Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 2
De Bello Gallico 2.12
Noviodunum
Caesar, De Bello Gallico II. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō2.12.1Postrīdiē eius diēī Caesar, prius quam sē hostēs ex terrōre ac fugā reciperent, in fīnēs Suessiōnum, quī proximī Rēmīs erant, exercitum dūxit et magnō itinere cōnfectō ad oppidum Noviodūnum contendit.
The next day, before the enemy could recover from their terror and flight, Caesar led his army into the territory of the Suessiones, who were neighbours of the Remi, and after a long march hurried to the town of Noviodunum.
Note. prius quam … reciperent: subjunctive, because Caesar acted to prevent their recovery.
2.12.2Id ex itinere oppugnāre cōnātus, quod vacuum ab dēfēnsōribus esse audiēbat, propter lātitūdinem fossae mūrīque altitūdinem paucīs dēfendentibus expugnāre nōn potuit.
He tried to take it by assault straight from the march, because he heard it was empty of defenders, but because of the width of the ditch and the height of the wall he could not take it, though only a few were defending it.
2.12.3Castrīs mūnītīs vīneās agere quaeque ad oppugnandum ūsuī erant comparāre coepit.
After fortifying the camp he began to bring up sheds and to prepare whatever was useful for a siege.
Note. vīneae were movable sheds that let besiegers work at a wall under cover.
2.12.4Interim omnis ex fugā Suessiōnum multitūdō in oppidum proximā nocte convēnit.
Meanwhile the whole mass of the Suessiones gathered into the town from their flight the following night.
2.12.5Celeriter vīneīs ad oppidum āctīs, aggere iactō turribusque cōnstitūtīs, magnitūdine operum, quae neque vīderant ante Gallī neque audierant, et celeritāte Rōmānōrum permōtī lēgātōs ad Caesarem dē dēditiōne mittunt et petentibus Rēmīs ut cōnservārentur impetrant.
When the sheds had quickly been brought up to the town, a ramp thrown up and towers set in place, the Gauls, alarmed by the size of the siege works, such as they had never seen or heard of before, and by the speed of the Romans, send envoys to Caesar about surrender, and at the request of the Remi they obtain their lives.
Note. petentibus Rēmīs: ablative absolute, 'at the request of the Remi'.
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 |
| prius, adv. | before, first |
| quam, adv. | how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| hostis, -is, m. and f. | enemy, foe |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| terror, -ōris, m. | terror, fright |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| fuga, -ae, f. | flight |
| recipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take or get back, recover; sē recipere, to betake oneself, withdraw; to collect oneself, recover |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| fīnis, -is, m. | end, boundary; plur., borders, territory, country |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| proximus, -a, -um | nearest, next |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| exercitus, -ūs, m. | army |
| dūcō, dūcere, dūxī, ductus | lead; make, dig; with or without in mātrimōnium, marry |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| iter, itineris, n. | a going, journey, march; iter facere, to journey, march |
| cōnficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | make or do completely, complete, finish, accomplish, make; wear out |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| oppidum, -ī, n. | town |
| contendō, -tendere, -tendī, -tentus | stretch, hasten |
| oppugnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | attack, besiege |
| cōnor, -ārī, -ātus | try, attempt |
| quod, conj. | that, in that, because |
| vacuus, -a, -um | empty |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| dēfēnsor, -ōris m. | defender |
| audiō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus | hear; listen or attend to |
| propter, prep. with acc. | on account of, because of |
| lātitūdō, -inis f. | width, breadth |
| fossa, -ae, f. | ditch, trench |
| mūrus, -ī, m. | wall |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| altitūdō, -inis f. | height; depth |
| paucī, -ae, -a, plur. adj. | few |
| dēfendō, -fendere, -fendī, -fēnsus | ward off; defend |
| expugnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | take by storm, capture |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| mūniō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus | fortify |
| vīnea, -ae f. | shed (a movable shelter for besiegers) |
| agō, agere, ēgī, āctus | drive; do; pass, lead; grātiās agere, see grātia |
| ūsus, -ūs, m. | use; experience |
| comparō, -parāre, -parāvī, -parātus | prepare, collect |
| coepī, coepisse, coeptus (used in tenses of completed action) | have begun, began |
| interim (adv.) | meanwhile |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| multitūdō, -tūdinis, f. | multitude |
| nox, noctis, f. | night |
| conveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventus | come together, assemble |
| celeriter, adv. | swiftly, quickly |
| agger, aggeris m. | mound, siege ramp |
| iaciō, iacere, iēcī, iactus | throw, cast, hurl |
| turris, -is f. | tower; siege tower |
| cōnstituō, -stituere, -stituī, -stitūtus | set together or up; appoint; determine |
| magnitūdō, -tūdinis, f. | greatness, size |
| opus, operis, n. | work, task |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus | see; pass., seem |
| ante, prep, with acc. and adv. | before |
| celeritās, -tātis, f. | swiftness, quickness, speed |
| Rōmānus, -a, -um | Roman |
| permoveō, -ēre, -mōvī, -mōtum | move deeply, influence |
| lēgātus, -ī, m. | ambassador |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| dēditiō, -ōnis f. | surrender |
| mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus | send |
| petō, -ere, -īvī or -iī, -ītus | seek, ask; attack |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| cōnservō, -servāre, -servāvī, -servātus | preserve, keep |
| impetrō, -petrāre, -petrāvī, -petrātus | gain one's end, obtain (a request) |