Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Civil War, Book 3
De Bello Civili 3.12
Apollonia and Epirus go over to Caesar
Caesar, De Bello Civili III. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōBC 3.12.1Receptō Caesar Ōricō nūllā interpositā morā Apollōniam proficīscitur.
Having taken Oricum, Caesar without any delay sets out for Apollonia.
Note. Receptō … Ōricō: ablative absolute, 'when Oricum had been taken'.
BC 3.12.1eius adventū audītō L. Staberius, quī ibi praeerat, aquam comportāre in arcem atque eam mūnīre obsidēsque ab Apollōniātibus exigere coepit.
Hearing of his approach, Lucius Staberius, who commanded there, began to carry water into the citadel, to fortify it, and to demand hostages from the people of Apollonia.
Note. obsidēs … exigere: 'to demand hostages', to secure the townspeople's loyalty.
BC 3.12.2illī vērō datūrōs sē negāre neque portās cōnsulī praeclūsūrōs neque sibi iūdicium sūmptūrōs contrā, atque omnis Ītalia populusque Rōmānus iūdicāvisset.
They, however, said they would not give them, nor shut their gates against the consul, nor take upon themselves to judge otherwise than all Italy and the Roman people had judged.
Note. daturōs sē negāre: historic infinitive in indirect speech, 'they said they would not give them'. contrā atque: 'otherwise than', 'contrary to what'. omnis Ītalia populusque Rōmānus: they would not set their own judgment against that of Italy and the Roman people.
BC 3.12.3quōrum cognitā voluntāte clam profūgit Apollōniā Staberius.
Learning their will, Staberius secretly fled from Apollonia.
Note. quōrum cognitā voluntāte: connecting relative in an ablative absolute. Apollōniā: ablative of separation, 'from Apollonia'.
BC 3.12.3illī ad Caesarem lēgātōs mittunt oppidōque recipiunt.
They send envoys to Caesar and receive him into the town.
Note. oppidō … recipiunt: 'receive (him) into the town'; the object Caesarem is understood.
BC 3.12.4hōs sequuntur Byllidēnsēs et Amantīnī et reliquae fīnitimae cīvitātēs tōtaque Ēpīrus et lēgātīs ad Caesarem missīs, quae imperāret, factūrōs pollicentur.
They are followed by the people of Byllis and Amantia and the other neighbouring states and all Epirus, and they send envoys to Caesar and promise to do what he commanded.
Note. Bȳllidēnsēs et Amantīnī: the people of Byllis and Amantia, inland from Apollonia. quae imperāret, factūrōs: 'that they would do what he commanded'.
Vocabulary
| recipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take or get back, recover; sē recipere, to betake oneself, withdraw; to collect oneself, recover |
| nūllus, -a, -um | not any, none, no |
| interpōnō, -ere, -posuī, -positum | put between; bring forward (an excuse) |
| mora, -ae, f. | delay |
| proficīscor, -ficīscī, -fectus sum | set out, depart, march |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| adventus, -ūs, m. | approach, arrival |
| audiō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus | hear; listen or attend to |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| ibi, adv. | in that place, there |
| praesum, -esse, -fuī | be before, preside over, have charge of, command |
| aqua, -ae, f. | water |
| comportō, -portāre, -portāvī, -portātus | carry or bring together, collect |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| arx, arcis f. | citadel, stronghold |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| mūniō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus | fortify |
| obses, obsidis m./f. | hostage |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| exigō, -ere, -ēgī, -āctum | drive out; finish, spend (a season) |
| coepī, coepisse, coeptus (used in tenses of completed action) | have begun, began |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| vērō, adv. | in truth, indeed; however |
| dō, dare, dedī, datus | give |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| negō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | say no or not, deny, refuse |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| porta, -ae, f. | gate; door |
| cōnsul, -ulis m. | consul (one of Rome's two chief magistrates) |
| praeclūdō, -ere, -clūsī, -clūsum | close, block |
| iūdicium, -ī n. | trial, court; judgment |
| sūmō, sūmere, sūmpsī, sūmptus | take under or up, take; poenam sūmere, to exact or inflict punishment |
| contrā, prep, with acc. | against, contrary to |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| populus, -ī m. | people, nation |
| Rōmānus, -a, -um | Roman |
| iūdicō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | judge, decide |
| cognōscō, -gnōscere, -gnōvī, -gnitus | find out, learn; in tenses of completed action, have found out, know |
| voluntās, -tātis, f. | wish, will |
| clam (adv.) | secretly |
| profugiō, -ere, -fūgī | flee, escape |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| lēgātus, -ī, m. | ambassador |
| mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus | send |
| oppidum, -ī, n. | town |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| sequor, sequī, secūtus | follow |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| fīnitimus, -a, -um | neighboring, adjoining |
| cīvitās, -tātis, f. | state |
| tōtus, -a, -um | all the, the whole or entire |
| imperō, -perāre, -perāvī, -perātus | command, order, enjoin |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| polliceor, -licērī, -licitus | promise |