Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 4
De Bello Gallico 4.28
A storm scatters the cavalry
Caesar, De Bello Gallico IV. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō4.28.1Hīs rēbus pāce cōnfirmātā, post diem quārtum quam est in Britanniam ventum nāvēs XVIII, dē quibus suprā dēmōnstrātum est, quae equitēs sustulerant, ex superiōre portū lēnī ventō solvērunt.
When peace had been settled in this way, three days after the arrival in Britain the eighteen ships mentioned above, which had taken the cavalry on board, set sail from the upper harbor with a gentle wind.
Note. post diem quārtum quam: 'three days after' (Roman counting includes both ends). est … ventum: impersonal passive, 'the arrival was made'.
4.28.2Quae cum adpropinquārent Britanniae et ex castrīs vidērentur, tanta tempestās subitō coorta est ut nūlla eārum cursum tenēre posset, sed aliae eōdem unde erant profectae referrentur, aliae ad īnferiōrem partem īnsulae, quae est propius sōlis occāsum, magnō suō cum perīculō dēicerentur;
When they were nearing Britain and were seen from the camp, so great a storm suddenly arose that none of them could hold its course; some were carried back to the place they had set out from, others were driven, at great danger to themselves, to the lower part of the island, which lies nearer the sunset;
4.28.3quae tamen ancorīs iactīs cum flūctibus complērentur, necessāriō adversā nocte in altum prōvectae continentem petiērunt.
these nevertheless cast anchor, but when they began to fill with waves, they were forced to put out to sea in the face of the night and made for the mainland.
Vocabulary
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| pāx, pācis f. | peace |
| cōnfirmō, -firmāre, -firmāvī, -firmātus | strengthen, establish; declare, assert |
| post, adv. | after, later; prep. with acc., after, behind |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| quartus, -a, -um | fourth |
| quam, adv. | how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus | come |
| nāvis, -is, f. | ship |
| Roman numeral | a number written with letters: I 1, V 5, X 10, L 50, C 100, D 500, M 1000 |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| suprā, adv. and prep. with acc. | above, before |
| dēmōnstrō, -mōnstrāre, -mōnstrāvī, -mōnstrātus | point out, show; make known |
| eques, equitis m. | horseman; (pl.) cavalry |
| tollō, tollere, sustulī, sublātus | lift, raise; take away, remove; ancorās tollere, to weigh anchor |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| superior, -ius, adj. | higher; former, previous, preceding |
| portus, -ūs, m. | harbor, haven, port |
| lēnis, -e | gentle |
| ventus, -ī, m. | wind |
| solvō, solvere, solvī, solūtus | loosen, unbind, release; pay; with or without nāvem, cast off, set sail, put to sea |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| appropinquō, -propinquāre, -propinquāvī, -propinquātus | approach to, approach |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus | see; pass., seem |
| tantus, -a, -um | so great or much |
| tempestās, -tātis, f. | weather; storm, tempest |
| subitō, adv. | unexpectedly, suddenly |
| coorior, -orīrī, -ortus | arise |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| nūllus, -a, -um | not any, none, no |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| cursus, -ūs, m. | running, speed; course, route, voyage; race |
| teneō, -ēre, -uī, -tus | hold, keep; hold back, restrain, stop |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| sed, conj. | but |
| alius, -a, -ud | another, other; aliī ... aliī, some ... others |
| eōdem | to the same place |
| unde, adv. | whence |
| proficīscor, -ficīscī, -fectus sum | set out, depart, march |
| referō, referre, rettulī, relātus | bring or carry back, return; pedem referre, to draw back, retire, retreat; grātiam referre, see grātia |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| īnferior, -ius | lower |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| īnsula, -ae, f. | island |
| prope (adv. and prep. + acc.) | near, nearly |
| sōl, sōlis, m. | sun |
| occāsus, -ūs, m. | setting |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| perīculum, -ī, n. | danger, peril, risk |
| dēiciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectus | throw down, cast, drive out of one's course |
| tamen, adv. | however, yet, nevertheless |
| ancora, -ae, f. | anchor; in ancorīs, at anchor |
| iaciō, iacere, iēcī, iactus | throw, cast, hurl |
| flūctus, -ūs m. | wave |
| compleō, -plēre, -plēvī, -plētus | fill full, fill up |
| necessāriō (adv.) | of necessity, unavoidably |
| adversus, -a, -um | facing; unfavourable, unsuccessful |
| nox, noctis, f. | night |
| altus, -a, -um | high, deep; altum, -ī, n., the deep |
| prōvehō, -vehere, -vexī, -vectus | carry forward |
| continēns, -entis, f. | 'mainland, continent |
| petō, -ere, -īvī or -iī, -ītus | seek, ask; attack |