2.22.1Īnstrūctō 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.
Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 2 › De Bello Gallico 2.22
Caesar · De Bello Gallico II
De Bello Gallico 2.22
Fighting in pieces
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Latin vocabulary for this passage (57 words)
| 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 |
Caesar, De Bello Gallico II. 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.