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Julius Caesar · Gallic War §7.79.1-7.79.4

Arrival of the Relief Army and Preparations to Sally Forth

Passage 337 of 404 · Latin

Summary

The Gallic relief army led by Commius arrives at Alesia and encamps near the Roman lines, which brings great joy to the besieged Gauls inside the town as they prepare for a breakout.

§7.79.1Interea Commius reliquique duces quibus summa imperi permissa erat cum omnibus copiis ad Alesiam perveniunt et colle exteriore occupato non longius mille passibus ab nostris munitionibus considunt.
Meanwhile, Commius and the other leaders to whom the supreme command had been entrusted arrived at Alesia with all their forces, and having occupied an outer hill, encamped not further than a mile from our fortifications.
§7.79.2Postero die equitatu ex castris educto omnem eam planitiem, quam in longitudinem tria milia passuum patere demonstravimus, complent pedestresque copias paulum ab eo loco abditas in locis superioribus constituunt.
The next day, having led the cavalry out of the camp, they filled all that plain which we have shown stretched three miles in length, and drew up their infantry forces a little distance from that place on the higher ground.
§7.79.3Erat ex oppido Alesia despectus in campum.
There was from the town of Alesia a view down into the plain.
Concurrunt his auxiliis visis; fit gratulatio inter eos, atque omnium animi ad laetitiam excitantur.
At the sight of these auxiliaries, they ran together; congratulations took place among them, and the minds of all were excited to joy.
§7.79.4Itaque productis copiis ante oppidum considunt et proximam fossam cratibus integunt atque aggere explent seque ad eruptionem atque omnes casus comparant.
Therefore, having led out their forces, they encamped before the town, and covered the nearest trench with hurdles and filled it with earth, and prepared themselves for a sally and for every event.

Notes

  1. §7.79.1non longius mille passibus — mille passibus is the ablative of comparison depending on the comparative longius. A single mille passus (a thousand paces) corresponds to one Roman mile.
  2. §7.79.2quam in longitudinem tria milia passuum patere demonstravimus — The antecedent of the relative pronoun quam is omnem eam planitiem. patere is an infinitive in the accusative with infinitive construction (indirect discourse) depending on demonstravimus, referring to Caesar's own earlier description of the plain's dimensions (7.69).
  3. §7.79.3Erat ex oppido Alesia despectus in campum — despectus is a fourth-declension noun in the nominative singular, meaning 'a look down, view'. ex oppido Alesia indicates the point of origin, and in campum denotes the object of the view.
  4. §7.79.4seque ad eruptionem atque omnes casus comparant — se is the accusative plural of the reflexive pronoun, acting as the direct object of the verb comparant. This reflexive usage ('they prepare themselves for...') expresses the action of getting ready for the upcoming sally and any contingency.

Cite this passage

Julius Caesar, Gallic War §7.79.1-7.79.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:7.79.1-7.79.4

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