De Bello Gallico 2.8

2.8.1Caesar prīmō et propter multitūdinem hostium et propter eximiam opīniōnem virtūtis proeliō supersedēre statuit;

At first, because of the great number of the enemy and their outstanding reputation for courage, Caesar decided to put off a battle;

2.8.2cōtīdiē tamen equestribus proeliīs quid hostis virtūte posset et quid nostrī audērent perīclitābātur.

but every day, in cavalry skirmishes, he tested what the enemy could do in courage and what our men dared.

Note. quid hostis virtūte posset: an indirect question, 'what the enemy could do in courage'.

2.8.3Ubi nostrōs nōn esse īnferiōrēs intellēxit, locō prō castrīs ad aciem īnstruendam nātūrā oportūnō atque idōneō, quod is collis ubi castra posita erant paululum ex plānitiē ēditus tantum adversus in lātitūdinem patēbat quantum locī aciēs īnstrūcta occupāre poterat, atque ex utrāque parte lateris dēiectūs habēbat et in fronte lēniter fastīgātus paulātim ad plānitiem redībat, ab utrōque latere eius collis trānsversam fossam obdūxit circiter passuum CCCC et ad extrēmās fossās castella cōnstituit ibique tormenta conlocāvit, nē, cum aciem īnstrūxisset, hostēs, quod tantum multitūdine poterant, ab lateribus pugnantēs suōs circumvenīre possent.

When he saw that our men were not inferior, in front of the camp there was a place naturally suited and fit for drawing up a battle line: the hill on which the camp stood rose a little above the plain and, facing the enemy, was just as wide as a drawn-up battle line could occupy; it had steep slopes on both sides and in front sloped gently down to the plain; so on each side of the hill he ran a trench across, about four hundred paces long, built redoubts at the ends of the trenches and placed artillery there, so that once he had drawn up his line the enemy, being so strong in numbers, could not surround his men from the sides while they were fighting.

Note. This long sentence describes the ground first and then what Caesar did: the main verb comes only with obdūxit. tantum … quantum: 'as much … as'.

2.8.5Hōc factō, duābus legiōnibus quās proximē cōnscrīpserat in castrīs relictīs ut, sī quō opus esset, subsidiō dūcī possent, reliquās VI legiōnēs prō castrīs in aciē cōnstituit.

Having done this, he left in camp the two legions he had most recently enrolled, so that they could be brought up as support wherever there was need, and drew up the other six legions in battle line in front of the camp.

2.8.5Hostēs item suās cōpiās ex castrīs ēductās īnstrūxērunt.

The enemy likewise led their forces out of camp and drew them up.