Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Civil War, Book 1
De Bello Civili 1.50
The flood cuts the bridges
Caesar, De Bello Civili I. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
Tap any word for its meaning and grammar, save words to review, and track your reading.
Read in LectitōBC 1.50.1Hae permānsērunt aquae diēs complūrēs.
These floods lasted several days.
Note. Hae … aquae: 'these floods' (aqua can mean flood water). diēs complūrēs: accusative of duration.
BC 1.50.1cōnātus est Caesar reficere pontēs, sed nec magnitūdō flūminis permittēbat, neque ad rīpam dispositae cohortēs adversāriōrum perficī patiēbantur.
Caesar tried to rebuild the bridges, but neither the size of the river allowed it, nor did the enemy's cohorts posted along the bank let them be finished.
Note. cōnātus est: from the deponent cōnor. nec … neque: 'neither … nor'. perficī: present passive infinitive after patiēbantur, 'allow (the bridges) to be finished'.
BC 1.50.2quod illīs prohibēre erat facile cum ipsīus flūminis nātūrā atque aquae magnitūdine, tum quod ex tōtīs rīpīs in ūnum atque angustum locum tēla iaciēbantur;
It was easy for them to prevent this, both because of the nature of the river itself and the height of the water, and because weapons were thrown from the whole of the banks onto a single narrow spot;
Note. quod: relative, 'this (the hindering)'. cum … tum: 'both … and, not only … but also'. in ūnum atque angustum locum: 'into one narrow spot', where the bridge would land.
BC 1.50.3atque erat difficile eōdem tempore rapidissimō flūmine opera perficere et tēla vītāre.
and it was hard at the same time to finish the work in a very fast river and to avoid the missiles.
Note. erat difficile: impersonal, 'it was hard', with the infinitives perficere and vītāre as subject. rapidissimō flūmine: ablative of place, 'in a very fast river'.
Vocabulary
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| permaneō, -manēre, -mānsi, -mānsus | remain |
| aqua, -ae, f. | water |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| complūrēs, -plūra, plur. adj. | several, many |
| cōnor, -ārī, -ātus | try, attempt |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| reficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | make anew, renew, repair |
| pōns, pontis, m. | bridge |
| sed, conj. | but |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| magnitūdō, -tūdinis, f. | greatness, size |
| flūmen, -minis, n. | river |
| permittō, -ere, -mīsī, -missum | allow, permit; entrust |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| rīpa, -ae, f. | bank |
| dispōnō, -ere, -posuī, -positum | station here and there, post |
| cohors, cohortis f. | cohort (a tenth of a legion); company |
| adversārius, -ī m. | opponent, enemy |
| perficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | do or make through, accomplish |
| patior, patī, passus, bear | suffer, allow |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| prohibeō, -hibēre, -hibuī, -hibitus | hold back, prevent, hinder |
| facilis, -e (comp. facilior) | easy |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| nātūra, -ae, f. | nature, character |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| tum, adv. | then, at that time |
| quod, conj. | that, in that, because |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| tōtus, -a, -um | all the, the whole or entire |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| ūnus, -a, -um | one; only, alone |
| angustus, -a, -um | narrow, cramped |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| tēlum, -ī, n. | missile, spear, weapon |
| iaciō, iacere, iēcī, iactus | throw, cast, hurl |
| difficilis, -e | not easy, difficult |
| īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron. | the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also |
| tempus, temporis, n. | time, season |
| rapidus, -a, -um | swift; consuming, fierce |
| opus, operis, n. | work, task |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| vītō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | avoid, escape |