Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Civil War, Book 2
De Bello Civili 2.6
The second sea battle
Caesar, De Bello Civili II. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōBC 2.6.1Commissō proeliō Massiliēnsibus rēs nūlla ad virtūtem dēfuit.
When the battle began, the Massiliots lacked nothing in courage.
Note. Commissō proeliō: ablative absolute, 'when battle was joined'. Massiliēnsibus: dative of disadvantage with dēfuit, 'nothing was lacking to the Massiliots'.
BC 2.6.1sed memorēs eōrum praeceptōrum, quae paulō ante ab suīs accēperant, hōc animō dēcertābant, ut nūllum aliud tempus ad cōnandum habitūrī vidērentur, et quibus in pugnā vītae perīculum accideret, nōn ita multō sē reliquōrum cīvium fātum antecēdere exīstimārent, quibus urbe captā eadem esset bellī fortūna patienda.
Mindful of the instructions they had received from their people a little before, they fought with such a spirit as if they would have no other time to make an attempt, and those who met danger to life in the battle thought that they were going not much ahead of the fate of the rest of the citizens, who would have to suffer the same fortune of war if the city were taken.
Note. memorēs: 'mindful of', with the genitive. ut … vidērentur: result clause after hōc animō, 'with such a spirit that they seemed'. habitūrī: future participle. quibus … patienda: gerundive of obligation with the dative of agent quibus, 'who would have to suffer'. urbe captā: ablative absolute with conditional force, 'if the city were taken'.
BC 2.6.2dīductīsque nostrīs paulātim nāvibus et artificiō gubernātōrum et mōbilitātī nāvium locus dabātur, et sīquandō nostrī facultātem nactī ferreīs manibus iniectīs nāvem religāverant, undique suīs labōrantibus succurrēbant.
As our ships gradually drew apart, room was given both to the skill of their helmsmen and to the speed of their ships; and whenever our men had a chance to fasten a ship with iron grappling hooks thrown onto it, they would rush from all sides to help their men in difficulty.
Note. dīductīs … nāvibus: ablative absolute, 'as our ships drew apart'. The Massiliots were better sailors and wanted open water; the Romans wanted to grapple and fight hand to hand. ferreīs manibus: 'iron hands', grappling hooks thrown onto an enemy ship to hold it fast. suīs labōrantibus: dative with succurrēbant, 'went to help their men in difficulty'.
BC 2.6.3neque vērō coniūnctī Albicī comminus pugnandō dēficiēbant neque multum cēdēbant virtūte nostrīs.
Nor did the Albici, joined with them, fail in fighting hand to hand, and they did not yield much to our men in courage.
Note. comminus: 'at close quarters'. virtūte: ablative of respect, 'in courage'. nostrīs: dative with cēdēbant, 'yield to our men'.
BC 2.6.3simul ex minōribus nāvibus magna vīs ēminus missa tēlōrum multa nostrīs dē imprōvīsō imprūdentibus atque inpedītīs vulnera īnferēbant.
At the same time a great volley of missiles shot from a distance from the smaller ships inflicted many wounds on our men, who were caught unawares, off guard and hampered.
Note. ēminus: 'from a distance', the opposite of comminus. dē imprōvīsō: 'unexpectedly'. nostrīs … imprūdentibus atque impedītīs: datives with īnferēbant.
BC 2.6.4cōnspicātaeque nāvēs trirēmēs duae nāvem D. Brūtī, quae ex īnsignī facile agnōscī poterat, duābus ex partibus sēsē in eam incitāverant.
Two triremes caught sight of Decimus Brutus' ship, which could easily be recognized by its flag, and had rushed at it from two sides.
Note. cōnspicātae: the deponent perfect participle has an active meaning, 'having caught sight of'. ex īnsignī: 'from its flag', the admiral's ship carried a distinguishing mark. sēsē … incitāverant: 'had driven themselves', i.e. had rammed at full speed.
BC 2.6.4sed tantum rē prōvīsā Brūtus celeritāte nāvis ēnīsus est ut parvō mōmentō antecēderet.
But Brutus saw it coming, and by the speed of his ship he struggled just far enough to get ahead by a narrow margin.
Note. tantum rē prōvīsā: 'only just seeing it in time'. ēnīsus est ut: 'he struggled so that', a result clause. parvō mōmentō: ablative of degree of difference, 'by a narrow margin'.
BC 2.6.5illae adeō graviter inter sē incitātae cōnflīxērunt, ut vehementissimē utraque ex concursū labōrārent, altera vērō praefrāctō rōstrō tōta conlabefieret.
Those two ships, charging, collided with each other so violently that both suffered badly from the crash, and one, its beak broken off, was entirely shattered.
Note. adeō … ut: 'so violently that'. utraque: 'each (of the two)'. praefrāctō rōstrō: ablative absolute, 'with its beak broken off'; the rōstrum was the bronze ram at the bow. conlabefieret: 'was shattered', the passive of conlabefaciō.
BC 2.6.6quā rē animadversā, quae proximae eī locō ex Brūtī classe nāvēs erant, in eās inpedītās impetum faciunt celeriterque ambās dēprimunt.
When this was seen, the ships of Brutus' fleet that were nearest to that spot make an attack on the disabled ships and quickly sink them both.
Note. quā rē animadversā: ablative absolute with a linking relative. quae … nāvēs: the relative clause comes before its noun: 'the ships which were nearest'. ambās: 'both'.
