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XXXI. At Cæsar, etsi nondum eorum consilia cognoverat, tamen et ex eventu navium suarum, et ex eo quòd obsides dare intermiserant, fore id quod accidit, suspicabatur. Itaque ad omnes casus subsidia comparabat. Nam et frumentum ex agris in castra quotidie conferebat; et quæ gravissimè afflictæ erant naves, earum materiâ atque ære ad reliquas reficiendas utebatur: et quæ ad eas res erant usui, ex continenti comportari jubebat. Itaque, quum id summo studio à militibus administraretur, XII navibus amissis, reliquis ut navigari commodè posset, effecit.

XXXII. Dum ea geruntur, legione, ex consuetudine, unâ frumentatum missâ, quæ appellabatur vii, neque ullâ ad id tempus belli suspicione interpositâ, quum pars hominum in agris remaneret, pars etiam in castra ventitaret; ii, qui pro portis castrorum in statione erant, Casari renunciaverunt, pulverem majorem, quàm consuetudo ferret, in eâ parte videri, quam in partem legio iter fecisset. Cæsar, id quod erat, suspicatus, aliquid novi à barbaris initum consilii; cohortes, quæ in stationibus erant, secum in eam partem proficisci, duas in stationem succedere, reliquas armari, et confestim se subsequi jussit. Quum paullò longiùs à castris processisset, suos ab hostibus premi, atque ægrè sustinere, et confertâ legione ex omnibus partibus tela conjici animadvertit. Nam quòd omni ex reliquis partibus demesso frumento, una pars erat reliqua, suspicati hostes, huc nostros esse venturos, noctu in silviş delituerant. Tum dispersos, depositis armis, in metendo occupatos subitò adorti, paucis interfectis, reliquos incertis ordinibus perturbaverant: simul equitatu atque essedis circumdederant.

XXXIII. Genus hoc est ex essedis pugnee: primò per omnes partes perequitant, et tela conjiciunt: atque ipso terrore equorum, et strepitu rotarum, ordines plerumque perturbant: et quum se inter equitum turmas insinuavere, ex essedis desiliunt, et pedibus præliantur. Auriga interim paullùm è prælio excedunt, atque ita se collocant, ut, si illi à multitudine hostium premantur, expeditum ad suos receptum habeant. Ita mobilitatem equitum, stabilitatem peditum in præliis præstant: ac tantum usu quotidiano et exercitatione efficiunt, ut in declivi ac præcipiti loco incitatos equos sustinere, et brevi moderari ac flectere, et per temonem percurrere, et in jugo insistere, et inde se in currus citissimè recipere consueverint.

XXXIV. Quibus rebus perturbatis nostris novitate pugnæ, tempore opportunissimo Cæsar auxilium tulit: namque ejus adventu hostes constiterunt, nostri ex timore se receperunt. Quo facto, ad lacessendum hostem, et committendum prælium alienum esse tempus arbitratus, suo se loco continuit, et brevi tempore intermisso, in castra legiones reduxit.

NOTES.

1 Itaque ad omnes casus subsidia comparabat.] He therefore prepared for every emergency.

2 In statione.] By this term, the soldiers that were placed before the gates as guards are implied.

1 Dum hæc geruntur, nostris omnibus occupatis, qui erant in agris reliqui discesserunt. Secutæ sunt continuos dies complures tempestates, quæ et nostros in castris continerent, et hostem à pugnâ prohiberent. Interim barbari nuncios in omnes partes dimiserunt, paucitatemque nostrorum militum suis prædicaverunt ; et quanta prædæ faciendæ, 2 atque in perpetuum suî liberandi facultas daretur, si Romanos castris expulissent, demonstraverunt. His rebus celeriter magna multitudine peditatûs equitatûsque coactâ, ad castra venerunt.

XXXV. Cæsar, etsi idem, quod superioribus diebus acciderat, fore videbat, ut, si essent hostes pulsi, celeritate periculum effugerent; tamen nactus equites circiter xxx, quos Comius Atrebas, de quo antè dictum est, secum transportaverat, legiones in acie pro castris constituit. Commisso prœlio, diutiùs nòstrorum militum impetum hostes ferre non potuerunt, ac terga verterunt: quos tanto spatio secuti, quantum cursu et viribus efficere potuerunt, complures ex iis occiderunt: deinde omnibus longè latèque ædificiis adflictis incensisque, se in castra receperunt.

