Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Civil War, Book 1
De Bello Civili 1.69
The race begins
Caesar, De Bello Civili I. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōBC 1.69.1Ac prīmō Afrāniānī mīlitēs vīsendī causā laetī ex castrīs prōcurrēbant contumēliōsīsque vōcibus prōsequēbantur nostrōs: necessāriī vīctūs inopiā coāctōs fugere atque ad Ilerdam revertī.
At first Afranius' soldiers ran out of their camp happily to look, and followed our men with insulting shouts: forced by lack of the food they needed, they were running away and going back to Ilerda.
Note. vīsendī causā: 'to look'. Their taunt is in reported speech: necessāriī vīctūs inopiā coāctōs fugere: 'that (our men), forced by lack of necessary food, were fleeing'.
BC 1.69.1erat enim iter ā prōpositō dīversum, contrāriamque in partem īrī vidēbātur.
For the march went away from its intended goal, and they seemed to be going in the opposite direction.
Note. ā prōpositō dīversum: 'away from the intended goal'. īrī: impersonal passive infinitive of eō, 'that (they) were going'.
BC 1.69.2ducēs vērō eōrum cōnsilium suum laudibus ferēbant, quod sē castrīs tenuissent;
Their commanders praised their own plan, because they had kept themselves in camp;
Note. laudibus ferēbant: 'praised'. quod sē castrīs tenuissent: subjunctive because it gives the commanders' reason.
BC 1.69.2multumque eōrum opīniōnem adiuvābat, quod sine iūmentīs impedīmentīsque ad iter profectōs vidēbant, ut nōn posse inopiam diūtius sustinēre cōnfīderent.
and their opinion was much strengthened by seeing that our men had set out on the march without pack animals and baggage, so that they were confident they could not bear the shortage any longer.
Note. multum … adiuvābat: 'helped greatly'. ut … cōnfīderent: result clause.
BC 1.69.3sed ubi paulātim retorquērī agmen ad dextram cōnspexērunt iamque prīmōs superāre regiōnem castrōrum animadvertērunt, nēmō erat adeō tardus aut fugiēns labōris quīn statim castrīs exeundum atque occurrendum putāret.
But when they saw the column gradually turning to the right and noticed that the head of it was already passing the area of their camp, no one was so slow or so shy of hard work as not to think that they must leave the camp at once and go to meet them.
Note. retorquērī agmen ad dextram: the column swings right, round their camp, toward the Ebro. nēmō … quīn … putāret: 'no one … who did not think'. exeundum atque occurrendum: impersonal gerundives, 'that they must go out and meet them'.
BC 1.69.4conclāmātur ad arma, atque omnēs cōpiae paucīs praesidiō relictīs cohortibus exeunt rēctōque ad Hibērum itinere contendunt.
The call to arms went up, and all their forces, leaving a few cohorts as a garrison, went out and hurried by the direct road to the Ebro.
Note. conclāmātur ad arma: impersonal passive, 'the call to arms is raised'. rēctō itinere: 'by the direct road'.
Vocabulary
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| prīmō, adv. | at first |
| Afrāniānus, -a, -um | of Afranius; Afrāniānī, -ōrum m. pl.: Afranius' men |
| mīles, mīlitis, m. | soldier |
| vīsō, -ere, vīsī, vīsum | go to see, visit; look at |
| causa, -ae, f. | cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of |
| laetus, -a, -um | glad, joyful |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| prōcurrō, -ere, prōcucurrī | run forward, charge |
| contumēliōsus, -a, -um | insulting, abusive, outrageous |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| vōx, vōcis, f. | voice; word |
| prōsequor, -sequī, -secūtus | follow forward, follow |
| noster, -tra, -trum | our |
| necessārius, -a, -um; as noun, -ī m. | necessary, critical; (noun) close friend, relative |
| vīctus, -ūs, m. | sustenance, food |
| inopia, -ae f. | lack, want, scarcity |
| cōgō, cōgere, coēgī, coāctus | drive together, collect; compel |
| fugiō, fugere, fūgī, fugitūrus | flee, run away |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| revertor, -vertī, -versus, perf. act. -vertī | turn back, return |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| enim, conj. | for |
| iter, itineris, n. | a going, journey, march; iter facere, to journey, march |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| prōpositum, -ī n. | plan, purpose; the point being made, theme |
| dīversus, -a, -um | turned different ways, opposite, contrary, different |
| contrārius, -a, -um | opposite, facing |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| eō, īre, iī, itus | go |
| videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus | see; pass., seem |
| dux, ducis, m. and f. | leader, commander |
| vērō, adv. | in truth, indeed; however |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| cōnsilium, -ī, n. | advice; plan, design, purpose; prudence |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| laus, laudis f. | praise, glory |
| ferō, ferre, tulī, lātus | bear, bring |
| quod, conj. | that, in that, because |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| teneō, -ēre, -uī, -tus | hold, keep; hold back, restrain, stop |
| multum, -ī, n. | much |
| opīniō, -ōnis, f. | opinion, expectation; reputation |
| adiuvō, -āre, adiūvī, adiūtum | help, assist |
| sine, prep. with abl. | without |
| iūmentum, -ī n. | pack animal, beast of burden |
| impedīmentum, -ī n. | hindrance; (pl.) baggage |
| proficīscor, -ficīscī, -fectus sum | set out, depart, march |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| diū, adv. | for a long time, a long time or while, long; comp |
| sustineō, -tinēre, -tinuī, -tentus | hold or bear up, sustain, withstand |
| cōnfīdō, -ere, cōnfīsus sum | trust, be confident |
| sed, conj. | but |
| ubi, adv. | where; conj., when |
| paulātim (adv.) | little by little, gradually |
| retorqueō, -ēre, -torsī, -tortus | twist back, turn back |
| agmen, -minis, n. | band, column |
| dextra, -ae, f. | right hand (manus understood) |
| cōnspiciō, -spicere, -spēxī, -spectus | behold, perceive, see |
| iam, adv. | now, already |
| prīmus, -a, -um | first, foremost |
| superō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | overcome, defeat, conquer |
| regiō, -ōnis, f. | direction; country, region |
| animadvertō, -vertere, -vertī, -versus | turn the mind to, observe |
| nēmō, nēminis, m. and f. | no one, nobody |
| adeō, -īre, -iī, -itus | go to, approach |
| tardus, -a, -um | slow |
| aut, conj. | or; aut ... aut, either ... or |
| labor, -ōris, m. | labor, toil |
| quīn, conj. | so that ... not, but that, but |
| statim, adv. | on the spot, forthwith, at once, immediately |
| exeō, -īre, -iī, -itus | go out |
| occurrō, -currere, -currī, -cursus | run against, meet |
| putō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | think |
| conclāmō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | shout out, cry out |
| arma, -ōrum, n. plur. | arms, weapons |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| cōpia, -ae, f. | supply, abundance; plur., forces, troops |
| paucī, -ae, -a, plur. adj. | few |
| praesidium, -ī, n. | protection; guard, escort |
| relinquō, -linquere, -līquī, -lictus | leave behind, leave |
| cohors, cohortis f. | cohort (a tenth of a legion); company |
| rēctus, -a, -um | direct, straight |
| contendō, -tendere, -tendī, -tentus | stretch, hasten |