Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 5
De Bello Gallico 5.31
The decision to march
Caesar, De Bello Gallico V. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō5.31.1Cōnsurgitur ex cōnsiliō;
The council rises;
5.31.1comprehendunt utrumque et ōrant, nē suā dissēnsiōne et pertināciā rem in summum perīculum dēdūcant: facilem esse rem, seu maneant, seu proficīscantur, sī modo ūnum omnēs sentiant ac probent;
they take hold of both men and beg them not to bring things into extreme danger by their disagreement and obstinacy: the matter was easy whether they stayed or set out, if only they all thought and approved the same thing;
5.31.2contrā in dissēnsiōne nūllam sē salūtem perspicere.
in disagreement, on the other hand, they could see no safety.
5.31.2Rēs disputātiōne ad mediam noctem perdūcitur.
The matter is argued until midnight.
5.31.3Tandem dat Cotta permōtus manūs: superat sententia Sabīnī.
At last Cotta, deeply moved, gives in: Sabinus' view prevails.
Note. dat manūs: 'gives his hands', an idiom for 'gives in'.
5.31.3Prōnūntiātur prīmā lūce itūrōs.
It is announced that they will march at first light.
Note. Prōnūntiātur … itūrōs: 'it is announced that they will go'; the subject of itūrōs is understood.
5.31.4Cōnsūmitur vigiliīs reliqua pars noctis, cum sua quisque mīles circumspiceret, quid sēcum portāre posset, quid ex īnstrūmentō hībernōrum relinquere cōgerētur.
The rest of the night is spent without sleep, as each soldier looked over his belongings to see what he could carry with him and what of the winter camp's equipment he would be forced to leave behind.
5.31.5Omnia excōgitantur, quārē nec sine perīculō maneātur, et languōre mīlitum et vigiliīs perīculum augeātur.
Every reason is thought up why they could not stay without danger and why the danger was increased by the soldiers' weariness and lack of sleep.
5.31.6Prīmā lūce sīc ex castrīs proficīscuntur, ut quibus esset persuāsum nōn ab hoste, sed ab homine amīcissimō Ambiorīge cōnsilium datum, longissimō agmine maximīsque impedīmentīs.
At first light they set out from the camp like men convinced that the advice had been given not by an enemy but by a very good friend, Ambiorix, in a very long column and with a great deal of baggage.
Note. ut quibus esset persuāsum: 'like men who had been convinced'; with persuādeō the person stands in the dative even in the passive.
Vocabulary
| cōnsurgō, -ere, -surrēxī, -surrēctus | rise together, stand up |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| cōnsilium, -ī, n. | advice; plan, design, purpose; prudence |
| comprehendō, -prehendere, -prehendī, -prehēnsus | seize, catch |
| uterque, utraque, utrumque | each, either, both |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| ōrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | speak; beg, pray |
| nē, adv. | not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| dissēnsiō, -ōnis f. | disagreement, quarrel |
| pertinācia, -ae f. | stubbornness |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| summus, -a, -um | uppermost, highest, greatest |
| perīculum, -ī, n. | danger, peril, risk |
| dēdūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead down or away, bring; nāvem dēdūcere, to draw down or launch a ship |
| facilis, -e (comp. facilior) | easy |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| sīve or seu, conj. | or if; sīve ... sīve, whether ... or |
| maneō, manēre, mānsī, mānsus | remain |
| proficīscor, -ficīscī, -fectus sum | set out, depart, march |
| sī, conj. | if |
| modo, adv. | only |
| ūnus, -a, -um | one; only, alone |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| sentiō, sentīre, sēnsī, sēnsus | perceive, feel |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| probō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | prove, show; approve |
| contrā, prep, with acc. | against, contrary to |
| nūllus, -a, -um | not any, none, no |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| salūs, salūtis, f. | safety, deliverance, escape |
| perspiciō, -ere, -spexī, -spectum | see clearly, observe |
| disputātiō, -ōnis f. | argument, debate |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| medius, -a, -um | mid, middle |
| nox, noctis, f. | night |
| perdūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead or bring through, lead, bring |
| tandem, adv. | at length or last, finally |
| dō, dare, dedī, datus | give |
| permoveō, -ēre, -mōvī, -mōtum | move deeply, influence |
| manus, -ūs, f. | hand |
| superō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | overcome, defeat, conquer |
| sententia, -ae, f. | opinion; purpose |
| prōnūntiō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | proclaim, announce |
| prīmus, -a, -um | first, foremost |
| lūx, lūcis, f. | light |
| eō, īre, iī, itus | go |
| cōnsūmō, -sūmere, -sūmpsī, -sūmptus | take completely, use up, consume, spend |
| vigilia, -ae, f. | watch |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| quisque, quaeque, quidque, indef. pron. | each |
| mīles, mīlitis, m. | soldier |
| circumspiciō, -ere, -spexī, -spectus | look around; look around for, consider |
| quis, quid, interrog. pron. | who? which? what? |
| portō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | carry |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| īnstrūmentum, -ī n. | tool, equipment; pl. gear, baggage |
| hīberna, -ōrum n. pl. | winter quarters |
| relinquō, -linquere, -līquī, -lictus | leave behind, leave |
| cōgō, cōgere, coēgī, coāctus | drive together, collect; compel |
| excōgitō, -cōgitāre, -cōgitāvī, -cōgitātus | think out, contrive, devise, invent |
| quārē (adv.) | why; for which reason |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| sine, prep. with abl. | without |
| languor, -ōris m. | faintness, weariness |
| augeō, -ēre, auxī, auctum | increase, enlarge |
| sīc, adv. | so, thus |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| persuādeō, -suādēre, -suāsi, -suāsus | persuade, prevail upon, induce |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| hostis, -is, m. and f. | enemy, foe |
| sed, conj. | but |
| homō, hominis, m. | man |
| amīcus, -ī, m. | friend |
| longus, -a, -um | long; tedious |
| agmen, -minis, n. | band, column |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| impedīmentum, -ī n. | hindrance; (pl.) baggage |