XXXVI. Eodem die legati ab hostibus missi ad Cæsarem de pace venerunt. His Cæsar numerum obsidum, quem antea imperaverat, duplicavit, eosque in continentem adduci jussit: quòd, 3 propinquâ die æquinoctii, infirmis navibus, hiemi navigationem subjiciendam non existimabat: ipse idoneam tempestatem nactus, paullò post mediam noctem naves solvit. Quæ omnes incolumes ad continentem pervenerunt: his onerariæ 11 eosdem portus, quos reliquæ, capere non potuerunt, sed paullò infrà delatæ sunt.

ex

XXXVII. Quibus ex navibus, quum essent expositi milites circiter CCC, atque in castra contenderent; Morini, quos Cæsar in Britanniam proficiscens pacatos reliquerat, spe prædæ adducti, primò non ita magno suorum numero circumsteterunt, ac, si sese interfici nollent, arma ponere jusserunt; quum illi, orbe facto, sese defenderent, celeriter ad clamorem hominum circiter millia vi convenerunt. Quâ re nunciatâ, Cæsar omnem ex castris equitatum suis auxilio misit. Interim nostri mili

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NOTES.

1 Dum hæc geruntur, nostris omnibus occupatis, qui erant in agris reliqui discesserunt.] While these things are doing, all our men being employed, the enemy who were left in the field went off.

2 Atque in perpetuum sui liberandi facultas daretur.] And what an excellent opportunity was offered of freeing themselves for ever. By this sentence is implied, that should they succeed in destroying the Roman army, they would for ever be freed from any apprehension of an inva

sion.

3 Propinqua die equinoctii.] The day of the equinox being near. This was the autumnal equinox, which takes place on the twenty first of September, when the sun crosses the equinoctial line. The

weather about this time is generally very stormy.

4 Ex his oneraria II eosdem portus, quos reliqua, capere, &c.] Of these, two transport ships were not able to make the same port, the rest had done, but were carried a little lower down on the coast.

5 Quibus ex navibus.] Out of which ships; namely the two just mentioned, that had separated from the rest.

6 Quum illi, orbe fucto, sese defenderent.] When they, the Romans, having formed an orb, defended themselves. The orb, or soldiers drawn up in a circur form, was among the Romans generally resorted to by a smal body of troops, when attacked on all sides by a superior force.

tes impetum hostium sustinuerunt, atque ampliùs horis Iv fortissimè pugnaverunt, et, paucis vulneribus acceptis, complures ex iis occiderunt. Postea verò quàm equitatus noster in conspectum venit, hostes, abjectis armis, terga verterunt, magnusque eorum numerus est occisus.

XXXVIII. Cæsar postero die T. Labienum legatum cum iis legionibus, quas ex Britanniâ reduxerat, in Morinos, qui rebellionem fecerant, misit. Qui quum propter siccitates paludum, quò se reciperent, non haberent: quo perfugio superiore anno fuerant usi; omnes ferè in potestatem Labieni venerunt. At Q. Titurius et L. Cotta legati, qui in Menapiorum fines legiones duxerant, omnibus eorum agris vastatis, frumentis succisis, ædificiisque incensis; quòd Menapii omnes se in densissimas silvas abdiderant, ad Cæsarem se receperunt, Cæsar in Belgis omnium legionum hiberna constituit. Eò duæ omnino civitates ex Britannia obsides miserunt : reliquæ neglexerunt. His rebus gestis, ex litteris Cæsaris dierum xx supplicatio à senatu decreta est.

DE BELLO GALLICO.

LIBER V.

ARGUMENT.

Casar gives orders for the equipment of a fleet: relates the dissensions of the Treviri among themselves, and the part he took therein. He invades Britain a second time; and on his return is involved in a war with several of the nations of Gaul.

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I. 1 LUCIO Domitio, Ap. Claudio Coss. discedens ab hibernis Cæsar in Italiam, ut quotannis facere instituerat, legatis imperat, quos legionibus præfecerat, utì, quàm plurimas possent hieme naves ædificandas, veteresque reficiendas, curarent. Earum modum formamque demonstrat: 2 ad celeritatem onerandi, subductionesque, paullò facit humiliores, quàm quibus 3 nostro mari uti consuevimus: atque id eò magìs quòd, propter crebras commutationes æstuum, minùs magnos ibi fluctus fieri cognoverat: ad onera, et ad multitudinem jumentorum transportandam, paullò latiores, quàm quibus in reliquis utimur maribus. 4 Has omnes actuarias imperat fieri: quam ad rem humilitas mul

NOTES.

