§7.14.1Vercingetorix tot continuis incommodis Vellaunoduni, Cenabi, Novioduni acceptis suos ad concilium convocat.
Vercingetorix, having suffered so many continuous setbacks at Vellaunodunum, Cenabum, and Noviodunum, summoned his men to a council.
§7.14.2Docet longe alia ratione esse bellum gerendum atque antea gestum sit.
He declared that the war must be prosecuted on a far different plan than had been previously adopted.
Omnibus modis huic rei studendum, ut pabulatione et commeatu Romani prohibeantur:
Every effort must be made to this end, to prevent the Romans from foraging and procuring supplies.
§7.14.3id esse facile, quod equitatu ipsi abundent et quod anni tempore subleventur;
This was easy, because they themselves abounded in cavalry, and because they were assisted by the season of the year.
§7.14.4pabulum secari non posse; necessario dispersos hostes ex aedificiis petere: hos omnes cotidie ab equitibus deligi posse.
Forage could not be cut; the enemy would of necessity disperse and seek it from the buildings; all of these could be cut off daily by the cavalry.
§7.14.5Praeterea salutis causa rei familiaris commoda neglegenda: vicos atque aedificia incendi oportere hoc spatio ab via quoque versus, quo pabulandi causa adire posse videantur. Harum ipsis rerum copiam suppetere,
Moreover, for the sake of safety, private interests must be disregarded: villages and buildings must be set on fire in every direction from the route, as far as they seemed possible to be approached for the purpose of foraging.
§7.14.6quod, quorum in finibus bellum geratur, eorum opibus subleventur:
Abundance of these supplies was at hand for themselves, because they were assisted by the resources of those in whose territories the war was being waged.
§7.14.7Romanos aut inopiam non laturos aut magno periculo longius ab castris processuros; §7.14.8neque interesse, ipsosne interficiant, impedimentisne exuant, quibus amissis bellum geri non possit.
The Romans would either not bear the scarcity, or would advance further from their camp at great risk; and it made no difference whether they killed them, or stripped them of their baggage, on the loss of which war could not be carried on.
§7.14.9Praeterea oppida incendi oportere, quae non munitione et loci natura ab omni sint periculo tuta, neu suis sint ad detractandam militiam receptacula neu Romanis proposita ad copiam commeatus praedamque tollendam.
Furthermore, those towns ought to be burnt which were not secured from all danger by fortifications and natural situation, lest they should be receptacles for their own men to decline military service, or be exposed to the Romans for taking away abundance of provisions and plunder.
§7.14.10haec si gravia aut acerba videantur, multo illa gravius aestimare, liberos, coniuges in servitutem abstrahi, ipsos interfici; quae sit necesse accidere victis.
If these things seemed severe or cruel, they ought to consider it much more severe that their children and wives should be dragged off into slavery, and themselves be slain—things which must of necessity happen to the conquered.