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Julius Caesar · Gallic War §8.2.1-8.2.2

Caesar's March into the Territory of the Bituriges

Passage 351 of 404 · Latin

Summary

To prevent the Gauls' plans, Caesar leaves Antonius in charge of the winter quarters and marches with the 13th and 11th legions into the fertile territory of the Bituriges.

§8.2.1Quae ne opinio Gallorum confirmaretur, Caesar Marcum Antonium quaestorem suis praefecit hibernis; ipse equitum praesidio pridie Kal. Ianuarias ab oppido Bibracte proficiscitur ad legionem XIII, quam non longe a finibus Aeduorum collocaverat in finibus Biturigum, eique adiungit legionem XI, quae proxima fuerat.
Lest this opinion of the Gauls should be confirmed, Caesar placed Marcus Antonius the quaestor in command of his winter quarters; he himself, with a guard of cavalry, set out from the town of Bibracte on the day before the Kalends of January for the Thirteenth Legion, which he had stationed in the territory of the Bituriges, not far from the borders of the Aedui, and to it he joined the Eleventh Legion, which had been the nearest.
§8.2.2Binis cohortibus ad impedimenta tuenda relictis reliquum exercitum in copiosissimos agros Biturigum inducit, qui, cum latos fines et complura oppida haberent, unius legionis hibernis non potuerint contineri quin bellum pararent coniurationesque facerent.
Leaving two cohorts from each legion to guard the baggage, he led the rest of the army into the very fertile lands of the Bituriges, who, since they had extensive territories and numerous towns, could not be contained by the winter quarters of a single legion from preparing war and forming conspiracies.

Notes

  1. 8.2.1Quae ne opinio — quae is a relative adjective used transitionally (connecting relative), referring back to the previous context (the Gauls' calculation) and translated as 'this (opinion)'.
  2. 8.2.2Binis cohortibus — The distributive numeral binis (two each) indicates that two cohorts were left from each of the two legions (the 11th and 13th), making four cohorts in total.
  3. 8.2.2non potuerint contineri quin — The perfect subjunctive potuerint is used in a relative clause of characteristic with a result force, primary sequence dependent on the historical present inducit. It is followed by a quin clause depending on a verb of preventing or restraining (contineri), meaning 'they could not be restrained from preparing war.'

Cite this passage

Julius Caesar, Gallic War §8.2.1-8.2.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:8.2.1-8.2.2

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