Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 6
De Bello Gallico 6.42
Caesar's verdict
Caesar, De Bello Gallico VI. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō6.42.1Reversus ille ēventūs bellī nōn ignōrāns ūnum, quod cohortēs ex statiōne et praesidiō essent ēmissae, questus nē minimō quidem cāsū locum relinquī dēbuisse, multum fortūnam in repentīnō hostium adventū potuisse iūdicāvit, multō etiam amplius, quod paene ab ipsō vallō portīsque castrōrum barbarōs āvertisset.
On his return, knowing well the chances of war, he complained of one thing only, that the cohorts had been sent out from their post and garrison: not even the smallest risk, he said, ought to have been allowed; he judged that fortune had had great power in the sudden arrival of the enemy, and much greater still in having turned the barbarians away almost from the very rampart and gates of the camp.
Note. ūnum is the object of questus, explained by the quod-clause: 'he complained of one thing, that …'. multum and multō … amplius both go with potuisse.
6.42.2quārum omnium rērum maximē admīrandum vidēbātur, quod Germānī, quī eō cōnsiliō Rhēnum trānsierant, ut Ambiorīgis fīnēs dēpopulārentur, ad castra Rōmānōrum dēlātī optātissimum Ambiorīgī beneficium obtulērunt.
Of all these things the most remarkable seemed to be that the Germans, who had crossed the Rhine with the intention of laying waste the lands of Ambiorix, had been carried to the camp of the Romans and done Ambiorix the service he most desired.
Vocabulary
| revertor, -vertī, -versus, perf. act. -vertī | turn back, return |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| ēventus, -ūs m. | outcome, result |
| bellum, -ī, n. | war |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| ignōrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | be ignorant of |
| ūnus, -a, -um | one; only, alone |
| quod, conj. | that, in that, because |
| cohors, cohortis f. | cohort (a tenth of a legion); company |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| statiō, -ōnis f. | outpost, picket |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| praesidium, -ī, n. | protection; guard, escort |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| ēmittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send out or forth |
| queror, -ī, questus sum | complain |
| nē, adv. | not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest |
| parvus, -a, -um | little, small |
| quidem, adv. | in fact, indeed, certainly; nē ... quidem, not ... even |
| cāsus, -ūs, m. | fall; chance, accident |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| relinquō, -linquere, -līquī, -lictus | leave behind, leave |
| dēbeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | owe; with infin., ought |
| multum, -ī, n. | much |
| fortūna, -ae, f. | fortune |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| repentīnus, -a, -um | sudden |
| hostis, -is, m. and f. | enemy, foe |
| adventus, -ūs, m. | approach, arrival |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| iūdicō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | judge, decide |
| multō, adv. | by much or far, much, far |
| etiam, adv. | and now, also, too, even |
| amplius (adv.) | more, further |
| paene, adv. | almost, nearly |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| vallum, -ī n. | rampart, palisade |
| porta, -ae, f. | gate; door |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| barbarus, -a, -um | barbarian |
| āvertō, -ere, āvertī, āversum | turn away, turn aside |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| maximē, adv. | very greatly, exceedingly, especially |
| admīror, -mīrārī, -mīrātus | wonder at, admire |
| videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus | see; pass., seem |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| cōnsilium, -ī, n. | advice; plan, design, purpose; prudence |
| trānseō, -īre, -iī, -itus | go across or over, cross |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| fīnis, -is, m. | end, boundary; plur., borders, territory, country |
| dēpopulor, -ārī, -ātus sum | lay waste, ravage |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| Rōmānus, -a, -um | Roman |
| dēferō, -ferre, -tulī, -lātus | bear or carry away or off |
| optātus, -a, -um | wished for, welcome |
| beneficium, -ī, n. | well-doing, kindness, service, benefit |
| offerō, offerre, obtulī, oblātus | bear to, proffer, offer |