Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 4
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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Read in Lectitō4.12.1At 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, -trum | our |
| eques, equitis m. | horseman; (pl.) cavalry |
| cōnspiciō, -spicere, -spēxī, -spectus | behold, perceive, see |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| Roman numeral | a 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, -itus | have, hold; consider |
| quod, conj. | that, in that, because |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| frūmentor, -ārī, -ātus | fetch grain, forage |
| causa, -ae, f. | cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of |
| eō, īre, iī, itus | go |
| trāns, prep. with acc. | across, over |
| proficīscor, -ficīscī, -fectus sum | set out, depart, march |
| nōndum, adv. | not yet |
| redeō, -īre, -iī, -itus | go back, return |
| nihil, n., indecl. | nothing |
| timeō, -ēre, -uī | fear |
| 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, -cessus | go 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, -ītus | seek, ask; attack |
| impetus, -ūs, m. | attack; impetum facere, to charge |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| celeriter, adv. | swiftly, quickly |
| perturbō, -turbāre, -turbāvi, -turbātus | greatly disturb, disturb, agitate, throw into confusion |
| rūrsus, adv. | again |
| resistō, -sistere, -stitī | stand back, resist |
| cōnsuētūdō, -inis f. | custom, habit; way of life |
| suus, -a, -um | his, 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, -sultus | leap down |
| subfodiō, -ere, -fōdī, -fossus | stab from beneath, dig under |
| equus, -ī, m. | horse |
| complūrēs, -plūra, plur. adj. | several, many |
| dēiciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectus | throw down, cast, drive out of one's course |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, 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, -iectus | throw together; throw, cast, hurl |
| ita, adv. | in this manner, thus, so; ita ut, as |
| perterreō, -terrēre, -terrui, -territus | thoroughly frighten, terrify |
| agō, agere, ēgī, āctus | drive; do; pass, lead; grātiās agere, see grātia |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| prius, adv. | before, first |
| dēsistō, -sistere, -stitī, -stitus | set 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, ventus | come |
| 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, -fectus | put out of the way, kill |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| vir, virī, m. | man |
| fortis, -e | brave |
| amplus, -a, -um | large, great; distinguished |
| genus, generis, n. | kind, nature |
| nāscor, -ī, nātus sum | be born; rise, begin |
| avus, -ī, m. | grandfather |
| cīvitās, -tātis, f. | state |
| regnum, -ī, n. | royal power, rule, throne; kingdom, realm |
| obtineō, -tinēre, -tinuī, -tentus | hold |
| amīcus, -ī, m. | friend |
| senātus, -ūs m. | senate |
| appellō, -pellāre, -pellāvī, -pellātus | call, name |
| frāter, frātris, m. | brother |
| interclūdō, -ere, -clūsī, -clūsum | cut off, block |
| auxilium, -ī, n. | help, aid |
| ferō, ferre, tulī, lātus | bear, bring |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| perīculum, -ī, n. | danger, peril, risk |
| ēripiō, -ripere, -ripuī, -reptus | snatch out or away, rescue |
| vulnerō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | wound |
| quoad (conj.) | as long as; until |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| fortiter, adv. | bravely |
| circumveniō, -īre, -vēnī, -ventum | surround |
| multus, -a, -um | much, great; plur., many |
| vulnus, vulneris, n. | wound |
| accipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take to oneself, receive, accept; hear; suffer |
| cadō, cadere, cecidī, cāsūrus | fall |
| iam, adv. | now, already |
| excēdō, -cēdere, -cessī, -cessus | go out or forth, depart |
| procul, adv. | at or from a distance, far |
| animadvertō, -vertere, -vertī, -versus | turn the mind to, observe |
| incitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | stir up, provoke |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| offerō, offerre, obtulī, oblātus | bear to, proffer, offer |