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Julius Caesar · Gallic War §7.16.1-7.16.3

Vercingetorix's Camp and Attacks on Roman Foragers

Passage 274 of 404 · Latin

Summary

Vercingetorix pitches his camp in a secure location near Avaricum and monitors the situation constantly through scouts. He watches and attacks the Roman foraging parties to inflict heavy losses, while the Romans take countermeasures by marching at irregular times and via different routes.

§7.16.1Vercingetorix minoribus Caesarem itineribus subsequitur et locum castris deligit paludibus silvisque munitum ab Avarico longe milia passuum XVI.
Vercingetorix follows Caesar by shorter marches and chooses a place for his camp protected by marshes and woods, sixteen miles away from Avaricum.
§7.16.2Ibi per certos exploratores in singula diei tempora quae ad Avaricum agerentur cognoscebat et quid fieri vellet imperabat.
There, through reliable scouts, he kept himself informed at every hour of the day of what was being done at Avaricum, and commanded what he wished to be done.
§7.16.3Omnis nostras pabulationes frumentationesque observabat dispersosque, cum longius necessario procederent, adoriebatur magnoque incommodo adficiebat, etsi, quantum ratione provideri poterat, ab nostris occurrebatur, ut incertis temporibus diversisque itineribus iretur.
He watched all our foraging and grain-gathering parties, and, when they of necessity proceeded too far and became dispersed, he would attack them and inflict great loss on them, although precautions were taken by our men, so far as could be provided by calculation, by going at irregular times and by different routes.

Notes

  1. §7.16.1minoribus itineribus — Ablative of manner or means. Meaning "by shorter marches," it indicates that Vercingetorix followed at a more cautious and measured pace, in contrast to Caesar's rapid forced marches.
  2. §7.16.3ab nostris occurrebatur — Impersonal passive of the intransitive verb occurro ("to counteract", "to meet"). Accompanied by the ablative of agent (ab nostris), it means "countermeasures were taken by our men."
  3. §7.16.3ut incertis temporibus diversisque itineribus iretur — Impersonal use of the imperfect subjunctive passive of the intransitive verb eo ("to go", "to march") in the form of iretur. This ut-clause functions as a noun clause explaining the specific content ("that they should go...") of the main impersonal verb occurrebatur ("precautions were taken").

Cite this passage

Julius Caesar, Gallic War §7.16.1-7.16.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:7.16.1-7.16.3

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