Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 2
De Bello Gallico 2.22
Fighting in pieces
Caesar, De Bello Gallico II. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō2.22.1Īnstrūctō exercitū magis ut locī nātūrā dēlēctusque collis et necessitās temporis quam ut reī mīlitāris ratiō atque ōrdō postulābat, cum dīversae legiōnēs aliae aliā in parte hostibus resisterent saepibusque dēnsissimīs, ut ante dēmōnstrāvimus, interiectīs prōspectus impedīrētur, neque certa subsidia conlocārī neque quid in quāque parte opus esset prōvidērī neque ab ūnō omnia imperia administrārī poterant.
The army was drawn up more as the nature of the ground, the slope of the hill and the need of the moment required than as military method and order demanded; with the legions separated and resisting the enemy in different places, and with the view blocked by very thick hedges set in between, as we explained before, no reserves could be placed with certainty, no one could foresee what was needed in each part, and no one man could give all the orders.
Note. magis ut … quam ut …: 'more as … than as …'. The long cum clause gives the reasons why no one could control the battle.
2.22.2Itaque in tantā rērum inīquitāte fortūnae quoque ēventūs variī sequēbantur.
So, with things so uneven, the outcomes of fortune that followed were also varied.
Vocabulary
| īnstruo, -struere, -strūxī, -strūctus | build in or into; draw up; equip, furnish, |
| exercitus, -ūs, m. | army |
| magis, comp. adv. | more, rather |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| nātūra, -ae, f. | nature, character |
| dēlēctus, -ūs m. | choice, selection |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| collis, -is m. | hill |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| necessitās, -ātis f. | necessity, compulsion |
| tempus, temporis, n. | time, season |
| quam, adv. | how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| mīlitāris, -e | military, warlike; rēs mīlitāris, art of war, warfare |
| ratiō, -ōnis, f. | plan, means, method, manner; reason; account |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| ōrdō, ōrdinis, m. | arrangement, order, rank; ex ōrdine, in order |
| postulō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | ask, request, demand |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| dīversus, -a, -um | turned different ways, opposite, contrary, different |
| legiō, -ōnis f. | legion |
| alius, -a, -ud | another, other; aliī ... aliī, some ... others |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| hostis, -is, m. and f. | enemy, foe |
| resistō, -sistere, -stitī | stand back, resist |
| saepēs, -is f. | hedge |
| dēnsus, -a, -um | thick |
| ante, prep, with acc. and adv. | before |
| dēmōnstrō, -mōnstrāre, -mōnstrāvī, -mōnstrātus | point out, show; make known |
| intericiō, -ere, -iēcī, -iectum | put between, interweave |
| prōspectus, -ūs m. | view |
| impediō, -pedīre, -pedīvī, -pedītus | hinder, prevent, impede |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| certus, -a, -um | determined, fixed, certain; certiōrem facere, to make more certain, inform |
| subsidium, -ī, n. | reserve, reinforcement, support, help |
| collocō (conlocō), -āre, -āvī, -ātum | place, station; give in marriage |
| quis, quid, interrog. pron. | who? which? what? |
| quisque, quaeque, quidque, indef. pron. | each |
| opus, operis, n. | work, task |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| prōvideō, -ēre, -vīdī, -vīsum | foresee; provide for |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| ūnus, -a, -um | one; only, alone |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| imperium, -ī, n. | command; sway, rule |
| administrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | manage, carry out |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| itaque, adv. | and so, accordingly, therefore |
| tantus, -a, -um | so great or much |
| inīquitās, -ātis f. | unevenness; unfairness, difficulty |
| fortūna, -ae, f. | fortune |
| quoque, adv. | also |
| ēventus, -ūs m. | outcome, result |
| varius, -a, -um | various |
| sequor, sequī, secūtus | follow |