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De Bello Gallico 4.12

The German cavalry attack

Caesar, De Bello Gallico IV. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.

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4.12.1At hostēs, ubi prīmum nostrōs equitēs cōnspexērunt, quōrum erat V mīlium numerus, cum ipsī nōn amplius DCCC equitēs habērent, quod iī quī frūmentandī causā ierant trāns Mosam profectī nōndum redierant, nihil timentibus nostrīs, quod lēgātī eōrum paulō ante ā Caesare discesserant atque is diēs indūtiīs erat ab hīs petītus, impetū factō celeriter nostrōs perturbāvērunt;

But the enemy, as soon as they caught sight of our cavalry, who numbered five thousand, although they themselves had no more than eight hundred horsemen, because those who had gone across the Meuse to get grain had not yet returned, attacked and quickly threw our men into confusion, since our men feared nothing, because their envoys had left Caesar a little before and that day had been asked for by them as a truce;

Note. nihil timentibus nostrīs: dative of reference, 'our men fearing nothing'. is diēs indūtiīs: dative of purpose, 'that day for a truce'.

4.12.2rūrsus hīs resistentibus cōnsuētūdine suā ad pedēs dēsiluērunt subfossīs equīs complūribusque nostrīs dēiectīs reliquōs in fugam coniēcērunt atque ita perterritōs ēgērunt ut nōn prius fugā dēsisterent quam in cōnspectum agminis nostrī vēnissent.

when our men made a stand again, they leaped down on foot, as is their custom, stabbed the horses from beneath, threw down a good many of our men, put the rest to flight, and drove them in such terror that they did not stop fleeing until they came in sight of our column.

4.12.3In eō proeliō ex equitibus nostrīs interficiuntur IIII et LXX, in hīs vir fortissimus Pīsō Aquītānus, amplissimō genere nātus, cuius avus in cīvitāte suā regnum obtinuerat amīcus ā senātū nostrō appellātus.

In that battle seventy-four of our cavalry were killed, among them a very brave man, Piso the Aquitanian, born of a most distinguished family, whose grandfather had held the kingship in his state and had been called a friend by our senate.

Note. IIII et LXX: 'seventy-four'. Pīsō Aquītānus: Piso the Aquitanian, a Gaul with Roman citizenship and name.

4.12.5Hic cum frātrī interclūsō ab hostibus auxilium ferret, illum ex perīculō ēripuit, ipse equō vulnerātō dēiectus, quoad potuit, fortissimē restitit;

When he was bringing help to his brother, who was cut off by the enemy, he snatched him from danger, but he himself was thrown when his horse was wounded, and resisted most bravely as long as he could;

4.12.6cum circumventus multīs vulneribus acceptīs cecidisset atque id frāter, quī iam proeliō excesserat, procul animadvertisset, incitātō equō sē hostibus obtulit atque interfectus est.

when he had fallen, surrounded and with many wounds, and his brother, who had already left the battle, saw it from a distance, he spurred his horse, threw himself at the enemy, and was killed.

