De Bello Gallico 4.29

4.29.1Eādem nocte accidit ut esset lūna plēna, quī diēs maritimōs aestūs maximōs in Ōceanō efficere cōnsuēvit, nostrīsque id erat incognitum.

That same night there happened to be a full moon, the day which usually brings the highest tides in the Ocean, and our men did not know this.

Note. quī diēs: the relative takes the gender of diēs, the word that follows, not lūna. Spring tides come at full moon; the Romans, used to the almost tideless Mediterranean, did not expect them.

4.29.2Ita ūnō tempore et longās nāvēs, quibus Caesar exercitum trānsportandum cūrāverat, quās Caesar in āridum subdūxerat, aestus complēbat, et onerāriās, quae ad ancorās erant dēligātae, tempestās adflīctābat, neque ūlla nostrīs facultās aut administrandī aut auxiliandī dabātur.

So at one and the same time the tide was filling the warships, in which Caesar had had the army carried across and which he had drawn up on dry land, and the storm was battering the transports, which were tied up at anchor, and our men had no chance either of handling them or of helping.

Note. et … aestus complēbat, et … tempestās adflīctābat: two subjects, two objects, two verbs set side by side. auxiliandī: gerund of the deponent auxilior.

4.29.3Complūribus nāvibus frāctīs, reliquae cum essent fūnibus, ancorīs reliquīsque armāmentīs āmissīs ad nāvigandum inūtilēs, magna, id quod necesse erat accidere, tōtīus exercitūs perturbātiō facta est.

Several ships were wrecked, and the rest, having lost their cables, anchors and the rest of their tackle, were useless for sailing, so that great confusion arose in the whole army, as was bound to happen.

4.29.4Neque enim nāvēs erant aliae quibus reportārī possent, et omnia dēerant quae ad reficiendās nāvēs erant ūsuī, et, quod omnibus cōnstābat hiemārī in Galliā oportēre, frūmentum in hīs locīs in hiemem prōvīsum nōn erat.

For there were no other ships in which they could be carried back, everything needed for repairing ships was lacking, and since everyone agreed that they must winter in Gaul, no grain had been provided in these parts for the winter.