§7.40.1Magna adfectus sollicitudine hoc nuntio Caesar, quod semper Aeduorum civitati praecipue indulserat, nulla interposita dubitatione legiones expeditas quattuor equitatumque omnem ex castris educit; §7.40.2nec fuit spatium tali tempore ad contrahenda castra, quod res posita in celeritate videbatur; Gaium Fabium legatum cum legionibus duabus castris praesidio relinquit. §7.40.3Fratres Litavicci cum comprehendi iussisset, paulo ante reperit ad hostes fugisse. §7.40.4Adhortatus milites, ne necessario tempore itineris labore permoveantur, cupidissimis omnibus progressus milia passuum XXV agmen Aeduorum conspicatus immisso equitatu iter eorum moratur atque impedit interdicitque omnibus ne quemquam interficiant.
Caesar, deeply affected by this news, since he had always shown special favor to the state of the Aedui, led out from the camp four light-armed legions and all the cavalry without any hesitation. Nor, at such a juncture, was there time to contract the camp, because the issue seemed to depend on celerity; he left Gaius Fabius, his lieutenant, with two legions as a guard for the camp. When he had ordered the brothers of Litaviccus to be arrested, he found that they had fled to the enemy a short time before. Having encouraged his soldiers not to be dispirited by the labor of the march at a critical time, while all were most eager, he advanced twenty-five miles, and descrying the army of the Aedui, he sent in his cavalry and delayed and impeded their march, and forbade everyone to kill anyone.
Eporedorigem et Viridomarum, §7.40.5quos illi interfectos existimabant, inter equites versari suosque appellare iubet. §7.40.6His cognitis et Litavicci fraude perspecta Aedui manus tendere, deditionem significare et proiectis armis mortem deprecari incipiunt. §7.40.7Litaviccus cum suis clientibus, quibus more Gallorum nefas est etiam in extrema fortuna deserere patronos, Gergoviam profugit.
He ordered Eporedorix and Viridomarus, whom they believed to have been put to death, to move about among the cavalry and to call upon their people. When these things were made known and the deceit of Litaviccus was perceived, the Aedui began to stretch out their hands, to signal surrender, and, throwing down their arms, to beg for their lives. Litaviccus, with his vassals, whom, according to the custom of the Gauls, it is a crime to desert their patrons even in extreme misfortune, fled to Gergovia.