Postero die castra ex eo loco movent.  Idem facit Caesar, equitatumque omnem, ad numerum quattuor milium, quem ex omni provincia et Aeduis atque eorum sociis coactum habebat, praemittit, qui videant quas in partes hostes iter faciant.  Qui cupidius novissimum agmen insecuti alieno loco cum equitatu Helvetiorum proelium committunt; et pauci de nostris cadunt.  Quo proelio sublati Helvetii, quod quingentis equitibus tantam multitudinem equitum propulerant, audacius subsistere nonnumquam et novissimo agmine proelio continebat, ac satis habebat in praesentia hostem rapinis pabulationibus populationibusque prohibere.  Ita dies circiter quindecim iter fecerunt, uti inter novissimum hostium agmen et nostrum primum non amplius quinis aut senis milibus passuum interesset.


Next day the Helvetii moved their camp from that spot.  Caesar did likewise, sending forward the whole of his cavalry, four thousand in number, which he had raised from the whole of the Province, from the Aedui, and from their allies, to observe in which direction the enemy were marching.  The cavalry, following up the rearguard too eagerly, engaged in combat on unfavourable ground with the cavalry of the Helvetii, and a few of ours fell.  Elated by this engagement, because five hundred of their horsemen had routed so large a host of ours, the Helvetii began on occasion to make a bolder stand, and with their rearguard to provoke the Romans to a fight.  Caesar kept his troops from fighting, accounting it sufficient for the present to prevent the enemy from plundering, foraging, and devastation.  The march continued about a fortnight with no more interval than five or six miles a day between the rearguard of the enemy and the vanguard of the Romans.

Translation and notes by H.J. Edwards


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