English Translation |
Latin Text |
4.24
But the barbarians, the plan of the Romans having been learned, horsemen and chariots having been sent ahead, which kind they were accustomed to use very often in battle, having closely followed with the rest of their troops were preventing our men from disembarking from the ships. On account of these reasons there was the greatest difficulty, because the ships on account of their large size were not able to be anchored unless in deep water, moreover the place unknown, their hands obstructed, oppressed by the great and heavy burden of weapons, at once by the soldiers it both had to be jumped down from the ships and stood in the waves and fought with the enemies, while those men, limbs unimpeded, the place well-known, were fearlessly throwing spears and urging on trained horses either from dry land or having advanced a little into the water. And by these things our men, thoroughly frightened and altogether inexperienced in this type of fighting, were not making use of the same enthusiasm and eagerness which they were accustomed to use in battles on foot. |
4.24
At barbari, consilio Romanorum cognito praemisso equitatu et essedariis, quo plerumque genere in proeliis uti consuerunt, reliquis copiis subsecuti nostros navibus egredi prohibebant. Erat ob has causas summa difficultas, quod naves propter magnitudinem nisi in alto constitui non poterant, militibus autem, ignotis locis, impeditis manibus, magno et gravi onere armorum oppressis simul et de navibus desiliendum et in fluctibus consistendum et cum hostibus erat pugnandum, cum illi aut ex arido aut paulum in aquam progressi omnibus membris expeditis, notissimis locis, audacter tela coicerent et equos insuefactos incitarent. Quibus rebus nostri perterriti atque huius omnino generis pugnae imperiti, non eadem alacritate ac studio quo in pedestribus uti proeliis consuerant utebantur. |
4.25
And when Caesar noticed which thing, he ordered that the long ships, both whose appearance was less familiar to the barbarians and whose movement was more unimpeded for use, be moved back a little from the transport ships and be set in motion by means of oars and be drawn up to the exposed flank of the enemy, and that from that place the enemies be put to flight and driven back with slingshots, arrows, and catapults; and this maneuver was of great use to our men. For frightened both by the form of the ships and the movement of the oars and the unusual type of catapults the barbarians stood and retreated just a little. And our soldiers having been delayed mostly because of the depth of the sea, he who was carrying the eagle of the tenth legion, having beseeched the gods that these affairs of the legion might turn out favorably, said, “Jump down, fellow soldiers, unless you wish that the eagle be betrayed to the enemy; I at least will have shown my allegiance to the republic and our general. When he had said this with a loud voice, he threw himself down from the ship and began to carry the eagle against the enemy. Then our men having encouraged among each other, so that such a dishonor might not be admitted, all together jumped down from the ship. When the first men perceived these things just so from the nearest ships, having followed they approached the enemy. |
4.25
Quod ubi Caesar animadvertit, naves longas, quarum et species erat barbaris inusitatior et motus ad usum expeditior, paulum removeri ab onerariis navibus et remis incitari et ad latus apertum hostium constitui atque inde fundis, sagittis, tormentis hostes propelli ac submoveri iussit; quae res magno usui nostris fuit. Nam et navium figura et remorum motu et inusitato genere tormentorum permoti barbari constiterunt ac paulum modo pedem rettulerunt. Atque nostris militibus cunctantibus, maxime propter altitudinem maris, qui X legionis aquilam gerebat, obtestatus deos, ut ea res legioni feliciter eveniret, 'desilite,' inquit, 'milites, nisi vultis aquilam hostibus prodere; ego certe meum rei publicae atque imperatori officium praestitero.' Hoc cum voce magna dixisset, se ex navi proiecit atque in hostes aquilam ferre coepit. Tum nostri cohortati inter se, ne tantum dedecus admitteretur, universi ex navi desiluerunt. Hos item ex proximis primi navibus cum conspexissent, subsecuti hostibus adpropinquaverunt. |
4.26
