Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 5
De Bello Gallico 5.45
Vertico's messenger
Caesar, De Bello Gallico V. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō5.45.1Quantō erat in diēs gravior atque asperior oppugnātiō, et maximē quod magnā parte mīlitum cōnfectā vulneribus rēs ad paucitātem dēfēnsōrum pervēnerat, tantō crēbriōrēs litterae nūntiīque ad Caesarem mittēbantur;
The heavier and harsher the siege became from day to day, and especially because, with a great part of the soldiers worn out by wounds, the defence had come down to a few men, the more frequent were the letters and messengers sent to Caesar;
Note. Quantō … gravior … tantō crēbriōrēs: ablatives of degree of difference, 'by how much heavier … by so much more frequent', i.e. 'the heavier … the more frequent'.
5.45.1quōrum pars dēprehēnsa in cōnspectū nostrōrum mīlitum cum cruciātū necābātur.
some of these were caught and put to death with torture in sight of our soldiers.
5.45.2Erat ūnus intus Nervius nōmine Verticō, locō nātus honestō, quī ā prīmā obsidiōne ad Cicerōnem perfūgerat suamque eī fidem praestiterat.
There was one Nervian inside the camp, named Vertico, born of a good family, who had deserted to Cicero at the start of the siege and had shown him his loyalty.
5.45.3Hic servō spē lībertātis magnīsque persuādet praemiīs, ut litterās ad Caesarem dēferat.
He persuades a slave, by the hope of freedom and by great rewards, to carry a letter to Caesar.
5.45.4Hās ille in iaculō illigātās effert et Gallus inter Gallōs sine ūllā suspīciōne versātus ad Caesarem pervenit.
The slave carries it out tied to a javelin, and, a Gaul moving among Gauls without arousing any suspicion, he reaches Caesar.
Note. Gallus inter Gallōs: being a Gaul among Gauls, the slave can pass through the besiegers without suspicion. versātus: from versor, 'move about'.
5.45.5Ab eō dē perīculīs Cicerōnis legiōnisque cognōscitur.
From him Caesar learns of the dangers of Cicero and the legion.
Vocabulary
| quantus, -a, -um | how great or much? |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| gravis, -e | heavy; severe, grievous, serious |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| asper, -era, -erum | rough, harsh; difficult |
| oppugnātiō, -ōnis f. | siege, assault on a town |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| maximē, adv. | very greatly, exceedingly, especially |
| quod, conj. | that, in that, because |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| mīles, mīlitis, m. | soldier |
| cōnficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | make or do completely, complete, finish, accomplish, make; wear out |
| vulnus, vulneris, n. | wound |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| paucitās, -ātis f. | small number, scarcity |
| dēfēnsor, -ōris m. | defender |
| perveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventus | come through, come, arrive, reach |
| tantus, -a, -um | so great or much |
| crēber, -bra, -brum | frequent, numerous; close together |
| litterae, -ārum f. pl. | letters (of the alphabet); a letter, dispatch |
| nūntius, -ī, m. | messenger; message |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus | send |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| dēprehendō, -ere, -hendī, -hēnsus | catch, seize, overtake; detect |
| cōnspectus, -ūs, m. | sight |
| noster, -tra, -trum | our |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| cruciātus, -ūs, m. | torture |
| necō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | put to death, slay, kill |
| ūnus, -a, -um | one; only, alone |
| intus (adv.) | inside, within |
| nōmen, -minis, n. | name (that by which one is known) |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| nāscor, -ī, nātus sum | be born; rise, begin |
| honestus, -a, -um | respected, honourable |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| prīmus, -a, -um | first, foremost |
| obsidiō, -ōnis f. | siege, blockade; oppression |
| perfugiō, -ere, -fūgī | flee for refuge, desert |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| fidēs, -eī f. | faith, trust; pledge |
| praestō, -stāre, -stitī, -stitus | stand in front; show |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| servus, -ī, m. | slave, servant |
| spēs, speī, f. | hope |
| lībertās, -tātis, f. | freedom, liberty |
| persuādeō, -suādēre, -suāsi, -suāsus | persuade, prevail upon, induce |
| praemium, -ī, n. | reward |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| dēferō, -ferre, -tulī, -lātus | bear or carry away or off |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| iaculum, -ī n. | javelin, dart |
| illigō (inligō), -āre, -āvī, -ātus | bind, fasten, tie up |
| efferō, -ferre, extulī, ēlātum | carry out, bring out |
| inter, prep, with acc. | among, between |
| sine, prep. with abl. | without |
| ūllus, -a, -um | any |
| suspīciō, -ōnis, f. | suspicion |
| versor, -ārī, -ātus | keep turning, be busy or employed, be |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| perīculum, -ī, n. | danger, peril, risk |
| legiō, -ōnis f. | legion |
| cognōscō, -gnōscere, -gnōvī, -gnitus | find out, learn; in tenses of completed action, have found out, know |