Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 7
De Bello Gallico 7.26
The women raise the alarm
Caesar, De Bello Gallico VII. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō7.26.1Omnia expertī Gallī, quod rēs nūlla successerat, posterō diē cōnsilium cēpērunt ex oppidō profugere hortante et iubente Vercingetorīge.
Having tried everything, since nothing had succeeded, the Gauls decided the next day to flee from the town, at the urging and on the orders of Vercingetorix.
7.26.2Id silentiō noctis cōnātī nōn magnā iactūrā suōrum sēsē effectūrōs spērābant, proptereā quod neque longē ab oppidō castra Vercingetorīgis aberant, et palūs, quae perpetua intercēdēbat, Rōmānōs ad īnsequendum tardābat.
By attempting it in the silence of the night they hoped to carry it out without great loss of their men, because Vercingetorix's camp was not far from the town, and the unbroken marsh that lay between would hold the Romans back from pursuit.
Note. Id … cōnātī … sēsē effectūrōs spērābant: 'they hoped that by attempting it … they would carry it out'. After spērō Latin uses a future infinitive (effectūrōs esse).
7.26.3Iamque hoc facere noctū apparābant, cum mātrēs familiae repente in pūblicum prōcurrērunt flentēsque prōiectae ad pedēs suōrum omnibus precibus petiērunt, nē sē et commūnēs liberos hostibus ad supplicium dēderent, quōs ad capiendam fugam nātūrae et vīrium īnfirmitās impedīret.
And they were already preparing to do this by night when the matrons suddenly ran out into the streets and, throwing themselves weeping at the feet of their men, begged with every kind of entreaty that they should not hand themselves and their shared children over to the enemy for punishment, since the weakness of their nature and strength kept them from taking flight.
Note. mātrēs familiae: 'matrons, mothers of families'. familiae is an old genitive form kept in this phrase. quōs … impedīret: a relative clause with causal force, 'since … prevented them'.
7.26.4Ubi eōs in sententiā perstāre vīdērunt, quod plērumque in summō perīculō timor misericordiam nōn recipit, conclāmāre et significāre dē fugā Rōmānīs coepērunt.
When they saw that the men held to their decision, since in the greatest danger fear generally has no room for pity, they began to shout and to signal to the Romans about the flight.
7.26.5Quō timōre perterritī Gallī, nē ab equitātū Rōmānōrum viae praeoccupārentur, cōnsiliō dēstitērunt.
Alarmed by this fear, that the roads might be seized in advance by the Roman cavalry, the Gauls gave up their plan.
Vocabulary
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| experior, -īrī, expertus sum | try, test, experience |
| quod, conj. | that, in that, because |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| nūllus, -a, -um | not any, none, no |
| succēdō, -cēdere, -cessī, -cessus | go or come under, follow after, succeed |
| posterus, -a, -um | following, next |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| cōnsilium, -ī, n. | advice; plan, design, purpose; prudence |
| capiō, capere, cēpī, captus | take, catch, seize; receive, suffer; adopt |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| oppidum, -ī, n. | town |
| profugiō, -ere, -fūgī | flee, escape |
| hortor, -ārī, -ātus | exhort, encourage, urge |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussus | bid, order, command |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| silentium, -ī n. | silence; silentiō: in silence, quietly |
| nox, noctis, f. | night |
| cōnor, -ārī, -ātus | try, attempt |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| iactūra, -ae f. | loss, sacrifice; expense |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| efficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | make or work out, accomplish, effect |
| spērō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | hope |
| proptereā | for this reason; proptereā quod: because |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| longē, adv. | far |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| absum, abesse, āfuī, āfutūrus | be away, be absent, be distant; be wanting |
| palūs, -ūdis, f. | swamp, marsh |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| perpetuus, -a, -um | continuous, perpetual; in perpetuum, for all time, forever |
| intercēdō, -ere, -cessī, -cessum | come between, pass (of time) |
| Rōmānus, -a, -um | Roman |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| īnsequor, -sequī, -secūtus | follow upon or up, pursue |
| tardō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | slow down, check |
| iam, adv. | now, already |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| noctū, adv. | at or by night |
| apparō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | prepare, get ready |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| māter, mātris, f. | mother |
| familia, -ae f. | household (incl. slaves and dependents) |
| repente (adv.) | suddenly |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| pūblicum, -ī n. | open street, public place |
| prōcurrō, -ere, prōcucurrī | run forward, charge |
| fleō, -ēre, flēvī, flētum | weep |
| prōiciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectus | throw forth or down, cast away, throw |
| pēs, pedis, m. | foot |
| prex, precis f. (usu. pl.) | prayer, entreaty |
| petō, -ere, -īvī or -iī, -ītus | seek, ask; attack |
| nē, adv. | not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest |
| commūnis, -e | common, shared, public |
| liber, librī m. | book; record |
| hostis, -is, m. and f. | enemy, foe |
| supplicium, -ī, n. | punishment, torture |
| dēdō, -dere, -didī, -ditus | give away or up |
| fuga, -ae, f. | flight |
| nātūra, -ae, f. | nature, character |
| vīs, vīs, f. | violence, force; virtue, potency, efficacy; plur. vīrēs, -ium, strength; omnibus vīribus, with all one's strength, with might and main |
| īnfirmitās, -ātis f. | weakness; fickleness |
| impediō, -pedīre, -pedīvī, -pedītus | hinder, prevent, impede |
| ubi, adv. | where; conj., when |
| sententia, -ae, f. | opinion; purpose |
| perstō, -āre, -stitī, -stātum | stand firm; persist |
| videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus | see; pass., seem |
| plērumque (adv.) | generally, mostly |
| summus, -a, -um | uppermost, highest, greatest |
| perīculum, -ī, n. | danger, peril, risk |
| timor, -ōris, m. | fear |
| misericordia, -ae, f; | pity, compassion |
| recipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take or get back, recover; sē recipere, to betake oneself, withdraw; to collect oneself, recover |
| conclāmō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | shout out, cry out |
| significō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | show, indicate, signal |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| coepī, coepisse, coeptus (used in tenses of completed action) | have begun, began |
| perterreō, -terrēre, -terrui, -territus | thoroughly frighten, terrify |
| equitātus, -ūs m. | cavalry |
| via, -ae, f. | road, way |
| praeoccupō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | seize beforehand, take hold of first |
| dēsistō, -sistere, -stitī, -stitus | set down; leave off, desist, cease, stop |