Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Civil War, Book 2
De Bello Civili 2.30
The council of war
Caesar, De Bello Civili II. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōBC 2.30.1Quibus dē causīs cōnsiliō convocātō dē summā rērum dēlīberāre incipit.
For these reasons he called a council and began to deliberate about the whole situation.
Note. cōnsiliō convocātō: 'calling a council of war'. dē summā rērum: 'about the whole situation'.
BC 2.30.2erant sententiae, quae cōnandum omnibus modīs castraque Vārī oppugnanda cēnsērent, quod in huius modī mīlitum cōnsiliīs ōtium maximē contrārium esse arbitrārentur.
There were opinions that every effort should be made and Varus' camp attacked, because in such a state of the soldiers' minds they thought inaction most harmful.
Note. cōnandum [esse]: impersonal gerundive, 'that an effort must be made'. ōtium: 'inaction', the subject of esse contrārium.
BC 2.30.2postrēmō praestāre dīcēbant per virtūtem in pugnā bellī fortūnam experīrī, quam dēsertōs et circumventōs ab suīs gravissimum supplicium perpetī.
Finally, they said, it was better to try the fortune of war by courage in battle than to be deserted and surrounded by their own men and suffer the most terrible punishment.
Note. praestāre: 'it was better', with two infinitives compared by quam. dēsertōs et circumventōs ab suīs: the fear that their own men would betray them.
BC 2.30.3erant, quī cēnsērent dē tertiā vigiliā in Castra Cornēlia recēdendum, ut maiōre spatiō temporis interiectō mīlitum mentēs sānārentur, simul sīquid gravius accidisset, magnā multitūdine nāvium et tūtius et facilius in Siciliam receptus darētur.
There were some who thought they should withdraw to the Cornelian Camp at the third watch, so that with a longer time between the soldiers' minds might recover, and at the same time, if anything worse happened, a retreat to Sicily might be safer and easier with the great number of ships.
Note. dē tertiā vigiliā: 'at the third watch' (soon after midnight). recēdendum [esse]: impersonal gerundive. ut … sānārentur: 'so that … might recover'. sīquid gravius accidisset: 'if anything more serious happened'.
Vocabulary
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| causa, -ae, f. | cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of |
| cōnsilium, -ī, n. | advice; plan, design, purpose; prudence |
| convocō, -vocāre, -vocāvī, -vocātus | call together, summon, assemble |
| summa, -ae f. | total, sum; supreme command |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| dēlīberō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | consider, deliberate |
| incipiō, -ere, incēpī, inceptum | begin |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| sententia, -ae, f. | opinion; purpose |
| cōnor, -ārī, -ātus | try, attempt |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| modus, -ī, m. | way, manner |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| oppugnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | attack, besiege |
| cēnseō, cēnsēre, cēnsuī, cēnsus | think, believe, consider |
| quod, conj. | that, in that, because |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| mīles, mīlitis, m. | soldier |
| ōtium, -ī n. | leisure, rest; peace, quiet |
| maximē, adv. | very greatly, exceedingly, especially |
| contrārius, -a, -um | opposite, facing |
| arbitror, -ārī, -ātus | consider, think, judge |
| postrēmō (adv.) | finally, at last |
| praestō, -stāre, -stitī, -stitus | stand in front; show |
| dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus | say, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day |
| per, prep, with ace. | through, by means of |
| virtūs, -tūtis, f. | manliness, courage, bravery |
| pugna, -ae, f. | fighting, battle, combat |
| bellum, -ī, n. | war |
| fortūna, -ae, f. | fortune |
| experior, -īrī, expertus sum | try, test, experience |
| quam, adv. | how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible |
| dēserō, -serere, -seruī, -sertus | desert |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| circumveniō, -īre, -vēnī, -ventum | surround |
| 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 |
| gravis, -e | heavy; severe, grievous, serious |
| supplicium, -ī, n. | punishment, torture |
| perpetior, -petī, -pessus sum | endure, bear to the end |
| tertius, -a, -um | third |
| vigilia, -ae, f. | watch |
| recēdō, -ere, -cessī, -cessum | go back, withdraw, retire |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| spatium, -ī, n. | space, interval; space of time, time |
| tempus, temporis, n. | time, season |
| intericiō, -ere, -iēcī, -iectum | put between, interweave |
| mēns, mentis f. | mind, spirit |
| sānō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | heal, make good, repair |
| simul, adv. | at the same time; simul atque or ac, as soon as |
| sī quis, sī qua, sī quid | if anyone, if any (sī + the indefinite quis) |
| accidō, -cidere, -cidī | fall to or upon; befall, happen |
| multitūdō, -tūdinis, f. | multitude |
| nāvis, -is, f. | ship |
| tūtō (adv.; comp. tūtius) | safely |
| facile, adv. | easily |
| receptus, -ūs m. | retreat; place of retreat |
| dō, dare, dedī, datus | give |