In the year 693 from the founding of the City, in the consulship of Gaius Caesar and Lucius Bibulus, three provinces with seven legions were given to Caesar for five years by the Vatinian law: Transalpine Gaul, Cisalpine Gaul and Illyricum; the senate afterwards added Long-haired Gaul.1
1 Anno ab urbe condita DCXCIII C. Caesare et L. Bibulo consulibus lege Vatinia Caesari tres prouinciae cum legionibus septem in quinquennium datae Gallia Transalpina et Cisalpina et Illyricus; Galliam Comatam postea senatus adiecit.
1Caesar and Bibulus were consuls in 59 BC (695 on the usual reckoning). By the Vatinian law Caesar received only Cisalpine Gaul and Illyricum, with three legions; the senate then added Transalpine Gaul (Suetonius’s Gallia Comata) with a fourth.
This history Suetonius Tranquillus has set out most fully; from him we have plucked such small portions as were fitting.2
2 Hanc historiam Suetonius Tranquillus plenissime explicuit, cuius nos conpetentes portiunculas decerpsimus.
2Orosius’s account of the Gallic War is in fact drawn from Caesar’s own Commentaries, which he seems to have known under the name of Suetonius.
A certain Orgetorix, a chief of the nation, in the hope of invading the whole of Gaul, had kindled to arms the spirits of the Helvetii, the bravest nation of all the Gauls — chiefly for this reason, that they were engaged in almost perpetual war with the Germans, from whom they are separated only by the river Rhine.
3 Heluetiorum animos, fortissimae Gallorum omnium gentis ea uel maxime causa quod perpetuo paene cum Germanis bello altercabantur a quibus Rheno tantum flumine dirimuntur, Orgetorix quidam princeps gentis spe totas inuadendi Gallias in arma accenderat.
Though the other nobles seized him and drove him to his death, they could not, for all that, restrain the common people, once they had been roused to plunder. These formed a conspiracy, fixed a day, and, having burned their villages and houses so that no longing might arise from the hope of returning, set out.
4 quo ceteri optimates correpto et ad mortem coacto cohibere tamen semel animatas in praedam plebes nequiuerunt. qui coniuratione facta ac die dicta, exustis uicis ac domibus suis, ne quod desiderium ex spe reuertendi foret, profecti sunt.
When Caesar had met them at the river Rhône, he twice defeated them in a great and difficult war and compelled the vanquished to surrender. The whole multitude of these, when it first set out — Helvetii, Tulingi, Latobrigi, Rauraci and Boii, of both sexes — came to about 157,000 persons. Of these forty-seven thousand fell in the war; the rest were sent back to their own lands.3
5 quos cum apud Rhodanum flumen obuios Caesar habuisset, magno difficilique bello bis uicit uictosque ad deditionem coegit. horum fuit, cum primum progressa est, omnis multitudo Heluetiorum Tulingorum Latobogiorum Rauracorum et Boiorum utriusque sexus ad centum quinquaginta et septem milia hominum. ex his quadraginta et septem milia in bello ceciderunt, cetera in terras proprias remissa sunt.
3Caesar (Gallic War 1.29) gives 368,000 for the whole migration, of whom 110,000 returned home; Orosius’s figures do not match his.
Afterwards, among the Sequani, Caesar defeated King Ariovistus, who was rousing and bringing with him incredible forces of Germans, with which he boasted that he had lately subdued all the peoples of Gaul — though Caesar’s army, thoroughly terrified by the multitude and valour of the Germans, had long refused battle.
6 Postea Caesar contra Ariouistum regem excitantem inuehentemque secum incredibiles Germanorum copias, quibus nuper uniuersos Galliarum populos se subegisse iactabat, apud Sequanos uicit, cum diu exercitus Caesaris Germanorum multitudine et uirtute perterritus pugnam detrectasset.
At once Ariovistus seized a small boat, crossed the Rhine and fled into Germany; his two wives and as many daughters were captured. There were in the army of Ariovistus the Harudes, Marcomanni, Triboci, Vangiones, Nemetes, Sedusii and Suebi.
