Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Civil War, Book 3
De Bello Civili 3.11
Oricum surrenders
Caesar, De Bello Civili III. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōBC 3.11.1Vibullius expositus Corcȳrae nōn minus necessārium esse exīstimāvit dē repentīnō adventū Caesaris Pompēium fierī certiōrem, utī ad id cōnsilium capere posset, ante quam dē mandātīs agī inciperētur, atque ideō continuātō nocte ac diē itinere atque omnibus oppidīs mūtātīs ad celeritātem iūmentīs ad Pompēium contendit, ut adesse Caesarem nūntiāret.
Vibullius, having been landed at Corcyra, thought it no less necessary that Pompey should be told of Caesar's sudden arrival, so that he could take measures for it, before negotiations on the instructions began; and so, travelling night and day without a break and changing pack-animals at every town for speed, he hurried to Pompey to report that Caesar was at hand.
Note. expositus Corcȳrae: 'landed at Corcyra'. dē repentīnō adventū … certiōrem fierī: 'be informed of the sudden arrival'. ante quam … inciperētur: 'before negotiations began'. mūtātīs … iūmentīs: 'changing pack-animals'.
BC 3.11.2Pompēius erat eō tempore in Candāviā iterque ex Macedoniā in hīberna Apollōniam Dyrrachiumque habēbat.
Pompey was at that time in Candavia and was on his way from Macedonia to winter quarters at Apollonia and Dyrrachium.
Note. in hīberna: 'into winter quarters'. iter … habēbat: 'was on his way'.
BC 3.11.2sed rē novā perturbātus maiōribus itineribus Apollōniam petere coepit, ne Caesar ōrae maritimae cīvitātēs occupāret.
But alarmed by the news, he began to make for Apollonia by forced marches, so that Caesar should not seize the states of the coast.
Note. maiōribus itineribus: 'by forced marches', literally 'by greater marches'. nē … occupāret: 'so that Caesar should not seize'.
BC 3.11.3at ille expositīs mīlitibus eōdem diē Ōricum proficīscitur.
But Caesar, having landed his soldiers, sets out for Oricum the same day.
Note. ille: Caesar. eōdem diē: on the same day he landed.
BC 3.11.3quō cum vēnisset, L. Torquātus, quī iussū Pompēī oppidō praeerat praesidiumque ibi Parthīnōrum habēbat, cōnātus portīs clausīs oppidum dēfendere, cum Graecōs mūrum ascendere atque arma capere iubēret, illī autem sē contrā imperium populī Rōmānī pugnātūrōs negārent, oppidānī autem etiam suā sponte Caesarem recipere cōnārentur, dēspērātīs omnibus auxiliīs portās aperuit et sē atque oppidum Caesarī dēdidit incolumisque ab eō cōnservātus est.
When he arrived there, Lucius Torquatus, who commanded the town on Pompey's orders and had a garrison of Parthini there, tried to defend the town with the gates shut; but when he ordered the Greeks to mount the wall and take up arms, and they said they would not fight against the authority of the Roman people, while the townspeople were even trying of their own accord to admit Caesar, he gave up all hope of help, opened the gates, surrendered himself and the town to Caesar, and was kept unharmed by him.
Note. L. Torquātus: Lucius Manlius Torquatus, praetor in 49 BC. Parthīnōrum: an Illyrian people. cum Graecōs … iubēret: 'when he ordered the Greeks'. illī … negārent: 'they said they would not'. contrā imperium populī Rōmānī: Caesar, as consul, now represented the authority of the Roman people. dēspērātīs omnibus auxiliīs: ablative absolute. incolumis: 'unharmed'.
