Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 4
De Bello Gallico 4.9
The envoys play for time
Caesar, De Bello Gallico IV. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō4.9.1Lēgātī haec sē ad suōs relātūrōs dīxērunt et rē dēlīberātā post diem tertium ad Caesarem reversūrōs: intereā nē propius sē castra movēret petiērunt.
The envoys said they would report this to their people and, after considering the matter, would return to Caesar in three days: meanwhile they asked him not to move his camp nearer to them.
Note. post diem tertium: by Roman counting, 'two days later' (counting the day of departure).
4.9.2Nē id quidem Caesar ab sē impetrārī posse dīxit.
Caesar said that not even this could be granted by him.
4.9.3Cognōverat enim magnam partem equitātūs ab iīs aliquot diēbus ante praedandī frūmentandīque causā ad Ambivaritōs trāns Mosam missam: hōs expectārī equitēs atque eius reī causā moram interpōnī arbitrābātur.
For he had learned that a large part of their cavalry had been sent some days before across the Meuse to the Ambivariti to plunder and get grain: he thought that they were waiting for these horsemen and that this was why they were putting in a delay.
Vocabulary
| lēgātus, -ī, m. | ambassador |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| referō, referre, rettulī, relātus | bring or carry back, return; pedem referre, to draw back, retire, retreat; grātiam referre, see grātia |
| dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus | say, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| dēlīberō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | consider, deliberate |
| post, adv. | after, later; prep. with acc., after, behind |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| tertius, -a, -um | third |
| revertor, -vertī, -versus, perf. act. -vertī | turn back, return |
| intereā, adv. | in the meantime, meanwhile |
| nē, adv. | not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest |
| propius (comp. adv. and prep. + acc.) | nearer, closer (to) |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| moveō, movēre, mōvī, mōtus | move |
| petō, -ere, -īvī or -iī, -ītus | seek, ask; attack |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| quidem, adv. | in fact, indeed, certainly; nē ... quidem, not ... even |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| impetrō, -petrāre, -petrāvī, -petrātus | gain one's end, obtain (a request) |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| cognōscō, -gnōscere, -gnōvī, -gnitus | find out, learn; in tenses of completed action, have found out, know |
| enim, conj. | for |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| equitātus, -ūs m. | cavalry |
| aliquot (indecl.) | several, some |
| ante, prep, with acc. and adv. | before |
| praedor, -ārī, -ātus | plunder |
| frūmentor, -ārī, -ātus | fetch grain, forage |
| causa, -ae, f. | cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of |
| trāns, prep. with acc. | across, over |
| mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus | send |
| exspectō, -spectāre, -spectāvī, -spectātus | look out for, wait for, await, expect; wait |
| eques, equitis m. | horseman; (pl.) cavalry |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| mora, -ae, f. | delay |
| interpōnō, -ere, -posuī, -positum | put between; bring forward (an excuse) |
| arbitror, -ārī, -ātus | consider, think, judge |