Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Civil War, Book 3
De Bello Civili 3.77
Pompey gives up the chase
Caesar, De Bello Civili III. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōBC 3.77.1Posterō diē Caesar similiter praemissīs prīmā nocte impedīmentīs dē quārta vigiliā ipse ēgreditur, ut sīqua esset imposita dīmicandī necessitās, subitum cāsum expedītō exercitū subīret.
The next day Caesar likewise sent the baggage ahead at nightfall and set out himself at the fourth watch, so that, if he were forced to fight, he would meet the sudden emergency with an army unencumbered.
Note. ut, sī qua esset imposita dīmicandī necessitās: 'so that, if any need to fight were forced on him'. sīqua = sī aliqua. expedītō exercitū: 'with his army unencumbered', i.e. without baggage.
BC 3.77.1hoc idem reliquīs fēcit diēbus.
He did the same thing on the following days.
Note. reliquīs … diēbus: ablative of time.
BC 3.77.2quibus rēbus perfectum est, ut altissimīs flūminibus atque impedītissimīs itineribus nūllum acciperet incommodum.
By these means he managed to suffer no harm, although the rivers were very deep and the roads very difficult.
Note. quibus rēbus perfectum est ut: 'by these means it was brought about that'.
BC 3.77.3Pompēius enim prīmī diēī morā inlātā et reliquōrum diērum frūstrā labōre susceptō cum sē magnīs itineribus extenderet et praegressōs cōnsequī cuperet, quārta diē fīnem sequendī fēcit atque aliud sibi cōnsilium capiendum exīstimāvit.
For Pompey, after the delay of the first day and the useless effort of the following days, when he was stretching himself in forced marches and longing to catch those who had gone ahead, stopped the pursuit on the fourth day and decided that he must adopt another plan.
Note. frūstrā labōre susceptō: 'after taking up the effort in vain'. magnīs itineribus: 'by forced marches'. praegressōs: 'those who had gone ahead'. quārtā diē: Caesar uses diēs as feminine here.
Vocabulary
| posterus, -a, -um | following, next |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| similiter (adv.) | likewise, in the same way |
| praemittō, -ere, -mīsī, -missum | send ahead |
| prīmus, -a, -um | first, foremost |
| nox, noctis, f. | night |
| impedīmentum, -ī n. | hindrance; (pl.) baggage |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| quartus, -a, -um | fourth |
| vigilia, -ae, f. | watch |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| ēgredior, -gredī, -gressus | go out or forth, go ashore, disembark |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| sī quis, sī qua, sī quid | if anyone, if any (sī + the indefinite quis) |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| impōnō, -pōnere, -posuī, -positus | place or lay upon, impose; embark |
| dīmicō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | fight |
| necessitās, -ātis f. | necessity, compulsion |
| subitus, -a, -um | sudden |
| cāsus, -ūs, m. | fall; chance, accident |
| expedītus, -a, -um | unobstructed, easy; lightly equipped |
| exercitus, -ūs, m. | army |
| subeō, -īre, -iī, -itus | go under; undergo, submit to, sustain, bear, endure |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron. | the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| perficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | do or make through, accomplish |
| altus, -a, -um | high, deep; altum, -ī, n., the deep |
| flūmen, -minis, n. | river |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| impedītus, -a, -um | hindered; hard to cross, impassable |
| iter, itineris, n. | a going, journey, march; iter facere, to journey, march |
| nūllus, -a, -um | not any, none, no |
| accipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take to oneself, receive, accept; hear; suffer |
| incommodum, -ī, n. | inconvenience |
| enim, conj. | for |
| mora, -ae, f. | delay |
| īnferō, īnferre, intulī, inlātus | bring in or against, wage against; inflict |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| frūstrā, adv. | in vain |
| labor, -ōris, m. | labor, toil |
| suscipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | undertake |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| extendō, -ere, -tendī, -tentum | stretch out, extend |
| praegredior, -gredī, -gressus sum | go before, go on ahead |
| cōnsequor, -sequī, -secūtus | follow up, follow; overtake |
| cupiō, -ere, -īvī, -ītus | desire, long for, wish |
| fīnis, -is, m. | end, boundary; plur., borders, territory, country |
| sequor, sequī, secūtus | follow |
| alius, -a, -ud | another, other; aliī ... aliī, some ... others |
| cōnsilium, -ī, n. | advice; plan, design, purpose; prudence |
| capiō, capere, cēpī, captus | take, catch, seize; receive, suffer; adopt |
| exīstimō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | consider, believe, think |