De Bello Gallico 2.10

2.10.1Caesar certior factus ab Titūriō omnem equitātum et levis armātūrae Numidās, funditōrēs sagittāriōsque pontem trādūcit atque ad eōs contendit.

Informed by Titurius, Caesar leads all the cavalry, the light-armed Numidians, the slingers and the archers across the bridge and hurries against them.

2.10.1Ācriter in eō locō pugnātum est.

There was fierce fighting in that place.

2.10.2Hostēs impedītōs nostrī in flūmine adgressī magnum eōrum numerum occīdērunt;

Our men attacked the enemy while they were hampered in the river and killed a great number of them;

2.10.3per eōrum corpora reliquōs audācissimē trānsīre cōnantēs multitūdine tēlōrum reppulērunt prīmōsque, quī trānsierant, equitātū circumventōs interfēcērunt.

with a mass of missiles they drove back the rest, who were boldly trying to cross over the bodies of the fallen, and surrounded with cavalry and killed the first ones, who had already crossed.

2.10.4Hostēs, ubi et dē expugnandō oppidō et dē flūmine trānseundō spem sē fefellisse intellēxērunt neque nostrōs in locum inīquiōrem prōgredī pugnandī causā vīdērunt atque ipsōs rēs frūmentāria dēficere coepit, conciliō convocātō cōnstituērunt optimum esse domum suam quemque revertī, et quōrum in fīnēs prīmum Rōmānī exercitum intrōdūxissent, ad eōs dēfendendōs undique convenīrent, ut potius in suīs quam in aliēnīs fīnibus dēcertārent et domesticīs cōpiīs reī frūmentāriae ūterentur.

When the enemy realised that they had been disappointed in their hope both of storming the town and of crossing the river, and saw that our men would not advance onto less favourable ground to fight, and their own grain supply began to run short, they called a council and decided that it was best for each man to return home, and that they should all gather from every side to defend whichever people the Romans first led their army against, so that they would fight in their own territory rather than in someone else's and could use their own grain supplies.

Note. spem sē fefellisse: 'that their hope had disappointed them'. optimum esse domum suam quemque revertī: 'that it was best for each to return home'.

2.10.5Ad eam sententiam cum reliquīs causīs haec quoque ratiō eōs dēdūxit, quod Dīviciācum atque Haeduōs fīnibus Bellovacōrum adpropinquāre cognōverant.

Besides the other reasons, they were brought to this decision by the news that Diviciacus and the Haedui were approaching the territory of the Bellovaci.

2.10.5Hīs persuādērī ut diūtius morārentur neque suīs auxilium ferrent nōn poterat.

These could not be persuaded to stay longer and not bring help to their own people.

Note. persuādērī nōn poterat: an impersonal passive, because persuādeō takes a dative (hīs): 'they could not be persuaded'.