1 Lucio Domitio, Ap. Claudio Coss.] This was in the seven hundredth year from the foundation of Rome, and fifty fourth before the Christian era.

2 Ad celeritatem onerandi, subductionesque, paullò facit humiliores.] For the purpose of more speedily loading them, and drawing them on shore, he ordered them to be made somewhat lower, than those &c.

3 Nostro mari.] By this expression is meant the Mediterranean sea, which alone the Romans were accustomed to navigate.

4 Has omnes actuarias.] The naves actuaria were light ships contrived for expedition; having but one rank of oars

on each of their sides, and never more than two; of course they were not so high as the naves longa. To ships of this description several names were given, as Celoces, Lembi, Phaseli, Myoparones &c. The most remarkable however were those called naves liburnæ, from the Liburni, a piratical people that inhabited Dalmatia, who first made use of them. Augustus in his naval engagement of Actium, was principally indebted to these ships for his victory over Antony. After this event, all vessels remarkable for celerity of motion were distinguished by the term of naves liburna.

tùm adjuvat. Ea quæ sunt usui ad armandas naves, ex Hispanià apportari jubet. Ipse, conventibus Galliæ citerioris peractis, in Illyricum proficiscitur; quòd à 1 Pirustis finitimam partem Provinciæ incursionibus vastari audiebat. Eò quum venisset, civitatibus milites imperat: certumque in locum convenire jubet. Quâ re nunciatâ, Pirustæ legatos ad eum mittunt, qui doceant, " nihil earum rerum publico factum consilio, seseque paratos esse" demonstrant," omnibus rationibus de injuriis satisfacere." Acceptâ oratione eorum, Cæsar obsides imperat, eosque ad certam diem adduci jubet; nisi ita fecerint, sese bello civitatem persecuturum demonstrat. Iis ad diem adductis, ut imperaverat, 2 arbitros inter civitates dat, qui litem æstiment, pœnamque constituant.

II. His confectis rebus, 3 conventibusque peractis, in citeriorem Galliam revertitur, atque inde ad exercitum proficiscitur. Eò quum venisset, circuitis omnibus hibernis, singulari militum studio, in summâ rerum omnium inopiâ, circiter DC ejus generis, cujus suprà demonstravimus, naves, et longas XXVIII invenit constructas, neque multùm abesse ab eo, quin paucis diebus deduci possent. Collaudatis militibus, atque iis, qui negotio præfuerant, quid fieri velit, ostendit; atque omnes ad portum Itium convenire jubet; quo ex portu commodissimum in Britanniam transjectum esse cognoverat, circiter millium passuum xxx à continenti. Huic rei, quod satis esse visum est militum, relinquit: ipse cum legionibus expeditis iv, et equitibus DCCC in fines Trevirorum proficiscitur: quòd hi neque ad concilia veniebant, neque imperio parebant, Germanosque transrhenanos sollicitare dicebantur.

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NOTES.

1 Pirustis.] These people are supposed to have inhabited the northern districts of Turkey in Europe; it is however very probable that they were confined within the limits of Sclavonia.

2 Arbitros inter civitates dat, qui litem estiment, panamque constituant.] He appoints arbitrators between the states, to estimate the damages occasioned by plunder, and to adjudge the punishment or indemnification.

3 Conventibus peractis.] The business of the supreme tribunal of the province being performed in its several circuits. It was customary for the proconsul or governor of a province, to hold courts of justice in the principal cities under his authority. These courts or meetings were summoned by an edict of the proconsul, giving timely notice to all those who had any causes to determine, or petitions &c. to present, to attend. Each province was generally divided into a certain number of districts called conventus or circuits: twenty of the

most respectable men of the province were generally chosen by the governor to sit with him in council, according to whose opinion he passed sentence.

4 Neque multum abesse ab eo, quin paucis diebus deduci possent.] Nor was there much wanting, of their being in a few days ready to be launched into the sea. The ancients had the labour of launching ships not only after their construction, but also almost every year, for during the winter their fleets were drawn on land. Ships were launched by means of ropes, levers, and rollers placed under them. Archimedes contrived a machine for this purpose called helix.

5 Ad portum Itium.] This port is supposed to have been situated, either in the vicinity of Boulogne or Calais.

With

6 Cum legionibus expeditis IV.] four light legions; that is without their heavy baggage, or any incumbrance that might impede the celerity of their movement.