Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Civil War, Book 1
De Bello Civili 1.19
Domitius plans to flee
Caesar, De Bello Civili I. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōBC 1.19.1Litterīs perlēctīs Domitius dissimulāns in cōnsiliō prōnūntiat Pompēium celeriter subsidiō ventūrum hortāturque eōs nē animō dēficiant, quaeque ūsuī ad dēfendendum oppidum sint parent.
After reading the letter Domitius, hiding the truth, announces in the council that Pompey will come quickly to their help, and urges them not to lose heart and to prepare whatever might be of use for defending the town.
Note. dissimulāns: 'disguising (the truth)'. subsidiō ventūrum: subsidiō is a dative of purpose, 'would come as a help'. quaeque ūsuī … sint: 'and whatever is of use'; ūsuī is another dative of purpose. parent: from parō, 'prepare' (not pāreō, 'obey').
BC 1.19.2ipse arcānō cum paucīs familiāribus suīs colloquitur cōnsiliumque fugae capere cōnstituit.
He himself talks in secret with a few of his close friends and decides to take the course of flight.
Note. arcānō: adverb, 'in secret'. cōnsilium fugae capere: 'to adopt a plan of flight'.
BC 1.19.3cum vultus Domitī cum ōrātiōne nōn cōnsentīret, atque omnia trepidantius timidiusque ageret, quam superiōribus diēbus cōnsuēsset, multumque cum suīs cōnsiliandī causā sēcrētō praeter cōnsuētūdinem colloquerētur, concilia conventūsque hominum fugeret, rēs diūtius tegī dissimulārīque nōn potuit.
Since Domitius' face did not match his words, and he did everything more anxiously and fearfully than he had been used to in the previous days, and contrary to his habit talked much in secret with his friends for the purpose of taking counsel, and avoided meetings and gatherings of men, the matter could not be hidden and concealed any longer.
Note. A long cum-clause with four verbs (cōnsentīret, ageret, colloquerētur, fugeret), then the main clause rēs … tegī dissimulārīque nōn potuit. trepidantius timidiusque: comparative adverbs. cōnsuēsset = cōnsuēvisset.
BC 1.19.4Pompēius enim rescrīpserat sēsē rem in summum perīculum dēductūrum nōn esse, neque suō cōnsiliō aut voluntāte Domitium sē in oppidum Corfīnium contulisse: proinde, sīqua fuisset facultās, ad sē cum omnibus cōpiīs venīret.
For Pompey had written back that he would not put the whole cause into extreme danger, and that it was not by his advice or wish that Domitius had gone into the town of Corfinium: so, if there was any opportunity, he should come to him with all his forces.
Note. Pompey's reply in indirect speech. sēsē: Pompey; sē in the next clause is Domitius. sīqua fuisset facultās: 'if there were any opportunity'. venīret: an indirect command, 'he should come'.
BC 1.19.5id nē fierī posset, obsidiōne atque oppidī circummūnītiōne fīēbat.
That this should not be possible was being brought about by the blockade and the ring of siege works around the town.
Note. id nē fierī posset … fīēbat: literally 'that this could not be done was being brought about by the blockade': the siege made escape impossible.
Vocabulary
| littera, -ae f. | letter (of the alphabet); pl. letter, writing |
| perlegō, -ere, -lēgī, -lēctus | read through, read out |
| dissimulō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | hide, disguise, pretend not to notice |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| cōnsilium, -ī, n. | advice; plan, design, purpose; prudence |
| prōnūntiō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | proclaim, announce |
| celeriter, adv. | swiftly, quickly |
| subsidium, -ī, n. | reserve, reinforcement, support, help |
| veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus | come |
| hortor, -ārī, -ātus | exhort, encourage, urge |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| nē, adv. | not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest |
| animus, -ī, m. | mind; heart; spirit, courage |
| dēficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | fail |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| ūsus, -ūs, m. | use; experience |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| dēfendō, -fendere, -fendī, -fēnsus | ward off; defend |
| oppidum, -ī, n. | town |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| parō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | make ready, prepare |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| arcānō, adv. | in secret, privately |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| paucī, -ae, -a, plur. adj. | few |
| familiāris, -e; as noun, -is m. | of the household (rēs familiāris: private property); friend |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| colloquor (conloquor), -ī, -locūtus sum | talk with, confer |
| fuga, -ae, f. | flight |
| capiō, capere, cēpī, captus | take, catch, seize; receive, suffer; adopt |
| cōnstituō, -stituere, -stituī, -stitūtus | set together or up; appoint; determine |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| vultus, -ūs m. | face, expression |
| ōrātiō, -ōnis, f. | speech; ōrātiōnem habēre, to deliver an oration, speak |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| cōnsentiō, -īre, -sēnsī, -sēnsum | agree; act together |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| trepidanter, adv. | anxiously, in alarm |
| timidē (adv.) | timidly |
| agō, agere, ēgī, āctus | drive; do; pass, lead; grātiās agere, see grātia |
| quam, adv. | how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible |
| superior, -ius, adj. | higher; former, previous, preceding |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| cōnsuēscō, -suēscere, -suēvī, -suētus | become accustomed; in tenses of completed action, have become accustomed, be accustomed or wont |
| multum, -ī, n. | much |
| cōnsilior, -ārī, -ātus sum | take counsel, deliberate |
| causa, -ae, f. | cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of |
| sēcrētō (adv.) | privately, in secret |
| praeter, prep. with acc. | before, past, by; besides, except |
| cōnsuētūdō, -inis f. | custom, habit; way of life |
| concilium, -ī n. | meeting, council |
| conventus, -ūs m. | meeting, assembly |
| homō, hominis, m. | man |
| fugiō, fugere, fūgī, fugitūrus | flee, run away |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| diū, adv. | for a long time, a long time or while, long; comp |
| tegō, tegere, tēxī, tēctus | cover |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| enim, conj. | for |
| rescrībō, -ere, -scrīpsī, -scrīptum | write again; transfer, enrol (in another unit) |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| summus, -a, -um | uppermost, highest, greatest |
| perīculum, -ī, n. | danger, peril, risk |
| dēdūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead down or away, bring; nāvem dēdūcere, to draw down or launch a ship |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| aut, conj. | or; aut ... aut, either ... or |
| voluntās, -tātis, f. | wish, will |
| cōnferō, cōnferre, contulī, conlātus | bring together; grant, confer; sē cōnferre, to betake oneself, make one's way |
| proinde (adv.) | therefore, accordingly; so then |
| sī quis, sī qua, sī quid | if anyone, if any (sī + the indefinite quis) |
| facultās, -tātis, f. | possibility, opportunity, chance, means |
| cōpia, -ae, f. | supply, abundance; plur., forces, troops |
| fīō, fierī, factus sum | be done or made, become, happen |
| obsidiō, -ōnis f. | siege, blockade; oppression |
| circummūnītiō, -ōnis f. | a ring of siege works, investment |