Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Civil War, Book 2
De Bello Civili 2.7
Defeat at sea
Caesar, De Bello Civili II. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōBC 2.7.1Sed Nāsidiānae nāvēs nūllō ūsuī fuērunt celeriterque pugnā excessērunt.
But Nasidius' ships were of no use and quickly withdrew from the fight.
Note. nūllō ūsuī: double dative idea, 'of no use'.
BC 2.7.1nōn enim hās aut cōnspectus patriae aut propinquōrum praecepta ad extrēmum vītae perīculum adīre cōgēbant.
For neither the sight of their homeland nor the instructions of their relatives forced these men to face extreme danger to their lives.
Note. nōn enim hās … cōgēbant: Caesar's point is that Nasidius' crews, not being Massiliots, had nothing at stake.
BC 2.7.2itaque ex eō numerō nāvium nūlla dēsīderāta est;
So not one ship of that number was lost;
Note. dēsīderāta est: 'was missed', i.e. lost.
BC 2.7.2ex Massiliēnsium classe v sunt dēpressae, iiii captae, ūna cum Nāsidiānīs profūgit;
of the Massiliots' fleet five were sunk, four captured, and one fled with Nasidius' ships;
Note. v … iiii: read quīnque … quattuor. cum Nāsidiānīs (nāvibus): 'with Nasidius' ships'.
BC 2.7.2quae omnēs citeriōrem Hispāniam petīvērunt.
all of these made for Nearer Spain.
Note. citeriōrem Hispāniam: Nearer Spain, the province on the east coast, still held for Pompey.
BC 2.7.3at ex reliquīs ūna praemissa Massiliam huius nūntiī perferendī grātiā cum iam adpropinquāret urbī, omnis sēsē multitūdō ad cognōscendum effūdit, et rē cognitā tantus lūctus excēpit, ut urbs ab hostibus capta eōdem vestīgiō vidērētur.
But one of the remaining ships was sent ahead to Massilia to carry this news, and when it was already approaching the city the whole population poured out to find out, and when the news was known such grief followed that the city seemed to have been taken by the enemy that very moment.
Note. ūna praemissa: 'one (ship) sent ahead'. huius nūntiī perferendī grātiā: gerundive with grātiā, 'for the sake of carrying this news'. ad cognōscendum: 'to find out'. eōdem vēstīgiō: 'in the same footstep', i.e. 'that very moment'.
BC 2.7.4Massiliēnsēs tamen nihilō sētius ad dēfēnsiōnem urbis reliqua apparāre coepērunt.
Nevertheless the Massiliots began to prepare the rest of what was needed for the defence of the city.
Note. nihilō sētius: 'none the less, nevertheless'. reliqua: 'the other things', what remained to be done.
Vocabulary
| sed, conj. | but |
| Nāsidiānus, -a, -um | of Nasidius, Nasidius' |
| nāvis, -is, f. | ship |
| nūllus, -a, -um | not any, none, no |
| ūsus, -ūs, m. | use; experience |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| celeriter, adv. | swiftly, quickly |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| pugna, -ae, f. | fighting, battle, combat |
| excēdō, -cēdere, -cessī, -cessus | go out or forth, depart |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| enim, conj. | for |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| aut, conj. | or; aut ... aut, either ... or |
| cōnspectus, -ūs, m. | sight |
| patria, -ae, f. | fatherland, country |
| propinquus, -a, -um; as noun, -ī m./-a f. | near; (noun) relative |
| praeceptum, -ī n. | instruction, order |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| extrēmus, -a, -um | last, extreme, furthest |
| vīta, -ae, f. | life |
| perīculum, -ī, n. | danger, peril, risk |
| adeō, -īre, -iī, -itus | go to, approach |
| cōgō, cōgere, coēgī, coāctus | drive together, collect; compel |
| itaque, adv. | and so, accordingly, therefore |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| numerus, -ī, m. | number |
| dēsīderō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | long for, miss; require |
| classis, -is f. | fleet |
| Roman numeral | a number written with letters: I 1, V 5, X 10, L 50, C 100, D 500, M 1000 |
| dēprimō, -ere, -pressī, -pressum | press down, sink; depressus: sunk below ground |
| capiō, capere, cēpī, captus | take, catch, seize; receive, suffer; adopt |
| ūnus, -a, -um | one; only, alone |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| profugiō, -ere, -fūgī | flee, escape |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| citerior, -ius, adj. | on this side, hither |
| petō, -ere, -īvī or -iī, -ītus | seek, ask; attack |
| at, conj. | but |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| praemittō, -ere, -mīsī, -missum | send ahead |
| nūntius, -ī, m. | messenger; message |
| perferō, -ferre, -tulī, -lātus | bear through, bear, endure; weather |
| grātia, -ae, f. | favor; gratitude, thanks; plur., thanks; grātiās agere, to give thanks, thank; grātiam referre, to return a favor, show gratitude, requite |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| iam, adv. | now, already |
| appropinquō, -propinquāre, -propinquāvī, -propinquātus | approach to, approach |
| urbs, urbis, f. | city |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| multitūdō, -tūdinis, f. | multitude |
| cognōscō, -gnōscere, -gnōvī, -gnitus | find out, learn; in tenses of completed action, have found out, know |
| effundō, -fundere, -fūdī, -fūsus | pour out |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| tantus, -a, -um | so great or much |
| lūctus, -ūs m. | grief, mourning |
| excipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take out or up, receive, welcome, entertain |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| hostis, -is, m. and f. | enemy, foe |
| īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron. | the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also |
| vestīgium, -ī, n. | track, foot-print |
| videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus | see; pass., seem |
| tamen, adv. | however, yet, nevertheless |
| nihilum, -ī n. | nothing; nihilō sētius: none the less |
| sētius (adv.) | less (nihilō sētius: nevertheless) |
| dēfēnsiō, -ōnis f. | defence |
| apparō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | prepare, get ready |
| coepī, coepisse, coeptus (used in tenses of completed action) | have begun, began |