Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 3
De Bello Gallico 3.20
Crassus in Aquitania
Caesar, De Bello Gallico III. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō3.20.1Eōdem ferē tempore P. Crassus., cum in Aquītāniam pervēnisset, quae pars, ut ante dictum est, et regiōnum lātitūdine et multitūdine hominum tertia pars Galliae est aestimanda, cum intellegeret in iīs locīs sibi bellum gerendum ubi paucīs ante annīs L. Valerius Praecōnīnus lēgātus exercitū pulsō interfectus esset atque unde L. Mānlius prōcōnsul impedīmentīs āmissīs profūgisset, nōn mediocrem sibi dīligentiam adhibendam intellegēbat.
At about the same time Publius Crassus had reached Aquitania, which, as was said before, must be reckoned a third of Gaul both for the extent of its land and the number of its people; and since he understood that he had to wage war in the region where a few years earlier the officer Lucius Valerius Praeconinus had been killed and his army routed, and from which the proconsul Lucius Manlius had fled after losing his baggage, he understood that he must take more than ordinary care.
Note. aestimanda est: gerundive of obligation, 'must be reckoned'. sibi … adhibendam: 'that he must use'.
3.20.2Itaque rē frūmentāriā prōvīsā, auxiliīs equitātūque comparātō, multīs praetereā virīs fortibus Tolōsā et Carcasōne et Narbōne, quae sunt cīvitātēs Galliae prōvinciae fīnitimae, ex hīs regiōnibus nōminātim ēvocātīs, in Sotiātium fīnēs exercitum intrōdūxit.
So after providing for his grain supply, assembling auxiliaries and cavalry, and also calling up by name many brave men from Tolosa, Carcaso and Narbo, states of the Province of Gaul that border on this region, he led his army into the territory of the Sotiates.
3.20.3Cuius adventū cognitō Sotiātēs magnīs cōpiīs coāctīs, equitātūque, quō plūrimum valēbant, in itinere agmen nostrum adortī prīmum equestre proelium commīsērunt, deinde equitātū suō pulsō atque īnsequentibus nostrīs subitō pedestrēs cōpiās, quās in convalle in īnsidiīs conlocāverant, ostendērunt.
When they learned of his approach, the Sotiates gathered large forces, including cavalry, in which their main strength lay, attacked our column on the march and first fought a cavalry battle; then, when their cavalry was beaten and our men were pursuing, they suddenly revealed their infantry, which they had placed in ambush in a valley.
3.20.4Hī nostrōs disiectōs adortī proelium renovārunt.
These attacked our men while they were scattered and renewed the battle.
Vocabulary
| īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron. | the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also |
| ferē, adv. | nearly, about, almost, for the most part |
| tempus, temporis, n. | time, season |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| perveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventus | come through, come, arrive, reach |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| ante, prep, with acc. and adv. | before |
| dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus | say, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| regiō, -ōnis, f. | direction; country, region |
| lātitūdō, -inis f. | width, breadth |
| multitūdō, -tūdinis, f. | multitude |
| homō, hominis, m. | man |
| tertius, -a, -um | third |
| aestimō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | value, reckon |
| intellegō, -legere, -lēxī, -lēctus | perceive, understand |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| bellum, -ī, n. | war |
| gerō, gerere, gessī, gestus | carry, wear; carry on, do |
| ubi, adv. | where; conj., when |
| paucī, -ae, -a, plur. adj. | few |
| annus, -ī, m. | year |
| lēgātus, -ī, m. | ambassador |
| exercitus, -ūs, m. | army |
| pellō, pellere, pepulī, pulsus | drive, drive away, beat, rout |
| interficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | put out of the way, kill |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| unde, adv. | whence |
| prōcōnsul, -ulis m. | proconsul, governor |
| impedīmentum, -ī n. | hindrance; (pl.) baggage |
| āmittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send away, lose |
| profugiō, -ere, -fūgī | flee, escape |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| mediocris, -e | moderate, ordinary |
| dīligentia, -ae, f. | care, diligence, industry |
| adhibeō, -hibēre, -hibuī, -hibitus | hold to, employ, show |
| itaque, adv. | and so, accordingly, therefore |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| frūmentārius, -a, -um | of grain (rēs frūmentāria: grain supply) |
| prōvideō, -ēre, -vīdī, -vīsum | foresee; provide for |
| auxilium, -ī, n. | help, aid |
| equitātus, -ūs m. | cavalry |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| comparō, -parāre, -parāvī, -parātus | prepare, collect |
| multus, -a, -um | much, great; plur., many |
| praetereā, adv. | besides this, besides, moreover |
| vir, virī, m. | man |
| fortis, -e | brave |
| cīvitās, -tātis, f. | state |
| prōvincia, -ae f. | province; here, the Roman Province in southern Gaul |
| fīnitimus, -a, -um | neighboring, adjoining |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| nōminātim (adv.) | by name, one by one |
| ēvocō, -vocāre, -vocāvī, -vocātus | call out, challenge |
| fīnis, -is, m. | end, boundary; plur., borders, territory, country |
| intrōdūcō, -ere, -dūxī, -ductum | lead in, bring in |
| adventus, -ūs, m. | approach, arrival |
| cognōscō, -gnōscere, -gnōvī, -gnitus | find out, learn; in tenses of completed action, have found out, know |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| cōpia, -ae, f. | supply, abundance; plur., forces, troops |
| cōgō, cōgere, coēgī, coāctus | drive together, collect; compel |
| plūrimum (adv.) | most, very much (plūrimum posse: be most powerful) |
| valeō, -ēre, -uī, -itūrus | be strong or effectual, have effect, prevail |
| iter, itineris, n. | a going, journey, march; iter facere, to journey, march |
| agmen, -minis, n. | band, column |
| noster, -tra, -trum | our |
| adorior, -īrī, adortus sum | attack |
| prīmum, adv. | first, in the first place |
| equester, -tris, -tre | of cavalry |
| proelium, -ī, n. | battle, combat; proelium committere, to join battle |
| committō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send together; commit, intrust; expose; proelium committere, to join battle |
| deinde, adv. | then, next |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| īnsequor, -sequī, -secūtus | follow upon or up, pursue |
| subitō, adv. | unexpectedly, suddenly |
| pedester, -tris, -tre | on foot, infantry (pedestrēs cōpiae: infantry) |
| convallis, -is f. | enclosed valley |
| īnsidiae, -ārum, f. plur. | ambush; plot, stratagem |
| collocō (conlocō), -āre, -āvī, -ātum | place, station; give in marriage |
| ostendō, -tendere, -tendī, -tentus | stretch out before, show, explain |
| disiciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectus | throw apart, scatter |
| renovō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | renew |