Septimō oppūgnātiōnis diē māximō coortō ventō ferventēs fūsilī ex argillā glandēs fundīs et fervefacta iacula in casās, quae mōre Gallicō strāmentīs erant tectae, iacere coepērunt. Hae celeriter īgnem comprehendērunt et ventī māgnitūdine in omnem locum castrōrum distulērunt. Hostēs māximō clāmōre, sīcutī partā iam atque explōrātā vīctōriā, turrēs testūdinēsque agere et scālīs vāllum ascendere coepērunt. At tanta mīlitum virtūs atque ea praesentia animī fuit ut, cum undique flammā torrērentur māximāque tēlōrum multitūdine premerentur suaque omnia impedīmenta atque omnēs fōrtūnās cōnflagrāre intellegerent, nōn modō dēmigrandī causā dē vāllō dēcēderet nēmō sed paene nē respiceret quidem quisquam, āc tum omnēs ācerrimē fortissimēque pūgnārent. Hic diēs nostrīs longē gravissimus fuit, sed tamen hunc habuit ēventum ut eō diē māximus numerus hostium vulnerārētur atque interficerētur, ut sē sub ipsō vāllō cōnstīpāverant recessumque prīmīs ūltimī nōn dabant. Paulum quidem intermīssā flammā et quōdam locō turrī adāctā et contingente vāllum, tertiae cohortis centuriōnēs ex eō quō stābant locō recessērunt suōsque omnēs remōvērunt; nūtū vōcibusque hostēs, sī introīre vellent, vocāre coepērunt: quōrum prōgredī ausus est nēmō. Tum ex omnī parte lapidibus coniectīs dēturbātī, turrisque succēnsa est.
notes
A desperate assault resolutely repelled.
ferventes...glandes: 'red-hot balls of clay' (Allen & Greenough). The ordinary meaning of fusilis is 'molten'; but clay cannot be melted. Fusili ex argilla must therefore mean 'of softened (or plastic) clay'. (Rice Holmes)
fervefacta iacula: 'heated javelins' (Gaisser).
casas: the huts of the encampment, thatched with straw (Allen & Greenough).
more Gallico: in the Gaulish fashion (Gaisser) (A&G 418.a).
stramentis: The huts had thatched roofs (Gaisser).
distulerunt: sc. ignem (Allen & Greenough)
parta atque explorata: 'gained and decided' (Hodges); ablative absolute (A&G 419). parta < pario, here 'win' (Gaisser).
ne...quidem: 'not even' (Gaisser).
ut se...constipaverant: 'in as much as they had concentrated themselves'; here, ut means 'since' with the indicative (Gaisser) (A&G 543).
intermissa flamma…contingente vallum: a long ablative absolute (Gaisser) (A&G 419).
turri: this advance of a tower was quite in the manner of Roman attack. (Allen & Greenough)
vellent: implied indirect discourse; in their words, si...vultis (A&G 592).