Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Civil War, Book 3
De Bello Civili 3.38
Domitius' ambush
Caesar, De Bello Civili III. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōBC 3.38.1Hīs rēbus gestīs Domitius spērāns Scīpiōnem ad pugnam ēlicī posse simulāvit sēsē angustiīs reī frūmentāriae adductum castra movēre vāsīsque mīlitārī mōre conclāmātīs prōgressus mīlia passuum iii locō idōneō et occultō omnem exercitum equitātumque collocāvit.
After this, Domitius, hoping that Scipio could be drawn out to fight, pretended that he was moving camp because of a shortage of grain, gave the signal to pack up in the military way, advanced three miles, and posted his whole army and cavalry in a suitable and hidden place.
Note. simulāvit sēsē … castra movēre: 'pretended that he was moving camp'. vāsīs mīlitārī mōre conclāmātīs: giving the usual signal for breaking camp, to make the trick convincing.
BC 3.38.1Scīpiō ad sequendum parātus equitātūs magnam partem ad explōrandum iter Domitī et cognōscendum praemīsit.
Scipio, ready to follow, sent a large part of his cavalry ahead to explore and learn Domitius' route.
Note. ad sequendum: gerund of purpose. ad explōrandum iter … et cognōscendum: gerundives agreeing with iter, 'to explore and learn the route'.
BC 3.38.3quī cum essent prōgressī prīmaeque turmae īnsidiās intrāvissent, ex fremitū equōrum inlātā suspīciōne ad suōs sē recipere coepērunt, quīque hōs sequēbantur, celerem eōrum receptum cōnspicātī restitērunt.
When they had advanced and the first squadrons had entered the ambush, suspicion was raised by the neighing of the horses and they began to fall back on their own men; and those who were following them, seeing their quick retreat, halted.
Note. ex fremitū equōrum: the neighing of Domitius' hidden horses gives the ambush away. quīque hōs sequēbantur: quī + que, 'and those who were following them'.
BC 3.38.4nostrī cognitīs omnēs eārum turmārum aut interfēcērunt aut captōs ad Domitium dēdūxērunt.
Our men, once the ambush was discovered, either killed or captured and brought to Domitius all the men of those squadrons.
Note. cognitīs: understand īnsidiīs, 'when the ambush had been discovered'. omnēs eārum turmārum: 'all (the men) of those squadrons'.
Vocabulary
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| gerō, gerere, gessī, gestus | carry, wear; carry on, do |
| spērō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | hope |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| pugna, -ae, f. | fighting, battle, combat |
| ēliciō, -ere, -uī, -itus | lure out, draw out, entice |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| simulō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | pretend |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| angustia, -ae f. | narrowness; (pl.) a narrow place, straits |
| frūmentārius, -a, -um | of grain (rēs frūmentāria: grain supply) |
| addūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead to, bring, take; induce, influence |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| moveō, movēre, mōvī, mōtus | move |
| vās, vāsis, n., plur. vāsa, -ōrum | vessel |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| mīlitāris, -e | military, warlike; rēs mīlitāris, art of war, warfare |
| mōs, mōris, m. | way, manner, habit, custom |
| conclāmō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | shout out, cry out |
| prōgredior, -gredī, -gressus | go forward, advance |
| mīlle, indecl. adj. | a thousand; mīlia, -ium, n. plur., thousands; |
| passus, -ūs, m. | pace (mīlia passuum: miles) |
| Roman numeral | a number written with letters: I 1, V 5, X 10, L 50, C 100, D 500, M 1000 |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| idōneus, -a, -um | suitable, fit; favorable |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| occultus, -a, -um | hidden, secret |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| exercitus, -ūs, m. | army |
| equitātus, -ūs m. | cavalry |
| collocō (conlocō), -āre, -āvī, -ātum | place, station; give in marriage |
| sequor, sequī, secūtus | follow |
| parō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | make ready, prepare |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| explōrō, -plōrāre, -plōrāvī, -plōrātus | search out, explore |
| iter, itineris, n. | a going, journey, march; iter facere, to journey, march |
| cognōscō, -gnōscere, -gnōvī, -gnitus | find out, learn; in tenses of completed action, have found out, know |
| praemittō, -ere, -mīsī, -missum | send ahead |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| prīmus, -a, -um | first, foremost |
| turma, -ae f. | troop, squadron of cavalry |
| īnsidiae, -ārum, f. plur. | ambush; plot, stratagem |
| intrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | go within or into, enter |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| fremitus, -ūs, m. | roaring, roar |
| equus, -ī, m. | horse |
| īnferō, īnferre, intulī, inlātus | bring in or against, wage against; inflict |
| suspīciō, -ōnis, f. | suspicion |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| recipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take or get back, recover; sē recipere, to betake oneself, withdraw; to collect oneself, recover |
| coepī, coepisse, coeptus (used in tenses of completed action) | have begun, began |
| celer, celeris, celere | swift, quick |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| receptus, -ūs m. | retreat; place of retreat |
| cōnspicor, -ārī, -ātus sum | catch sight of |
| resistō, -sistere, -stitī | stand back, resist |
| noster, -tra, -trum | our |
| aut, conj. | or; aut ... aut, either ... or |
| interficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | put out of the way, kill |
| capiō, capere, cēpī, captus | take, catch, seize; receive, suffer; adopt |
| dēdūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead down or away, bring; nāvem dēdūcere, to draw down or launch a ship |