Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 1
De Bello Gallico 1.11
The allies ask for help
Caesar, De Bello Gallico I. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō1.11.1Helvētiī iam per angustiās et fīnēs Sēquanōrum suās cōpiās trādūxerant et in Haeduōrum fīnēs pervēnerant eōrumque agrōs populābantur.
The Helvetii had already led their forces through the pass and the territory of the Sequani, had reached the territory of the Haedui, and were plundering their fields.
1.11.2Haeduī, cum sē suaque ab iīs dēfendere nōn possent, lēgātōs ad Caesarem mittunt rogātum auxilium: ita sē omnī tempore dē populō Rōmānō meritōs esse ut paene in cōnspectū exercitūs nostrī agrī vāstārī, līberī eōrum in servitūtem abdūcī, oppida expugnārī nōn dēbuerint.
The Haedui, since they could not defend themselves and their property against them, send envoys to Caesar to ask for help: they had always deserved so well of the Roman people, they said, that their fields ought not to have been laid waste, their children led off into slavery and their towns stormed almost in sight of our army.
Note. rogātum is a supine of purpose after a verb of motion: 'to ask for help'. ita … meritōs esse ut …: 'had deserved so well that …', a result clause.
1.11.3Eōdem tempore quō Haeduī Ambarrī, necessāriī et cōnsanguineī Haeduōrum, Caesarem certiōrem faciunt sēsē dēpopulātīs agrīs nōn facile ab oppidīs vim hostium prohibēre.
At the same time the Ambarri, close friends and kinsmen of the Haedui, inform Caesar that their fields have been ravaged and they cannot easily keep the enemy's attacks from their towns.
1.11.4Item Allobrogēs, quī trāns Rhodanum vīcōs possessiōnēsque habēbant, fugā sē ad Caesarem recipiunt et dēmōnstrant sibi praeter agrī solum nihil esse reliquī.
Likewise the Allobroges who had villages and property across the Rhône flee to Caesar and explain that they have nothing left except the bare ground.
1.11.5Quibus rēbus adductus Caesar nōn expectandum sibi statuit dum, omnibus, fortūnīs sociōrum cōnsūmptīs, in Santonos Helvētiī pervenīrent.
Moved by these things, Caesar decided that he must not wait until the Helvetii had used up all the property of Rome's allies and reached the Santones.
Note. nōn exspectandum sibi: an impersonal gerundive with a dative of the agent, 'that he must not wait'.
Vocabulary
| iam, adv. | now, already |
| per, prep, with ace. | through, by means of |
| angustiae, -ārum f. pl. | narrow pass, defile |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| fīnis, -is, m. | end, boundary; plur., borders, territory, country |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| cōpia, -ae, f. | supply, abundance; plur., forces, troops |
| trādūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead across |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| perveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventus | come through, come, arrive, reach |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| ager, agri, m. | field, land |
| populor, -ārī, -ātus sum | lay waste, plunder |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| dēfendō, -fendere, -fendī, -fēnsus | ward off; defend |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| lēgātus, -ī, m. | ambassador |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus | send |
| rogō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | ask |
| auxilium, -ī, n. | help, aid |
| ita, adv. | in this manner, thus, so; ita ut, as |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| tempus, temporis, n. | time, season |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| populus, -ī m. | people, nation |
| Rōmānus, -a, -um | Roman |
| mereor, -ērī, meritus sum | deserve; (dē) do service to |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| paene, adv. | almost, nearly |
| cōnspectus, -ūs, m. | sight |
| exercitus, -ūs, m. | army |
| noster, -tra, -trum | our |
| vāstō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | lay waste |
| līberī, -ōrum, m. plur. | children |
| servitūs, -tūtis, f. | slavery, servitude |
| abdūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead or take away |
| oppidum, -ī, n. | town |
| expugnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | take by storm, capture |
| dēbeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | owe; with infin., ought |
| īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron. | the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| necessārius, -a, -um; as noun, -ī m. | necessary, critical; (noun) close friend, relative |
| cōnsanguineus, -ī m. | blood relative, kinsman |
| certus, -a, -um | determined, fixed, certain; certiōrem facere, to make more certain, inform |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| dēpopulor, -ārī, -ātus sum | lay waste, ravage |
| facile, adv. | easily |
| vīs, vīs, f. | violence, force; virtue, potency, efficacy; plur. vīrēs, -ium, strength; omnibus vīribus, with all one's strength, with might and main |
| hostis, -is, m. and f. | enemy, foe |
| prohibeō, -hibēre, -hibuī, -hibitus | hold back, prevent, hinder |
| item | likewise, also |
| trāns, prep. with acc. | across, over |
| vīcus, -ī, m. | village |
| possessiō, -ōnis f. | property, possession |
| habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | have, hold; consider |
| fuga, -ae, f. | flight |
| recipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take or get back, recover; sē recipere, to betake oneself, withdraw; to collect oneself, recover |
| dēmōnstrō, -mōnstrāre, -mōnstrāvī, -mōnstrātus | point out, show; make known |
| praeter, prep. with acc. | before, past, by; besides, except |
| sōlum (adv.); solum, -ī n. | only (nōn sōlum … sed etiam: not only … but also); ground, soil |
| nihil, n., indecl. | nothing |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| addūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead to, bring, take; induce, influence |
| exspectō, -spectāre, -spectāvī, -spectātus | look out for, wait for, await, expect; wait |
| statuō, statuere, statuī, statūtus | cause to stand; decide, resolve |
| dum, conj. | while, as; as long as; until |
| fortūna, -ae, f. | fortune |
| socius, -ī, m. | companion, comrade, ally |
| cōnsūmō, -sūmere, -sūmpsī, -sūmptus | take completely, use up, consume, spend |