Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 2
De Bello Gallico 2.26
The tide turns
Caesar, De Bello Gallico II. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō2.26.1Caesar, cum VII. legiōnem, quae iūxtā cōnstiterat, item urgērī ab hoste vīdisset, tribūnōs mīlitum monuit ut paulātim sēsē legiōnēs coniungerent et conversa signa in hostēs īnferrent.
When Caesar saw that the seventh legion, which stood nearby, was also hard pressed by the enemy, he told the military tribunes to have the legions gradually close up and turn and advance against the enemy.
2.26.2Quō factō cum aliīs aliī subsidium ferrent neque timērent nē āversī ab hoste circumvenīrentur, audācius resistere ac fortius pugnāre coepērunt.
Once this was done, since they could support one another and were not afraid of being surrounded from behind by the enemy, they began to resist more boldly and fight more bravely.
Note. nē āversī … circumvenīrentur: nē after a verb of fearing, 'that they would be surrounded from behind'.
2.26.3Interim mīlitēs legiōnum duārum quae in novissimō agmine praesidiō impedīmentīs fuerant, proeliō nūntiātō, cursū incitātō in summō colle ab hostibus cōnspiciēbantur, et T. Labiēnus castrīs hostium potītus et ex locō superiōre quae rēs in nostrīs castrīs gererentur cōnspicātus X. legiōnem subsidiō nostrīs mīsit.
Meanwhile the soldiers of the two legions that had been guarding the baggage at the rear of the column, hearing of the battle, came on at a run and were seen by the enemy on the top of the hill; and Titus Labienus, having taken the enemy's camp and seen from the higher ground what was happening in our camp, sent the tenth legion to help our men.
2.26.5Quī cum ex equitum et cālōnum fugā quō in locō rēs esset quantōque in perīculō et castra et legiōnēs et imperātor versārētur cognōvissent, nihil ad celeritātem sibi reliquī fēcērunt.
When they learned from the flight of the cavalry and servants how matters stood and in what great danger the camp, the legions and the general were, they spared no effort to be quick.
Note. nihil ad celeritātem sibi reliquī fēcērunt: 'they left nothing undone in the way of speed'.
Vocabulary
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| Roman numeral | a number written with letters: I 1, V 5, X 10, L 50, C 100, D 500, M 1000 |
| legiō, -ōnis f. | legion |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| iūxtā (adv. and prep. + acc.) | nearby; next to |
| cōnsistō, -sistere, -stitī, -stitus | station oneself, take one's stand; consist |
| item | likewise, also |
| urgeō, -ēre, ursī | press hard |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| hostis, -is, m. and f. | enemy, foe |
| videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus | see; pass., seem |
| tribūnus, -ī m. | tribune (tribūnus mīlitum: senior officer of a legion) |
| mīles, mīlitis, m. | soldier |
| moneō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | warn |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| paulātim (adv.) | little by little, gradually |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| coniungō, -iungere, -iūnxī, -iūnctus | join together, join |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| convertō, -vertere, -vertī, -versus | turn round, turn, change; in fugam convertere, to put to flight |
| signum, -ī, n. | sign, signal |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| īnferō, īnferre, intulī, inlātus | bring in or against, wage against; inflict |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| alius, -a, -ud | another, other; aliī ... aliī, some ... others |
| subsidium, -ī, n. | reserve, reinforcement, support, help |
| ferō, ferre, tulī, lātus | bear, bring |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| timeō, -ēre, -uī | fear |
| nē, adv. | not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest |
| āvertō, -ere, āvertī, āversum | turn away, turn aside |
| circumveniō, -īre, -vēnī, -ventum | surround |
| audācter (adv.; comp. audācius) | boldly |
| resistō, -sistere, -stitī | stand back, resist |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| fortiter, adv. | bravely |
| pugnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | fight |
| coepī, coepisse, coeptus (used in tenses of completed action) | have begun, began |
| interim (adv.) | meanwhile |
| duo, -ae, -o, plur. adj. | two |
| novissimus, -a, -um | last (novissimum agmen: the rear) |
| agmen, -minis, n. | band, column |
| praesidium, -ī, n. | protection; guard, escort |
| impedīmentum, -ī n. | hindrance; (pl.) baggage |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| proelium, -ī, n. | battle, combat; proelium committere, to join battle |
| nūntiō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | report, announce |
| cursus, -ūs, m. | running, speed; course, route, voyage; race |
| incitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | stir up, provoke |
| summus, -a, -um | uppermost, highest, greatest |
| collis, -is m. | hill |
| cōnspiciō, -spicere, -spēxī, -spectus | behold, perceive, see |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| potior, -īrī, -ītus | become master of, get possession of |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| superior, -ius, adj. | higher; former, previous, preceding |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| noster, -tra, -trum | our |
| gerō, gerere, gessī, gestus | carry, wear; carry on, do |
| cōnspicor, -ārī, -ātus sum | catch sight of |
| mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus | send |
| eques, equitis m. | horseman; (pl.) cavalry |
| cālō, -ōnis m. | soldier's servant, camp follower |
| fuga, -ae, f. | flight |
| quī, quae, quod, interrog. pron. adj. | what? |
| quantus, -a, -um | how great or much? |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| perīculum, -ī, n. | danger, peril, risk |
| imperātor, -ōris, m. | commander, general |
| versor, -ārī, -ātus | keep turning, be busy or employed, be |
| cognōscō, -gnōscere, -gnōvī, -gnitus | find out, learn; in tenses of completed action, have found out, know |
| nihil, n., indecl. | nothing |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| celeritās, -tātis, f. | swiftness, quickness, speed |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |