Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Civil War, Book 2
De Bello Civili 2.14
The truce broken: the works burned
Caesar, De Bello Civili II. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōBC 2.14.1At hostēs sine fidē tempus atque occāsiōnem fraudis ac dolī quaerunt, interiectīsque aliquot diēbus, nostrīs languentibus atque animō remissīs, subitō merīdiānō tempore, cum alius discessisset, alius ex diūtinō labōre in ipsīs operibus quiētī sē dedisset, arma vērō omnia reposita contēctaque essent, portīs sē forās ērumpunt, secundō magnōque ventō ignem operibus īnferunt.
But the enemy, without good faith, look for a time and an opportunity for deceit and treachery; and after a few days had passed, when our men were slack and off their guard, suddenly at midday, when some had gone off and others, after their long labour, had given themselves to rest on the works themselves, and all their arms had been put away and covered up, they burst out of the gates and, with a strong favourable wind, set fire to the works.
Note. sine fidē: 'without good faith', breaking the truce. interiectīs aliquot diēbus: 'a few days having passed in between'. nostrīs languentibus atque animō remissīs: ablative absolute, 'when our men were slack and off guard'. cum alius … alius: 'when some … others'. quiētī sē dedisset: 'had given himself to rest'. secundō … ventō: 'with a favourable wind'.
BC 2.14.2hunc sīc distulit ventus, utī ūnō tempore agger pluteī testūdō turris tormenta flammam conciperent et prius haec omnia cōnsūmerentur, quam quemadmodum accidisset, animadvertī posset.
The wind spread it so that at one and the same time the ramp, the screens, the tortoise, the tower and the artillery caught fire, and all of them were burned up before it could be understood how it had happened.
Note. hunc: the fire. uti: an older form of ut. Five subjects follow without connectives (asyndeton), as if the fire caught them one after another. prius … quam: 'before'.
BC 2.14.3nostrī repentīnā fortūnā permōtī arma quae possunt adripiunt, aliī ex castrīs sēsē incitant.
Our men, shaken by the sudden misfortune, seize what arms they can; others rush out from the camp.
Note. arma quae possunt (arripere): 'what arms they can (seize)'. sēsē incitant: 'rush out'.
BC 2.14.3fit in hostīs impetus eōrum, sed dē mūrō sagittīs tormentīsque fugientēs persequī prohibentur.
They charge the enemy, but are prevented from pursuing them as they flee by arrows and artillery from the wall.
Note. fit … impetus: 'an attack is made'. fugientēs: 'them as they fled', the object of persequī.
BC 2.14.4illī sub mūrum sē recipiunt ibique mūsculum turrimque laterīciam līberē incendunt.
The enemy retreat under the wall and there freely set fire to the musculus and the brick tower.
Note. turrim latericiam: the brick tower that had taken so long to build (chapter 9).
BC 2.14.4ita multōrum mēnsum labor hostium perfidiā et vī tempestātis punctō temporis interiit.
So the labour of many months was destroyed in a moment by the treachery of the enemy and the force of the weather.
Note. multōrum mēnsum: 'of many months'; mēnsum is an older genitive plural of mēnsis. punctō temporis: 'in an instant'.
BC 2.14.5temptāvērunt hoc idem Massiliēnsēs posterō diē.
The Massiliots tried the same thing the next day.
Note. hōc idem: 'this same thing'. posterō diē: 'on the next day'.
BC 2.14.5eandem nactī tempestātem maiōre cum fīdūciā ad alteram turrim aggeremque ēruptiōne pugnāvērunt multumque ignem intulērunt.
Having found the same weather, they fought with greater confidence in a sally against the other tower and ramp, and threw much fire on them.
Note. eandem nactī tempestātem: 'having found the same weather', the strong wind of the day before. ad alteram turrim aggeremque: the works on the other side of the town.
BC 2.14.6sed ut superiōris temporis contentiōnem nostrī omnem remīserant, ita proximī diēī cāsū admonitī omnia ad dēfēnsiōnem parāverant.
But just as our men had given up all their earlier effort, so, warned by the disaster of the day before, they had prepared everything for defence.
Note. ut … ita: 'just as … so'. superiōris temporis contentiōnem: 'their earlier effort, vigilance'. proximī diēī cāsū admonitī: 'warned by the disaster of the day before'.
BC 2.14.6itaque multīs interfectīs reliquōs īnfectā rē in oppidum reppulērunt.
So after killing many they drove the rest back into the town without having achieved their aim.
Note. multīs interfectīs: ablative absolute. īnfectā rē: 'without achieving their aim', literally 'with the matter not done'.
