Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 5
De Bello Gallico 5.20
The Trinobantes come over
Caesar, De Bello Gallico V. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō5.20.1Interim Trinobantēs, prope firmissima eārum regiōnum cīvitās, ex quā Mandubracius adulēscēns Caesaris fidem secūtus ad eum in continentem Galliam vēnerat, cuius pater in eā cīvitāte regnum obtinuerat interfectusque erat ā Cassivellaunō, ipse fugā mortem vītāverat, lēgātōs ad Caesarem mittunt pollicenturque sēsē eī dēditūrōs atque imperāta factūrōs;
Meanwhile the Trinobantes, almost the strongest state in those parts, send envoys to Caesar and promise to surrender to him and to do what he orders; from this state the young Mandubracius had come to Caesar on the mainland of Gaul, putting himself under his protection, after his father, who had held the kingship in that state, was killed by Cassivellaunus, and he himself had escaped death by flight;
Note. dēditūrōs atque imperāta factūrōs: future infinitives with esse left out, in indirect statement after pollicentur.
5.20.2petunt ut Mandubracium ab iniūriā Cassivellaunī dēfendat atque in cīvitātem mittat, quī praesit imperiumque obtineat.
they ask him to protect Mandubracius from Cassivellaunus' violence and send him to their state to rule and hold power.
5.20.3Hīs Caesar imperat obsidēs quadrāgintā frūmentumque exercituī Mandubraciumque ad eōs mittit.
Caesar demands from them forty hostages and grain for the army, and sends Mandubracius to them.
5.20.4Illī imperāta celeriter fēcērunt, obsidēs ad numerum frūmentumque mīsērunt.
They quickly did what they were told and sent the full number of hostages and the grain.
Vocabulary
| interim (adv.) | meanwhile |
| prope (adv. and prep. + acc.) | near, nearly |
| firmus, -a, -um | strong, steadfast |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| regiō, -ōnis, f. | direction; country, region |
| cīvitās, -tātis, f. | state |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| adulēscēns, -entis, m. | youth, young man |
| fidēs, -eī f. | faith, trust; pledge |
| sequor, sequī, secūtus | follow |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| continēns, -entis, f. | 'mainland, continent |
| veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus | come |
| pater, patris, m. | father |
| regnum, -ī, n. | royal power, rule, throne; kingdom, realm |
| obtineō, -tinēre, -tinuī, -tentus | hold |
| interficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | put out of the way, kill |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| fuga, -ae, f. | flight |
| mors, mortīs, f. | death |
| vītō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | avoid, escape |
| lēgātus, -ī, m. | ambassador |
| mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus | send |
| polliceor, -licērī, -licitus | promise |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| dēdō, -dere, -didī, -ditus | give away or up |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| imperō, -perāre, -perāvī, -perātus | command, order, enjoin |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| petō, -ere, -īvī or -iī, -ītus | seek, ask; attack |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| iniūria, -ae, f. | injury, wrong, hurt, harm |
| dēfendō, -fendere, -fendī, -fēnsus | ward off; defend |
| praesum, -esse, -fuī | be before, preside over, have charge of, command |
| imperium, -ī, n. | command; sway, rule |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| obses, obsidis m./f. | hostage |
| quadrāgintā (indecl.) | forty |
| frūmentum, -ī, n. | grain |
| exercitus, -ūs, m. | army |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| celeriter, adv. | swiftly, quickly |
| numerus, -ī, m. | number |