Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 5
De Bello Gallico 5.26
Ambiorix attacks Sabinus' camp
Caesar, De Bello Gallico V. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō5.26.1Diēbus circiter XV, quibus in hīberna ventum est, initium repentīnī tumultūs ac dēfectiōnis ortum est ab Ambiorīge et Catuvolcō;
About fifteen days after they had come into winter quarters, the beginning of a sudden uprising and revolt arose from Ambiorix and Catuvolcus;
5.26.2quī, cum ad fīnēs regnī suī Sabīnō Cottaeque praestō fuissent frūmentumque in hīberna comportāvissent, Indutiomārī Trēverī nūntiīs impulsī suōs concitāvērunt subitōque oppressīs lignātōribus magnā manū ad castra oppugnātum vēnērunt.
they had met Sabinus and Cotta at the borders of their kingdom and had brought corn into the winter camp, but then, spurred on by messages from Indutiomarus the Treveran, they stirred up their people, suddenly overwhelmed the men gathering wood, and came with a large force to attack the camp.
Note. oppugnātum: supine of purpose after a verb of motion, 'came to attack'.
5.26.3Cum celeriter nostrī arma cēpissent vallumque adscendissent atque ūnā ex parte Hispānīs equitibus ēmissīs equestrī proeliō superiōrēs fuissent, dēspērātā rē hostēs suōs ab oppugnātiōne redūxērunt.
When our men had quickly taken up arms and mounted the rampart, and on one side the Spanish cavalry had been sent out and had won a cavalry fight, the enemy gave up hope and led their men back from the attack.
5.26.4Tum suō mōre conclāmāvērunt, utī aliquī ex nostrīs ad colloquium prōdīret: habēre sēsē, quae dē rē commūnī dīcere vellent, quibus rēbus contrōversiās minuī posse spērārent.
Then, in their usual way, they shouted out that some of our men should come forward for a talk: they had things they wished to say about matters of common concern, by which they hoped the disputes could be lessened.
Note. utī = ut. aliquī … prōdīret: 'that someone should come forward'. habēre sēsē quae … dīcere vellent: reported speech, 'they had things they wished to say'.
Vocabulary
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| circiter, prep. with acc. and adv. | about |
| Roman numeral | a number written with letters: I 1, V 5, X 10, L 50, C 100, D 500, M 1000 |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| hīberna, -ōrum n. pl. | winter quarters |
| veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus | come |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| initium, -ī, n. | beginning |
| repentīnus, -a, -um | sudden |
| tumultus, -ūs m. | uproar, uprising |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| dēfectiō, -ōnis f. | revolt, desertion |
| orior, -īrī, -tus | arise, come forth, spring up; ortā lūce, at dawn |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| fīnis, -is, m. | end, boundary; plur., borders, territory, country |
| regnum, -ī, n. | royal power, rule, throne; kingdom, realm |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| praestō, -stāre, -stitī, -stitus | stand in front; show |
| frūmentum, -ī, n. | grain |
| comportō, -portāre, -portāvī, -portātus | carry or bring together, collect |
| nūntius, -ī, m. | messenger; message |
| impellō, -pellere, -pulī, -pulsus | drive or urge on, incite, urge |
| concitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | stir up, rouse |
| subitō, adv. | unexpectedly, suddenly |
| opprimō, -primere, -pressī, -pressus | press against, overpower, crush |
| lignātor, -ōris m. | woodcutter, soldier sent for firewood |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| manus, -ūs, f. | hand |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| oppugnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | attack, besiege |
| celeriter, adv. | swiftly, quickly |
| noster, -tra, -trum | our |
| arma, -ōrum, n. plur. | arms, weapons |
| capiō, capere, cēpī, captus | take, catch, seize; receive, suffer; adopt |
| vallum, -ī n. | rampart, palisade |
| ascendō, -scendere, -scendī, -scēnsus | climb to, ascend, mount |
| ūnus, -a, -um | one; only, alone |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| Hispānus, -a, -um | Spanish; as noun, a Spaniard |
| eques, equitis m. | horseman; (pl.) cavalry |
| ēmittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send out or forth |
| equester, -tris, -tre | of cavalry |
| proelium, -ī, n. | battle, combat; proelium committere, to join battle |
| superior, -ius, adj. | higher; former, previous, preceding |
| dēspērō, -spērāre, -spērāvī, -spērātus | despair |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| hostis, -is, m. and f. | enemy, foe |
| oppugnātiō, -ōnis f. | siege, assault on a town |
| redūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead or bring back; restore |
| tum, adv. | then, at that time |
| mōs, mōris, m. | way, manner, habit, custom |
| conclāmō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | shout out, cry out |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| aliquis, -quid, indef. pron. | someone, any one, something, anything, some, any |
| colloquium (conloquium), -ī n. | conference, talk |
| prōdeō, -īre, prōdiī, prōditum | go forward, come out |
| habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | have, hold; consider |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| commūnis, -e | common, shared, public |
| dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus | say, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day |
| volō, velle, voluī | wish |
| contrōversia, -ae, f. | quarrel, dispute, debate |
| minuō, -ere, minuī, minūtum | lessen, reduce |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| spērō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | hope |