Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 3
De Bello Gallico 3.19
Sabinus' victory
Caesar, De Bello Gallico III. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō3.19.1Locus erat castrōrum ēditus et paulātim ab īmō acclīvis circiter passūs mīlle.
The camp stood on high ground that sloped up gently from the bottom for about a mile.
3.19.1Hūc magnō cursū contendērunt, ut quam minimum spatiī ad sē colligendōs armandōsque Rōmānīs darētur, exanimātīque pervēnērunt.
They ran there at great speed, so that the Romans would have as little time as possible to collect and arm themselves, and arrived out of breath.
Note. quam minimum spatiī: 'as little time as possible'.
3.19.2Sabīnus suōs hortātus cupientibus signum dat.
Sabinus encourages his men, who are eager, and gives the signal.
3.19.2Impedītīs hostibus propter ea quae ferēbant onera subitō duābus portīs ēruptiōnem fierī iubet.
While the enemy were hampered by the loads they were carrying, he orders a sudden sally from two gates.
3.19.3Factum est oportūnitāte locī, hostium īnscientiā ac dēfatīgātiōne, virtūte mīlitum et superiōrum pugnārum exercitātiōne, ut nē ūnum quidem nostrōrum impetum ferrent ac statim terga verterent.
Thanks to the advantage of the ground, the enemy's inexperience and exhaustion, the courage of the soldiers and their practice in earlier battles, it came about that the enemy could not stand even one charge of our men and at once turned and fled.
Note. Factum est … ut: 'it came about that', followed by a result clause.
3.19.4Quōs impedītōs integrīs vīribus mīlitēs nostrī cōnsecūtī magnum numerum eōrum occīdērunt;
While they were hampered, our soldiers, whose strength was fresh, pursued them and killed a great number of them;
3.19.4reliquōs equitēs cōnsectātī paucōs, quī ex fugā ēvāserant, relīquērunt.
the cavalry chased the rest and left few who had escaped from the rout.
3.19.5Sīc ūnō tempore et dē nāvālī pugnā Sabīnus et dē Sabīnī victōriā Caesar est certior factus, cīvitātēsque omnēs sē statim Titūriō dēdidērunt.
So at the same moment Sabinus learned of the sea battle and Caesar of Sabinus' victory, and all the states at once surrendered to Titurius.
3.19.6Nam ut ad bella suscipienda Gallōrum alacer ac promptus est animus, sīc mollis ac minimē resistēns ad calamitātēs ferendās mēns eōrum est.
For as the spirit of the Gauls is eager and ready to take up wars, so their minds are soft and by no means firm in bearing disasters.
Note. ut … sīc: 'as … so'. Caesar contrasts Gallic eagerness for war with their lack of staying power.
Vocabulary
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| ēditus, -a, -um | raised, high |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| paulātim (adv.) | little by little, gradually |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| īmus, -a, -um | lowest (ab īmō: from the bottom) |
| acclīvis, -e | sloping upward |
| circiter, prep. with acc. and adv. | about |
| passus, -ūs, m. | pace (mīlia passuum: miles) |
| mīlle, indecl. adj. | a thousand; mīlia, -ium, n. plur., thousands; |
| hūc, adv. | to this place, hither |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| cursus, -ūs, m. | running, speed; course, route, voyage; race |
| contendō, -tendere, -tendī, -tentus | stretch, hasten |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| quam, adv. | how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible |
| parvus, -a, -um | little, small |
| spatium, -ī, n. | space, interval; space of time, time |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| colligō, -ere, -lēgī, -lēctum | gather, collect (sē colligere: recover oneself) |
| armō, -āre, -āvi, -ātus | arm, equip |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| Rōmānus, -a, -um | Roman |
| dō, dare, dedī, datus | give |
| exanimō, -animāre, -animāvī, -animātus | put out of breath, fatigue, tire, exhaust; stupefy; kill |
| perveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventus | come through, come, arrive, reach |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| hortor, -ārī, -ātus | exhort, encourage, urge |
| cupiō, -ere, -īvī, -ītus | desire, long for, wish |
| signum, -ī, n. | sign, signal |
| impediō, -pedīre, -pedīvī, -pedītus | hinder, prevent, impede |
| hostis, -is, m. and f. | enemy, foe |
| propter, prep. with acc. | on account of, because of |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| ferō, ferre, tulī, lātus | bear, bring |
| onus, oneris n. | load, weight |
| subitō, adv. | unexpectedly, suddenly |
| duo, -ae, -o, plur. adj. | two |
| porta, -ae, f. | gate; door |
| ēruptiō, -ōnis f. | sally, sortie |
| fīō, fierī, factus sum | be done or made, become, happen |
| iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussus | bid, order, command |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| opportūnitās, -ātis f. | advantage, favourable feature |
| īnscientia, -ae f. | ignorance |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| dēfatīgātiō, -ōnis f. | exhaustion |
| virtūs, -tūtis, f. | manliness, courage, bravery |
| mīles, mīlitis, m. | soldier |
| superior, -ius, adj. | higher; former, previous, preceding |
| pugna, -ae, f. | fighting, battle, combat |
| exercitātiō, -ōnis, f. | exercise |
| nē, adv. | not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest |
| ūnus, -a, -um | one; only, alone |
| quidem, adv. | in fact, indeed, certainly; nē ... quidem, not ... even |
| noster, -tra, -trum | our |
| impetus, -ūs, m. | attack; impetum facere, to charge |
| statim, adv. | on the spot, forthwith, at once, immediately |
| tergum, -ī, n. | back |
| vertō, vertere, vertī, versus | turn |
| integer, -gra, -grum | untouched, fresh, whole |
| vīs, vīs, f. | violence, force; virtue, potency, efficacy; plur. vīrēs, -ium, strength; omnibus vīribus, with all one's strength, with might and main |
| cōnsequor, -sequī, -secūtus | follow up, follow; overtake |
| numerus, -ī, m. | number |
| occīdō, -cīdere, -cīdī, -cīsus | cut down, kill |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| eques, equitis m. | horseman; (pl.) cavalry |
| cōnsector, -ārī, -ātus sum | pursue, chase |
| paucī, -ae, -a, plur. adj. | few |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| fuga, -ae, f. | flight |
| ēvādō, -vādere, -vāsī, -vāsus | go forth, get away, escape |
| relinquō, -linquere, -līquī, -lictus | leave behind, leave |
| sīc, adv. | so, thus |
| tempus, temporis, n. | time, season |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| nāvālis, -e | naval, of ships |
| victōria, -ae, f. | victory |
| certus, -a, -um | determined, fixed, certain; certiōrem facere, to make more certain, inform |
| cīvitās, -tātis, f. | state |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| dēdō, -dere, -didī, -ditus | give away or up |
| nam, conj. | for |
| bellum, -ī, n. | war |
| suscipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | undertake |
| alacer, -cris, -cre | eager, keen |
| promptus, -a, -um | ready, eager |
| animus, -ī, m. | mind; heart; spirit, courage |
| mollis, -e | soft, weak |
| minimē, adv. | least, very little; by no means, not at all |
| resistō, -sistere, -stitī | stand back, resist |
| calamitās, -tātis, f. | misfortune, calamity, disaster |
| mēns, mentis f. | mind, spirit |