Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 7
De Bello Gallico 7.12
Noviodunum changes sides
Caesar, De Bello Gallico VII. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
Tap any word for its meaning and grammar, save words to review, and track your reading.
Read in Lectitō7.12.1Vercingetorīx, ubi dē Caesaris adventū cognōvit, oppugnātiōne dēstitit atque obviam Caesarī proficīscitur.
When Vercingetorix learned of Caesar's arrival, he gave up the siege and sets out to meet Caesar.
7.12.2Ille oppidum Biturīgum positum in viā Noviodūnum oppugnāre īnstituerat.
Caesar had begun to besiege Noviodunum, a town of the Bituriges lying on his route.
7.12.3Quō ex oppidō cum lēgātī ad eum vēnissent ōrātum ut sibi ignōsceret suaeque vītae cōnsuleret, ut celeritāte reliquās rēs cōnficeret, quā plēraque erat cōnsecūtus, arma cōnferrī, equōs prōdūcī, obsidēs darī iubet.
When envoys had come to him from this town to beg him to pardon them and spare their lives, in order to finish the rest of the campaign with the speed by which he had achieved most things, he orders the arms to be brought together, the horses brought out, and hostages given.
Note. ōrātum: supine of purpose after venissent, 'to beg'.
7.12.4Parte iam obsidum trāditā, cum reliqua administrārentur, centuriōnibus et paucīs mīlitibus intrōmissīs, quī arma iūmentaque conquīrerent, equitātus hostium procul vīsus est, quī agmen Vercingetorīgis antecesserat.
When part of the hostages had already been handed over, while the rest was being carried out, and some centurions and a few soldiers had been sent in to collect the arms and pack animals, the enemy's cavalry was seen in the distance, which had gone ahead of Vercingetorix's column.
7.12.5Quem simul atque oppidānī cōnspexērunt atque in spem auxilī vēnērunt, clāmōre sublātō arma capere, portās claudere, mūrum complēre coepērunt.
As soon as the townspeople caught sight of it and came to hope for help, they raised a shout and began to take up arms, shut the gates, and man the wall.
Note. simul atque: 'as soon as'.
7.12.5Centuriōnēs in oppidō, cum ex significātiōne Gallōrum novī aliquid ab eīs inīrī cōnsilī intellēxissent, gladiīs dēstrictīs portās occupāvērunt suōsque omnēs incolumēs recēpērunt.
The centurions in the town, when they understood from the behavior of the Gauls that some new plan was being formed by them, drew their swords, seized the gates, and got all their men out safely.
Vocabulary
| ubi, adv. | where; conj., when |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| adventus, -ūs, m. | approach, arrival |
| cognōscō, -gnōscere, -gnōvī, -gnitus | find out, learn; in tenses of completed action, have found out, know |
| oppugnātiō, -ōnis f. | siege, assault on a town |
| dēsistō, -sistere, -stitī, -stitus | set down; leave off, desist, cease, stop |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| obviam, adv. | in the way, opposite, face to face; obviam fierī, to meet; obviam īre, to go to meet |
| proficīscor, -ficīscī, -fectus sum | set out, depart, march |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| oppidum, -ī, n. | town |
| pōnō, pōnere, posuī, positus | place, put; pōnī with in and abl., to be placed in, rest or depend on |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| via, -ae, f. | road, way |
| oppugnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | attack, besiege |
| īnstituō, -stituere, -stituī, -stitūtus | decide upon, determine |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| lēgātus, -ī, m. | ambassador |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus | come |
| ōrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | speak; beg, pray |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| ignōscō, -ere, ignōvī, ignōtum (+ dat.) | pardon, forgive |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| vīta, -ae, f. | life |
| cōnsulō, -ere, -uī, -tus | consult |
| celeritās, -tātis, f. | swiftness, quickness, speed |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| cōnficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | make or do completely, complete, finish, accomplish, make; wear out |
| plērīque, plēraeque, plēraque | most, very many |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| cōnsequor, -sequī, -secūtus | follow up, follow; overtake |
| arma, -ōrum, n. plur. | arms, weapons |
| cōnferō, cōnferre, contulī, conlātus | bring together; grant, confer; sē cōnferre, to betake oneself, make one's way |
| equus, -ī, m. | horse |
| prōdūcō, -ere, -dūxī, -ductum | lead out, bring out |
| obses, obsidis m./f. | hostage |
| dō, dare, dedī, datus | give |
| iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussus | bid, order, command |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| iam, adv. | now, already |
| trādō, -dere, -didī, -ditus | give across, over, or up, deliver; hand down, relate, report |
| administrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | manage, carry out |
| centuriō, -ōnis m. | centurion (officer commanding about 80 men) |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| paucī, -ae, -a, plur. adj. | few |
| mīles, mīlitis, m. | soldier |
| intrōmittō, -ere, -mīsī, -missum | let in, send in |
| iūmentum, -ī n. | pack animal, beast of burden |
| conquīrō, -ere, -quīsīvī, -quīsītum | search out, hunt down |
| equitātus, -ūs m. | cavalry |
| hostis, -is, m. and f. | enemy, foe |
| procul, adv. | at or from a distance, far |
| videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus | see; pass., seem |
| agmen, -minis, n. | band, column |
| antecēdō, -ere, -cessī, -cessum | go before; surpass |
| simul, adv. | at the same time; simul atque or ac, as soon as |
| oppidānus, -ī m. | townsman (pl. the people of the town) |
| cōnspiciō, -spicere, -spēxī, -spectus | behold, perceive, see |
| spēs, speī, f. | hope |
| auxilium, -ī, n. | help, aid |
| clāmor, -ōris, m. | shout, cry |
| tollō, tollere, sustulī, sublātus | lift, raise; take away, remove; ancorās tollere, to weigh anchor |
| capiō, capere, cēpī, captus | take, catch, seize; receive, suffer; adopt |
| porta, -ae, f. | gate; door |
| claudō, -ere, clausī, clausum | close, shut; (agmen) bring up the rear |
| mūrus, -ī, m. | wall |
| compleō, -plēre, -plēvī, -plētus | fill full, fill up |
| coepī, coepisse, coeptus (used in tenses of completed action) | have begun, began |
| significātiō, -ōnis f. | signal |
| novus, -a, -um | new; novissimus, last |
| aliquis, -quid, indef. pron. | someone, any one, something, anything, some, any |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| ineō, -īre, -iī, -itus | go into, enter; adopt |
| cōnsilium, -ī, n. | advice; plan, design, purpose; prudence |
| intellegō, -legere, -lēxī, -lēctus | perceive, understand |
| gladius, -ī, m. | sword |
| dēstringō, -ere, -strīnxī, -strictum | draw (a sword) |
| occupō, -cupāre, -cupāvī, -cupātus | seize; fill |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| incolumis, -e | unhurt, safe |
| recipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take or get back, recover; sē recipere, to betake oneself, withdraw; to collect oneself, recover |