De Bello Gallico 1.53

1.53.1Ita proelium restitūtum est, atque omnēs hostēs terga vertērunt nec prius fugere dēstitērunt quam ad flūmen Rhēnum mīlia passuum ex eō locō circiter L pervēnērunt.

So the battle was restored, and all the enemy turned and fled, and did not stop running until they reached the river Rhine, about fifty miles from that place.

Note. nec prius … quam: 'and not before … than', that is, 'until'.

1.53.2Ibi perpaucī aut vīribus cōnfīsī trānāre contendērunt aut lintribus inventīs sibi salūtem repperērunt.

There a very few, trusting their strength, tried to swim across, or found boats and saved themselves.

1.53.3In hīs fuit Ariovistus, quī nāviculam dēligātam ad rīpam nactus eā profūgit;

Among these was Ariovistus, who found a small boat tied to the bank and escaped in it;

1.53.3reliquōs omnēs cōnsecūtī equitēs nostrī interfēcērunt.

our cavalry caught up with all the rest and killed them.

1.53.4Duae fuērunt Ariovistī uxōrēs, ūna Suēba nātiōne, quam domō sēcum ēdūxerat, altera Nōrica, rēgis Vocciōnis soror, quam in Galliā dūxerat ā frātre missam: utraque in eā fugā periit;

Ariovistus had two wives, one a Sueban by birth, whom he had brought with him from home, the other from Noricum, the sister of King Voccio, whom he had married in Gaul, sent by her brother: both died in that flight;

Note. Suēba nātiōne: 'a Sueban by birth', ablative of respect.

1.53.4duae fīliae: hārum altera occīsa, altera capta est.

he had two daughters: one of them was killed, the other captured.

1.53.5C. Valerius Procillus, cum ā custōdibus in fugā trīnīs catēnīs vīnctus traherētur, in ipsum Caesarem hostēs equitātū īnsequentem incidit.

Gaius Valerius Procillus, as he was being dragged along in the flight by his guards, bound with triple chains, ran into Caesar himself as he pursued the enemy with the cavalry.

Note. trīnīs catēnīs: 'with three chains', a distributive numeral used with a plural noun.

1.53.6Quae quidem rēs Caesarī nōn minōrem quam ipsa victōria voluptātem attulit, quod hominem honestissimum prōvinciae Galliae, suum familiārem et hospitem, ēreptum ex manibus hostium sibi restitūtum vidēbat neque eius calamitāte dē tantā voluptāte et grātulātiōne quicquam fortūna dēminuerat.

This gave Caesar no less pleasure than the victory itself, because he saw the most respected man of the province of Gaul, his friend and guest, snatched from the enemy's hands and restored to him, and fortune had not lessened his great joy and rejoicing at all by any disaster to him.

1.53.7Is sē praesente dē sē ter sortibus cōnsultum dīcēbat, utrum ignī statim necārētur an in aliud tempus reservārētur: sortium beneficiō sē esse incolumem.

Procillus said that the lots had been consulted about him three times in his presence, whether he should be burned at once or kept for another time: thanks to the lots he was safe.

Note. Is sē praesente: ablative absolute, 'in his presence'. dē sē … cōnsultum: impersonal, 'the lots had been consulted about him'.

1.53.8Item M. Mētius repertus et ad eum reductus est.

Marcus Metius too was found and brought back to Caesar.