Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Civil War, Book 3
De Bello Civili 3.62
Pompey prepares to break out
Caesar, De Bello Civili III. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōBC 3.62.1Quibus ille cognitīs ēruptiōnisque iam ante captō cōnsiliō, ut dēmōnstrātum est, tegimenta galeīs mīlitēs ex vīminibus facere atque aggerem iubet conportāre.
When he learned these things, and having long since formed a plan for a break-out, as has been shown, Pompey orders the soldiers to make coverings for their helmets out of wicker and to collect earth for a rampart.
Note. Quibus ille cognitīs: ablative absolute with a connecting relative, 'when he had learned these things'. tegimenta galeīs … ex vīminibus: wicker covers for the helmets, against slings and stones.
BC 3.62.2hīs parātīs rēbus magnum numerum levis armātūrae et sagittāriōrum aggeremque omnem noctū in scaphās et nāvēs āctuāriās inpōnit et dē mediā nocte cohortēs lx ex maximīs castrīs praesidiīsque dēductās ad eam partem mūnītiōnum dūcit, quae pertinēbat ad mare longissimēque ā maximīs castrīs Caesaris aberat.
When these things were ready, he puts a large number of light-armed troops and archers, and all the rampart material, into small boats and fast galleys by night, and after midnight he leads sixty cohorts, drawn from his largest camp and his outposts, to the part of the fortifications which reached to the sea and was farthest from Caesar's largest camp.
Note. lēvis armātūrae: genitive of description, 'of light armour', i.e. light-armed troops. scaphās et nāvēs āctuāriās: small boats and fast oared ships. cohortēs lx: sixty cohorts, about six legions.
BC 3.62.3eōdem nāvēs quās dēmōnstrāvimus aggere et levis armātūrae mīlitibus complētās, quāsque ad Dyrrachium nāvēs longās habēbat, mittit et quid ā quōque fierī velit praecipit.
To the same place he sends the ships which we have described, filled with rampart material and light-armed soldiers, and the warships which he had at Dyrrachium, and he instructs each what he wants done.
Note. quid ā quōque fierī velit praecipit: indirect question: 'he instructs what he wants done by each'.
BC 3.62.4ad eās mūnītiōnēs Caesar Lentulum Mārcellīnum quaestōrem cum legiōne viiii positum habēbat.
At these fortifications Caesar had stationed the quaestor Lentulus Marcellinus with the ninth legion.
Note. Lentulum Mārcellīnum: Publius Cornelius Lentulus Marcellinus, Caesar's quaestor. positum habēbat: 'had stationed', habeō with a perfect participle.
BC 3.62.4huic, quod valētūdine minus commodā ūtēbātur, Fulvium Postumum adiūtōrem submīserat.
Because he was in rather poor health, Caesar had sent Fulvius Postumus to him as an assistant.
Note. valētūdine … ūtēbātur: 'he had rather poor health', literally 'used less convenient health'. minus is the comparative adverb of parum.
Vocabulary
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| cognōscō, -gnōscere, -gnōvī, -gnitus | find out, learn; in tenses of completed action, have found out, know |
| ēruptiō, -ōnis f. | sally, sortie |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| iam, adv. | now, already |
| ante, prep, with acc. and adv. | before |
| capiō, capere, cēpī, captus | take, catch, seize; receive, suffer; adopt |
| cōnsilium, -ī, n. | advice; plan, design, purpose; prudence |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| dēmōnstrō, -mōnstrāre, -mōnstrāvī, -mōnstrātus | point out, show; make known |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| tegimentum, -ī n. | covering |
| galea, -ae, f. | helmet |
| mīles, mīlitis, m. | soldier |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| vīmen, -minis, n. | osier |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| agger, aggeris m. | mound, siege ramp |
| iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussus | bid, order, command |
| comportō, -portāre, -portāvī, -portātus | carry or bring together, collect |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| parō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | make ready, prepare |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| numerus, -ī, m. | number |
| levis, -e | light, slight |
| armātūra, -ae f. | armour, equipment (levis armātūra: light-armed troops) |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| sagittārius, -ī m. | archer |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| noctū, adv. | at or by night |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| scapha, -ae, f. | boat, skiff |
| nāvis, -is, f. | ship |
| āctuārius, -a, -um | fast (of ships: light, built for speed) |
| impōnō, -pōnere, -posuī, -positus | place or lay upon, impose; embark |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| medius, -a, -um | mid, middle |
| nox, noctis, f. | night |
| cohors, cohortis f. | cohort (a tenth of a legion); company |
| Roman numeral | a number written with letters: I 1, V 5, X 10, L 50, C 100, D 500, M 1000 |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| praesidium, -ī, n. | protection; guard, escort |
| dēdūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead down or away, bring; nāvem dēdūcere, to draw down or launch a ship |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| mūnītiō, -ōnis f. | fortification, defence works |
| dūcō, dūcere, dūxī, ductus | lead; make, dig; with or without in mātrimōnium, marry |
| pertineō, -ēre, -uī | extend, reach; tend toward, concern |
| mare, maris, n. | sea |
| longē, adv. | far |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| absum, abesse, āfuī, āfutūrus | be away, be absent, be distant; be wanting |
| eōdem | to the same place |
| compleō, -plēre, -plēvī, -plētus | fill full, fill up |
| longus, -a, -um | long; tedious |
| habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | have, hold; consider |
| mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus | send |
| quis, quid, interrog. pron. | who? which? what? |
| quisque, quaeque, quidque, indef. pron. | each |
| fīō, fierī, factus sum | be done or made, become, happen |
| volō, velle, voluī | wish |
| praecipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take beforehand, anticipate; order, charge |
| quaestor, -ōris m. | quaestor, a Roman official in charge of an army's funds |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| legiō, -ōnis f. | legion |
| pōnō, pōnere, posuī, positus | place, put; pōnī with in and abl., to be placed in, rest or depend on |
| quod, conj. | that, in that, because |
| valētūdō, -inis f. | health, state of health; ill health |
| parum (comp. minus, superl. minimē) | too little; minimē: least, not at all |
| commodus, -a, -um | convenient, suitable |
| ūtor, ūtī, ūsus | use |
| adiūtor, -ōris m. | helper, assistant |
| submittō, -ere, -mīsī, -missum | send (as help) |