Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 5
De Bello Gallico 5.55
Indutiomarus gathers support
Caesar, De Bello Gallico V. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō5.55.1Trēverī vērō atque Indutiomārus tōtīus hiemis nūllum tempus intermīsērunt, quīn trāns Rhēnum lēgātōs mitterent, cīvitātēs sollicitārent, pecūniās pollicērentur, magnā parte exercitūs nostrī interfectā multō minōrem superesse dīcerent partem.
The Treveri and Indutiomarus, indeed, let no time in the whole winter pass without sending envoys across the Rhine, stirring up the states, promising money, and saying that a great part of our army had been killed and a much smaller part was left.
5.55.2Neque tamen ūllī cīvitātī Germānōrum persuādērī potuit, ut Rhēnum trānsīret, cum sē bis expertōs dīcerent, Ariovistī bellō et Tencterōrum trānsitū: nōn esse amplius fortūnam temptātūrōs.
Yet no German state could be persuaded to cross the Rhine, since they said they had tried it twice, in the war of Ariovistus and in the crossing of the Tencteri: they would not tempt fortune any further.
Note. persuādērī potuit: impersonal passive; persuādeō takes the dative (ūllī cīvitātī), which stays in the passive.
5.55.2Hāc spē lāpsus Indutiomārus nihilō minus cōpiās cōgere, exercēre, ā fīnitimīs equōs parāre, exulēs damnātōsque tōtā Galliā magnīs praemiīs ad sē allicere coepit.
Disappointed in this hope, Indutiomarus nonetheless began to gather and train forces, to obtain horses from his neighbours, and to attract exiles and condemned men from all over Gaul to himself with great rewards.
5.55.4Ac tantam sibi iam hīs rēbus in Galliā auctōritātem comparāverat ut undique ad eum lēgātiōnēs concurrerent, grātiam atque amīcitiam pūblicē prīvātimque peterent.
And by these means he had already won himself such influence in Gaul that embassies flocked to him from all sides, seeking his favour and friendship, both officially and privately.
Vocabulary
| vērō, adv. | in truth, indeed; however |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| tōtus, -a, -um | all the, the whole or entire |
| hiems, hiemis f. | winter |
| nūllus, -a, -um | not any, none, no |
| tempus, temporis, n. | time, season |
| intermittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | leave off, interrupt; let pass; pass., be left between, intervene, elapse |
| quīn, conj. | so that ... not, but that, but |
| trāns, prep. with acc. | across, over |
| lēgātus, -ī, m. | ambassador |
| mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus | send |
| cīvitās, -tātis, f. | state |
| sollicitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | stir up, tempt |
| pecūnia, -ae, f. | money (the possession of cattle constituting wealth in early times) |
| polliceor, -licērī, -licitus | promise |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| exercitus, -ūs, m. | army |
| noster, -tra, -trum | our |
| interficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | put out of the way, kill |
| multō, adv. | by much or far, much, far |
| parvus, -a, -um | little, small |
| supersum, -esse, -fuī | be over or left, remain |
| dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus | say, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| tamen, adv. | however, yet, nevertheless |
| ūllus, -a, -um | any |
| persuādeō, -suādēre, -suāsi, -suāsus | persuade, prevail upon, induce |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| trānseō, -īre, -iī, -itus | go across or over, cross |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| bis (adv.) | twice |
| experior, -īrī, expertus sum | try, test, experience |
| bellum, -ī, n. | war |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| trānsitus, -ūs m. | crossing, passage |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| amplius (adv.) | more, further |
| fortūna, -ae, f. | fortune |
| temptō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | try, attempt |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| spēs, speī, f. | hope |
| lābor, lābī, lapsus | slip, glide, fall |
| nihil, n., indecl. | nothing |
| minus, comp. adv. | less |
| cōpia, -ae, f. | supply, abundance; plur., forces, troops |
| cōgō, cōgere, coēgī, coāctus | drive together, collect; compel |
| exerceō, -ercēre, -ercuī, -ercitus | exercise |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| fīnitimus, -a, -um | neighboring, adjoining |
| equus, -ī, m. | horse |
| parō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | make ready, prepare |
| exsul, -ulis m. | exile, banished person |
| damnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | condemn |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| praemium, -ī, n. | reward |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| alliciō, -ere, -lexī, -lectus | attract, entice, win over |
| coepī, coepisse, coeptus (used in tenses of completed action) | have begun, began |
| tantus, -a, -um | so great or much |
| iam, adv. | now, already |
| 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 |
| auctōritās, -tātis f. | influence, authority, prestige |
| comparō, -parāre, -parāvī, -parātus | prepare, collect |
| undique, adv. | from or on all sides |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| lēgātiō, -ōnis f. | embassy, mission |
| concurrō, -currere, -currī, -cursus | run, rush, or dash together |
| grātia, -ae, f. | favor; gratitude, thanks; plur., thanks; grātiās agere, to give thanks, thank; grātiam referre, to return a favor, show gratitude, requite |
| amīcitia, -ae f. | friendship, alliance |
| pūblicē (adv.) | officially, as a state |
| prīvātim (adv.) | privately, as individuals |
| petō, -ere, -īvī or -iī, -ītus | seek, ask; attack |