De Bello Civili 3.64

The dying eagle-bearer

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BC 3.64.1Hōc tumultū nūntiātō Mārcellīnus cohortēs subsidiō nostrīs labōrantibus submittit ex castrīs.When this uproar was reported, Marcellinus sends cohorts from the camp to help our men in their distress.Note. Hōc tumultū nūntiātō: ablative absolute. nostrīs labōrantibus: dative, 'to our men in trouble'; subsidiō is a dative of purpose ('as help'). BC 3.64.1quae fugientēs cōnspicātae neque illōs suō adventū cōnfirmāre potuērunt neque ipsae hostium impetum tulērunt.These, seeing the men in flight, could neither steady them by their arrival nor themselves withstand the enemy's attack.Note. fugientēs cōnspicātae: 'catching sight of those fleeing'; cōnspicor is deponent, so the perfect participle is active in meaning. BC 3.64.2itaque quodcumque addēbātur subsidiō, id corruptum timōre fugientium terrōrem et perīculum augēbat;So whatever was added as reinforcement was infected by the fear of the fugitives and only increased the terror and the danger;Note. quodcumque addēbātur subsidiō: 'whatever was added as help'. id corruptum timōre: panic spread from the fugitives to the reinforcements. BC 3.64.2hominum enim multitūdine receptus impediēbātur.for retreat was hampered by the mass of men.Note. receptus: 'retreat' (a noun of the fourth declension), the subject of impediēbātur. BC 3.64.3in eō proeliō cum gravī vulnere esset adfectus aquilifer et ā vīribus dēficerētur, cōnspicātus equitēs nostrōs "hanc ego," inquit "et vīvus multōs per annōs magnā dīligentiā dēfendī et nunc moriēns eādem fidē Caesarī restituō.In that battle, when the eagle-bearer had been badly wounded and his strength was failing, catching sight of our cavalry he said: "This eagle I have defended with great care for many years while I lived, and now, dying, I give it back to Caesar with the same loyalty.Note. aquilifer: the bearer of the legion's silver eagle, whose loss was the worst disgrace a legion could suffer. hanc: 'this (eagle)'. vīvus … moriēns: 'living … dying', a pointed contrast.

BC 3.64.3nōlīte, obsecrō, committere, quod ante in exercitū Caesaris nōn accidit, ut reī mīlitāris dēdecus admittātur, incolumemque ad eum dēferte."Do not, I beg you, allow a disgrace to military honour to be committed, something which has never happened before in Caesar's army, but carry it safe to him."Note. nōlīte … committere: a polite negative command, 'do not allow'. quod … nōn accidit: 'a thing which has not happened', referring forward to the clause ut … admittātur. BC 3.64.4hōc cāsū aquila cōnservātur omnibus prīmae cohortis centuriōnibus interfectīs praeter prīncipem priōrem.By this chance the eagle was saved, though all the centurions of the first cohort were killed except the senior centurion of the principes.Note. praeter prīncipem priōrem: the senior centurion of the principes (the second rank) of the cohort; every other centurion of the first cohort fell.

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Grammar in this passage: ablative absolute ×2, cum clauses ×1

Latin vocabulary for this passage (90 words)

hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron.	this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter
tumultus, -ūs m.	uproar, uprising
nūntiō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	report, announce
cohors, cohortis f.	cohort (a tenth of a legion); company
subsidium, -ī, n.	reserve, reinforcement, support, help
noster, -tra, -trum	our
labōrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	labor, toil
submittō, -ere, -mīsī, -missum	send (as help)
ex, ē (prep. + abl.)	out of, from; of (ē only before consonants)
castra, -ōrum, n. plur.	camp
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.	who, which
fugiō, fugere, fūgī, fugitūrus	flee, run away
cōnspicor, -ārī, -ātus sum	catch sight of
neque or nec, conj.	and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not
ille, illa, illud, dem. pron.	that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc
suus, -a, -um	his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their
adventus, -ūs, m.	approach, arrival
cōnfirmō, -firmāre, -firmāvī, -firmātus	strengthen, establish; declare, assert
possum, posse, potuī	be able, have power, can
ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron.	self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very
hostis, -is, m. and f.	enemy, foe
impetus, -ūs, m.	attack; impetum facere, to charge
ferō, ferre, tulī, lātus	bear, bring
itaque, adv.	and so, accordingly, therefore
quīcumque, quaecumque, quodcumque	whoever, whatever
addō, -ere, -didī, -ditus	add, put to
is, ea, id, dem. pron.	this, that; he, she, it, they
corrumpō, -rumpere, -rūpī, -ruptus	spoil, ruin, destroy; bribe
timor, -ōris, m.	fear
terror, -ōris, m.	terror, fright
et, conj.	and; et ... et, both ... and
perīculum, -ī, n.	danger, peril, risk
augeō, -ēre, auxī, auctum	increase, enlarge
homō, hominis, m.	man
enim, conj.	for
multitūdō, -tūdinis, f.	multitude
receptus, -ūs m.	retreat; place of retreat
impediō, -pedīre, -pedīvī, -pedītus	hinder, prevent, impede
in, prep. with acc. and abl.	with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
proelium, -ī, n.	battle, combat; proelium committere, to join battle
cum, conj.	when, while, after; since; although
gravis, -e	heavy; severe, grievous, serious
vulnus, vulneris, n.	wound
sum, esse, fuī, futūrus	be
afficiō, -ere, -fēcī, -fectum	affect, afflict
aquilifer, -ferī m.	eagle-bearer, standard-bearer of a legion
ā, ab (prep. + abl.)	away from, from; by (ā only before consonants)
vīs, vīs, f.	violence, force; virtue, potency, efficacy; plur. vīrēs, -ium, strength; omnibus vīribus, with all one's strength, with might and main
dēficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus	fail
eques, equitis m.	horseman; (pl.) cavalry
ego, meī, pers. pron.	I
inquam, inquis, inquit, defective verb	I say, you say, he says
vīvus, -a, -um	alive, living
multus, -a, -um	much, great; plur., many
per, prep, with ace.	through, by means of
annus, -ī, m.	year
magnus, -a, -um	large, big, great, mighty; loud
dīligentia, -ae, f.	care, diligence, industry
dēfendō, -fendere, -fendī, -fēnsus	ward off; defend
nunc, adv.	now
morior, morī, mortuus	die
īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron.	the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also
fidēs, -eī f.	faith, trust; pledge
restituō, -stituere, -stituī, -stitūtus	set up again, put back, restore
nōlō, nōlle, nōluī	not wish, be unwilling
obsecrō, -secrāre, -secrāvī, -secrātus	beseech, entreat
committō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus	send together; commit, intrust; expose; proelium committere, to join battle
ante, prep, with acc. and adv.	before
exercitus, -ūs, m.	army
nōn, adv.	not
accidō, -cidere, -cidī	fall to or upon; befall, happen
ut, conj.	as; when; that; ita ut, as
rēs, reī, f.	thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really
mīlitāris, -e	military, warlike; rēs mīlitāris, art of war, warfare
dēdecus, -decoris, n.	dishonor, disgrace
admittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus	send to, admit; allow
incolumis, -e	unhurt, safe
que, enclitic conj.	and
ad, prep. with acc.	to, toward; at, near; for
dēferō, -ferre, -tulī, -lātus	bear or carry away or off
cāsus, -ūs, m.	fall; chance, accident
aquila, -ae f.	eagle; the eagle standard of a legion
cōnservō, -servāre, -servāvī, -servātus	preserve, keep
omnis, -e	all, every
prīmus, -a, -um	first, foremost
centuriō, -ōnis m.	centurion (officer commanding about 80 men)
interficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus	put out of the way, kill
praeter, prep. with acc.	before, past, by; besides, except
prīnceps, -ipis	first, chief; as noun: leader
prior, prius	earlier, former; in front (priōrēs: those in front)

Caesar, De Bello Civili III. Latin text: R. du Pontet, C. Iuli Caesaris Commentariorum pars posterior (Oxford, 1901), public domain; digital text from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA. Word analysis: LatinCy, then every word checked and corrected by hand. English translation, notes and grammar hints: written for this app.