Humanitext Reader

Julius Caesar · Gallic War §7.31.1-7.31.5

Reorganization of Vercingetorix's Army and Reinforcements

Passage 289 of 404 · Latin

Summary

Describes Vercingetorix's efforts to ally with other states, rearm the fugitives, and mobilize soldiers and archers to make up for the losses at Avaricum, as well as the arrival of Teutomatus, king of the Nitiobriges, with reinforcements.

§7.31.1Nec minus quam est pollicitus Vercingetorix animo laborabat ut reliquas civitates adiungeret, atque eas donis pollicitationibusque alliciebat.
No less than he had promised, Vercingetorix was striving in mind to join the remaining states, and was enticing them with gifts and promises.
Huic rei idoneos homines deligebat, §7.31.2quorum quisque aut oratione subdola aut amicitia facillime capere posset.
For this task he was selecting suitable men, each of whom could very easily win them over either by crafty speech or by friendship.
Qui Avarico expugnato refugerant, §7.31.3armandos vestiendosque curat; §7.31.4simul, ut deminutae copiae redintegrarentur, imperat certum numerum militum civitatibus, quem et quam ante diem in castra adduci velit, sagittariosque omnes, quorum erat permagnus numerus in Gallia, conquiri et ad se mitti iubet.
Those who had fled after Avaricum was taken, he took care to have armed and clothed; at the same time, in order that the diminished forces might be restored, he demanded a certain number of soldiers from the states, specifying what number and by what day he wished them to be brought into the camp, and ordered all the archers, of whom there was a very great number in Gaul, to be sought out and sent to him.
His rebus celeriter id quod Avarici deperierat expletur.
By these means, that which had been lost at Avaricum was quickly made up.
§7.31.5Interim Teutomatus, Olloviconis filius, rex Nitiobrigum, cuius pater ab senatu nostro amicus erat appellatus, cum magno equitum suorum numero et quos ex Aquitania conduxerat ad eum pervenit.
Meanwhile Teutomatus, the son of Ollovico, king of the Nitiobriges, whose father had been styled friend by our senate, arrived to him with a great number of his own horsemen and those whom he had hired from Aquitania.

Notes

  1. 7.31.2Qui Avarico expugnato refugerant, ... armandos vestiendosque curat — The relative clause `Qui ... refugerant`, with its antecedent `eos` omitted, serves as the logical subject (or object of the action) of the gerundives `armandos vestiendosque` which depend on `curat`. The construction `curo` + gerundive in the accusative expresses the idea of "to see to it that something is done" or "to have something done."
  2. 7.31.4quem et quam ante diem — In the indirect question clause `quem et quam ante diem ... velit`, `quem` modifies an implied `numerum` (referring back to `certum numerum` in the main clause) meaning "what number." The phrase `quam ante diem` represents an inversion of `ante quam diem`, where `diem` is treated as a feminine noun meaning a specific deadline/appointed day, modified by the interrogative adjective `quam`, meaning "by what day."
  3. 7.31.5et quos ex Aquitania conduxerat — The antecedent (in the accusative, likely `equites` or generally `homines`) of the relative pronoun `quos` is omitted. The clause is coordinated with the preceding phrase `cum magno equitum suorum numero` (as if it were `cum ... numero et [cum iis] quos...`).

Cite this passage

Julius Caesar, Gallic War §7.31.1-7.31.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:7.31.1-7.31.5

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