Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 7
De Bello Gallico 7.18
Caesar's march against Vercingetorix's camp
Caesar, De Bello Gallico VII. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō7.18.1Cum iam mūrō turrēs appropinquāssent, ex captīvīs Caesar cognōvit Vercingetorīgem cōnsūmptō pābulō castra mōvisse propius Avaricum atque ipsum cum equitātū expedītīsque, quī inter equitēs proeliārī cōnsuēssent, īnsidiārum causā eō profectum, quō nostrōs posterō diē pābulātum ventūrōs arbitrārētur.
When the towers were already approaching the wall, Caesar learned from prisoners that Vercingetorix, his fodder used up, had moved his camp nearer to Avaricum, and that he himself, with the cavalry and the light infantry who were used to fighting among the horsemen, had set out to lay an ambush at the place where he thought our men would come to forage the next day.
Note. pābulātum: supine of purpose after ventūrōs, 'to forage'.
7.18.2Quibus rēbus cognitīs mediā nocte silentiō profectus ad hostium castra māne pervēnit.
When he learned this, he set out silently at midnight and reached the enemy's camp in the morning.
7.18.3Illī celeriter per explōrātōrēs adventū Caesaris cognitō carrōs impedīmentaque sua in artiōrēs silvās abdidērunt, cōpiās omnēs in locō ēditō atque apertō īnstrūxērunt.
They, quickly learning of Caesar's arrival through scouts, hid their carts and baggage in the denser woods and drew up all their forces on high, open ground.
7.18.4Quā rē nūntiātā Caesar celeriter sarcinās cōnferrī, arma expedīrī iussit.
When this was reported, Caesar quickly ordered the packs to be piled together and the arms got ready.
Vocabulary
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| iam, adv. | now, already |
| mūrus, -ī, m. | wall |
| turris, -is f. | tower; siege tower |
| appropinquō, -propinquāre, -propinquāvī, -propinquātus | approach to, approach |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| captīvus, -a, -um | captive |
| cognōscō, -gnōscere, -gnōvī, -gnitus | find out, learn; in tenses of completed action, have found out, know |
| cōnsūmō, -sūmere, -sūmpsī, -sūmptus | take completely, use up, consume, spend |
| pābulum, -ī, n. | food, fodder |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| moveō, movēre, mōvī, mōtus | move |
| prope (adv. and prep. + acc.) | near, nearly |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| equitātus, -ūs m. | cavalry |
| expedītus, -a, -um | unobstructed, easy; lightly equipped |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| inter, prep, with acc. | among, between |
| eques, equitis m. | horseman; (pl.) cavalry |
| proelior, -ārī, -ātus sum | fight a battle |
| cōnsuēscō, -suēscere, -suēvī, -suētus | become accustomed; in tenses of completed action, have become accustomed, be accustomed or wont |
| īnsidiae, -ārum, f. plur. | ambush; plot, stratagem |
| causa, -ae, f. | cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of |
| eō (adv.) | to that place, thither; to that point (usque eō); (with comparatives) by so much, all the (more) |
| proficīscor, -ficīscī, -fectus sum | set out, depart, march |
| quō, adv. | to what place? whither? to which place, whither; for which reason, wherefore, therefore; quō ūsque, till when? how long? |
| noster, -tra, -trum | our |
| posterus, -a, -um | following, next |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| pābulor, -ārī, -ātus sum | gather fodder, forage |
| veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus | come |
| arbitror, -ārī, -ātus | consider, think, judge |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| medius, -a, -um | mid, middle |
| nox, noctis, f. | night |
| silentium, -ī n. | silence; silentiō: in silence, quietly |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| hostis, -is, m. and f. | enemy, foe |
| māne, adv. | in the morning, early in the morning |
| perveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventus | come through, come, arrive, reach |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| celeriter, adv. | swiftly, quickly |
| per, prep, with ace. | through, by means of |
| explōrātor, -ōris, m. | explorer, scout, spy |
| adventus, -ūs, m. | approach, arrival |
| carrus, -ī m. | wagon, cart |
| impedīmentum, -ī n. | hindrance; (pl.) baggage |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| artus, -a, -um | close, tight; dense, thick |
| silva, -ae, f. | wood, forest |
| abdō, -dere, -didī, -ditus | put away, hide |
| cōpia, -ae, f. | supply, abundance; plur., forces, troops |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| ēditus, -a, -um | raised, high |
| apertus, -a, -um | open |
| īnstruo, -struere, -strūxī, -strūctus | build in or into; draw up; equip, furnish, |
| nūntiō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | report, announce |
| sarcina, -ae f. | pack; (pl.) soldiers' kit |
| cōnferō, cōnferre, contulī, conlātus | bring together; grant, confer; sē cōnferre, to betake oneself, make one's way |
| arma, -ōrum, n. plur. | arms, weapons |
| expediō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus | free, set clear; get ready; arrange, settle |
| iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussus | bid, order, command |