Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Civil War, Book 1
De Bello Civili 1.79
How the march was fought
Caesar, De Bello Civili I. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōBC 1.79.1Genus erat hoc pugnae.
The fighting went like this.
Note. Genus … hoc pugnae: 'the kind of fighting was this'.
BC 1.79.1expedītae cohortēs novissimum agmen claudēbant plūrēsque in locīs campestribus subsistēbant.
Cohorts in light order closed the rearguard, and more of them halted on level ground.
Note. expedītae cohortēs: cohorts without baggage, ready for action.
BC 1.79.2sī mōns erat ascendendus, facile ipsa locī nātūrā perīculum repellēbat, quod ex locīs superiōribus, quī antecesserant, dēsuper ascendentīs prōtegēbant;
If a hill had to be climbed, the very nature of the ground easily warded off danger, because those who had gone ahead protected the men climbing from the higher ground above;
Note. erat ascendendus: gerundive, 'had to be climbed'. ascendentīs: accusative plural, 'those climbing'.
BC 1.79.3cum vallis aut locus dēclīvis suberat neque iī quī antecesserant morantibus opem ferre poterant, equitēs vērō ex locō superiōre in āversōs tēla coiciēbant, tum magnō erat in perīculō rēs.
when a valley or a downward slope lay ahead, and those who had gone ahead could not bring help to those delayed, while the cavalry hurled their weapons from higher ground at men with their backs turned, then the situation was very dangerous.
Note. in āversōs: 'at men with their backs turned'. magnō … in perīculō: 'in great danger'.
BC 1.79.4relinquēbātur, ut cum eiusmodī locīs esset adpropinquātum, legiōnum signa cōnsistere iubērent magnōque impetū equitātum repellerent, eō submōtō repente incitātī cursū sēsē in vallīs ūniversī dēmitterent atque ita trānsgressī rūrsus in locīs superiōribus cōnsisterent.
It remained for them, whenever they had come near places of this kind, to order the standards of the legions to halt and to drive back the cavalry with a great charge; when it had been dislodged, they would suddenly break into a run and go down into the valleys all together, and so, having crossed, halt again on higher ground.
Note. relinquēbātur ut …: 'it remained that …', followed by subjunctives iubērent, repellerent, dēmitterent, cōnsisterent. eiusmodī locīs … esset adpropinquātum: impersonal passive, 'whenever places of that kind had been approached'.
BC 1.79.5nam tantum ab equitum suōrum auxiliīs aberant, quōrum numerum habēbant magnum, ut eōs superiōribus perterritōs proeliīs in medium reciperent agmen ultrōque eōs tuērentur;
For so far were they from being helped by their own cavalry, of which they had a large number, that they took them, terrified by the earlier battles, into the middle of the column, and even protected them;
Note. tantum … aberant ab … auxiliīs …, ut …: 'they were so far from being helped by …, that …'. ultrō: 'actually, even'.
BC 1.79.5quōrum nūllī ex itinere excēdere licēbat, quīn ab equitātū Caesaris exciperētur.
none of them could leave the line of march without being cut off by Caesar's cavalry.
Note. quīn … exciperētur: after nūllī licēbat, 'without being cut off'.
Vocabulary
| genus, generis, n. | kind, nature |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| pugna, -ae, f. | fighting, battle, combat |
| expedītus, -a, -um | unobstructed, easy; lightly equipped |
| cohors, cohortis f. | cohort (a tenth of a legion); company |
| novissimus, -a, -um | last (novissimum agmen: the rear) |
| agmen, -minis, n. | band, column |
| claudō, -ere, clausī, clausum | close, shut; (agmen) bring up the rear |
| multus, -a, -um | much, great; plur., many |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| campester, -tris, -tre | of the plain, flat, level |
| subsistō, -ere, -stitī | halt, make a stand |
| sī, conj. | if |
| mōns, montis, m. | mountain |
| ascendō, -scendere, -scendī, -scēnsus | climb to, ascend, mount |
| facile, adv. | easily |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| nātūra, -ae, f. | nature, character |
| perīculum, -ī, n. | danger, peril, risk |
| repellō, repellere, reppulī, repulsus | drive back or away, repulse, repel |
| quod, conj. | that, in that, because |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| superus, -a, -um; comp. superior, superl. summus or suprēmus | above, upper; comp. higher, earlier, previous; superior; superl. highest, top of |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| antecēdō, -ere, -cessī, -cessum | go before; surpass |
| dēsuper, adv. | down from above |
| prōtegō, -ere, -tēxī, -tēctus | cover over, shield, protect |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| vallis, -is, f. | valley |
| aut, conj. | or; aut ... aut, either ... or |
| dēclīvis, -e | sloping down |
| subsum, -esse | be near, be close by |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| moror, -ārī, -ātus | delay, linger, stay |
| ops, opis f.; pl. opēs, -um | help; (pl.) resources, wealth, power |
| ferō, ferre, tulī, lātus | bear, bring |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| eques, equitis m. | horseman; (pl.) cavalry |
| vērō, adv. | in truth, indeed; however |
| āversus, -a, -um | turned away, distant |
| tēlum, -ī, n. | missile, spear, weapon |
| coiciō, -ere, coiēcī, coiectum | throw, hurl |
| tum, adv. | then, at that time |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| relinquō, -linquere, -līquī, -lictus | leave behind, leave |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| eiusmodī (adv.) | of that kind, such |
| appropinquō, -propinquāre, -propinquāvī, -propinquātus | approach to, approach |
| legiō, -ōnis f. | legion |
| signum, -ī, n. | sign, signal |
| cōnsistō, -sistere, -stitī, -stitus | station oneself, take one's stand; consist |
| iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussus | bid, order, command |
| impetus, -ūs, m. | attack; impetum facere, to charge |
| equitātus, -ūs m. | cavalry |
| submoveō, -ēre, -mōvī, -mōtum | drive back |
| repente (adv.) | suddenly |
| incitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | stir up, provoke |
| cursus, -ūs, m. | running, speed; course, route, voyage; race |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| ūniversus, -a, -um | all together, whole, entire, all |
| dēmittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send down, let fall; animōs dēmittere, to lose courage |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| ita, adv. | in this manner, thus, so; ita ut, as |
| trānsgredior, -ī, -gressus sum | cross over |
| rūrsus, adv. | again |
| nam, conj. | for |
| tantum, adv. | so much or far, only |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| auxilium, -ī, n. | help, aid |
| absum, abesse, āfuī, āfutūrus | be away, be absent, be distant; be wanting |
| numerus, -ī, m. | number |
| habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | have, hold; consider |
| perterreō, -terrēre, -terrui, -territus | thoroughly frighten, terrify |
| proelium, -ī, n. | battle, combat; proelium committere, to join battle |
| medius, -a, -um | mid, middle |
| recipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take or get back, recover; sē recipere, to betake oneself, withdraw; to collect oneself, recover |
| ultrō (adv.) | of one's own accord; besides (ultrō citrōque: back and forth) |
| tueor, -ērī, tuitus sum | watch over, protect, defend |
| nūllus, -a, -um | not any, none, no |
| iter, itineris, n. | a going, journey, march; iter facere, to journey, march |
| excēdō, -cēdere, -cessī, -cessus | go out or forth, depart |
| licet, -ēre, -uit or -itum est, impers. | is lawful or permitted |
| quīn, conj. | so that ... not, but that, but |
| excipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take out or up, receive, welcome, entertain |