Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 7
De Bello Gallico 7.44
An opening at Gergovia
Caesar, De Bello Gallico VII. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō7.44.1Haec cōgitantī accidere vīsa est facultās bene reī gerendae.
As he was thinking about this, a chance of success seemed to present itself.
Note. Haec cōgitantī: dative of the participle, 'to him while thinking this'. bene reī gerendae: gerundive in the genitive, 'of doing the business well', i.e. of a success.
7.44.1Nam cum in minōra castra operis perspiciendī causā vēnisset, animadvertit collem, quī ab hostibus tenēbātur, nūdātum hominibus, quī superiōribus diēbus vix prae multitūdine cernī poterat.
For when he had come into the smaller camp to inspect the works, he noticed that a hill held by the enemy was stripped of men, though on the previous days it could scarcely be seen for the crowd on it.
7.44.2Admīrātus quaerit ex perfugīs causam, quōrum magnus ad eum cōtīdiē numerus cōnfluēbat.
Surprised, he asks the deserters the reason; a great number of them were streaming to him every day.
7.44.3Cōnstābat inter omnēs, quod iam ipse Caesar per explōrātōrēs cognōverat, dorsum esse eius iugī prope aequum, sed hunc silvestrem et angustum, quā esset aditus ad alteram partem oppidī;
They all agreed, as Caesar himself had already learned through scouts, that the ridge of that hill was almost level, but wooded and narrow, where there was a way to the other side of the town;
Note. From here to the end of sentence 61 the deserters' report is in indirect speech. Cōnstābat inter omnēs: 'it was agreed among all'. quā esset aditus: 'by which there was a way through'.
7.44.3huic locō vehementer illōs timēre nec iam aliter sentīre, ūnō colle ab Rōmānīs occupātō, sī alterum āmīsissent, quīn paene circumvallātī atque omnī exitū et pābulātiōne interclūsī vidērentur: ad hunc mūniendum omnēs ā Vercingetorīge ēvocātōs.
that they were badly afraid for this place, and felt sure that if they lost the second hill, with one already taken by the Romans, they would plainly be almost surrounded and cut off from every way out and from foraging: that everyone had been called out by Vercingetorix to fortify it.
Note. quīn paene circumvallātī … vidērentur: after nec aliter sentīre, 'they felt sure that they would seem almost surrounded'. ūnō colle … occupātō: ablative absolute.
Vocabulary
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| cōgitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | consider, think over |
| accidō, -cidere, -cidī | fall to or upon; befall, happen |
| videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus | see; pass., seem |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| facultās, -tātis, f. | possibility, opportunity, chance, means |
| bene, adv. | well; successfully |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| gerō, gerere, gessī, gestus | carry, wear; carry on, do |
| nam, conj. | for |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| parvus, -a, -um | little, small |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| opus, operis, n. | work, task |
| perspiciō, -ere, -spexī, -spectum | see clearly, observe |
| causa, -ae, f. | cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of |
| veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus | come |
| animadvertō, -vertere, -vertī, -versus | turn the mind to, observe |
| collis, -is m. | hill |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| hostis, -is, m. and f. | enemy, foe |
| teneō, -ēre, -uī, -tus | hold, keep; hold back, restrain, stop |
| nūdō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | strip, leave bare |
| homō, hominis, m. | man |
| superior, -ius, adj. | higher; former, previous, preceding |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| vix, adv. | with difficulty, scarcely, hardly, barely |
| prae (prep. + abl.) | in comparison with; because of |
| multitūdō, -tūdinis, f. | multitude |
| cernō, cernere, crēvī, certus or crētus | discern, perceive, make out |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| admīror, -mīrārī, -mīrātus | wonder at, admire |
| quaerō, quaerere, quaesīvī, quaesītus | seek; ask, inquire |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| perfuga, -ae m. | deserter |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| cottīdiē, adv. | daily, every day |
| numerus, -ī, m. | number |
| cōnfluō, -ere, -flūxī | flow together; flock together, gather |
| cōnstō, -stāre, -stitī, -stātūrus | stand together, agree; consist; |
| inter, prep, with acc. | among, between |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| iam, adv. | now, already |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| per, prep, with ace. | through, by means of |
| explōrātor, -ōris, m. | explorer, scout, spy |
| cognōscō, -gnōscere, -gnōvī, -gnitus | find out, learn; in tenses of completed action, have found out, know |
| dorsum, -ī n. | back; ridge (of a hill) |
| iugum, -ī, n. | yoke |
| prope (adv. and prep. + acc.) | near, nearly |
| aequus, -a, -um | level; equal; fair |
| sed, conj. | but |
| silvestris, -e | wooded |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| angustus, -a, -um | narrow, cramped |
| quā, adv. | in which place, where |
| aditus, -ūs, m. | approach, entrance |
| alter, -era, -erum | one or the other (of two); another, second |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| oppidum, -ī, n. | town |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| vehementer, adv. | violently, vehemently; earnestly; exceedingly, greatly |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| timeō, -ēre, -uī | fear |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| aliter, adv. | in another way, otherwise, differently |
| sentiō, sentīre, sēnsī, sēnsus | perceive, feel |
| ūnus, -a, -um | one; only, alone |
| Rōmānus, -a, -um | Roman |
| occupō, -cupāre, -cupāvī, -cupātus | seize; fill |
| sī, conj. | if |
| āmittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send away, lose |
| quīn, conj. | so that ... not, but that, but |
| paene, adv. | almost, nearly |
| circumvallō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | surround with siege works, blockade |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| exitus, -ūs m. | way out; outcome, end |
| pābulātiō, -ōnis f. | foraging |
| interclūdō, -ere, -clūsī, -clūsum | cut off, block |
| mūniō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus | fortify |
| ēvocō, -vocāre, -vocāvī, -vocātus | call out, challenge |