Vocabulary
| expōnō, -pōnere, -posuī, -positus | put out, set forth; put on shore, land; explain |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| minus, comp. adv. | less |
| necessārius, -a, -um; as noun, -ī m. | necessary, critical; (noun) close friend, relative |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| exīstimō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | consider, believe, think |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| repentīnus, -a, -um | sudden |
| adventus, -ūs, m. | approach, arrival |
| fīō, fierī, factus sum | be done or made, become, happen |
| certus, -a, -um | determined, fixed, certain; certiōrem facere, to make more certain, inform |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| cōnsilium, -ī, n. | advice; plan, design, purpose; prudence |
| capiō, capere, cēpī, captus | take, catch, seize; receive, suffer; adopt |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| ante, prep, with acc. and adv. | before |
| quam, adv. | how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible |
| mandātum, -ī n. | order, instruction, message |
| agō, agere, ēgī, āctus | drive; do; pass, lead; grātiās agere, see grātia |
| incipiō, -ere, incēpī, inceptum | begin |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| ideō (adv.) | for that reason, therefore |
| continuō (adv.) | at once, immediately |
| nox, noctis, f. | night |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| iter, itineris, n. | a going, journey, march; iter facere, to journey, march |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| oppidum, -ī, n. | town |
| mūtō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | change |
| celeritās, -tātis, f. | swiftness, quickness, speed |
| iūmentum, -ī n. | pack animal, beast of burden |
| contendō, -tendere, -tendī, -tentus | stretch, hasten |
| adsum, adesse, adfuī | be present, be at hand |
| nūntiō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | report, announce |
| tempus, temporis, n. | time, season |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| hīberna, -ōrum n. pl. | winter quarters |
| habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | have, hold; consider |
| sed, conj. | but |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| novus, -a, -um | new; novissimus, last |
| perturbō, -turbāre, -turbāvi, -turbātus | greatly disturb, disturb, agitate, throw into confusion |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| petō, -ere, -īvī or -iī, -ītus | seek, ask; attack |
| coepī, coepisse, coeptus (used in tenses of completed action) | have begun, began |
| ne, enclitic introducing a question | untranslatable |
| ōra, -ae f. | coast, shore |
| maritimus, -a, -um | of the sea, coastal |
| cīvitās, -tātis, f. | state |
| occupō, -cupāre, -cupāvī, -cupātus | seize; fill |
| at, conj. | but |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| mīles, mīlitis, m. | soldier |
| īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron. | the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also |
| proficīscor, -ficīscī, -fectus sum | set out, depart, march |
| quō, adv. | to what place? whither? to which place, whither; for which reason, wherefore, therefore; quō ūsque, till when? how long? |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus | come |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| iussus, -ūs, m. | bidding, command |
| praesum, -esse, -fuī | be before, preside over, have charge of, command |
| praesidium, -ī, n. | protection; guard, escort |
| ibi, adv. | in that place, there |
| cōnor, -ārī, -ātus | try, attempt |
| porta, -ae, f. | gate; door |
| claudō, -ere, clausī, clausum | close, shut; (agmen) bring up the rear |
| dēfendō, -fendere, -fendī, -fēnsus | ward off; defend |
| mūrus, -ī, m. | wall |
| ascendō, -scendere, -scendī, -scēnsus | climb to, ascend, mount |
| arma, -ōrum, n. plur. | arms, weapons |
| iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussus | bid, order, command |
| autem, conj. | moreover; but, however; now |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| contrā, prep, with acc. | against, contrary to |
| imperium, -ī, n. | command; sway, rule |
| populus, -ī m. | people, nation |
| Rōmānus, -a, -um | Roman |
| pugnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | fight |
| negō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | say no or not, deny, refuse |
| oppidānus, -ī m. | townsman (pl. the people of the town) |
| etiam, adv. | and now, also, too, even |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| sponte, f. abl. sing., modified by meā, tuā, suā | of one's own accord, voluntarily |
| recipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take or get back, recover; sē recipere, to betake oneself, withdraw; to collect oneself, recover |
| dēspērō, -spērāre, -spērāvī, -spērātus | despair |
| auxilium, -ī, n. | help, aid |
| aperiō, -īre, -uī, -tus | open |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| dēdō, -dere, -didī, -ditus | give away or up |
| incolumis, -e | unhurt, safe |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| cōnservō, -servāre, -servāvī, -servātus | preserve, keep |