a wound:\n\nfrom all these things he judged with how great danger and with how great valor affairs had been conducted.\n\nHe praised Cicero according to his merit, and also the legion; he addressed the centurions and military tribunes individually, whose outstanding valor he had learned of through the testimony of Cicero.
De casu Sabini et Cottae certius ex captivis cognoscit. §5.52.5Postero die contione habita rem gestam proponit, milites consolatur et confirmat: §5.52.6quod detrimentum culpa et temeritate legati sit acceptum, hoc aequiore animo ferendum docet, quod beneficio deorum immortalium et virtute eorum expiato incommodo neque hostibus diutina laetatio neque ipsis longior dolor relinquatur.
He obtained more definite information about the fate of Sabinus and Cotta from the captives.\n\nOn the following day, having held an assembly, he set forth what had occurred, and consoled and encouraged the soldiers:\n\nhe taught that the loss which had been sustained through the fault and rashness of the legate should be borne with a more resigned mind on this account, because, the disaster having been expiated by the favor of the immortal gods and by their own valor, neither lasting joy was left to the enemy, nor very prolonged grief to themselves.

Notes

  1. §5.52.1veritus — The perfect participle of the deponent verb vereor (to fear), functioning as a circumstantial participle expressing cause ('fearing' or 'because he feared'). Although perfect in form, it denotes a completed mental state that continues into the action of the main verb.
  2. §5.52.1parvulo detrimentum illorum locum relinqui — The accusative locum is the subject of the passive infinitive relinqui. Detrimento is a dative of purpose or reference ('for a loss/harm'), and illorum (of them, referring to the enemy) is a genitive modifying detrimentum. Thus, 'that no opportunity was left for [inflicting] even a very small loss upon them'.
  3. §5.52.2non decimum quemque — The pronoun quisque combined with the ordinal decimus means 'every tenth' (one in ten). With the negative non, it emphasizes an extremely low proportion: 'not even one in ten' or 'fewer than one in ten'.
  4. §5.52.6quod detrimentum... hoc aequiore animo ferendum docet — The antecedent detrimentum is incorporated into the relative clause introduced by quod. In the main clause, the demonstrative pronoun id (which would be the subject of the gerundive construction ferendum [esse]) is omitted. Hoc is an ablative of cause ('on this account') or functions as an ablative of measure of difference modifying the comparative aequiore.

Cite this passage

Julius Caesar, Gallic War §5.52.1-5.52.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:5.52.1-5.52.6

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