De Bello Gallico 7.22

7.22.1Singulārī mīlitum nostrōrum virtūtī cōnsilia cuiusque modī Gallōrum occurrēbant, ut est summae genus sollertiae atque ad omnia imitanda et efficienda, quae ab quōque trāduntur, aptissimum.

To the remarkable courage of our soldiers the Gauls opposed devices of every kind, since they are a people of the greatest ingenuity and very well suited to imitating and making whatever is shown them by anyone.

Note. ut est summae genus sollertiae: 'as they are a people of the greatest ingenuity'. ut with the indicative means 'as'. summae sollertiae is a genitive of quality.

7.22.2Nam et laqueīs falcēs āvertēbant, quās, cum dēstināverant, tormentīs intrōrsus redūcēbant, et aggerem cunīculīs subtrahēbant, eō scientius quod apud eōs magnae sunt ferrāriae atque omne genus cunīculōrum nōtum atque ūsitātum est.

For they turned aside the siege-hooks with nooses, and when they had caught them fast, hauled them inside with windlasses; and they undermined the ramp with tunnels, all the more skilfully because they have great iron mines and every kind of tunnelling is known and familiar to them.

Note. eō scientius quod …: 'all the more skilfully because …'. eō is an ablative of degree of difference. The Bituriges had many iron mines, so they were skilled at tunnelling.

7.22.3Tōtum autem mūrum ex omnī parte turribus contabulāverant atque hās coriīs intēxerant.

They had also fitted the whole wall on every side with towers of planking, and had covered these with hides.

7.22.4Tum crēbrīs diurnīs nocturnīsque ēruptiōnibus aut aggerī ignem īnferēbant aut mīlitēs occupātōs in opere adoriēbantur, et nostrārum turrium altitūdinem, quantum hās cōtīdiānus agger expresserat, commissīs suārum turrium malīs adaequābant, et apertōs cunīculōs praeūstā et praeacūtā māteriā et pice fervefactā et maximī ponderis saxīs morābantur moenibusque appropinquāre prohibēbant.

Then, with frequent sallies by day and night, they either set fire to the ramp or attacked our soldiers as they were busy at the work; and as far as the daily growth of the ramp had raised our towers, they matched their height by joining together the uprights of their own towers; and they hampered our open tunnels with timber hardened in the fire and sharpened, with boiling pitch and with stones of great weight, and kept them from approaching the walls.

Note. quantum hās … agger expresserat: 'as far as the ramp had raised them (our towers)'. The Gauls kept their own towers level with ours by lengthening the uprights (mālī).