It was being fought fiercely by both sides. Nevertheless our men, because they were neither able to keep their ranks nor to stand firmly nor to follow the standard and one man from another ship was joining himself with whichever standard he had happened upon, were greatly disturbed; the enemy, however, all the shallows well-known, when they had seen some men going out from the ships one at a time, horses having been urged on, were repeatedly attacking the obstructed men, many were surrounding few, and others were throwing spears into the whole group from the exposed side. And when Caesar noticed this thing, he ordered the small boats of the long ships, just so the spy ships, to be filled with soldiers, and he was sending help to these men whom he had seen struggling. As soon as our men stood on dry land, all their comrades having followed, they carried the attack against the enemy and put them into flight; and they were not able to pursue them very far, because the horsemen had not been able to hold their course and reach the island. This one thing was lacking the former fortune for Caesar. |
4.26
Pugnatum est ab utrisque acriter. Nostri tamen, quod neque ordines servare neque firmiter insistere neque signa subsequi poterant atque alius alia ex navi quibuscumque signis occurrerat se adgregabat, magnopere perturbabantur; hostes vero, notis omnibus vadii, ubi ex litore aliquos singulares ex navi egredientes conspexerant, incitatis equis impeditos adoriebantur, plures paucos circumsistebant, alii ab latere aperto in universos tela coiciebant. Quod cum animadvertisset Caesar, scaphas longarum navium, item speculatoria navigia militibus compleri iussit, et quos laborantes conspexerat, his subsidia submittebat. Nostri, simul in arido constiterunt, suis omnibus consecutis, in hostes impetum fecerunt atque eos in fugam dederunt; neque longius prosequi potuerunt, quod equites cursum tenere atque insulam capere non potuerant. Hoc unum ad pristinam fortunam Caesari defuit. |
4.27
The enemy, having been defeated in battle, as soon as they recovered themselves from flight, immediately sent legates for peace to Caesar, they promised that they would give hostages and do those things which he had ordered. Together with these legates came Commius Atrebas, whom I had mentioned above was sent in advance into Britain by Caesar. They had arrested this man having disembarked from the ship, when he carried Caesar’s demands to them in the manner of a spokesman, and had thrown him into chains; then the battle having been done they sent him back. In seeking peace they brought the blame of this affair on the crowd and begged that it be forgiven because of their ignorance. Caesar, complaining that, although legates having been sent voluntarily into the mainland they had begged for peace from him, they had carried on a war without cause, declared that he was forgiving their ignorance and demanded hostages; they gave part of these immediately, and said that they would give part having been summoned from remote places in a few days. In the meantime they commanded their men to return into their farms, and leaders began to come together from all sides and entrust themselves and their states to Caesar. |
4.27
Hostes proelio superati, simul atque se ex fuga receperunt, statim ad Caesarem legatos de pace miserunt; obsides sese daturos quaeque imperasset facturos polliciti sunt. Una cum his legatis Commius Atrebas venit, quem supra demonstraveram a Caesare in Britanniam praemissum. Hunc illi e navi egressum, cum ad eos oratoris modo Caesaris mandata deferret, comprehenderant atque in vincula coniecerant; tum proelio facto remiserunt et in petenda pace eius rei culpam in multitudinem contulerunt et propter imprudentiam ut ignosceretur petiverunt. Caesar questus quod, cum ultro in continentem legatis missis pacem ab se petissent, bellum sine causa intulissent, ignoscere se imprudentiae dixit obsidesque imperavit; quorum illi partem statim dederunt, partem ex longinquioribus locis arcessitam paucis diebus sese daturos dixerunt. Interea suos in agros remigrare iusserunt, principesque undique convenire et se civitatesque suas Caesari commendare coeperunt. |
4.28
Peace having been confirmed by these things, four days after it was arrived into Britain eighteen ships, which had taken the horsemen on board, about which it was mentioned above, set sail with the gentle wind from the farther port. And when they were approaching Britain and were seen from the camps, so great a storm suddenly arose that none was able to hold its course, but some were carried back to the same place from which they had departed, others were cast down with their own great danger to the lower part of the island, which is toward the setting of the sun; since which ships, nevertheless, their anchors having been cast, were being filled by the waves, having been carried forward into the deep water they made for the continent, night opposed by necessity. |
4.28
His rebus pace confirmata, post diem quartum quam est in Britanniam ventum naves XVIII, de quibus supra demonstratum est, quae equites sustulerant, ex superiore portu leni vento solverunt. Quae cum adpropinquarent Britanniae et ex castris viderentur, tanta tempestas subito coorta est ut nulla earum cursum tenere posset, sed aliae eodem unde erant profectae referrentur, aliae ad inferiorem partem insulae, quae est propius solis occasum, magno suo cum periculo deicerentur; quae tamen ancoris iactis cum fluctibus complerentur, necessario adversa nocte in altum provectae continentem petierunt. |
4.29
On the same night it happened that the moon was full, which day was accustomed to cause great tides of the sea in the ocean, and this was unknown to our men. So at one time both the tide had filled up the long ships, by which he had provided for transporting the army, and which Caesar had led onto dry land, and the weather was striking the transport ships, which were bound to anchors, nor was any opportunity either of guiding or assisting given to our men. A great many ships having been wrecked, ropes, anchors, and the remaining rigging having been lost, since the rest were useless for sailing, a great disturbance of the entire army, that which was necessary to happen, resulted. For neither were there other ships by which they were able to be carried back, and all those things which were of use for repairing the ships were lacking, and, because it was evident to all that it was necessary to winter in Gaul, grain for the winter was not provided for in these places. |
4.29
Eadem nocte accidit ut esset luna plena, qui dies a maritimos aestus maximos in Oceano efficere consuevit, nostrisque id erat incognitum. Ita uno tempore et longas naves, quibus Caesar exercitum transportandum curaverat, quas Caesar in aridum subduxerat, aestus complebat, et onerarias, quae ad ancoras erant deligatae, tempestas adflictabat, neque ulla nostris facultas aut administrandi aut auxiliandi dabatur. Compluribus navibus fractis, reliquae cum essent funibus, ancoris reliquisque armamentis amissis ad navigandum inutiles, magna, id quod necesse erat accidere, totius exercitus perturbatio facta est. Neque enim naves erant aliae quibus reportari possent, et omnia deerant quae ad reficiendas naves erant usui, et, quod omnibus constabat hiemari in Gallia oportere, frumentum in his locis in hiemem provisum non erat. |
4.30
These things having been learned, the chiefs of the Britanni, who had come to Caesar after the battle, having spoken among themselves, since they were understanding that horsemen and ships and grain were lacking for the Romans, and were learning the fewness of soldiers from the shortness of the camp, which was even smaller because of this, because Caesar had brought over the legions without baggage, decided that it was the best thing to do a rebellion having been made to prevent our men from grain and voyage and to prolong these affairs into the winter, because these men having been overcome or cut off from returning they were hoping that afterwards no one would cross for the sake of bringing war into Britain. And so having made a conspiracy again they began to depart gradually from their camps and lead their men out secretly from the fields. |
4.30
Quibus rebus cognitis, principes Britanniae, qui post proelium ad Caesarem convenerant, inter se conlocuti, cum et equites et naves et frumentum Romanis deesse intellegerent et paucitatem militum ex castrorum exiguitate cognoscerent, quae hoc erant etiam angustior quod sine impedimentis Caesar legiones transportaverat, optimum factu esse duxerunt rebellione facta frumento commeatuque nostros prohibere et rem in hiemem producere, quod his superatis aut reditu interclusis neminem postea belli inferendi causa in Britanniam transiturum confidebant. Itaque rursus coniuratione facta paulatim ex castris discedere et suos clam ex agris deducere coeperunt. |
