Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 5
De Bello Gallico 5.38
Ambiorix rouses the Nervii
Caesar, De Bello Gallico V. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō5.38.1Hāc victōriā sublātus Ambiorīx statim cum equitātū in Aduatucōs, quī erant eius regnō fīnitimī, proficīscitur;
Elated by this victory, Ambiorix at once sets out with his cavalry to the Atuatuci, who were neighbours of his kingdom;
5.38.1neque noctem neque diem intermittit peditātumque sē subsequī iubet.
he does not stop night or day, and orders the infantry to follow him.
5.38.2Rē dēmōnstrātā Aduatucīsque concitātīs posterō diē in Nerviōs pervenit hortāturque, nē suī in perpetuum līberandī atque ulcīscendī Rōmānōs prō eīs quās accēperint iniūriīs occāsiōnem dīmittant: interfectōs esse lēgātōs duōs magnamque partem exercitūs interīsse dēmōnstrat;
Having told what had happened and roused the Atuatuci, the next day he reaches the Nervii and urges them not to let slip the chance of freeing themselves for ever and of taking revenge on the Romans for the wrongs they had received: he tells them that two legates have been killed and a great part of the army has perished;
Note. suī … līberandī: with a gerundive the reflexive suī is genitive plural, 'of freeing themselves'.
5.38.4nihil esse negōtī subitō oppressam legiōnem quae cum Cicerōne hiemet interficī;
it was no trouble for the legion wintering with Cicero to be suddenly overwhelmed and destroyed;
Note. nihil esse negōtī: partitive genitive, 'it was no trouble'.
5.38.4sē ad eam rem profitētur adiūtōrem.
he offers himself as a helper in that work.
5.38.4Facile hāc ōrātiōne Nerviīs persuādet.
By this speech he easily persuades the Nervii.
Vocabulary
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| victōria, -ae, f. | victory |
| tollō, tollere, sustulī, sublātus | lift, raise; take away, remove; ancorās tollere, to weigh anchor |
| statim, adv. | on the spot, forthwith, at once, immediately |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| equitātus, -ūs m. | cavalry |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| regnum, -ī, n. | royal power, rule, throne; kingdom, realm |
| fīnitimus, -a, -um | neighboring, adjoining |
| proficīscor, -ficīscī, -fectus sum | set out, depart, march |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| nox, noctis, f. | night |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| intermittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | leave off, interrupt; let pass; pass., be left between, intervene, elapse |
| peditātus, -ūs m. | infantry, foot soldiers |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| subsequor, -ī, -secūtus sum | follow closely |
| iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussus | bid, order, command |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| dēmōnstrō, -mōnstrāre, -mōnstrāvī, -mōnstrātus | point out, show; make known |
| concitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | stir up, rouse |
| posterus, -a, -um | following, next |
| perveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventus | come through, come, arrive, reach |
| hortor, -ārī, -ātus | exhort, encourage, urge |
| nē, adv. | not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest |
| perpetuus, -a, -um | continuous, perpetual; in perpetuum, for all time, forever |
| līberō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | set free, free, liberate, release |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| ulcīscor, ulcīscī, ultus | avenge |
| Rōmānus, -a, -um | Roman |
| prō, prep. with abl. | before, in front of; for, in behalf of; for, as; in return for, for |
| accipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take to oneself, receive, accept; hear; suffer |
| iniūria, -ae, f. | injury, wrong, hurt, harm |
| occāsiō, -ōnis, f. | chance, opportunity |
| dīmittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send different ways, send forth or away, despatch; let slip, lose |
| interficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | put out of the way, kill |
| lēgātus, -ī, m. | ambassador |
| duo, -ae, -o, plur. adj. | two |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| exercitus, -ūs, m. | army |
| intereō, -īre, -iī, -itūrus | perish, die |
| nihil, n., indecl. | nothing |
| negōtium, -ī, n. | business, matter; task, trouble, difficulty |
| subitō, adv. | unexpectedly, suddenly |
| opprimō, -primere, -pressī, -pressus | press against, overpower, crush |
| legiō, -ōnis f. | legion |
| hiemō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | spend the winter |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| profiteor, -ērī, -fessus sum | declare openly; offer oneself as |
| adiūtor, -ōris m. | helper, assistant |
| facile, adv. | easily |
| ōrātiō, -ōnis, f. | speech; ōrātiōnem habēre, to deliver an oration, speak |
| persuādeō, -suādēre, -suāsi, -suāsus | persuade, prevail upon, induce |