Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 2
De Bello Gallico 2.13
The Bellovaci surrender
Caesar, De Bello Gallico II. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō2.13.1Caesar, obsidibus acceptīs prīmīs cīvitātis atque ipsīus Galbae rēgis duōbus fīliīs armīsque omnibus ex oppidō trāditīs, in dēditiōnem Suessiōnēs accipit exercitumque in Bellovacōs dūcit.
Caesar received as hostages the leading men of the state and the two sons of King Galba himself, and when all the weapons in the town had been handed over, he accepted the surrender of the Suessiones and leads his army against the Bellovaci.
2.13.2Quī cum sē suaque omnia in oppidum Bratuspantium contulissent atque ab eō oppidō Caesar cum exercitū circiter mīlia passuum V abesset, omnēs maiōrēs nātū ex oppidō ēgressī manūs ad Caesarem tendere et vōce significāre coepērunt sēsē in eius fidem ac potestātem venīre neque contrā populum Rōmānum armīs contendere.
They had gathered themselves and all their belongings into the town of Bratuspantium, and when Caesar and his army were about five miles from it, all the elders came out of the town and began to stretch out their hands to Caesar and to call out that they were placing themselves under his protection and power and would not fight against the Roman people.
Note. maiōrēs nātū: 'the elders', literally 'greater by birth'.
2.13.3Item, cum ad oppidum accessisset castraque ibi pōneret, puerī mulierēsque ex mūrō passīs manibus suō mōre pācem ab Rōmānīs petiērunt.
Likewise, when he had come up to the town and was pitching camp there, the children and women on the wall, with hands outstretched in their fashion, begged the Romans for peace.
Note. passīs manibus: from pandō, 'with hands outstretched', a gesture of surrender.
Vocabulary
| obses, obsidis m./f. | hostage |
| accipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take to oneself, receive, accept; hear; suffer |
| prīmus, -a, -um | first, foremost |
| cīvitās, -tātis, f. | state |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| rēx, rēgis, m. | king |
| duo, -ae, -o, plur. adj. | two |
| fīlius, -ī, m. | son |
| arma, -ōrum, n. plur. | arms, weapons |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| oppidum, -ī, n. | town |
| trādō, -dere, -didī, -ditus | give across, over, or up, deliver; hand down, relate, report |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| dēditiō, -ōnis f. | surrender |
| exercitus, -ūs, m. | army |
| dūcō, dūcere, dūxī, ductus | lead; make, dig; with or without in mātrimōnium, marry |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| cōnferō, cōnferre, contulī, conlātus | bring together; grant, confer; sē cōnferre, to betake oneself, make one's way |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| circiter, prep. with acc. and adv. | about |
| 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 |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| nātū (abl. only) | by birth (maiōrēs nātū: the elders) |
| ēgredior, -gredī, -gressus | go out or forth, go ashore, disembark |
| manus, -ūs, f. | hand |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| tendō, -ere, tetendī, tentum | stretch out; hold out |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| vōx, vōcis, f. | voice; word |
| significō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | show, indicate, signal |
| coepī, coepisse, coeptus (used in tenses of completed action) | have begun, began |
| fidēs, -eī f. | faith, trust; pledge |
| potestās, -ātis f. | power, authority |
| veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus | come |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| contrā, prep, with acc. | against, contrary to |
| populus, -ī m. | people, nation |
| Rōmānus, -a, -um | Roman |
| contendō, -tendere, -tendī, -tentus | stretch, hasten |
| item | likewise, also |
| accēdō, -ere, accessī, accessum | come near, approach; be added |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| ibi, adv. | in that place, there |
| pōnō, pōnere, posuī, positus | place, put; pōnī with in and abl., to be placed in, rest or depend on |
| puer, puerī, m. | boy |
| mulier, mulieris, f. | woman |
| mūrus, -ī, m. | wall |
| pandō, -ere, pandī, passum | spread out (passīs manibus: with hands outstretched) |
| mōs, mōris, m. | way, manner, habit, custom |
| pāx, pācis f. | peace |
| petō, -ere, -īvī or -iī, -ītus | seek, ask; attack |