Vocabulary
| committō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send together; commit, intrust; expose; proelium committere, to join battle |
| proelium, -ī, n. | battle, combat; proelium committere, to join battle |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| nūllus, -a, -um | not any, none, no |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| virtūs, -tūtis, f. | manliness, courage, bravery |
| dēsum, deesse, dēfuī | be lacking, fail |
| sed, conj. | but |
| memor, -oris | mindful, remembering (+ gen.) |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| praeceptum, -ī n. | instruction, order |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| paulō, adv. | by a little, a little, somewhat |
| ante, prep, with acc. and adv. | before |
| 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 |
| accipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take to oneself, receive, accept; hear; suffer |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| animus, -ī, m. | mind; heart; spirit, courage |
| dēcertō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | fight it out, fight a decisive battle |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| alius, -a, -ud | another, other; aliī ... aliī, some ... others |
| tempus, temporis, n. | time, season |
| cōnor, -ārī, -ātus | try, attempt |
| habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | have, hold; consider |
| videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus | see; pass., seem |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| pugna, -ae, f. | fighting, battle, combat |
| vīta, -ae, f. | life |
| perīculum, -ī, n. | danger, peril, risk |
| accidō, -cidere, -cidī | fall to or upon; befall, happen |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| ita, adv. | in this manner, thus, so; ita ut, as |
| multō, adv. | by much or far, much, far |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| cīvis, -is, m. and f. | citizen, fellow-citizen, subject |
| fātum, -ī, n. | destiny, fate |
| antecēdō, -ere, -cessī, -cessum | go before; surpass |
| exīstimō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | consider, believe, think |
| urbs, urbis, f. | city |
| capiō, capere, cēpī, captus | take, catch, seize; receive, suffer; adopt |
| īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron. | the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| bellum, -ī, n. | war |
| fortūna, -ae, f. | fortune |
| patior, patī, passus, bear | suffer, allow |
| dīdūcō, -ere, -dūxī, -ductum | spread out, divide |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| noster, -tra, -trum | our |
| paulātim (adv.) | little by little, gradually |
| nāvis, -is, f. | ship |
| artificium, -ī n. | craft, skill; trade |
| gubernātor, -ōris m. | helmsman, pilot |
| mōbilitās, -ātis f. | changeability, fickleness |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| dō, dare, dedī, datus | give |
| sīquandō (conj.) | if ever |
| facultās, -tātis, f. | possibility, opportunity, chance, means |
| nancīscor, nancīscī, nactus | get, obtain, find |
| ferreus, -a, -um | of iron, iron |
| manus, -ūs, f. | hand |
| iniciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectus | throw in or upon; cause, inspire |
| religō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | tie back, bind up |
| undique, adv. | from or on all sides |
| labōrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | labor, toil |
| succurrō, -ere, -currī, -cursum | run to help, aid |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| vērō, adv. | in truth, indeed; however |
| coniungō, -iungere, -iūnxī, -iūnctus | join together, join |
| comminus (adv.) | hand to hand, at close quarters |
| pugnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | fight |
| dēficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | fail |
| multum, -ī, n. | much |
| cēdō, -ere, cessī, cessum | go, withdraw, give way |
| simul, adv. | at the same time; simul atque or ac, as soon as |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| parvus, -a, -um | little, small |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| vīs, vīs, f. | violence, force; virtue, potency, efficacy; plur. vīrēs, -ium, strength; omnibus vīribus, with all one's strength, with might and main |
| ēminus (adv.) | at a distance, from afar |
| mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus | send |
| tēlum, -ī, n. | missile, spear, weapon |
| multus, -a, -um | much, great; plur., many |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| imprōvīsus, -a, -um | unexpected (dē imprōvīsō: unexpectedly) |
| imprūdēns, -entis | off guard, unaware |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| impedītus, -a, -um | hindered; hard to cross, impassable |
| vulnus, vulneris, n. | wound |
| īnferō, īnferre, intulī, inlātus | bring in or against, wage against; inflict |
| cōnspicor, -ārī, -ātus sum | catch sight of |
| trirēmis, -e | with three banks of oars; (as noun, f.) a trireme |
| duo, -ae, -o, plur. adj. | two |
| decimus, -a, -um | tenth |
| īnsigne, -is n. | badge, mark, decoration |
| facile, adv. | easily |
| agnōscō, -gnōscere, -gnōvī, -gnitus, recognize | |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| incitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | stir up, provoke |
| tantum, adv. | so much or far, only |
| prōvideō, -ēre, -vīdī, -vīsum | foresee; provide for |
| celeritās, -tātis, f. | swiftness, quickness, speed |
| ēnītor, -ī, -nīsus (-nīxus) sum | struggle upward; strive, exert oneself |
| mōmentum, -ī n. | weight, importance; levī mōmentō: as a slight matter |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| adeō, -īre, -iī, -itus | go to, approach |
| graviter, adv. | severely, seriously |
| inter, prep, with acc. | among, between |
| cōnflīgō, -flīgere, -flīxī, -flīctus | dash together |
| vehementer, adv. | violently, vehemently; earnestly; exceedingly, greatly |
| uterque, utraque, utrumque | each, either, both |
| concursus, -ūs m. | a running together, charge |
| alter, -era, -erum | one or the other (of two); another, second |
| praefringō, -ere, -frēgī, -frāctum | break off at the front, break off |
| rōstrum, -ī, n. | beak |
| tōtus, -a, -um | all the, the whole or entire |
| conlabefīō, -fierī, -factus sum | be shattered, be broken to pieces |
| animadvertō, -vertere, -vertī, -versus | turn the mind to, observe |
| proximus, -a, -um | nearest, next |
| classis, -is f. | fleet |
| impetus, -ūs, m. | attack; impetum facere, to charge |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| celeriter, adv. | swiftly, quickly |
| ambō, -ae, -ō | both |
| dēprimō, -ere, -pressī, -pressum | press down, sink; depressus: sunk below ground |