Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Civil War, Book 1
De Bello Civili 1.16
Caesar marches on Corfinium
Caesar, De Bello Civili I. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōBC 1.16.1Receptō Firmō expulsōque Lentulō Caesar conquīrī mīlitēs, quī ab eō discesserant, dīlēctumque īnstituī iubet.
After recovering Firmum and driving out Lentulus, Caesar orders the soldiers who had deserted him to be hunted out and a levy to be held.
Note. The Civil War, January–February 49 BC. Receptō Firmō expulsōque Lentulō: two ablative absolutes, 'Firmum having been recovered and Lentulus driven out'. conquīrī … īnstituī iubet: iubeō with passive infinitives, 'orders (the soldiers) to be hunted out and a levy to be held'.
BC 1.16.1ipse ūnum diem ibi reī frūmentāriae causā morātus Corfīnium contendit.
He himself, after staying there one day for the sake of the grain supply, hurries to Corfinium.
Note. reī frūmentāriae causā: causā after a genitive means 'for the sake of'. morātus: a deponent participle with active meaning, 'having stayed'. Corfīnium: accusative of the town without a preposition, 'to Corfinium'.
BC 1.16.2eō cum vēnisset, cohortēs v praemissae ā Domitiō ex oppidō pontem flūminis interrumpēbant, quī erat ab oppidō mīlia passuum circiter iii.
When he had come there, five cohorts sent ahead from the town by Domitius were breaking down a bridge over the river, which was about three miles from the town.
Note. eō cum vēnisset: 'when he had come there'; eō is the adverb 'to that place'. The imperfect interrumpēbant means they were in the act of breaking the bridge. mīlia passuum … iii: accusative of extent, 'three miles'.
BC 1.16.3ibi cum antecursōribus Caesaris proeliō commissō celeriter Domitiānī ā ponte repulsī sē in oppidum recēpērunt.
There, when battle had been joined with Caesar's advance guard, Domitius' men were quickly driven back from the bridge and retreated into the town.
Note. proeliō commissō: ablative absolute, 'a battle having been joined'. Domitiānī: Domitius' men, an adjective used as a noun. sē … recēpērunt: 'withdrew' (literally 'took themselves back').
BC 1.16.4Caesar legiōnibus trānsductīs ad oppidum cōnstitit iūxtāque mūrum castra posuit.
Caesar, having brought his legions across, halted at the town and pitched camp next to the wall.
Note. lēgiōnibus trānsductīs: ablative absolute. iūxtā mūrum: iūxtā is a preposition with the accusative, 'next to'.
Vocabulary
| recipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take or get back, recover; sē recipere, to betake oneself, withdraw; to collect oneself, recover |
| expellō, -pellere, -pulī, -pulsus | drive out, expel |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| conquīrō, -ere, -quīsīvī, -quīsītum | search out, hunt down |
| mīles, mīlitis, m. | soldier |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| discēdō, -cēdere, -cessī, -cessus | go apart, withdraw, depart |
| dīlēctus, -ūs m. | levy, recruitment of soldiers; dīlēctum habēre: hold a levy |
| īnstituō, -stituere, -stituī, -stitūtus | decide upon, determine |
| iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussus | bid, order, command |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| ūnus, -a, -um | one; only, alone |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| ibi, adv. | in that place, there |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| frūmentārius, -a, -um | of grain (rēs frūmentāria: grain supply) |
| causa, -ae, f. | cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of |
| moror, -ārī, -ātus | delay, linger, stay |
| contendō, -tendere, -tendī, -tentus | stretch, hasten |
| eō (adv.) | to that place, thither; to that point (usque eō); (with comparatives) by so much, all the (more) |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus | come |
| cohors, cohortis f. | cohort (a tenth of a legion); company |
| Roman numeral | a number written with letters: I 1, V 5, X 10, L 50, C 100, D 500, M 1000 |
| praemittō, -ere, -mīsī, -missum | send ahead |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| oppidum, -ī, n. | town |
| pōns, pontis, m. | bridge |
| flūmen, -minis, n. | river |
| interrumpō, -ere, -rūpī, -ruptus | break down, break apart |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| mīlle, indecl. adj. | a thousand; mīlia, -ium, n. plur., thousands; |
| passus, -ūs, m. | pace (mīlia passuum: miles) |
| circiter, prep. with acc. and adv. | about |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| antecursor, -ōris m. | forerunner; (pl.) advance guard |
| proelium, -ī, n. | battle, combat; proelium committere, to join battle |
| committō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send together; commit, intrust; expose; proelium committere, to join battle |
| celeriter, adv. | swiftly, quickly |
| Domitiānus, -a, -um | of Domitius; as a noun, Domitius' soldiers |
| repellō, repellere, reppulī, repulsus | drive back or away, repulse, repel |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| legiō, -ōnis f. | legion |
| trādūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead across |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| cōnsistō, -sistere, -stitī, -stitus | station oneself, take one's stand; consist |
| iūxtā (adv. and prep. + acc.) | nearby; next to |
| mūrus, -ī, m. | wall |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| pōnō, pōnere, posuī, positus | place, put; pōnī with in and abl., to be placed in, rest or depend on |