Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Civil War, Book 1
De Bello Civili 1.42
The camp is completed
Caesar, De Bello Civili I. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōBC 1.42.1Posterō diē omnem exercitum intrā fossam continet, et, quod longius erat agger petendus, in praesentiā similem ratiōnem operis īnstituit, singulaque latera castrōrum singulīs attribuit legiōnibus mūnienda, fossāsque ad eandem magnitūdinem perficī iubet;
The next day he keeps the whole army inside the ditch, and, since the earth for a rampart would have had to be fetched from rather far away, for the moment he adopts a similar plan of work: he assigns the sides of the camp one to each legion to fortify, and orders ditches of the same size to be completed;
Note. agger petendus: 'earth had to be fetched', a gerundive of obligation. singula latera … singulīs … legiōnibus: 'one side to each legion', the distributive adjective singulī.
BC 1.42.1reliquās legiōnēs in armīs expedītās contrā hostem cōnstituit.
the rest of the legions, in light order and under arms, he stations facing the enemy.
Note. expedītās: 'lightly equipped', ready for action.
BC 1.42.2Afrānius Petrēiusque terrendī causā atque operis impediendī cōpiās suās ad īnfimās montis rādīcēs prōdūcunt et proeliō lacessunt.
To frighten him and to hinder the work, Afranius and Petreius lead their forces down to the lowest roots of the hill and challenge him to battle.
Note. terrendī causā atque operis impediendī: a gerund and a gerundive with causā, 'to frighten and to hinder the work'.
BC 1.42.2neque idcircō Caesar opus intermittit cōnfīsus praesidiō legiōnum trium et mūnītiōne fossae.
Caesar does not stop the work for that reason, trusting in the protection of three legions and the defence of the ditch.
Note. cōnfīsus: perfect participle of the semi-deponent cōnfīdō, 'trusting in', with the dative praesidiō.
BC 1.42.3illī nōn diū commorātī nec longius ab īnfimō colle prōgressī cōpiās in castra redūcunt.
They did not stay long and, without advancing further than the foot of the hill, lead their forces back into camp.
Note. nec longius ab īnfimō colle prōgressī: 'not having advanced further than the foot of the hill'.
BC 1.42.4tertiō diē Caesar vallō castra commūnit, reliquās cohortēs, quās in superiōribus castrīs relīquerat, impedīmentaque ad sē trādūcī iubet.
On the third day Caesar fortifies the camp with a rampart and orders the rest of the cohorts, which he had left in the earlier camp, and the baggage to be brought over to him.
Note. vallō: 'with a rampart'. impedīmenta: the baggage.
Vocabulary
| posterus, -a, -um | following, next |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| exercitus, -ūs, m. | army |
| intrā, prep. with acc. | within |
| fossa, -ae, f. | ditch, trench |
| contineō, -tinēre, -tinuī, -tentus | hold together, keep within, shut up in; bound |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| quod, conj. | that, in that, because |
| longē, adv. | far |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| agger, aggeris m. | mound, siege ramp |
| petō, -ere, -īvī or -iī, -ītus | seek, ask; attack |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| praesentia, -ae, f. | the present |
| similis, -e | like, similar (vērī similis: likely) |
| ratiō, -ōnis, f. | plan, means, method, manner; reason; account |
| opus, operis, n. | work, task |
| īnstituō, -stituere, -stituī, -stitūtus | decide upon, determine |
| singulī, -ae, -a | one at a time, single |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| lātus, -a, -um | broad, wide |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| attribuō, -ere, -tribuī, -tribūtum | assign, allot |
| legiō, -ōnis f. | legion |
| mūniō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus | fortify |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron. | the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also |
| magnitūdō, -tūdinis, f. | greatness, size |
| perficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | do or make through, accomplish |
| iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussus | bid, order, command |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| arma, -ōrum, n. plur. | arms, weapons |
| expedītus, -a, -um | unobstructed, easy; lightly equipped |
| contrā, prep, with acc. | against, contrary to |
| hostis, -is, m. and f. | enemy, foe |
| cōnstituō, -stituere, -stituī, -stitūtus | set together or up; appoint; determine |
| terreō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | frighten, terrify |
| causa, -ae, f. | cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| impediō, -pedīre, -pedīvī, -pedītus | hinder, prevent, impede |
| cōpia, -ae, f. | supply, abundance; plur., forces, troops |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| īnfimus, -a, -um | lowest (īnfimus collis: the foot of the hill) |
| mōns, montis, m. | mountain |
| rādīx, -īcis f. | root; (of a hill) foot |
| prōdūcō, -ere, -dūxī, -ductum | lead out, bring out |
| proelium, -ī, n. | battle, combat; proelium committere, to join battle |
| lacessō, -ere, -īvī, -ītum | provoke, harass |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| idcircō (adv.) | for that reason |
| intermittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | leave off, interrupt; let pass; pass., be left between, intervene, elapse |
| cōnfīdō, -ere, cōnfīsus sum | trust, be confident |
| praesidium, -ī, n. | protection; guard, escort |
| trēs, tria, plur. adj. | three |
| mūnītiō, -ōnis f. | fortification, defence works |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| diū, adv. | for a long time, a long time or while, long; comp |
| commoror, -morārī, -morātus | tarry, linger, delay, stay |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| collis, -is m. | hill |
| prōgredior, -gredī, -gressus | go forward, advance |
| redūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead or bring back; restore |
| tertius, -a, -um | third |
| vallum, -ī n. | rampart, palisade |
| commūniō, -īre, -īvī, -ītum | fortify strongly |
| cohors, cohortis f. | cohort (a tenth of a legion); company |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| superior, -ius, adj. | higher; former, previous, preceding |
| relinquō, -linquere, -līquī, -lictus | leave behind, leave |
| impedīmentum, -ī n. | hindrance; (pl.) baggage |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| trādūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead across |