Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Civil War, Book 1
De Bello Civili 1.46
The end of the battle
Caesar, De Bello Civili I. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōBC 1.46.1Hōc cum esset modō pugnātum continenter hōrīs quīnque nostrīque gravius ā multitūdine premerentur, cōnsūmptīs omnibus tēlīs gladiīs dēstrictīs impetum adversus montem in cohortīs faciunt, paucīsque dēiectīs reliquōs sēsē convertere cōgunt.
When the fighting had gone on in this way without a break for five hours and our men were being pressed rather hard by the numbers, having used up all their missiles they drew their swords, charged uphill against the cohorts, cut down a few and forced the rest to turn and run.
Note. Hōc … modō: 'in this way'. continenter hōrīs quīnque: 'for five hours without a break'. The edition has a misprint, eliquos, here corrected to reliquōs. sēsē convertere: 'to turn (and flee)'.
BC 1.46.2summōtīs sub mūrum cohortibus ac nōnnūllā parte propter terrōrem in oppidum compulsīs facilis est nostrīs receptus datus.
When the cohorts had been pushed back under the wall and some in their panic driven into the town, our men were given an easy retreat.
Note. facilis est nostrīs receptus datus: 'an easy retreat was given to our men'.
BC 1.46.3equitātus autem noster ab utrōque latere, etsī dēiectīs atque īnferiōribus locīs cōnstiterat, tamen summā in iugum virtūte cōnītitur, atque inter duās aciēs perequitāns commodiōrem ac tūtiōrem nostrīs receptum dat.
Our cavalry too, although it had halted on low-lying ground on both flanks, struggles up to the ridge with the greatest courage and, riding between the two lines, gives our men a more comfortable and safer retreat.
Note. dēiectīs atque īnferiōribus locīs: 'on low-lying and lower ground'. summā … virtūte: 'with the greatest courage'. perequitāns: 'riding through'.
BC 1.46.3ita variō certāmine pugnātum est.
So the battle was fought with varying fortune.
Note. variō certāmine: 'with varying fortune'. pugnātum est: impersonal passive.
BC 1.46.4nostrī in prīmō congressū circiter lxx cecidērunt, in hīs Q. Fulginius ex prīmō hastātō legiōnis xiiii, quī propter eximiam virtūtem ex īnferiōribus ōrdinibus in eum locum pervēnerat;
Of our men about seventy fell in the first encounter, among them Quintus Fulginius, senior centurion of the hastati of the fourteenth legion, who had risen from the lower ranks to that position for his outstanding courage;
Note. Q. Fulginius ex prīmō hastātō: 'Quintus Fulginius, from (the rank of) first hastatus', the senior centurion of a cohort's front maniple.
BC 1.46.4vulnerantur amplius dc.
more than six hundred are wounded.
Note. amplius dc: 'more than six hundred'; amplius does not change the case of the number.
BC 1.46.5ex Afrāniānīs interficiuntur T. Caecilius, prīmī pīlī centuriō, et praeter eum centuriōnēs iiii, mīlitēs amplius cc.
Of the Afranians there are killed Titus Caecilius, chief centurion, and besides him four centurions and more than two hundred soldiers.
Note. prīmī pīlī centuriō: the 'chief centurion', the senior centurion of the whole legion.
Vocabulary
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| modus, -ī, m. | way, manner |
| pugnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | fight |
| continenter | continually, without a break |
| hōra, -ae, f. | hour |
| quīnque | five |
| noster, -tra, -trum | our |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| graviter, adv. | severely, seriously |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| multitūdō, -tūdinis, f. | multitude |
| premō, premere, pressī, pressus | press, check, restrain |
| cōnsūmō, -sūmere, -sūmpsī, -sūmptus | take completely, use up, consume, spend |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| tēlum, -ī, n. | missile, spear, weapon |
| gladius, -ī, m. | sword |
| dēstringō, -ere, -strīnxī, -strictum | draw (a sword) |
| impetus, -ūs, m. | attack; impetum facere, to charge |
| adversus, -a, -um | facing; unfavourable, unsuccessful |
| mōns, montis, m. | mountain |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| cohors, cohortis f. | cohort (a tenth of a legion); company |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| paucī, -ae, -a, plur. adj. | few |
| dēiciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectus | throw down, cast, drive out of one's course |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| convertō, -vertere, -vertī, -versus | turn round, turn, change; in fugam convertere, to put to flight |
| cōgō, cōgere, coēgī, coāctus | drive together, collect; compel |
| summoveō, -ēre, -mōvī, -mōtus | drive off, force back |
| sub, prep. with acc. and abl. | under; sub vesperum, towards evening |
| mūrus, -ī, m. | wall |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| nōnnūllus, -a, -um | not none, some, several |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| propter, prep. with acc. | on account of, because of |
| terror, -ōris, m. | terror, fright |
| oppidum, -ī, n. | town |
| compellō, -pellere, -pulī, -pulsus | drive together, drive |
| facilis, -e (comp. facilior) | easy |
| receptus, -ūs m. | retreat; place of retreat |
| dō, dare, dedī, datus | give |
| equitātus, -ūs m. | cavalry |
| autem, conj. | moreover; but, however; now |
| uterque, utraque, utrumque | each, either, both |
| lātus, -a, -um | broad, wide |
| etsī, conj. | even if, although |
| īnferus, -a, -um; comp. īnferior | below, lower; īnferior pars: the part downstream |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| cōnsistō, -sistere, -stitī, -stitus | station oneself, take one's stand; consist |
| tamen, adv. | however, yet, nevertheless |
| summus, -a, -um | uppermost, highest, greatest |
| iugum, -ī, n. | yoke |
| virtūs, -tūtis, f. | manliness, courage, bravery |
| cōnītor, -ī, -nīxus (-nīsus) sum | strive hard, struggle; make every effort |
| inter, prep, with acc. | among, between |
| duo, -ae, -o, plur. adj. | two |
| aciēs, -ēī, f. | line of battle |
| perequitō, -āre, -āvī | ride about, ride through |
| commodus, -a, -um | convenient, suitable |
| tūtus, -a, -um | safe |
| ita, adv. | in this manner, thus, so; ita ut, as |
| varius, -a, -um | various |
| certāmen, -minis, n. | struggle, contest |
| prīmus, -a, -um | first, foremost |
| congressus, -ūs m. | meeting; encounter, clash |
| circiter, prep. with acc. and adv. | about |
| Roman numeral | a number written with letters: I 1, V 5, X 10, L 50, C 100, D 500, M 1000 |
| cadō, cadere, cecidī, cāsūrus | fall |
| quīntus, -a, -um | fifth |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| hastātus, -ī m. | a soldier of the first line; prīmus hastātus: the senior centurion of the hastati |
| legiō, -ōnis f. | legion |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| eximius, -a, -um | outstanding, exceptional |
| ōrdō, ōrdinis, m. | arrangement, order, rank; ex ōrdine, in order |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| perveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventus | come through, come, arrive, reach |
| vulnerō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | wound |
| amplius (adv.) | more, further |
| Afrāniānus, -a, -um | of Afranius; Afrāniānī, -ōrum m. pl.: Afranius' men |
| interficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | put out of the way, kill |
| pīlus, -ī m. | maniple of veterans (prīmus pīlus: the chief centurion) |
| centuriō, -ōnis m. | centurion (officer commanding about 80 men) |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| praeter, prep. with acc. | before, past, by; besides, except |
| mīles, mīlitis, m. | soldier |