Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Civil War, Book 3
De Bello Civili 3.54
Pompey strengthens his camp
Caesar, De Bello Civili III. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
Tap any word for its meaning and grammar, save words to review, and track your reading.
Read in LectitōBC 3.54.1Pompēius noctū magnīs additīs mūnītiōnibus reliquīs diēbus turrēs extrūxit et in altitūdinem pedum xv effectīs operibus vīneīs eam partem castrōrum obtēxit, et quīnque intermissīs diēbus alteram noctem subnūbilam nactus obstrūctīs omnibus castrōrum portīs et ad impediendum obiectīs tertiā initā vigiliā silentiō exercitum ēdūxit et sē in antīquās mūnītiōnēs recēpit.
By night Pompey added great fortifications, and in the following days he built towers and, when the works had been carried to a height of fifteen feet, he screened that part of the camp with sheds; then, after five days, he took advantage of a second cloudy night, blocked all the gates of the camp and put obstacles in front of them, led his army out in silence at the beginning of the third watch, and withdrew to his old fortifications.
Note. noctū: 'by night'. vīneīs: 'with sheds' (movable shelters). alteram noctem subnūbilam nactus: 'having found a second cloudy night'. tertiā initā vigiliā: 'at the start of the third watch' (around midnight).
Vocabulary
| noctū, adv. | at or by night |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| addō, -ere, -didī, -ditus | add, put to |
| mūnītiō, -ōnis f. | fortification, defence works |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| turris, -is f. | tower; siege tower |
| exstruō, -struere, -strūxī, -strūctus | pile or heap up, build, erect |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| altitūdō, -inis f. | height; depth |
| pēs, pedis, m. | foot |
| Roman numeral | a number written with letters: I 1, V 5, X 10, L 50, C 100, D 500, M 1000 |
| efficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | make or work out, accomplish, effect |
| opus, operis, n. | work, task |
| vīnea, -ae f. | shed (a movable shelter for besiegers) |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| obtegō, -ere, -tēxī, -tēctus | cover over, conceal |
| quīnque | five |
| intermittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | leave off, interrupt; let pass; pass., be left between, intervene, elapse |
| alter, -era, -erum | one or the other (of two); another, second |
| nox, noctis, f. | night |
| subnūbilus, -a, -um | somewhat cloudy, overcast |
| nancīscor, nancīscī, nactus | get, obtain, find |
| obstruō, -struere, -strūxī, -strūctus | build against, block up |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| porta, -ae, f. | gate; door |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| impediō, -pedīre, -pedīvī, -pedītus | hinder, prevent, impede |
| obiciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectus | throw in the way or to |
| tertius, -a, -um | third |
| ineō, -īre, -iī, -itus | go into, enter; adopt |
| vigilia, -ae, f. | watch |
| silentium, -ī n. | silence; silentiō: in silence, quietly |
| exercitus, -ūs, m. | army |
| ēdūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead out, draw |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| antīquus, -a, -um | ancient |
| recipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take or get back, recover; sē recipere, to betake oneself, withdraw; to collect oneself, recover |