Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Civil War, Book 3
De Bello Civili 3.99
The losses on both sides
Caesar, De Bello Civili III. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōBC 3.99.1In eō proeliō nōn amplius ducentōs mīlitēs dēsīderāvit, sed centuriōnēs fortēs virōs circiter xxx āmīsit.
In that battle he lost no more than two hundred soldiers, but he lost about thirty centurions, brave men.
Note. nōn amplius ducentōs: 'not more than two hundred'; amplius does not change the case. Caesar lost few men but many centurions, who led from the front.
BC 3.99.2interfectus est etiam fortissimē pugnāns Crāstinus, cuius mentiōnem suprā fēcimus, gladiō in ōs adversum coniectō.
Crastinus too, whom we mentioned above, was killed while fighting most bravely, by a sword thrust into his face.
Note. gladiō in ōs adversum coniectō: ablative absolute, 'by a sword thrust full in his face'.
BC 3.99.3neque id fuit falsum, quod ille in pugnam proficīscēns dīxerat.
And what he had said as he set out for the battle was not false.
Note. quod … dīxerat: what he had said in sentence 48.
BC 3.99.3sīc enim Caesar exīstimābat eō proeliō excellentissimam virtūtem Crāstinī fuisse optimēque eum dē sē meritum iūdicābat.
For Caesar judged that Crastinus' courage in that battle had been the most outstanding, and he considered that he had served him extremely well.
Note. optimē … dē sē meritum: 'had deserved best of him'.
BC 3.99.4ex Pompēiānō exercitū circiter mīlia xv cecidisse vidēbantur, sed in dēditiōnem vēnērunt amplius mīlia xxiiii— namque etiam cohortēs, quae praesidiō in castellīs fuerant, sēsē Sullae dēdidērunt— multī praetereā in fīnitimās cīvitātēs refūgērunt, signaque mīlitāria ex proeliō ad Caesarem sunt relāta clxxx et aquilae viiii.
From Pompey's army about 15,000 seemed to have fallen, but more than 24,000 surrendered (for even the cohorts that had been on guard in the forts surrendered to Sulla); many besides fled to the neighbouring states, and 180 military standards and nine eagles were brought to Caesar from the battle.
Note. cecidisse vidēbantur: 'were thought to have fallen'. Caesar's figures for the enemy are likely inflated. aquilae viiii: nine eagles, the standards of nine legions.
BC 3.99.5L. Domitius ex castrīs in montem refugiēns, cum vīrēs eum lassitūdine dēfēcissent, ab equitibus est interfectus.
Lucius Domitius, fleeing from the camp to the hill, was killed by the cavalry when his strength had failed him through exhaustion.
Note. L. Domitius Ahenobarbus, Caesar's bitter enemy, whom he had spared at Corfinium in 49 BC.
Vocabulary
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| proelium, -ī, n. | battle, combat; proelium committere, to join battle |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| amplius (adv.) | more, further |
| ducentī, -ae, -a | two hundred |
| mīles, mīlitis, m. | soldier |
| dēsīderō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | long for, miss; require |
| sed, conj. | but |
| centuriō, -ōnis m. | centurion (officer commanding about 80 men) |
| fortis, -e | brave |
| vir, virī, m. | man |
| circiter, prep. with acc. and adv. | about |
| Roman numeral | a number written with letters: I 1, V 5, X 10, L 50, C 100, D 500, M 1000 |
| āmittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send away, lose |
| interficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | put out of the way, kill |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| etiam, adv. | and now, also, too, even |
| fortiter, adv. | bravely |
| pugnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | fight |
| crāstinus, -a, -um | of tomorrow; in crāstinum (diem): on the next day |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| mentiō, -ōnis, f. | mention |
| suprā, adv. and prep. with acc. | above, before |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| gladius, -ī, m. | sword |
| ōs, ōris, n. | mouth |
| adversus, -a, -um | facing; unfavourable, unsuccessful |
| coniciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectus | throw together; throw, cast, hurl |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| falsus, -a, -um | feigned, pretended, false |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| pugna, -ae, f. | fighting, battle, combat |
| proficīscor, -ficīscī, -fectus sum | set out, depart, march |
| dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus | say, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day |
| sīc, adv. | so, thus |
| enim, conj. | for |
| exīstimō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | consider, believe, think |
| excellēns, -entis | outstanding, excellent |
| virtūs, -tūtis, f. | manliness, courage, bravery |
| bene, adv. | well; successfully |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| mereor, -ērī, meritus sum | deserve; (dē) do service to |
| iūdicō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | judge, decide |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| Pompeiānus, -a, -um | of Pompey, Pompeian; Pompeiānī, -ōrum m. pl.: Pompey's men |
| exercitus, -ūs, m. | army |
| mīlle, indecl. adj. | a thousand; mīlia, -ium, n. plur., thousands; |
| cadō, cadere, cecidī, cāsūrus | fall |
| videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus | see; pass., seem |
| dēditiō, -ōnis f. | surrender |
| veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus | come |
| namque, conj. | for |
| cohors, cohortis f. | cohort (a tenth of a legion); company |
| praesidium, -ī, n. | protection; guard, escort |
| castellum, -ī n. | fort, redoubt |
| dēdō, -dere, -didī, -ditus | give away or up |
| multus, -a, -um | much, great; plur., many |
| praetereā, adv. | besides this, besides, moreover |
| fīnitimus, -a, -um | neighboring, adjoining |
| cīvitās, -tātis, f. | state |
| refugiō, -fugere, -fūgī | flee back, run away, retreat |
| signum, -ī, n. | sign, signal |
| mīlitāris, -e | military, warlike; rēs mīlitāris, art of war, warfare |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| referō, referre, rettulī, relātus | bring or carry back, return; pedem referre, to draw back, retire, retreat; grātiam referre, see grātia |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| aquila, -ae f. | eagle; the eagle standard of a legion |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| mōns, montis, m. | mountain |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| vīs, vīs, f. | violence, force; virtue, potency, efficacy; plur. vīrēs, -ium, strength; omnibus vīribus, with all one's strength, with might and main |
| lassitūdō, -inis, f. | weariness |
| dēficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | fail |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| eques, equitis m. | horseman; (pl.) cavalry |