Humanitext Reader

Julius Caesar · Gallic War §8.17.1-8.17.2

Caesar Learns of Correus' Ambush and Advances

Passage 366 of 404 · Latin

Summary

As the Romans suffer losses during foraging, Caesar learns from a prisoner about the ambush plan of the enemy leader Correus, and advances with a larger force of legions, cavalry, and light-armed troops.

§8.17.1Quod cum crebrius accideret, ex captivo quodam comperit Caesar Correum, Bellovacorum ducem, fortissimorum milia sex peditum delegisse equitesque ex omni numero mille, quos in insidiis eo loco collocaret, quem in locum propter copiam frumenti ac pabuli Romanos missuros suspicaretur.
As this happened rather frequently, Caesar learned from a certain prisoner that Correus, the leader of the Bellovaci, had selected six thousand of the bravest infantry and a thousand cavalry from the whole number, to place them in ambush in that place where he suspected the Romans would send troops on account of the abundance of grain and forage.
§8.17.2Quo cognito consilio legiones plures quam solebat educit equitatumque, qua consuetudine pabulatoribus mittere praesidio consuerat, praemittit: huic interponit auxilia levis armaturae; ipse cum legionibus quam potest maxime appropinquat.
Having learned of this plan, he led out more legions than he was accustomed to, and sent the cavalry ahead in accordance with the custom by which he had been used to send them as a guard for the foragers; among these he interspersed light-armed auxiliaries; he himself, with the legions, approached as closely as possible.

Notes

  1. 8.17.1quos in insidiis eo loco collocaret — quos is a relative pronoun whose antecedents are both milia sex peditum and equites, which function as the accusative objects of delegisse. The subjunctive imperfect collocaret is used because the relative clause expresses purpose ('in order to place them'), and it follows the historical sequence determined by the main verb comperit (historical present or perfect).
  2. 8.17.1quem in locum propter copiam frumenti ac pabuli Romanos missuros suspicaretur — The noun locus, which serves as the antecedent, is incorporated into the relative clause itself, modified by the relative adjective quem (forming a correlation with eo loco). suspicaretur is in the subjunctive because it is a subordinate clause within indirect discourse, and it governs the accusative with infinitive clause Romanos missuros [esse] ('that the Romans would send [troops]').
  3. 8.17.2pabulatoribus mittere praesidio — A double dative construction. pabulatoribus is the dative of reference ('for the foragers'), and praesidio is the dative of purpose or tendency ('as a guard'), modifying the action of mittere.

Cite this passage

Julius Caesar, Gallic War §8.17.1-8.17.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:8.17.1-8.17.2

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.