Lectitō › Julius Caesar › The African War (Bellum Africum)
Bellum Africum 92
Zama Submits
Anonymous, Bellum Africum. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōB. Afr. 92.1Zamēnsēs interim lēgātōs dē hīs rēbus ad Caesarem Uticam mittunt petuntque ab eō, utī, antequam rēx manum colligeret sēsēque oppugnāret, sibi auxilium mitteret: sē tamen parātōs esse, sibi quoad vīta suppeteret, oppidum sēque eī reservāre.
Meanwhile the people of Zama sent envoys about these matters to Caesar at Utica and asked him to send them help before the king gathered a force and attacked them: they were ready, they said, to keep the town and themselves for him as long as they had life.
Note. uti = ut. antequam … colligeret: subjunctive because the king's attack is something feared, not a fact. sē … parātōs esse … reservāre: reported speech, 'they were ready to keep'. quoad vīta suppeteret: 'as long as life lasted'.
B. Afr. 92.2Lēgātōs conlaudātōs Caesar domum iubet antecēdere ac suum adventum praenūntiāre.
Caesar praised the envoys and told them to go home ahead of him and announce his coming.
Note. Lēgātōs conlaudātōs … iubet: the participle stands for a separate verb, 'he praised the envoys and told them'. domum: accusative of motion, 'home'.
B. Afr. 92.2Ipse posterō diē Uticā ēgressus cum equitātū in regnum īre contendit.
He himself left Utica the next day with the cavalry and hurried into the kingdom.
Note. in regnum: into Juba's kingdom.
B. Afr. 92.3Interim in itinere ex rēgiīs cōpiīs ducēs complūrēs ad Caesarem veniunt ōrantque, ut sibi ignōscat.
Meanwhile on the march several leaders from the king's forces came to Caesar and begged him to forgive them.
Note. ex rēgiīs cōpiīs: 'from the king's forces'. ut sibi ignōscat: ignōscō takes the dative.
B. Afr. 92.4Quibus supplicibus veniā datā Zamam pervēnit.
He pardoned them as suppliants and reached Zama.
Note. Quibus supplicibus: dative with venia data, 'pardon having been given to them as suppliants'.
B. Afr. 92.4Rūmōre interim perlātō dē eius lēnitāte clēmentiāque propemodum omnēs regnī equitēs Zamam perveniunt ad Caesarem ab eōque sunt metū perīculōque līberātī.
Meanwhile, as the report spread of his mildness and mercy, almost all the cavalry of the kingdom came to Caesar at Zama and were freed by him from fear and danger.
Note. rūmōre … perlātō: ablative absolute. ab eōque … līberātī: 'and were freed by him'.
Vocabulary
| interim (adv.) | meanwhile |
| lēgātus, -ī, m. | ambassador |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus | send |
| petō, -ere, -īvī or -iī, -ītus | seek, ask; attack |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| utī (conj.) | older form of ut: that, so that; as |
| antequam, conj. | before than, sooner than, before |
| rēx, rēgis, m. | king |
| manus, -ūs, f. | hand |
| colligō, -ere, -lēgī, -lēctum | gather, collect (sē colligere: recover oneself) |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| oppugnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | attack, besiege |
| auxilium, -ī, n. | help, aid |
| tamen, adv. | however, yet, nevertheless |
| parātus, -a, -um | prepared, equipped, ready |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| quoad (conj.) | as long as; until |
| vīta, -ae, f. | life |
| suppetō, -ere, -īvī | be at hand, be in supply |
| oppidum, -ī, n. | town |
| reservō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | keep back, save |
| collaudō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | praise warmly |
| domus, -ūs, f. | house, home |
| iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussus | bid, order, command |
| antecēdō, -ere, -cessī, -cessum | go before; surpass |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| adventus, -ūs, m. | approach, arrival |
| praenūntiō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | announce beforehand |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| posterus, -a, -um | following, next |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| ēgredior, -gredī, -gressus | go out or forth, go ashore, disembark |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| equitātus, -ūs m. | cavalry |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| regnum, -ī, n. | royal power, rule, throne; kingdom, realm |
| eō, īre, iī, itus | go |
| contendō, -tendere, -tendī, -tentus | stretch, hasten |
| iter, itineris, n. | a going, journey, march; iter facere, to journey, march |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| rēgius, -a, -um | royal, kingly |
| cōpia, -ae, f. | supply, abundance; plur., forces, troops |
| dux, ducis, m. and f. | leader, commander |
| complūrēs, -plūra, plur. adj. | several, many |
| veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus | come |
| ōrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | speak; beg, pray |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| ignōscō, -ere, ignōvī, ignōtum (+ dat.) | pardon, forgive |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| supplex, -icis | begging, as a suppliant |
| venia, -ae f. | pardon, forgiveness |
| dō, dare, dedī, datus | give |
| perveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventus | come through, come, arrive, reach |
| rūmor, -ōris m. | rumour, report |
| perferō, -ferre, -tulī, -lātus | bear through, bear, endure; weather |
| lēnitās, -ātis f. | gentleness, slowness |
| clēmentia, -ae, f. | mercy, kindness |
| propemodum (adv.) | almost, nearly |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| eques, equitis m. | horseman; (pl.) cavalry |
| metus, -ūs m. | fear, dread |
| perīculum, -ī, n. | danger, peril, risk |
| līberō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | set free, free, liberate, release |