---
title: "Gallic War — Book V"
author: "Julius Caesar"
translator: "W. A. McDevitte and W. S. Bohn"
languages: [la, en]
shelf: "Classical Latin"
section: 13 of 58
url: https://scriptura.si/works/caesar-gallic-war-book-v/13/
cite: "Julius Caesar, tr. W. A. McDevitte and W. S. Bohn, Gallic War — Book V, section 13. Scriptura (scriptura.si), https://scriptura.si/works/caesar-gallic-war-book-v/13/"
---

# Gallic War — Book V

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

## 13. Book V — Chapter 13

Source: https://scriptura.si/works/caesar-gallic-war-book-v/13/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/caesar-gallic-war-book-v/13/#p-N

[¶0] The island is triangular in its form, and one of its sides is opposite to Gaul. One angle of this side, which is in Kent, whither almost all ships from Gaul are directed, [looks] to the east; the lower looks to the south. This side extends about 500 miles.

> Latin: Insula natura triquetra, cuius unum latus est contra Galliam. Huius lateris alter angulus, qui est ad Cantium, quo fere omnes ex Gallia naves appelluntur, ad orientem solem, inferior ad meridiem spectat. Hoc pertinet circiter millia passuum quingenta.

[¶1] Another side lies toward Spain and the west, on which part is Ireland, less, as is reckoned, than Britain, by one half: but the passage [from it] into Britain is of equal distance with that from Gaul.

> Latin: Alterum vergit ad Hispaniam atque occidentem solem; qua ex parte est Hibernia, dimidio minor, ut aestimatur, quam Britannia, sed pari spatio transmissus atque ex Gallia est in Britanniam.

[¶2] In the middle of this voyage, is an island, which is called Mona: many smaller islands besides are supposed to lie [there], of which islands some have written that at the time of the winter solstice it is night there for thirty consecutive days.

> Latin: In hoc medio cursu est insula, quae appellatur Mona: complures praeterea minores subiectae insulae existimantur, de quibus insulis nonnulli scripserunt dies continuos triginta sub bruma esse noctem.

[¶3] We, in our inquiries about that matter, ascertained nothing, except that, by accurate measurements with water, we perceived the nights to be shorter there than on the continent.

> Latin: Nos nihil de eo percontationibus reperiebamus, nisi certis ex aqua mensuris breviores esse quam in continenti noctes videbamus.

[¶4] The length of this side, as their account states, is 700 miles.

> Latin: Huius est longitudo lateris, ut fert illorum opinio, septingentorum milium.

[¶5] The third side is toward the north, to which portion of the island no land is opposite; but an angle of that side looks principally toward Germany. This side is considered to be 800 miles in length.

> Latin: Tertium est contra septentriones; cui parti nulla est obiecta terra, sed eius angulus lateris maxime ad Germaniam spectat. Hoc milia passuum octingenta in longitudinem esse existimatur.

[¶6] Thus the whole island is [about] 2,000 miles in circumference.

> Latin: Ita omnis insula est in circuitu vicies centum milium passuum.