Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Civil War, Book 1
De Bello Civili 1.13
Attius Varus is deserted
Caesar, De Bello Civili I. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōBC 1.13.1Adventū Caesaris cognitō decuriōnēs Auximī ad Attium Vārum frequentēs conveniunt;
When Caesar's approach was known, the town councillors of Auximum come in a body to Attius Varus;
Note. decuriōnēs: the town councillors.
BC 1.13.1docent suī iūdiciī rem nōn esse;
they tell him that the matter is not for them to judge;
Note. suī iūdiciī rem nōn esse: 'that the matter was not for their judgement', predicative genitive.
BC 1.13.1neque sē neque reliquōs mūnicipēs patī posse C. Caesarem imperātōrem, bene dē rē pūblicā meritum, tantīs rēbus gestīs oppidō moenibusque prohibērī: proinde habeat ratiōnem posteritātis et perīculī suī.
neither they nor the rest of the townsmen can allow Gaius Caesar, a general who has served the republic well and achieved such great things, to be shut out of their town and walls; so let him consider the future and his own danger.
Note. C. Caesarem … prohibērī: Caesar lets the townsmen give his own title and record. proinde habeat ratiōnem: 'so let him take account of', a jussive subjunctive in indirect speech.
BC 1.13.2quōrum ōrātiōne permōtus Vārus praesidium, quod intrōdūxerat, ex oppidō ēdūcit ac profūgit.
Moved by their words, Varus leads out of the town the garrison he had brought in, and flees.
BC 1.13.3hunc ex prīmō ōrdine paucī Caesaris cōnsecūtī mīlitēs cōnsistere coēgērunt.
A few soldiers from Caesar's first rank, pursuing him, forced him to stand.
Note. ex prīmō ōrdine: from the first rank of centurions, the senior officers of the legion.
BC 1.13.4commissō proeliō dēseritur ā suīs Vārus;
When battle was joined, Varus is deserted by his men;
Note. dēseritur ā suīs: the first of many desertions.
BC 1.13.4nōnnūlla pars mīlitum domum discēdit;
some of the soldiers go home;
BC 1.13.4reliquī ad Caesarem perveniunt, atque ūnā cum iīs dēprēnsus L. Pūpius, prīmī pīlī centuriō, addūcitur, quī hunc eundem ōrdinem in exercitū Cn. Pompēī anteā dūxerat.
the rest come over to Caesar, and with them Lucius Pupius, a chief centurion, is captured and brought in, who had previously held this same rank in Gnaeus Pompeius' army.
Note. prīmī pīlī centuriō: the chief centurion of a legion. Pupius had held the same post under Pompey, so Caesar's clemency to him is pointed.
BC 1.13.5at Caesar mīlitēs Attiānōs collaudat, Pūpium dīmittit, Auximātibus agit grātiās sēque eōrum factī memorem fore pollicētur.
But Caesar praises Attius' soldiers, releases Pupius, thanks the people of Auximum and promises that he will remember their action.
Note. Attiānōs: 'of Attius'. memorem fore: 'that he would be mindful of'. Caesar advertises his clemency.
Vocabulary
| adventus, -ūs, m. | approach, arrival |
| cognōscō, -gnōscere, -gnōvī, -gnitus | find out, learn; in tenses of completed action, have found out, know |
| decuriō, -ōnis m. | cavalry officer, decurion |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| frequēns, -entis | crowded, in great numbers; frequent |
| conveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventus | come together, assemble |
| doceo, -ēre, -uī, -tus | teach, explain |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| iūdicium, -ī n. | trial, court; judgment |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| mūniceps, -cipis m. | citizen of a municipium, townsman |
| patior, patī, passus, bear | suffer, allow |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| imperātor, -ōris, m. | commander, general |
| bene, adv. | well; successfully |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| pūblicus, -a, -um | public, of the state (rēs pūblica: the state) |
| mereor, -ērī, meritus sum | deserve; (dē) do service to |
| tantus, -a, -um | so great or much |
| gerō, gerere, gessī, gestus | carry, wear; carry on, do |
| oppidum, -ī, n. | town |
| moenia, -ium, n. plur. | walls |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| prohibeō, -hibēre, -hibuī, -hibitus | hold back, prevent, hinder |
| proinde (adv.) | therefore, accordingly; so then |
| habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | have, hold; consider |
| ratiō, -ōnis, f. | plan, means, method, manner; reason; account |
| posteritās, -ātis f. | the future; later generations, posterity |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| perīculum, -ī, n. | danger, peril, risk |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| ōrātiō, -ōnis, f. | speech; ōrātiōnem habēre, to deliver an oration, speak |
| permoveō, -ēre, -mōvī, -mōtum | move deeply, influence |
| praesidium, -ī, n. | protection; guard, escort |
| intrōdūcō, -ere, -dūxī, -ductum | lead in, bring in |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| ēdūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead out, draw |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| profugiō, -ere, -fūgī | flee, escape |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| prīmus, -a, -um | first, foremost |
| ōrdō, ōrdinis, m. | arrangement, order, rank; ex ōrdine, in order |
| paucī, -ae, -a, plur. adj. | few |
| cōnsequor, -sequī, -secūtus | follow up, follow; overtake |
| mīles, mīlitis, m. | soldier |
| cōnsistō, -sistere, -stitī, -stitus | station oneself, take one's stand; consist |
| cōgō, cōgere, coēgī, coāctus | drive together, collect; compel |
| committō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send together; commit, intrust; expose; proelium committere, to join battle |
| proelium, -ī, n. | battle, combat; proelium committere, to join battle |
| dēserō, -serere, -seruī, -sertus | desert |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| nōnnūllus, -a, -um | not none, some, several |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| domus, -ūs, f. | house, home |
| discēdō, -cēdere, -cessī, -cessus | go apart, withdraw, depart |
| perveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventus | come through, come, arrive, reach |
| ūnā | together, along |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| dēprehendō, -ere, -hendī, -hēnsus | catch, seize, overtake; detect |
| pīlus, -ī m. | maniple of veterans (prīmus pīlus: the chief centurion) |
| centuriō, -ōnis m. | centurion (officer commanding about 80 men) |
| addūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead to, bring, take; induce, influence |
| īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron. | the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| exercitus, -ūs, m. | army |
| anteā, adv. | before |
| dūcō, dūcere, dūxī, ductus | lead; make, dig; with or without in mātrimōnium, marry |
| at, conj. | but |
| Attiānus, -a, -um | of Attius; Attiānī mīlitēs: the soldiers of Attius Varus |
| collaudō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | praise warmly |
| dīmittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send different ways, send forth or away, despatch; let slip, lose |
| agō, agere, ēgī, āctus | drive; do; pass, lead; grātiās agere, see grātia |
| grātia, -ae, f. | favor; gratitude, thanks; plur., thanks; grātiās agere, to give thanks, thank; grātiam referre, to return a favor, show gratitude, requite |
| factum, -ī n. | deed, act |
| memor, -oris | mindful, remembering (+ gen.) |
| polliceor, -licērī, -licitus | promise |