Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 6
De Bello Gallico 6.6
The Menapii surrender
Caesar, De Bello Gallico VI. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō6.6.1Caesar partītīs cōpiīs cum Gāiō Fabiō lēgātō et Mārcō Crassō quaestōre celeriterque effectīs pontibus adit tripertītō, aedificia vīcōsque incendit, magnō pecoris atque hominum numerō potītur.
Caesar divided his forces with Gaius Fabius, his legate, and Marcus Crassus, his quaestor, quickly built bridges, and advanced in three columns; he burned buildings and villages and took a great number of cattle and people.
Note. tripertītō: 'in three divisions'. potior takes the ablative: magnō … numerō potītur.
6.6.2Quibus rēbus coāctī Menapiī lēgātōs ad eum pācis petendae causā mittunt.
Forced by this, the Menapii sent envoys to him to ask for peace.
6.6.3Ille obsidibus acceptīs hostium sē habitūrum numerō cōnfirmat, sī aut Ambiorīgem aut eius lēgātōs fīnibus suīs recēpissent.
He accepted hostages and declared that he would treat them as enemies if they received Ambiorix or his envoys in their territory.
Note. hostium … numerō: 'in the number of enemies', i.e. he would treat them as enemies. recēpissent: pluperfect subjunctive standing for a future perfect in the original threat.
6.6.3Hīs cōnfirmātīs rēbus Commium Atrebatem cum equitātū custōdis locō in Menapiīs relinquit;
Having settled this, he left Commius the Atrebatian with cavalry among the Menapii to keep watch;
6.6.3ipse in Trēverōs proficīscitur.
he himself set out against the Treveri.
Vocabulary
| partiō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus | divide, share |
| cōpia, -ae, f. | supply, abundance; plur., forces, troops |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| lēgātus, -ī, m. | ambassador |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| quaestor, -ōris m. | quaestor, a Roman official in charge of an army's funds |
| celeriter, adv. | swiftly, quickly |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| efficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | make or work out, accomplish, effect |
| pōns, pontis, m. | bridge |
| adeō, -īre, -iī, -itus | go to, approach |
| tripertītō (adv.) | in three divisions |
| aedificium, -ī n. | building |
| vīcus, -ī, m. | village |
| incendō, -ere, -cendī, -cēnsum | set on fire, burn |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| pecus, pecoris, n. | herd, flock, cattle |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| homō, hominis, m. | man |
| numerus, -ī, m. | number |
| potior, -īrī, -ītus | become master of, get possession of |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| cōgō, cōgere, coēgī, coāctus | drive together, collect; compel |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| pāx, pācis f. | peace |
| petō, -ere, -īvī or -iī, -ītus | seek, ask; attack |
| causa, -ae, f. | cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of |
| mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus | send |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| obses, obsidis m./f. | hostage |
| accipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take to oneself, receive, accept; hear; suffer |
| hostis, -is, m. and f. | enemy, foe |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | have, hold; consider |
| cōnfirmō, -firmāre, -firmāvī, -firmātus | strengthen, establish; declare, assert |
| sī, conj. | if |
| aut, conj. | or; aut ... aut, either ... or |
| fīnis, -is, m. | end, boundary; plur., borders, territory, country |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| recipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take or get back, recover; sē recipere, to betake oneself, withdraw; to collect oneself, recover |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| equitātus, -ūs m. | cavalry |
| custōs, -ōdis m. | guard |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| relinquō, -linquere, -līquī, -lictus | leave behind, leave |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| proficīscor, -ficīscī, -fectus sum | set out, depart, march |