De Bello Civili 1.46

The end of the battle

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BC 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.

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Grammar in this passage: cum clauses ×1, ablative absolute ×5

Latin vocabulary for this passage (89 words)

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

Caesar, De Bello Civili I. Latin text: R. du Pontet, C. Iuli Caesaris Commentariorum pars posterior (Oxford, 1901), public domain; digital text from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA. Word analysis: LatinCy, then every word checked and corrected by hand. English translation, notes and grammar hints: written for this app.