---
title: "Gallic War — Book V"
author: "Julius Caesar"
translator: "W. A. McDevitte and W. S. Bohn"
languages: [la, en]
shelf: "Classical Latin"
section: 23 of 58
url: https://scriptura.si/works/caesar-gallic-war-book-v/23/
cite: "Julius Caesar, tr. W. A. McDevitte and W. S. Bohn, Gallic War — Book V, section 23. Scriptura (scriptura.si), https://scriptura.si/works/caesar-gallic-war-book-v/23/"
---

# Gallic War — Book V

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

## 23. Book V — Chapter 23

Source: https://scriptura.si/works/caesar-gallic-war-book-v/23/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/caesar-gallic-war-book-v/23/#p-N

[¶0] When he had received the hostages, he leads back the army to the sea, and finds the ships repaired.

> Latin: Obsidibus acceptis exercitum reducit ad mare, naves invenit refectas.

[¶1] After launching these, because he had a large number of prisoners, and some of the ships had been lost in the storm, he determines to convey back his army at two embarkations.

> Latin: His deductis, quod et captivorum magnum numerum habebat, et nonnullae tempestate deperierant naves, duobus commeatibus exercitum reportare instituit.

[¶2] And it so happened, that out of so large a number of ships, in so many voyages, neither in this nor in the previous year was any ship missing which conveyed soldiers;

> Latin: Ac sic accidit, uti ex tanto navium numero tot navigationibus neque hoc neque superiore anno ulla omnino navis,

[¶3] but very few out of those which were sent back to him from the continent empty, as the soldiers of the former convoy had been disembarked, and out of those (sixty in number) which Labienus had taken care to have built, reached their destination;

> Latin: quae milites portaret, desideraretur; at ex eis, quae inanes ex continenti ad eum remitterentur et prioris commeatus expositis militibus et quas postea Labienus faciendas curaverat numero LX, perpaucae locum caperent, reliquae fere omnes reicerentur.

[¶4] almost all the rest were driven back, and when Caesar had waited for them for some time in vain, lest he should be debarred from a voyage by the season of the year, inasmuch as the equinox was at hand, he of necessity stowed his soldiers the more closely, and, a very great calm coming on, after he had weighed anchor at the beginning of the second watch, he reached land at break of day and brought in all the ships in safety.

> Latin: Quas cum aliquamdiu Caesar frustra exspectasset, ne anni tempore a navigatione excluderetur, quod aequinoctium suberat, necessario angustius milites collocavit ac summa tranquillitate consecuta, secunda inita cum solvisset vigilia, prima luce terram attigit omnesque incolumes naves perduxit.