Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 1
De Bello Gallico 1.23
Toward Bibracte
Caesar, De Bello Gallico I. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
Tap any word for its meaning and grammar, save words to review, and track your reading.
Read in Lectitō1.23.1Postrīdiē eius diēī, quod omnīnō bīduum supererat, cum exercituī frūmentum mētīrī oportēret, et quod ā Bibracte, oppidō Haeduōrum longē maximō et cōpiōsissimō, nōn amplius mīlibus passuum XVIII aberat, reī frūmentāriae prōspiciendum exīstimāvit;
The next day, since only two days remained before grain had to be measured out to the army, and since he was no more than eighteen miles from Bibracte, by far the largest and richest town of the Haedui, he thought he should see to his grain supply;
Note. reī frūmentāriae prōspiciendum: impersonal gerundive, 'that he must provide for the grain supply'. prōspiciō takes the dative.
1.23.1itaque iter ab Helvētiīs āvertit ac Bibracte īre contendit.
so he turns his march away from the Helvetii and hurries toward Bibracte.
1.23.2Ea rēs per fugitīvōs L. Aemiliī, decuriōnis equitum Gallōrum, hostibus nūntiātur.
This is reported to the enemy by deserters of Lucius Aemilius, an officer of the Gallic cavalry.
1.23.3Helvētiī, seu quod timōre perterritōs Rōmānōs discēdere ā sē exīstimārent, eō magis quod prīdiē superiōribus locīs occupātīs proelium nōn commīsissent, sīve eō quod rē frūmentāriā interclūdī posse cōnfīderent, commūtātō cōnsiliō atque itinere conversō nostrōs ā novissimō agmine īnsequī ac lacessere coepērunt.
The Helvetii, perhaps because they thought the Romans were leaving them out of fear, especially since the day before they had seized the higher ground and not given battle, or because they were confident that they could cut them off from their supplies, changed their plan, turned round, and began to pursue our men and harass them from the rear.
Vocabulary
| postrīdiē, adv. | the day after, the next day |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| quod, conj. | that, in that, because |
| omnīnō, adv. | altogether, wholly, entirely |
| bīduum, -ī n. | two days |
| supersum, -esse, -fuī | be over or left, remain |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| exercitus, -ūs, m. | army |
| frūmentum, -ī, n. | grain |
| mētior, -īrī, mēnsus sum | measure out, distribute |
| oportet, -ēre, oportuit (impersonal) | it is right, it is necessary |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| oppidum, -ī, n. | town |
| longē, adv. | far |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| cōpiōsus, -a, -um | well supplied, wealthy |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| amplius (adv.) | more, further |
| mīlle, indecl. adj. | a thousand; mīlia, -ium, n. plur., thousands; |
| passus, -ūs, m. | pace (mīlia passuum: miles) |
| Roman numeral | a number written with letters: I 1, V 5, X 10, L 50, C 100, D 500, M 1000 |
| absum, abesse, āfuī, āfutūrus | be away, be absent, be distant; be wanting |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| frūmentārius, -a, -um | of grain (rēs frūmentāria: grain supply) |
| prōspiciō, -ere, -spexī, -spectum | look ahead, provide for (+ dat.) |
| exīstimō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | consider, believe, think |
| itaque, adv. | and so, accordingly, therefore |
| iter, itineris, n. | a going, journey, march; iter facere, to journey, march |
| āvertō, -ere, āvertī, āversum | turn away, turn aside |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| eō, īre, iī, itus | go |
| contendō, -tendere, -tendī, -tentus | stretch, hasten |
| per, prep, with ace. | through, by means of |
| fugitīvus, -ī m. | runaway slave, deserter |
| decuriō, -ōnis m. | cavalry officer, decurion |
| eques, equitis m. | horseman; (pl.) cavalry |
| hostis, -is, m. and f. | enemy, foe |
| nūntiō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | report, announce |
| sīve or seu, conj. | or if; sīve ... sīve, whether ... or |
| timor, -ōris, m. | fear |
| perterreō, -terrēre, -terrui, -territus | thoroughly frighten, terrify |
| Rōmānus, -a, -um | Roman |
| discēdō, -cēdere, -cessī, -cessus | go apart, withdraw, depart |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| eō (adv.) | to that place, thither; to that point (usque eō); (with comparatives) by so much, all the (more) |
| magis, comp. adv. | more, rather |
| prīdiē (adv.) | the day before |
| superior, -ius, adj. | higher; former, previous, preceding |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| occupō, -cupāre, -cupāvī, -cupātus | seize; fill |
| proelium, -ī, n. | battle, combat; proelium committere, to join battle |
| committō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send together; commit, intrust; expose; proelium committere, to join battle |
| interclūdō, -ere, -clūsī, -clūsum | cut off, block |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| cōnfīdō, -ere, cōnfīsus sum | trust, be confident |
| commūtō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | change |
| cōnsilium, -ī, n. | advice; plan, design, purpose; prudence |
| convertō, -vertere, -vertī, -versus | turn round, turn, change; in fugam convertere, to put to flight |
| noster, -tra, -trum | our |
| novissimus, -a, -um | last (novissimum agmen: the rear) |
| agmen, -minis, n. | band, column |
| īnsequor, -sequī, -secūtus | follow upon or up, pursue |
| lacessō, -ere, -īvī, -ītum | provoke, harass |
| coepī, coepisse, coeptus (used in tenses of completed action) | have begun, began |