4.31
But Caesar, although he had not yet learned their plan, nevertheless suspected, both from the fate of his ships and from this fact that they had delayed to give hostages, that this thing which happened would be. And so he was preparing reserves for all accidents. For he was both collecting grain daily from the fields into the camp and was making use of the timber and bronze of these ships, which were most seriously damaged, for repairing the rest, and was commanding those things which were of use to these things to be acquired from the mainland. And so, when this was managed by the soldiers with the greatest eagerness, twelve ships having been lost, he made it that it was able to be sailed easily enough by the rest. |
4.31
At Caesar, etsi nondum eorum consilia cognoverat, tamen et ex eventu navium suarum et ex eo quod obsides dare intermiserant fore id quod accidit suspicabatur. Itaque ad omnes casus subsidia comparabat. Nam et frumentum ex agris cotidie in castra conferebat et, quae gravissime adflictae erant naves, earum materia atque aere ad reliquas reficiendas utebatur et quae ad eas res erant usui ex continenti comportari iubebat. Itaque, cum summo studio a militibus administraretur, XII navibus amissis, reliquis ut navigari satis commode posset effecit. |
4.32
While these things are being managed, the legion, which was being called the seventh, having been sent out together, according to practice, to get grain, not any suspicion of war having been alleged around this time, when part of the men was remaining in the fields, part was still repeatedly coming into the camp, those men who were on guard in front of the gate of the camp announced to Caesar that dust greater than practice produced was being seen in that direction, in which direction the legion made their journey. Having suspected this thing which was, that some sort of new plan had been formed by the barbarians, Caesar ordered the cohorts who were on guard to depart into that part with him, two cohorts from the rest to succeed those on guard, the rest to be armed and to follow him immediately. When they had advanced a little farther from the camp, he noticed that his men were being pressed by the enemy and were sustaining sickly and that the legion having been crowded together spears were being thrown from all sides. For because all the grain from the remaining parts having been reaped the one part was remaining, the enemy, suspecting that our men would come to this place, hid in the forest by night; then, suddenly having attacked our dispersed men, their weapons having been put down, engaged in reaping, a few having been killed, their ranks having been disordered, were greatly disturbing the rest, at once were surrounding them by means of horsemen and chariots. |
4.32
Dum ea geruntur, legione ex consuetudine una frumentatum missa, quae appellabatur VII, neque ulla ad id tempus belli suspicione interposita, cum pars hominum in agris remaneret, pars etiam in castra ventitaret, ii qui pro portis castrorum in statione erant Caesari nuntiaverunt pulverem maiorem quam consuetudo ferret in ea parte videri quam in partem legio iter fecisset. Caesar id quod erat suspicatus aliquid novi a barbaris initum consilii, cohortes quae in statione erant secum in eam partem proficisci, ex reliquis duas in stationem succedere, reliquas armari et confestim sese subsequi iussit. Cum paulo longius a castris processisset, suos ab hostibus premi atque aegre sustinere et conferta legione ex omnibus partibus tela coici animadvertit. Nam quod omni ex reliquis partibus demesso frumento pars una erat reliqua, suspicati hostes huc nostros esse venturos noctu in silvis delituerant; tum dispersos depositis armis in metendo occupatos subito adorti paucis interfectis reliquos incertis ordinibus perturbaverant, simul equitatu atque essedis circumdederant. |
4.33
Their method of fighting from chariots is this. First they ride around and throw spears from all sides and generally disturb the ranks by means of the alarm of the horses itself and the noise of the wheels and, when they have wound themselves among the troop of horsemen, they dismount from the chariots and engage in battle on foot. Meanwhile, the charioteers gradually withdraw from the battle and arrange the chariots in such a way that, if those men are pressed by the multitude of the enemy, they have unimpeded retreat to their own men. Thus they offer the mobility of the horsemen and the stability of the infantry in battle, and by means of so much daily use and practice they made it that they were accustomed to sustain their horses having been set in motion on slopes and steep places and to control and direct them in a short time and to run along the pole and stand on the yoke and to recover quickly from that place into the chariot. |