Vocabulary
| at, conj. | but |
| hostis, -is, m. and f. | enemy, foe |
| sine, prep. with abl. | without |
| fidēs, -eī f. | faith, trust; pledge |
| tempus, temporis, n. | time, season |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| occāsiō, -ōnis, f. | chance, opportunity |
| fraus, fraudis, f. | deception, fraud |
| dolus, -ī, m. | trick, craft |
| quaerō, quaerere, quaesīvī, quaesītus | seek; ask, inquire |
| intericiō, -ere, -iēcī, -iectum | put between, interweave |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| aliquot (indecl.) | several, some |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| noster, -tra, -trum | our |
| langueō, -ēre, languī | be faint, be sick |
| animus, -ī, m. | mind; heart; spirit, courage |
| remittō, -ere, -mīsī, -missum | send back; give up, remit |
| subitō, adv. | unexpectedly, suddenly |
| merīdiānus, -a, -um | midday, noonday; merīdiānum tempus, midday, noon |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| alius, -a, -ud | another, other; aliī ... aliī, some ... others |
| discēdō, -cēdere, -cessī, -cessus | go apart, withdraw, depart |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| diūtinus, -a, -um | long-lasting, prolonged |
| labor, -ōris, m. | labor, toil |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| opus, operis, n. | work, task |
| quiēs, quiētis, f. | rest, repose |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| dō, dare, dedī, datus | give |
| arma, -ōrum, n. plur. | arms, weapons |
| vērō, adv. | in truth, indeed; however |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| repōnō, -pōnere, -posuī, -positus | put or set back; store up or away |
| contegō, -tegere, -tēxī, -tēctus | cover |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| porta, -ae, f. | gate; door |
| forās, adv. | out of doors, forth, out |
| ērumpō, -ere, -rūpī, -ruptum | burst out, sally |
| secundus, -a, -um | following, favorable |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| ventus, -ī, m. | wind |
| ignis, -is, m. | fire |
| īnferō, īnferre, intulī, inlātus | bring in or against, wage against; inflict |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| sīc, adv. | so, thus |
| differō, differre, distulī, dīlātum | differ; scatter, put off |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| ūnus, -a, -um | one; only, alone |
| agger, aggeris m. | mound, siege ramp |
| pluteus, -ī m. | screen, breastwork (of wicker or boards) |
| testūdō, -inis f. | tortoise; 'tortoise' formation of locked shields |
| turris, -is f. | tower; siege tower |
| tormentum, -ī n. | artillery, siege engine |
| flamma, -ae, f. | flame |
| concipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take in, conceive; plan, imagine |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| prius, adv. | before, first |
| cōnsūmō, -sūmere, -sūmpsī, -sūmptus | take completely, use up, consume, spend |
| quam, adv. | how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible |
| quemadmodum (adv.) | how, in what way; just as |
| accidō, -cidere, -cidī | fall to or upon; befall, happen |
| animadvertō, -vertere, -vertī, -versus | turn the mind to, observe |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| repentīnus, -a, -um | sudden |
| fortūna, -ae, f. | fortune |
| permoveō, -ēre, -mōvī, -mōtum | move deeply, influence |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| arripiō, -ere, -ripuī, -reptus | seize, snatch up |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| incitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | stir up, provoke |
| fīō, fierī, factus sum | be done or made, become, happen |
| impetus, -ūs, m. | attack; impetum facere, to charge |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| sed, conj. | but |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| mūrus, -ī, m. | wall |
| sagitta, -ae, f. | arrow |
| fugiō, fugere, fūgī, fugitūrus | flee, run away |
| persequor, -sequī, -secūtus | follow up, pursue |
| prohibeō, -hibēre, -hibuī, -hibitus | hold back, prevent, hinder |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| sub, prep. with acc. and abl. | under; sub vesperum, towards evening |
| recipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take or get back, recover; sē recipere, to betake oneself, withdraw; to collect oneself, recover |
| ibi, adv. | in that place, there |
| mūsculus, -ī m. | little mouse; a shed protecting soldiers working at a wall |
| laterīcius, -a, -um | made of brick, brick; (n. as noun) brickwork |
| līberē (adv.; comp. līberius) | freely, frankly |
| incendō, -ere, -cendī, -cēnsum | set on fire, burn |
| ita, adv. | in this manner, thus, so; ita ut, as |
| multus, -a, -um | much, great; plur., many |
| mēnsis, -is m. | month |
| perfidia, -ae f. | treachery, bad faith |
| vīs, vīs, f. | violence, force; virtue, potency, efficacy; plur. vīrēs, -ium, strength; omnibus vīribus, with all one's strength, with might and main |
| tempestās, -tātis, f. | weather; storm, tempest |
| punctum, -ī, n. | point, instant, moment |
| intereō, -īre, -iī, -itūrus | perish, die |
| temptō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | try, attempt |
| īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron. | the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also |
| posterus, -a, -um | following, next |
| nancīscor, nancīscī, nactus | get, obtain, find |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| fīdūcia, -ae f. | confidence, trust, reliance |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| alter, -era, -erum | one or the other (of two); another, second |
| ēruptiō, -ōnis f. | sally, sortie |
| pugnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | fight |
| superior, -ius, adj. | higher; former, previous, preceding |
| contentiō, -ōnis f. | struggle, dispute |
| proximus, -a, -um | nearest, next |
| cāsus, -ūs, m. | fall; chance, accident |
| admoneō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | remind, warn, advise |
| dēfēnsiō, -ōnis f. | defence |
| parō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | make ready, prepare |
| itaque, adv. | and so, accordingly, therefore |
| interficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | put out of the way, kill |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| īnfectus, -a, -um | not done, undone, unaccomplished |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| oppidum, -ī, n. | town |
| repellō, repellere, reppulī, repulsus | drive back or away, repulse, repel |