Humanitext Reader

Julius Caesar · Gallic War §5.58.1-5.58.7

Defeat and Death of Indutiomarus

Passage 214 of 404 · Latin

Summary

Labienus secretly brings his summoned cavalry into the camp and kills Indutiomarus in a surprise attack. Consequently, the enemy forces withdraw, and Gaul temporarily gains some peace.

§5.58.1Cum maiore in dies contemptione Indutiomarus ad castra accederet, nocte una intromissis equitibus omnium finitimarum civitatum quos arcessendos curaverat, tanta diligentia omnes suos custodiis intra castra continuit, ut nulla ratione ea res enuntiari aut ad Treveros perferri posset.
While Indutiomarus was approaching the camp with daily increasing contempt, Labienus, having let in the cavalry of all the neighboring states during one night, which he had taken care to summon, kept all his men inside the camp with guards with such great diligence that by no means could that matter be reported or carried to the Treveri.
§5.58.2Interim ex consuetudine cotidiana Indutiomarus ad castra accedit atque ibi magnam partem diei consumit; equites tela coniciunt et magna cum contumelia verborum nostros ad pugnam evocant.
Meanwhile, according to his daily custom, Indutiomarus approaches the camp and spends a large part of the day there; the horsemen throw their weapons and with great verbal insolence challenge our men to battle.
§5.58.3Nullo ab nostris dato responso, ubi visum est, sub vesperum dispersi ac dissipati discedunt.
Since no reply was given by our men, when it seemed fit to them, towards evening they depart, dispersed and scattered.
§5.58.4Subito Labienus duabus portis omnem equitatum emittit; praecipit atque interdicit, proterritis hostibus atque in fugam coniectis (quod fore, sicut accidit, videbat) unum omnes peterent Indutiomarum, neu quis quem prius vulneret, quam illum interfectum viderit, quod mora reliquorum spatium nactum illum effugere nolebat; magna proponit eis qui occiderint praemia; §5.58.5summittit cohortes equitibus subsidio.
Suddenly Labienus sends out all the cavalry from two gates; he orders and strictly commands that, once the enemy were terrified and put to flight (which he foresaw would happen, as indeed it did), they should all seek Indutiomarus alone, and that no one should wound any other man before he saw him killed, because he did not want him, having gained time by the delay of the others, to escape; he offers great rewards to those who should kill him; he sends up cohorts as a reinforcement to the cavalry.
§5.58.6Comprobat hominis consilium fortuna, et cum unum omnes peterent, in ipso fluminis vado deprehensus Indutiomarus interficitur, caputque eius refertur in castra: redeuntes equites quos possunt consectantur atque occidunt.
Fortune approves the man's plan, and since they all sought one man, Indutiomarus, caught at the very ford of the river, is killed, and his head is brought back to the camp; the returning cavalry pursue and kill whomsoever they can.
§5.58.7Hac re cognita omnes Eburonum et Nerviorum quae convenerant copiae discedunt, pauloque habuit post id factum Caesar quietiorem Galliam.
When this matter was known, all the forces of the Eburones and the Nervii which had assembled depart, and after this event Caesar had a somewhat quieter Gaul.

Notes

  1. 5.58.1quos arcessendos curaverat — The construction of "curo with a gerundive" (arcessendos), where quos (referring to equitibus) is the object of curaverat, expressing an action to be done ("which he had taken care to summon").
  2. 5.58.4proterritis hostibus atque in fugam coniectis — Ablative absolute construction expressing the prior condition ("once the enemy were terrified and put to flight") before the main command peterent is executed. The parenthetical clause quod fore... videbat ("which he foresaw would happen") supports the certainty of this premise.
  3. 5.58.4quod fore, sicut accidit, videbat — fore is the shortened form of the future infinitive futurum esse, functioning as the predicate in the indirect discourse (accusative with infinitive) governed by videbat. The relative pronoun quod refers back to the situation described in the preceding ablative absolute.
  4. 5.58.4neu quis quem prius vulneret, quam illum interfectum viderit — A tmesis of priusquam ("before"), split into prius and quam. viderit is in the perfect subjunctive (representing a future perfect in relation to the primary sequence). neu quis quem... combines ne and ve with the indefinite pronouns (quis, quem) to mean "and that no one should wound anyone else."
  5. 5.58.5equitibus subsidio — Double dative construction. equitibus is the dative of reference (to the cavalry), and subsidio is the dative of purpose (as a reinforcement).

Cite this passage

Julius Caesar, Gallic War §5.58.1-5.58.7. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:5.58.1-5.58.7

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