4.33
Genus hoc est ex essedis pugnae. Primo per omnes partes perequitant et tela coiciunt atque ipso terrore equorum et strepitu rotarum ordines plerumque perturbant, et cum se inter equitum turmas insinuaverunt, ex essedis desiliunt et pedibus proeliantur. Aurigae interim paulatim ex proelio excedunt atque ita currus conlocant ut, si illi a multitudine hostium premantur, expeditum ad quos receptum habeant. Ita mobilitatem equitum, stabilitatem peditum in proeliis praestant, ac tantum usu cotidiano et exercitatione efficiunt uti in declivi ac praecipiti loco incitatos equos sustinere et brevi moderari ac flectere et per temonem percurrere et in iugo insistere et se inde in currus citissime recipere consuerint. |
4.34
Our men having been disturbed by these things, by the newness of the fighting, Caesar brought reinforcements at the most opportune time, for because of his coming the enemy stood, our men recovered themselves from their terror. These things having been done, having judged that it was another time for provoking the enemy and joining the battle he held himself in his place and, a short time having passed, led the legions back into the camp. While these things are being done, all our men having been occupied, the rest who were in the fields departed. Storms followed for several continuous days, the sort which would both hold our men in the camp and prohibit the enemy from the fight. Meanwhile the barbarians sent out messengers into all directions and proclaimed the fewness of our soldiers to their own people and pointed out how great an opportunity was being given for producing plunder and for freeing themselves forever, if they expelled the Romans from the camp. Because of these things a great multitude of foot soldiers and horsemen having been quickly brought together they approached to the camp. |
4.34
Quibus rebus perturbatis nostris novitate pugnae tempore oportunissimo Caesar auxilium tulit: namque eius adventu hostes constiterunt, nostri se ex timore receperunt. Quo facto, ad lacessendum hostem et committendum proelium alienum esse tempus arbitratus suo se loco continuit et brevi tempore intermisso in castra legiones reduxit. Dum haec geruntur, nostris omnibus occupatis qui erant in agris reliqui discesserunt. Secutae sunt continuos complures dies tempestates, quae et nostros in castris continerent et hostem a pugna prohiberent. Interim barbari nuntios in omnes partes dimiserunt paucitatemque nostrorum militum suis praedicaverunt et quanta praedae faciendae atque in perpetuum sui liberandi facultas daretur, si Romanos castris expulissent, demonstraverunt. His rebus celeriter magna multitudine peditatus equitatusque coacta ad castra venerunt. |
4.35
Although Caesar was seeing that the same thing which happened on previous days would be, if the enemy was defeated, that they would flee the danger with swiftness, nevertheless, having obtained around thirty horsemen, whom Commius Atrebas, about whom it was spoken before, had brought across with him, he stood the legions in the battle line in front of the camp. The battle having been begun, the enemy was not able to bear the attack of our soldiers very long and fled. And having followed those by so great a distance as they were able to do completely by speed and strength, they killed several out of them, then all the buildings far and wide having been burned they recovered themselves into the camp. |
4.35
Caesar, etsi idem quod superioribus diebus acciderat fore videbat, ut, si essent hostes pulsi, celeritate periculum effugerent, tamen nactus equites circiter XXX, quos Commius Atrebas, de quo ante dictum est, secum transportaverat, legiones in acie pro castris constituit. Commisso proelio diutius nostrorum 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 longe lateque aedificiis incensis se in castra receperunt. |
4.36.1
On the same day the legates sent by the enemy came to Caesar concerning a treaty. |
4.36.1
Eodem die legati ab hostibus missi ad Caesarem de pace venerunt. |