Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 4
De Bello Gallico 4.34
Caesar comes to the rescue
Caesar, De Bello Gallico IV. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō4.34.1Quibus rēbus perturbātīs nostrīs novitāte pugnae tempore oportūnissimō Caesar auxilium tulit: namque eius adventū hostēs cōnstitērunt, nostrī sē ex timōre recēpērunt.
While our men were thrown into confusion by these tactics and the novelty of the fighting, Caesar brought help at the most opportune moment: for at his arrival the enemy halted, and our men recovered from their fear.
Note. Quibus rēbus perturbātīs nostrīs: the ablative absolute is nostrīs perturbātīs; quibus rēbus is the ablative of cause.
4.34.2Quō factō, ad lacessendum hostem et committendum proelium aliēnum esse tempus arbitrātus suō sē locō continuit et brevī tempore intermissō in castra legiōnēs redūxit.
After this, thinking the moment unsuitable for provoking the enemy and joining battle, he kept to his own position, and after a short time led the legions back into camp.
4.34.3Dum haec geruntur, nostrīs omnibus occupātīs quī erant in agrīs reliquī discessērunt.
While this was going on, and all our men were busy, the rest of the Britons who were in the fields went away.
4.34.4Secūtae sunt continuōs complūrēs diēs tempestātēs, quae et nostrōs in castrīs continērent et hostem ā pugnā prohibērent.
Storms followed for several days in a row, which kept our men in camp and held the enemy back from fighting.
4.34.5Interim barbarī nūntiōs in omnēs partēs dīmīsērunt paucitātemque nostrōrum mīlitum suīs praedicāvērunt et quanta praedae faciendae atque in perpetuum suī līberandī facultās darētur, sī Rōmānōs castrīs expulissent, dēmōnstrāvērunt.
Meanwhile the natives sent messengers in all directions, told their people how few our soldiers were, and pointed out how great a chance was being given of taking plunder and of freeing themselves for ever, if they drove the Romans from their camp.
Note. quanta … facultās darētur: indirect question. praedae faciendae … suī līberandī: gerundive phrases in the genitive with facultās.
4.34.5Hīs rēbus celeriter magnā multitūdine peditātūs equitātūsque coāctā ad castra vēnērunt.
In this way a great number of infantry and cavalry was quickly gathered, and they came to the camp.
Vocabulary
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| perturbō, -turbāre, -turbāvi, -turbātus | greatly disturb, disturb, agitate, throw into confusion |
| noster, -tra, -trum | our |
| novitās, -tātis, f. | newness, novelty |
| pugna, -ae, f. | fighting, battle, combat |
| tempus, temporis, n. | time, season |
| opportūnus, -a, -um | suitable, seasonable, convenient, opportune |
| auxilium, -ī, n. | help, aid |
| ferō, ferre, tulī, lātus | bear, bring |
| namque, conj. | for |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| adventus, -ūs, m. | approach, arrival |
| hostis, -is, m. and f. | enemy, foe |
| cōnsistō, -sistere, -stitī, -stitus | station oneself, take one's stand; consist |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| timor, -ōris, m. | fear |
| recipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take or get back, recover; sē recipere, to betake oneself, withdraw; to collect oneself, recover |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| lacessō, -ere, -īvī, -ītum | provoke, harass |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| committō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send together; commit, intrust; expose; proelium committere, to join battle |
| proelium, -ī, n. | battle, combat; proelium committere, to join battle |
| aliēnus, -a, -um | belonging to another, out of place |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| arbitror, -ārī, -ātus | consider, think, judge |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| contineō, -tinēre, -tinuī, -tentus | hold together, keep within, shut up in; bound |
| brevis, -e | short |
| intermittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | leave off, interrupt; let pass; pass., be left between, intervene, elapse |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| legiō, -ōnis f. | legion |
| redūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead or bring back; restore |
| dum, conj. | while, as; as long as; until |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| gerō, gerere, gessī, gestus | carry, wear; carry on, do |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| occupō, -cupāre, -cupāvī, -cupātus | seize; fill |
| ager, agri, m. | field, land |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| discēdō, -cēdere, -cessī, -cessus | go apart, withdraw, depart |
| sequor, sequī, secūtus | follow |
| continuus, -a, -um | continuous, successive |
| complūrēs, -plūra, plur. adj. | several, many |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| tempestās, -tātis, f. | weather; storm, tempest |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| prohibeō, -hibēre, -hibuī, -hibitus | hold back, prevent, hinder |
| interim (adv.) | meanwhile |
| barbarus, -a, -um | barbarian |
| nūntius, -ī, m. | messenger; message |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| dīmittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send different ways, send forth or away, despatch; let slip, lose |
| paucitās, -ātis f. | small number, scarcity |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| mīles, mīlitis, m. | soldier |
| praedīcō, -dīcere, -dīxī, -dictus | say beforehand, foretell, predict |
| quantus, -a, -um | how great or much? |
| praeda, -ae, f. | booty, spoil, plunder |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| perpetuus, -a, -um | continuous, perpetual; in perpetuum, for all time, forever |
| līberō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | set free, free, liberate, release |
| facultās, -tātis, f. | possibility, opportunity, chance, means |
| dō, dare, dedī, datus | give |
| sī, conj. | if |
| Rōmānus, -a, -um | Roman |
| expellō, -pellere, -pulī, -pulsus | drive out, expel |
| dēmōnstrō, -mōnstrāre, -mōnstrāvī, -mōnstrātus | point out, show; make known |
| celeriter, adv. | swiftly, quickly |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| multitūdō, -tūdinis, f. | multitude |
| peditātus, -ūs m. | infantry, foot soldiers |
| equitātus, -ūs m. | cavalry |
| cōgō, cōgere, coēgī, coāctus | drive together, collect; compel |
| veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus | come |