7 statim Ariouistus in Germaniam, arrepta nauicula Rhenum transuectus, effugit, uxores eius duae totidemque filiae captae sunt. fuerunt autem in exercitu Ariouisti Arudes Marcomanes Triboci Vangiones Nemetes Eduses et Suebi.
The fighting was most severe against the phalanx of the Germans, which they had formed, safe on every side, by massing into a single column and interlocking their shields above their heads, in order to break through the Roman line.
8 pugna maxime grauis ex phalange Germanorum fuit, quam coacto in unum agmine scutisque supra capita contextis ad inrumpendam Romanorum aciem tuti undique praestruxerant.
But after some of the Roman soldiers, distinguished for agility and daring, leapt up onto the tortoise spread over them and, tearing away the shields one by one like scales, stabbed from above the bare shoulders of the men thus caught and uncovered, the enemy, terrified by this new danger of death, broke up their fearsome formation.
9 sed postquam aliqui Romanorum militum agilitate audaciaque insignes supra obductam saliere testudinem scutisque singillatim uelut squamis reuulsis desuper nudos deprehensorum detectorumque humeros perfoderunt, territi hostes nouo mortis periculo terribilem dissoluere conpagem.
Thereupon, turned to flight, they were slaughtered without respite for fifty miles; nor could the number of the Germans be estimated, either how great a host was present at the battle or how great was the number of the slain.
10 exinde in fugam uersi per quinquaginta milia passuum insatiabiliter caesi sunt neque conici numerus potuit Germanorum uel quantus pugnae adfuerit uel quantus fuerit occisorum.
After this the nation of the Belgae, which is a third part of Gaul, blazed up against Caesar;
11 Post haec Belgarum gens, quae tertia pars Galliarum est, aduersus Caesarem exarsit:
and their forces, people by people, were these. The Bellovaci, who were seen to surpass the rest in numbers and valour, had sixty thousand picked armed men; the Suessiones, from twelve towns, fifty thousand;
12 quorum distributim copia haec fuit. Bellouagui, qui ceteris numero et uirtute praestare uiderentur, habuere lectissima sexaginta milia armatorum; Suessones ex duodecim oppidis quinquaginta milia;
the Nervii, whose ferocity was proclaimed to be so untamed that up to that time they had never admitted merchants to bring them wine and other wares, lest the pleasure thus brought in should bring a torpor upon their valour, likewise had fifty thousand;
13 Neruii, quorum adeo indomita feritas praedicabatur, ut numquam in id temporis mercatores ad se admiserint uina ceteraque uenalia deferre, quibus inducta iucunditas torporem uirtutis adferret, habuerunt similiter quinquaginta milia;
the Atrebates and the Ambiani, moreover, ten thousand; the Morini twenty-five thousand; the Menapii nine thousand; the Caleti ten thousand; the Veliocasses and the Viromandui likewise ten thousand; the Atuatuci eighteen thousand; the Condrusi, Eburones, Caeroesi and Paemani, who are called by the one name of Germans, forty thousand.
14 Atrebates etiam et Ambiani decem milia, Morini uiginti quinque milia, Menapii nouem milia, Caleti decem milia, Veliocasses et Veromandi aeque decem milia, Atuatuci decem et octo milia; Condurses Eborones Caerosi Caemani, qui uno nomine Germani uocantur, quadraginta milia.
Thus there are reported to have been 272,000 picked armed men.4
15 ita fuisse referuntur CCLXXII milia armatorum lectissima.
4The contingents listed in 6.7.12–14 add up to 282,000, not 272,000.
When these suddenly burst out of a wood, Caesar’s army was thrown into confusion and driven to flight; but after losing very many of its men, it at last stood firm at the urging of its general, and, attacking the victors, destroyed them almost to extermination.
16 his repente silua erumpentibus exercitus Caesaris perturbatus atque in fugam actus, plurimis suorum amissis, tandem hortatu ducis restitit uictoresque adgressus usque ad internecionem paene deleuit.