Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 1
De Bello Gallico 1.49
A second camp
Caesar, De Bello Gallico I. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō1.49.1Ubi eum castrīs sē tenēre Caesar intellēxit, nē diūtius commeātū prohibērētur, ultrā eum locum, quō in locō Germānī cōnsēderant, circiter passūs DC ab hīs, castrīs idōneum locum dēlēgit aciēque triplicī īnstrūctā ad eum locum vēnit.
When Caesar realised that Ariovistus was keeping to his camp, so as not to be cut off from supplies any longer, he chose a suitable place for a camp beyond the spot where the Germans had encamped, about six hundred paces from them, and came to that place with his army drawn up in three lines.
Note. quō in locō: the relative repeats the noun locum. passūs DC: 'six hundred paces', accusative of extent.
1.49.2Prīmam et secundam aciem in armīs esse, tertiam castra mūnīre iussit.
He ordered the first and second lines to stay under arms and the third to fortify the camp.
1.49.3Hic locus ab hoste circiter passūs DC, utī dictum est, aberat.
This place was about six hundred paces from the enemy, as has been said.
1.49.3Eō circiter hominum XVI mīlia expedīta cum omnī equitātū Ariovistus mīsit, quae cōpiae nostrōs terrērent et mūnītiōne prohibērent.
Ariovistus sent about sixteen thousand light-armed men there with all his cavalry, to frighten our men and keep them from the fortification.
1.49.4Nihilō sētius Caesar, ut ante cōnstituerat, duās aciēs hostem prōpulsāre, tertiam opus perficere iussit.
All the same, as he had decided before, Caesar ordered two lines to drive off the enemy and the third to finish the work.
1.49.4Mūnītīs castrīs duās ibi legiōnēs relīquit et partem auxiliōrum, quattuor reliquās legiōnēs in castra maiōra redūxit.
When the camp was fortified he left two legions there and part of the auxiliaries, and led the other four legions back to the larger camp.
Vocabulary
| ubi, adv. | where; conj., when |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| teneō, -ēre, -uī, -tus | hold, keep; hold back, restrain, stop |
| intellegō, -legere, -lēxī, -lēctus | perceive, understand |
| nē, adv. | not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest |
| diū, adv. | for a long time, a long time or while, long; comp |
| commeātus, -ūs, m. | supplies, provisions |
| prohibeō, -hibēre, -hibuī, -hibitus | hold back, prevent, hinder |
| ultrā (prep. + acc.) | beyond |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| cōnsīdō, -sīdere, -sēdī, -sessus | sit down |
| circiter, prep. with acc. and adv. | about |
| 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 |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| idōneus, -a, -um | suitable, fit; favorable |
| dēligō, -ligere, -lēgī, -lēctus | choose out, choose, select |
| aciēs, -ēī, f. | line of battle |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| triplex, -icis | threefold, triple |
| īnstruo, -struere, -strūxī, -strūctus | build in or into; draw up; equip, furnish, |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus | come |
| prīmus, -a, -um | first, foremost |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| secundus, -a, -um | following, favorable |
| arma, -ōrum, n. plur. | arms, weapons |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| tertius, -a, -um | third |
| mūniō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus | fortify |
| iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussus | bid, order, command |
| hostis, -is, m. and f. | enemy, foe |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus | say, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day |
| absum, abesse, āfuī, āfutūrus | be away, be absent, be distant; be wanting |
| eō (adv.) | to that place, thither; to that point (usque eō); (with comparatives) by so much, all the (more) |
| homō, hominis, m. | man |
| mīlle, indecl. adj. | a thousand; mīlia, -ium, n. plur., thousands; |
| expedītus, -a, -um | unobstructed, easy; lightly equipped |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| equitātus, -ūs m. | cavalry |
| mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus | send |
| cōpia, -ae, f. | supply, abundance; plur., forces, troops |
| noster, -tra, -trum | our |
| terreō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | frighten, terrify |
| mūnītiō, -ōnis f. | fortification, defence works |
| nihil, n., indecl. | nothing |
| sētius (adv.) | less (nihilō sētius: nevertheless) |
| ante, prep, with acc. and adv. | before |
| cōnstituō, -stituere, -stituī, -stitūtus | set together or up; appoint; determine |
| duo, -ae, -o, plur. adj. | two |
| prōpulsō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | drive back |
| opus, operis, n. | work, task |
| perficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | do or make through, accomplish |
| ibi, adv. | in that place, there |
| legiō, -ōnis f. | legion |
| relinquō, -linquere, -līquī, -lictus | leave behind, leave |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| auxilium, -ī, n. | help, aid |
| quattuor, indecl. adj. | four |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| redūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead or bring back; restore |