De Bello Gallico 1.49

A second camp

In brief. To keep his supplies open, Caesar builds a second camp about six hundred paces beyond the Germans; two lines hold off some 16,000 light-armed men and cavalry while the third fortifies it. He leaves two legions there.

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1.49.1Ubi 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.

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Grammar in this passage: purpose clauses ×1, ablative absolute ×2

Latin vocabulary for this passage (69 words)

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

Caesar, De Bello Gallico I. Latin text: T. Rice Holmes (Oxford, 1914), public domain; digital text from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA. Word analysis: LatinCy, then every word checked and corrected by hand. Vocabulary: F. Ritchie (1903, public domain) and entries written for this app. English translation, notes and grammar hints: written for this app.