Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 3
De Bello Gallico 3.3
A council of war
Caesar, De Bello Gallico III. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō3.3.1Hīs nūntiīs acceptīs Galba, cum neque opus hībernōrum mūnītiōnēsque plēnē essent perfectae neque dē frūmentō reliquōque commeātū satis esset prōvīsum quod dēditiōne factā obsidibusque acceptīs nihil dē bellō timendum exīstimāverat, cōnsiliō celeriter convocātō sententiās exquīrere coepit.
On receiving this news, since the work on the winter camp and its fortifications had not been fully completed and not enough provision had been made for grain and other supplies, because he had thought that after the surrender and the taking of hostages there was nothing to fear from war, Galba quickly called a council and began to ask for opinions.
Note. satis esset prōvīsum: impersonal passive, 'enough provision had been made'. nihil … timendum: gerundive of obligation, 'nothing was to be feared'.
3.3.2Quō in cōnsiliō, cum tantum repentīnī perīculī praeter opīniōnem accidisset ac iam omnia ferē superiōra loca multitūdine armātōrum complēta cōnspicerentur neque subsidiō venīrī neque commeātūs supportārī interclūsīs itineribus possent, prope iam dēspērātā salūte nōn nūllae eius modī sententiae dīcēbantur, ut impedīmentīs relictīs ēruptiōne factā īsdem itineribus quibus eō pervēnissent ad salūtem contenderent.
In this council, since so much sudden danger had arisen against all expectation, and almost all the higher ground could already be seen covered with a mass of armed men, and neither could help come nor supplies be brought up with the roads cut off, safety was almost despaired of and several opinions of this kind were put forward: that they should leave the baggage, make a sally, and try to reach safety by the same routes by which they had come.
Note. subsidiō venīrī: impersonal passive, 'that help could come'. nōn nūllae: 'some', literally 'not none'.
3.3.4Maiōrī tamen partī placuit, hōc reservātō ad extrēmum cāsum cōnsiliō interim reī ēventum experīrī et castra dēfendere.
But the majority decided to keep this plan in reserve for the last emergency, and meanwhile to see how things turned out and defend the camp.
Vocabulary
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| nūntius, -ī, m. | messenger; message |
| accipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take to oneself, receive, accept; hear; suffer |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| opus, operis, n. | work, task |
| hīberna, -ōrum n. pl. | winter quarters |
| mūnītiō, -ōnis f. | fortification, defence works |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| plēnē (adv.) | fully, completely |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| perficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | do or make through, accomplish |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| frūmentum, -ī, n. | grain |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| commeātus, -ūs, m. | supplies, provisions |
| satis, adv. | enough, sufficiently |
| prōvideō, -ēre, -vīdī, -vīsum | foresee; provide for |
| quod, conj. | that, in that, because |
| dēditiō, -ōnis f. | surrender |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| obses, obsidis m./f. | hostage |
| nihil, n., indecl. | nothing |
| bellum, -ī, n. | war |
| timeō, -ēre, -uī | fear |
| exīstimō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | consider, believe, think |
| cōnsilium, -ī, n. | advice; plan, design, purpose; prudence |
| celeriter, adv. | swiftly, quickly |
| convocō, -vocāre, -vocāvī, -vocātus | call together, summon, assemble |
| sententia, -ae, f. | opinion; purpose |
| exquīrō, -ere, -quīsīvī, -quīsītum | search out, find out |
| coepī, coepisse, coeptus (used in tenses of completed action) | have begun, began |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| tantus, -a, -um | so great or much |
| repentīnus, -a, -um | sudden |
| perīculum, -ī, n. | danger, peril, risk |
| praeter, prep. with acc. | before, past, by; besides, except |
| opīniō, -ōnis, f. | opinion, expectation; reputation |
| accidō, -cidere, -cidī | fall to or upon; befall, happen |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| iam, adv. | now, already |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| ferē, adv. | nearly, about, almost, for the most part |
| superior, -ius, adj. | higher; former, previous, preceding |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| multitūdō, -tūdinis, f. | multitude |
| armātus, -a, -um | armed |
| compleō, -plēre, -plēvī, -plētus | fill full, fill up |
| cōnspiciō, -spicere, -spēxī, -spectus | behold, perceive, see |
| subsidium, -ī, n. | reserve, reinforcement, support, help |
| veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus | come |
| supportō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | bring up, convey |
| interclūdō, -ere, -clūsī, -clūsum | cut off, block |
| iter, itineris, n. | a going, journey, march; iter facere, to journey, march |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| prope (adv. and prep. + acc.) | near, nearly |
| dēspērō, -spērāre, -spērāvī, -spērātus | despair |
| salūs, salūtis, f. | safety, deliverance, escape |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| nūllus, -a, -um | not any, none, no |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| modus, -ī, m. | way, manner |
| dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus | say, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| impedīmentum, -ī n. | hindrance; (pl.) baggage |
| relinquō, -linquere, -līquī, -lictus | leave behind, leave |
| ēruptiō, -ōnis f. | sally, sortie |
| īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron. | the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also |
| eō (adv.) | to that place, thither; to that point (usque eō); (with comparatives) by so much, all the (more) |
| perveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventus | come through, come, arrive, reach |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| contendō, -tendere, -tendī, -tentus | stretch, hasten |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| tamen, adv. | however, yet, nevertheless |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| placeō, -ēre, placuī, placitum (+ dat.) | please (placuit eī: he decided) |
| reservō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | keep back, save |
| extrēmus, -a, -um | last, extreme, furthest |
| cāsus, -ūs, m. | fall; chance, accident |
| interim (adv.) | meanwhile |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| ēventus, -ūs m. | outcome, result |
| experior, -īrī, expertus sum | try, test, experience |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| dēfendō, -fendere, -fendī, -fēnsus | ward off; defend |