Vocabulary

at, conj.but
hostis, -is, m. and f.enemy, foe
ubi, adv.where; conj., when
prīmum, adv.first, in the first place
noster, -tra, -trumour
eques, equitis m.horseman; (pl.) cavalry
cōnspiciō, -spicere, -spēxī, -spectusbehold, perceive, see
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.who, which
sum, esse, fuī, futūrusbe
Roman numerala number written with letters: I 1, V 5, X 10, L 50, C 100, D 500, M 1000
mīlle, indecl. adj.a thousand; mīlia, -ium, n. plur., thousands;
numerus, -ī, m.number
cum, conj.when, while, after; since; although
ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron.self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very
nōn, adv.not
amplius (adv.)more, further
habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itushave, hold; consider
quod, conj.that, in that, because
is, ea, id, dem. pron.this, that; he, she, it, they
frūmentor, -ārī, -ātusfetch grain, forage
causa, -ae, f.cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of
eō, īre, iī, itusgo
trāns, prep. with acc.across, over
proficīscor, -ficīscī, -fectus sumset out, depart, march
nōndum, adv.not yet
redeō, -īre, -iī, -itusgo back, return
nihil, n., indecl.nothing
timeō, -ēre, -uīfear
lēgātus, -ī, m.ambassador
paulō, adv.by a little, a little, somewhat
ante, prep, with acc. and adv.before
ā, ab (prep. + abl.)away from, from; by (ā only before consonants)
discēdō, -cēdere, -cessī, -cessusgo apart, withdraw, depart
atque, ac (conj.)and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants)
diēs, -ēī, m. and f.day
indūtiae, -ārum f. pl.truce, armistice
hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron.this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter
petō, -ere, -īvī or -iī, -ītusseek, ask; attack
impetus, -ūs, m.attack; impetum facere, to charge
faciō, facere, fēcī, factusmake, do; iter facere, see iter
celeriter, adv.swiftly, quickly
perturbō, -turbāre, -turbāvi, -turbātusgreatly disturb, disturb, agitate, throw into confusion
rūrsus, adv.again
resistō, -sistere, -stitīstand back, resist
cōnsuētūdō, -inis f.custom, habit; way of life
suus, -a, -umhis, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their
ad, prep. with acc.to, toward; at, near; for
pēs, pedis, m.foot
dēsiliō, -silīre, -siluī, -sultusleap down
subfodiō, -ere, -fōdī, -fossusstab from beneath, dig under
equus, -ī, m.horse
complūrēs, -plūra, plur. adj.several, many
dēiciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectusthrow down, cast, drive out of one's course
reliquus, -a, -umleft, the remaining, the other, the rest of
in, prep. with acc. and abl.with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
fuga, -ae, f.flight
coniciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectusthrow together; throw, cast, hurl
ita, adv.in this manner, thus, so; ita ut, as
perterreō, -terrēre, -terrui, -territusthoroughly frighten, terrify
agō, agere, ēgī, āctusdrive; do; pass, lead; grātiās agere, see grātia
ut, conj.as; when; that; ita ut, as
prius, adv.before, first
dēsistō, -sistere, -stitī, -stitusset down; leave off, desist, cease, stop
quam, adv.how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible
cōnspectus, -ūs, m.sight
agmen, -minis, n.band, column
veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventuscome
proelium, -ī, n.battle, combat; proelium committere, to join battle
ex, ē (prep. + abl.)out of, from; of (ē only before consonants)
interficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectusput out of the way, kill
et, conj.and; et ... et, both ... and
vir, virī, m.man
fortis, -ebrave
amplus, -a, -umlarge, great; distinguished
genus, generis, n.kind, nature
nāscor, -ī, nātus sumbe born; rise, begin
avus, -ī, m.grandfather
cīvitās, -tātis, f.state
regnum, -ī, n.royal power, rule, throne; kingdom, realm
obtineō, -tinēre, -tinuī, -tentushold
amīcus, -ī, m.friend
senātus, -ūs m.senate
appellō, -pellāre, -pellāvī, -pellātuscall, name
frāter, frātris, m.brother
interclūdō, -ere, -clūsī, -clūsumcut off, block
auxilium, -ī, n.help, aid
ferō, ferre, tulī, lātusbear, bring
ille, illa, illud, dem. pron.that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc
perīculum, -ī, n.danger, peril, risk
ēripiō, -ripere, -ripuī, -reptussnatch out or away, rescue
vulnerō, -āre, -āvī, -ātuswound
quoad (conj.)as long as; until
possum, posse, potuībe able, have power, can
fortiter, adv.bravely
circumveniō, -īre, -vēnī, -ventumsurround
multus, -a, -ummuch, great; plur., many
vulnus, vulneris, n.wound
accipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptustake to oneself, receive, accept; hear; suffer
cadō, cadere, cecidī, cāsūrusfall
iam, adv.now, already
excēdō, -cēdere, -cessī, -cessusgo out or forth, depart
procul, adv.at or from a distance, far
animadvertō, -vertere, -vertī, -versusturn the mind to, observe
incitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātumstir up, provoke
suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron.himself, herself, itself, themselves
offerō, offerre, obtulī, oblātusbear to, proffer, offer
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Caesar, De Bello Gallico IV. 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.