Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Civil War, Book 2
De Bello Civili 2.26
Juba's auxiliaries routed
Caesar, De Bello Civili II. 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 2.26.1Hīs rēbus gestīs Cūriō sē in castra ad Bagradam recipit atque ūniversī exercitūs conclāmātiōne imperātor appellātur, posterōque diē Uticam exercitum dūcit et prope oppidum castra pōnit.
After these successes Curio withdrew to the camp on the Bagradas, was hailed as imperator by the acclamation of the whole army, and on the next day led the army to Utica and pitched camp near the town.
Note. imperātor appellātur: being hailed 'imperator' by the troops after a victory was a mark of honour for a commander. posterō diē: 'on the next day'.
BC 2.26.2nōndum opere castrōrum perfectō equitēs ex statiōne nūntiant magna auxilia equitum peditumque ab rēge missa Uticam venīre;
Before the work on the camp was finished, cavalry from the outpost reported that large auxiliary forces of cavalry and infantry sent by the king were coming to Utica;
Note. ex statiōne: 'from the outpost'. venīre: present infinitive in indirect statement, 'were coming'.
BC 2.26.2eōdemque tempore vīs magna pulveris cernēbātur, et vestīgiō temporis prīmum agmen erat in cōnspectū.
at the same moment a great cloud of dust was seen, and in an instant the head of the column was in sight.
Note. vestīgiō temporis: 'in an instant'. prīmum agmen: 'the head of the column'.
BC 2.26.3novitāte reī Cūriō permōtus praemittit equitēs, quī prīmum impetum sustineant ac morentur;
Curio, alarmed by the unexpected development, sent the cavalry ahead to withstand and delay the first attack;
Note. quī … sustineant ac morentur: relative clause of purpose.
BC 2.26.3ipse celeriter ab opere dēductīs legiōnibus aciem īnstruit.
he himself quickly withdrew the legions from the work and drew up his battle line.
Note. Curio forms his battle line while his cavalry hold the enemy.
BC 2.26.4equitēsque committunt proelium, et, priusquam plānē legiōnēs explicārī et cōnsistere possent, tōta auxilia rēgis impedīta ac perturbāta, quod nūllō ōrdine et sine timōre iter fēcerant, in fugam coiciunt equitātūque omnī ferē incolumī, quod sē per lītora celeriter in oppidum recipit, magnum peditum numerum interficiunt.
The cavalry engaged, and before the legions could fully deploy and take up position, they put to flight all the king's auxiliaries, which were hampered and thrown into confusion because they had marched in no order and without fear; the cavalry got away almost unharmed, because it retreated quickly along the shore into the town, but they killed a great number of the infantry.
Note. priusquam … possent: subjunctive with priusquam, 'before they could'. tōta auxilia rēgis: object of in fugam coniciunt. equitātū … incolumī: ablative absolute. magnum peditum numerum: the infantry, who could not escape as quickly, suffered most.
Vocabulary
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| gerō, gerere, gessī, gestus | carry, wear; carry on, do |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| recipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take or get back, recover; sē recipere, to betake oneself, withdraw; to collect oneself, recover |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| ūniversus, -a, -um | all together, whole, entire, all |
| exercitus, -ūs, m. | army |
| conclāmātiō, -ōnis f. | a shouting together, acclamation |
| imperātor, -ōris, m. | commander, general |
| appellō, -pellāre, -pellāvī, -pellātus | call, name |
| posterus, -a, -um | following, next |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| dūcō, dūcere, dūxī, ductus | lead; make, dig; with or without in mātrimōnium, marry |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| prope (adv. and prep. + acc.) | near, nearly |
| oppidum, -ī, n. | town |
| pōnō, pōnere, posuī, positus | place, put; pōnī with in and abl., to be placed in, rest or depend on |
| nōndum, adv. | not yet |
| opus, operis, n. | work, task |
| perficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | do or make through, accomplish |
| eques, equitis m. | horseman; (pl.) cavalry |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| statiō, -ōnis f. | outpost, picket |
| nūntiō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | report, announce |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| auxilium, -ī, n. | help, aid |
| pedes, peditis m. | foot soldier |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| rēx, rēgis, m. | king |
| mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus | send |
| veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus | come |
| īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron. | the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also |
| tempus, temporis, n. | time, season |
| vīs, vīs, f. | violence, force; virtue, potency, efficacy; plur. vīrēs, -ium, strength; omnibus vīribus, with all one's strength, with might and main |
| pulvis, -eris m. | dust |
| cernō, cernere, crēvī, certus or crētus | discern, perceive, make out |
| vestīgium, -ī, n. | track, foot-print |
| prīmus, -a, -um | first, foremost |
| agmen, -minis, n. | band, column |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| cōnspectus, -ūs, m. | sight |
| novitās, -tātis, f. | newness, novelty |
| permoveō, -ēre, -mōvī, -mōtum | move deeply, influence |
| praemittō, -ere, -mīsī, -missum | send ahead |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| impetus, -ūs, m. | attack; impetum facere, to charge |
| sustineō, -tinēre, -tinuī, -tentus | hold or bear up, sustain, withstand |
| moror, -ārī, -ātus | delay, linger, stay |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| celeriter, adv. | swiftly, quickly |
| dēdūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead down or away, bring; nāvem dēdūcere, to draw down or launch a ship |
| legiō, -ōnis f. | legion |
| aciēs, -ēī, f. | line of battle |
| īnstruo, -struere, -strūxī, -strūctus | build in or into; draw up; equip, furnish, |
| committō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send together; commit, intrust; expose; proelium committere, to join battle |
| proelium, -ī, n. | battle, combat; proelium committere, to join battle |
| priusquam, conj. | before than, sooner than, before |
| plānē (adv.) | clearly, plainly |
| explicō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | unfold, spread out; set out, explain |
| cōnsistō, -sistere, -stitī, -stitus | station oneself, take one's stand; consist |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| tōtus, -a, -um | all the, the whole or entire |
| impediō, -pedīre, -pedīvī, -pedītus | hinder, prevent, impede |
| perturbō, -turbāre, -turbāvi, -turbātus | greatly disturb, disturb, agitate, throw into confusion |
| quod, conj. | that, in that, because |
| nūllus, -a, -um | not any, none, no |
| ōrdō, ōrdinis, m. | arrangement, order, rank; ex ōrdine, in order |
| sine, prep. with abl. | without |
| timor, -ōris, m. | fear |
| iter, itineris, n. | a going, journey, march; iter facere, to journey, march |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| fuga, -ae, f. | flight |
| coiciō, -ere, coiēcī, coiectum | throw, hurl |
| equitātus, -ūs m. | cavalry |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| ferē, adv. | nearly, about, almost, for the most part |
| incolumis, -e | unhurt, safe |
| per, prep, with ace. | through, by means of |
| lītus, lītoris, n. | shore |
| numerus, -ī, m. | number |
| interficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | put out of the way, kill |