Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 4
De Bello Gallico 4.14
The attack on the German camp
Caesar, De Bello Gallico IV. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō4.14.1Aciē triplicī īnstitūtā et celeriter VIII mīlium itinere cōnfectō, prius ad hostium castra pervēnit quam quid agerētur Germānī sentīre possent.
He formed a triple line and quickly covered the eight-mile march, and reached the enemy's camp before the Germans could notice what was happening.
4.14.2Quī omnibus rēbus subitō perterritī et celeritāte adventūs nostrī et discessū suōrum, neque cōnsiliī habendī neque arma capiendī spatiō datō perturbantur, cōpiāsne adversus hostem dūcere an castra dēfendere an fugā salūtem petere praestāret.
They were suddenly terrified by everything, by the speed of our arrival and by the absence of their own leaders, and as no time was given them for taking counsel or taking up arms, they were thrown into confusion, unsure whether it was better to lead their forces out against the enemy, to defend the camp, or to seek safety in flight.
Note. perturbantur … praestāret: the indirect question depends on the idea of doubt in perturbantur, 'they were confused whether it was better'. cōpiāsne … an … an: '-ne … or … or'.
4.14.3Quōrum timor cum fremitū et concursū significārētur, mīlitēs nostrī prīstinī diēī perfidiā incitātī in castra inrūpērunt.
When their fear was shown by the uproar and running about, our soldiers, provoked by the treachery of the day before, burst into the camp.
4.14.4Quō locō quī celeriter arma capere potuērunt paulisper nostrīs restitērunt atque inter carrōs impedīmenta proelium commīsērunt;
There those who could take up arms quickly resisted our men for a little while and fought a battle among the carts and baggage;
4.14.5at reliqua multitūdō puerōrum mulierumque (nam cum omnibus suīs domō excesserant Rhēnum trānsierant) passim fugere coepit, ad quōs cōnsectandōs Caesar equitātum mīsit.
but the rest of the crowd, the boys and women (for they had left home and crossed the Rhine with all their people), began to flee in all directions, and Caesar sent the cavalry to hunt them down.
Note. ad quōs cōnsectandōs: gerundive of purpose with ad.
Vocabulary
| aciēs, -ēī, f. | line of battle |
| triplex, -icis | threefold, triple |
| īnstituō, -stituere, -stituī, -stitūtus | decide upon, determine |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| celeriter, adv. | swiftly, quickly |
| 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; |
| iter, itineris, n. | a going, journey, march; iter facere, to journey, march |
| cōnficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | make or do completely, complete, finish, accomplish, make; wear out |
| prius, adv. | before, first |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| hostis, -is, m. and f. | enemy, foe |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| perveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventus | come through, come, arrive, reach |
| quam, adv. | how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible |
| quis, quid, interrog. pron. | who? which? what? |
| agō, agere, ēgī, āctus | drive; do; pass, lead; grātiās agere, see grātia |
| sentiō, sentīre, sēnsī, sēnsus | perceive, feel |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| subitō, adv. | unexpectedly, suddenly |
| perterreō, -terrēre, -terrui, -territus | thoroughly frighten, terrify |
| celeritās, -tātis, f. | swiftness, quickness, speed |
| adventus, -ūs, m. | approach, arrival |
| noster, -tra, -trum | our |
| discessus, -ūs m. | departure |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| cōnsilium, -ī, n. | advice; plan, design, purpose; prudence |
| habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | have, hold; consider |
| arma, -ōrum, n. plur. | arms, weapons |
| capiō, capere, cēpī, captus | take, catch, seize; receive, suffer; adopt |
| spatium, -ī, n. | space, interval; space of time, time |
| dō, dare, dedī, datus | give |
| perturbō, -turbāre, -turbāvi, -turbātus | greatly disturb, disturb, agitate, throw into confusion |
| cōpia, -ae, f. | supply, abundance; plur., forces, troops |
| adversum (prep. + acc.; also adversus) | against, opposite |
| dūcō, dūcere, dūxī, ductus | lead; make, dig; with or without in mātrimōnium, marry |
| an, conj. | or (in questions) |
| dēfendō, -fendere, -fendī, -fēnsus | ward off; defend |
| fuga, -ae, f. | flight |
| salūs, salūtis, f. | safety, deliverance, escape |
| petō, -ere, -īvī or -iī, -ītus | seek, ask; attack |
| praestō, -stāre, -stitī, -stitus | stand in front; show |
| timor, -ōris, m. | fear |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| fremitus, -ūs, m. | roaring, roar |
| concursus, -ūs m. | a running together, charge |
| significō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | show, indicate, signal |
| mīles, mīlitis, m. | soldier |
| prīstinus, -a, -um | former |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| perfidia, -ae f. | treachery, bad faith |
| incitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | stir up, provoke |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| inrumpō, -rumpere, -rūpī, -ruptus | burst into or in |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| paulisper (adv.) | for a short time |
| resistō, -sistere, -stitī | stand back, resist |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| inter, prep, with acc. | among, between |
| carrus, -ī m. | wagon, cart |
| impedīmentum, -ī n. | hindrance; (pl.) baggage |
| proelium, -ī, n. | battle, combat; proelium committere, to join battle |
| committō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send together; commit, intrust; expose; proelium committere, to join battle |
| at, conj. | but |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| multitūdō, -tūdinis, f. | multitude |
| puer, puerī, m. | boy |
| mulier, mulieris, f. | woman |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| nam, conj. | for |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| domus, -ūs, f. | house, home |
| excēdō, -cēdere, -cessī, -cessus | go out or forth, depart |
| trānseō, -īre, -iī, -itus | go across or over, cross |
| passim (adv.) | here and there, in all directions |
| fugiō, fugere, fūgī, fugitūrus | flee, run away |
| coepī, coepisse, coeptus (used in tenses of completed action) | have begun, began |
| cōnsector, -ārī, -ātus sum | pursue, chase |
| equitātus, -ūs m. | cavalry |
| mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus | send |