---
title: "Gallic War — Book II"
author: "Julius Caesar"
translator: "W. A. McDevitte and W. S. Bohn"
languages: [la, en]
shelf: "Classical Latin"
section: 21 of 35
url: https://scriptura.si/works/caesar-gallic-war-book-ii/21/
cite: "Julius Caesar, tr. W. A. McDevitte and W. S. Bohn, Gallic War — Book II, section 21. Scriptura (scriptura.si), https://scriptura.si/works/caesar-gallic-war-book-ii/21/"
---

# Gallic War — Book II

*Julius Caesar, tr. W. A. McDevitte and W. S. Bohn*

## 21. Book II — Chapter 21

Source: https://scriptura.si/works/caesar-gallic-war-book-ii/21/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/caesar-gallic-war-book-ii/21/#p-N

[¶0] Caesar, having given the necessary orders, hastened to and fro into whatever quarter fortune carried him, to animate the troops, and came to the tenth legion.

> Latin: Caesar, necessariis rebus imperatis, ad cohortandos milites, quam [in] partem fors obtulit, decucurrit et ad legionem decimam devenit.

[¶1] Having encouraged the soldiers with no further speech than that "they should keep up the remembrance of their wonted valor, and not be confused in mind, but valiantly sustain the assault of the enemy ;" as the latter were not further from them than the distance to which a dart could be cast, he gave the signal for commencing battle.

> Latin: Milites non longiore oratione cohortatus quam uti suae pristinae virtutis memoriam retinerent neu perturbarentur animo hostiumque impetum fortiter sustinerent, quod non longius hostes aberant quam quo telum adigi posset, proelii committendi signum dedit.

[¶2] And having gone to another quarter for the purpose of encouraging [the soldiers], he finds them fighting.

> Latin: Atque in alteram item cohortandi causa profectus pugnantibus occurrit.

[¶3] Such was the shortness of the time, and so determined was the mind of the enemy on fighting, that time was wanting not only for affixing the military insignia, but even for putting on the helmets and drawing off the covers from the shields.

> Latin: Temporis tanta fuit exiguitas hostiumque tam paratus ad dimicandum animus ut non modo ad insignia accommodanda sed etiam ad galeas induendas scutisque tegimenta detrahenda tempus defuerit.

[¶4] To whatever part any one by chance came from the works (in which he had been employed), and whatever standards he saw first, at these he stood, lest in seeking his own company he should lose the time for fighting.

> Latin: Quam quisque ab opere in partem casu devenit quaeque prima signa conspexit, ad haec constitit, ne in quaerendis suis pugnandi tempus dimitteret.