Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 5
De Bello Gallico 5.15
Fighting on the march
Caesar, De Bello Gallico V. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō5.15.1Equitēs hostium essedāriīque ācriter proeliō cum equitātū nostrō in itinere cōnflīxērunt, tamen ut nostrī omnibus partibus superiōrēs fuerint atque eōs in silvās collēsque compulerint.
The enemy's horsemen and chariot-fighters clashed fiercely with our cavalry on the march, yet in such a way that our men had the upper hand everywhere and drove them into the woods and hills.
5.15.2Sed complūribus interfectīs cupidius īnsecūtī nōnnūllōs ex suīs āmīsērunt.
But after killing many, they pursued too eagerly and lost some of their own men.
5.15.3At illī intermissō spatiō imprūdentibus nostrīs atque occupātīs in mūnītiōne castrōrum subitō sē ex silvīs ēiēcērunt, impetūque in eōs factō quī erant in statiōne prō castrīs collocātī, ācriter pugnāvērunt, duābusque missīs subsidiō cohortibus ā Caesare atque eīs prīmīs legiōnum duārum, cum hae perexiguō intermissō locī spatiō inter sē cōnstitissent, novō genere pugnae perterritīs nostrīs per mediōs audācissimē perrūpērunt sēque inde incolumēs recēpērunt.
After a pause, while our men were off guard and busy fortifying the camp, the enemy suddenly rushed out of the woods, attacked those who were posted on guard in front of the camp, and fought fiercely; Caesar sent two cohorts to help, the first cohorts of two legions, and when these had taken up position with only a very small gap between them, the enemy, while our men were alarmed by this new kind of fighting, broke through the middle with great daring and got back from there unharmed.
Note. A very long sentence: the ablative absolutes (intermissō spatiō, impetū factō, missīs … cohortibus) set the scene before the main verbs pugnāvērunt, perrūpērunt and recēpērunt.
5.15.5Eō diē Quīntus Laberius Dūrus, tribūnus mīlitum, interficitur.
That day Quintus Laberius Durus, a military tribune, was killed.
5.15.5Illī plūribus submissīs cohortibus repelluntur.
The enemy were driven back when more cohorts were sent up.
Vocabulary
| eques, equitis m. | horseman; (pl.) cavalry |
| hostis, -is, m. and f. | enemy, foe |
| essedārius, -ī m. | chariot-fighter |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| ācriter, adv. | sharply, fiercely |
| proelium, -ī, n. | battle, combat; proelium committere, to join battle |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| equitātus, -ūs m. | cavalry |
| noster, -tra, -trum | our |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| iter, itineris, n. | a going, journey, march; iter facere, to journey, march |
| cōnflīgō, -flīgere, -flīxī, -flīctus | dash together |
| tamen, adv. | however, yet, nevertheless |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| superior, -ius, adj. | higher; former, previous, preceding |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| silva, -ae, f. | wood, forest |
| collis, -is m. | hill |
| compellō, -pellere, -pulī, -pulsus | drive together, drive |
| sed, conj. | but |
| complūrēs, -plūra, plur. adj. | several, many |
| interficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | put out of the way, kill |
| cupidē (adv.; comp. cupidius) | eagerly |
| īnsequor, -sequī, -secūtus | follow upon or up, pursue |
| nōnnūllus, -a, -um | not none, some, several |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| āmittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send away, lose |
| at, conj. | but |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| intermittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | leave off, interrupt; let pass; pass., be left between, intervene, elapse |
| spatium, -ī, n. | space, interval; space of time, time |
| imprūdēns, -entis | off guard, unaware |
| occupō, -cupāre, -cupāvī, -cupātus | seize; fill |
| mūnītiō, -ōnis f. | fortification, defence works |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| subitō, adv. | unexpectedly, suddenly |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| ēiciō, -ere, -iēcī, -iectus | throw out; sē ēicere: rush out |
| impetus, -ūs, m. | attack; impetum facere, to charge |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| statiō, -ōnis f. | outpost, picket |
| prō, prep. with abl. | before, in front of; for, in behalf of; for, as; in return for, for |
| collocō (conlocō), -āre, -āvī, -ātum | place, station; give in marriage |
| pugnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | fight |
| duo, -ae, -o, plur. adj. | two |
| mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus | send |
| subsidium, -ī, n. | reserve, reinforcement, support, help |
| cohors, cohortis f. | cohort (a tenth of a legion); company |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| prīmus, -a, -um | first, foremost |
| legiō, -ōnis f. | legion |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| perexiguus, -a, -um | very small |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| inter, prep, with acc. | among, between |
| cōnsistō, -sistere, -stitī, -stitus | station oneself, take one's stand; consist |
| novus, -a, -um | new; novissimus, last |
| genus, generis, n. | kind, nature |
| pugna, -ae, f. | fighting, battle, combat |
| perterreō, -terrēre, -terrui, -territus | thoroughly frighten, terrify |
| per, prep, with ace. | through, by means of |
| medius, -a, -um | mid, middle |
| audācter (adv.; comp. audācius) | boldly |
| perrumpō, -rumpere, -rūpī, -ruptus | break or burst through, break |
| inde (adv.) | from there; then |
| incolumis, -e | unhurt, safe |
| recipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take or get back, recover; sē recipere, to betake oneself, withdraw; to collect oneself, recover |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| quīntus, -a, -um | fifth |
| dūrus, -a, -um | hard; harsh; difficult |
| tribūnus, -ī m. | tribune (tribūnus mīlitum: senior officer of a legion) |
| mīles, mīlitis, m. | soldier |
| multus, -a, -um | much, great; plur., many |
| submittō, -ere, -mīsī, -missum | send (as help) |
| repellō, repellere, reppulī, repulsus | drive back or away, repulse, repel |