Quantō erat in diēs gravior atque asperior oppūgnātiō, et māximē quod māgnā parte mīlitum cōnfectā vulneribus rēs ad paucitātem dēfēnsōrum pervēnerat, tantō crēbriōrēs litterae nūntiīque ad Caesarem mittēbantur; quōrum pars dēprehēnsa in cōnspectū nostrōrum mīlitum cum cruciātū necābātur. Erat ūnus intus Nervius, nōmine Verticō, locō nātus honestō, quī ā prīmā obsidiōne ad Cicerōnem perfūgerat, suamque eī fidem praestiterat. Hic servō spē lībertātis māgnīsque persuādet praemiīs ut litterās ad Caesarem dēferat. Hās ille in iaculō illigātās effert, et Gallus inter Gallōs sine ūllā suspiciōne versātus ad Caesarem pervenit. Ab eō dē perīculīs Cicerōnis legiōnisque cōgnōscitur.

    A Gallic slave carries a dispatch to Caesar.

    Quanto...gravior...tanto crebriores: 'the more severe...the more frequent' (Harkness); quanto and tanto are ablative of degree of difference (Gaisser). (A&G 414.a)

    in dies: 'day by day,' 'each day' (Gaisser).

    magna parte…confecta: ablative absolute (Gaisser) (A&G 419).

    Res…pervenerat: the garrison had been reduced (lit., the thing had come) to a small number of defenders. (Harkness)

    pars: 'a part,' 'some.' Caesar does not say what happened to the messengers not caught by the enemy. Evidently they did not get through (Gaisser).

    loco: 'place or position' in society. Cf. 'know your place' in English (Gaisser).

    a prima obsidione: 'immediately after the beginning of the blockade' (Rice Holmes); 'from the beginning of the siege' (Gaisser) (A&G 221.1.b).

    fidem praestiterat: 'had showed his loyalty' (Gaisser).

    servo: dative with persuadet (A&G 367). The well-born Nervius persuaded his slave to go with a message to Caesar (Gaisser).

    magnis praemiis: 'by the promise of large rewards' (Rice Holmes)

    ille: i.e., the slave (Gaisser).

    in iaculo: i.e. the shaft of the spear was probably hollow and the letter was inserted in it (Allen & Greenough). In must mean 'on': for if the letter was inserted in the hollowed shaft of a javelin, lashing (illigatas) was obviously both superfluous and impossible. The letter could easily have been concealed by lashing twine over it, as if the javelin had been spliced. (Rice Holmes)

    versatus: 'going about' (Allen & Greenough); 'moving about' (Gaisser).

    asper, -ĕra, -ĕrum: desperate, critical

    oppugnātǐo, -ōnis f.: an attack, assault, siege

    paucǐtas, -ātis f.: small number, few

    crēber, -bra, -brum: frequently recurring, numerous

    dēprěhendo, -ěre, -di, -sum: to take or snatch away

    conspectus, -ūs m.: a seeing, looking at, sight, view

    crŭcĭātus, -ūs m.: torture

    něcō, -āre: to kill, slay, put to death

    intus adv.: within, inside

    obsǐdǐo, -ōnis f.: a siege, investment, blockade 

    perfǔgǐo, -fǔgěre, -fūgi, -fǔgǐtum: to flee away, to take refuge

    persuāděo, ere, si, sum: to convince, persuade

    iǎcǔlum, i n.: a dart, javelin

    illĭgo, -āre: bind on, tie on, fasten, attach

    effěro, -ferre, extǔli, ēlātum: to bring or carry out

    suspīcǐo, -ōnis: mistrust, distrust, suspicion 

    versō, -āre: to turn, wind, twist, whirl; (passive) to move about 

    Text Read Aloud
    Article Nav
    Previous
    English
    Christopher Francese, Caesar: Selections from the Gallic War. Carlisle, Pennsylvania: Dickinson College Commentaries, 2011, revised and enlarged 2018. ISBN: 978-1-947822-02-3. https://dcc.dickinson.edu/caesar/book-5/chapter-5-45