De Bello Gallico 1.51

The Germans are forced out

In brief. Caesar advances right up to the German camp and forces the Germans out. They draw up tribe by tribe, ringed with wagons on which their women tearfully beg them not to let them be enslaved by the Romans.

LatinLatin and EnglishEnglish onlyRead it word by word

1.51.1Postrīdiē eius diēī Caesar praesidiō utrīsque castrīs quod satis esse vīsum est relīquit, ālāriōs omnēs in cōnspectū hostium prō castrīs minōribus cōnstituit, quod minus multitūdine mīlitum legiōnāriōrum prō hostium numerō valēbat, ut ad speciem ālāriīs ūterētur;The next day Caesar left in each camp what seemed a sufficient guard and placed all the auxiliaries in full view of the enemy in front of the smaller camp, since he was weaker in number of legionary soldiers compared with the enemy's numbers, so as to use the auxiliaries for show;Note. ad speciem: 'for show'. Caesar puts the auxiliaries where the enemy can see them so his army looks larger. 1.51.1ipse triplicī īnstrūctā aciē usque ad castra hostium accessit.he himself, with his army drawn up in three lines, advanced right up to the enemy's camp. 1.51.2Tum dēmum necessāriō Germānī suās cōpiās castrīs ēdūxērunt generātimque cōnstituērunt paribus intervallīs, Harūdēs, Marcomanōs, Tribocōs, Vangionēs, Nemetēs, Sedusiōs, Suēbōs, omnemque aciem suam raedīs et carrīs circumdedērunt, nē qua spēs in fugā relinquerētur.Then at last the Germans were forced to lead their forces out of camp and drew them up tribe by tribe at equal intervals, Harudes, Marcomanni, Triboci, Vangiones, Nemetes, Sedusii and Suebi, and surrounded their whole line with wagons and carts, so that no hope would be left in flight.Note. generātim: 'tribe by tribe'. nē qua spēs: after nē, qua means 'any'.

1.51.3Eō mulierēs imposuērunt, quae ad proelium proficīscentēs mīlitēs passīs manibus flentēs implōrābant nē sē in servitūtem Rōmānīs trāderent.On these they put their women, who with outstretched hands and tears begged the soldiers as they set out for battle not to hand them over into slavery to the Romans.Note. passīs manibus: 'with hands outstretched', from pandō.

Read the Latin itself: tap any word for its meaning and grammar, save words to review, and keep your place.

Read in Lectitō

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

Latin vocabulary for this passage (67 words)

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
praesidium, -ī, n.	protection; guard, escort
uterque, utraque, utrumque	each, either, both
castra, -ōrum, n. plur.	camp
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.	who, which
satis, adv.	enough, sufficiently
sum, esse, fuī, futūrus	be
videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus	see; pass., seem
relinquō, -linquere, -līquī, -lictus	leave behind, leave
ālārius, -ī m.	auxiliary soldier (posted on the wings)
omnis, -e	all, every
in, prep. with acc. and abl.	with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
cōnspectus, -ūs, m.	sight
hostis, -is, m. and f.	enemy, foe
prō, prep. with abl.	before, in front of; for, in behalf of; for, as; in return for, for
parvus, -a, -um	little, small
cōnstituō, -stituere, -stituī, -stitūtus	set together or up; appoint; determine
quod, conj.	that, in that, because
minus, comp. adv.	less
multitūdō, -tūdinis, f.	multitude
mīles, mīlitis, m.	soldier
legiōnārius, -a, -um	of a legion, legionary
numerus, -ī, m.	number
valeō, -ēre, -uī, -itūrus	be strong or effectual, have effect, prevail
ut, conj.	as; when; that; ita ut, as
ad, prep. with acc.	to, toward; at, near; for
speciēs, -ēī, f.	sight, appearance, shape
ūtor, ūtī, ūsus	use
ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron.	self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very
triplex, -icis	threefold, triple
īnstruo, -struere, -strūxī, -strūctus	build in or into; draw up; equip, furnish,
aciēs, -ēī, f.	line of battle
ūsque, adv.	all the time; ūsque ad, as far as, until; quō ūsque, see quō
accēdō, -ere, accessī, accessum	come near, approach; be added
tum, adv.	then, at that time
dēmum, adv.	at last
necessāriō (adv.)	of necessity, unavoidably
suus, -a, -um	his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their
cōpia, -ae, f.	supply, abundance; plur., forces, troops
ēdūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus	lead out, draw
generātim (adv.)	by tribes, by kinds
que, enclitic conj.	and
pār, paris	equal
intervallum, -ī, n.	interval, space, distance
raeda, -ae f.	wagon, carriage
et, conj.	and; et ... et, both ... and
carrus, -ī m.	wagon, cart
circumdō, -dare, -dedī, -datus	put around, surround
nē, adv.	not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest
quis, qua, quid, indef. pron.	any one, anybody, anything, some one, somebody, something
spēs, speī, f.	hope
fuga, -ae, f.	flight
eō (adv.)	to that place, thither; to that point (usque eō); (with comparatives) by so much, all the (more)
mulier, mulieris, f.	woman
impōnō, -pōnere, -posuī, -positus	place or lay upon, impose; embark
proelium, -ī, n.	battle, combat; proelium committere, to join battle
proficīscor, -ficīscī, -fectus sum	set out, depart, march
pandō, -ere, pandī, passum	spread out (passīs manibus: with hands outstretched)
manus, -ūs, f.	hand
fleō, -ēre, flēvī, flētum	weep
implōrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum	beg for, appeal for
suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron.	himself, herself, itself, themselves
servitūs, -tūtis, f.	slavery, servitude
Rōmānus, -a, -um	Roman
trādō, -dere, -didī, -ditus	give across, over, or up, deliver; hand down, relate, report

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.