Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Civil War, Book 3
De Bello Civili 3.98
The surrender
Caesar, De Bello Civili III. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōBC 3.98.1Caesar prīmā lūce omnēs eōs, quī in monte cōnsēderant, ex superiōribus locīs in plānitiem dēscendere atque arma prōicere iussit.
At first light Caesar ordered all those who had settled on the hill to come down from the higher ground into the plain and throw down their arms.
Note. prīmā lūce: 'at first light'. ex superiōribus locīs: 'from the higher ground'.
BC 3.98.2quod ubi sine recūsātiōne fēcērunt passīsque palmīs prōiectī ad terram flentēs ab eō salūtem petīvērunt, cōnsōlātus cōnsurgere iussit et pauca apud eōs dē lēnitāte suā locūtus, quō minōre essent timōre, omnēs cōnservāvit mīlitibusque suīs commendāvit, nēquī eōrum violārētur, neuquid suī dēsīderārent.
When they had done this without refusal and, throwing themselves on the ground with hands outstretched, had begged him in tears for their lives, he comforted them and told them to rise, and after saying a few words about his own mercy, so that they might be less afraid, he spared them all and entrusted them to his soldiers, so that none of them should be harmed and they should not lose any of their property.
Note. passīs palmīs: 'with hands outstretched', from pandō. quō minōre essent timōre: purpose clause with a comparative. nēquī eōrum violārētur: 'that none of them should be harmed'. neuquid suī dēsīderārent: 'and that they should not lose anything of theirs'. This is Caesar's famous clementia.
BC 3.98.3hāc adhibitā dīligentiā ex castrīs sibi legiōnēs aliās occurrere et eās quās sēcum dūxerat, invicem requiēscere atque in castra revertī iussit eōdemque diē Lārīsam pervēnit.
When he had taken this care, he ordered other legions to come out from the camp to meet him, and those he had brought with him to rest in turn and return to camp, and on the same day he reached Larisa.
Note. invicem: 'in turn', so that the tired legions could rest.
Vocabulary
| prīmus, -a, -um | first, foremost |
| lūx, lūcis, f. | light |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| mōns, montis, m. | mountain |
| cōnsīdō, -sīdere, -sēdī, -sessus | sit down |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| superior, -ius, adj. | higher; former, previous, preceding |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| plānitiēs, -ēī f. | plain, level ground |
| dēscendō, -scendere, -scendī, -scēnsus | climb down, descend |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| arma, -ōrum, n. plur. | arms, weapons |
| prōiciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectus | throw forth or down, cast away, throw |
| iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussus | bid, order, command |
| ubi, adv. | where; conj., when |
| sine, prep. with abl. | without |
| recūsātiō, -ōnis f. | refusal, objection |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| pandō, -ere, pandī, passum | spread out (passīs manibus: with hands outstretched) |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| palma, -ae f. | palm of the hand; flat spreading branch |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| terra, -ae, f. | land, earth |
| fleō, -ēre, flēvī, flētum | weep |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| salūs, salūtis, f. | safety, deliverance, escape |
| petō, -ere, -īvī or -iī, -ītus | seek, ask; attack |
| cōnsōlor, -ārī, -ātus sum | comfort, console |
| cōnsurgō, -ere, -surrēxī, -surrēctus | rise together, stand up |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| paucī, -ae, -a, plur. adj. | few |
| apud, prep, with acc. | among, with |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| lēnitās, -ātis f. | gentleness, slowness |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| loquor, loquī, locūtus | speak |
| quō, adv. | to what place? whither? to which place, whither; for which reason, wherefore, therefore; quō ūsque, till when? how long? |
| parvus, -a, -um | little, small |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| timor, -ōris, m. | fear |
| cōnservō, -servāre, -servāvī, -servātus | preserve, keep |
| mīles, mīlitis, m. | soldier |
| commendō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | entrust, commit; recommend |
| nē quis, nē quid; adj. nē quī, nē qua, nē quod | that no one, that nothing; (adj.) that no …, lest any … |
| violō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | harm, violate |
| neu quis, neu qua, neu quid | and that no one / nothing (neu + the indefinite quis) |
| dēsīderō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | long for, miss; require |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| adhibeō, -hibēre, -hibuī, -hibitus | hold to, employ, show |
| dīligentia, -ae, f. | care, diligence, industry |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| legiō, -ōnis f. | legion |
| alius, -a, -ud | another, other; aliī ... aliī, some ... others |
| occurrō, -currere, -currī, -cursus | run against, meet |
| dūcō, dūcere, dūxī, ductus | lead; make, dig; with or without in mātrimōnium, marry |
| invicem (adv.) | in turn, mutually; ad invicem: to one another |
| requiēscō, -ere, -quiēvī, -quiētum | rest, take a rest |
| revertor, -vertī, -versus, perf. act. -vertī | turn back, return |
| īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron. | the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| perveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventus | come through, come, arrive, reach |