Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 7
De Bello Gallico 7.60
Labienus deceives the enemy
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 Lectitō7.60.1Sub vesperum cōnsiliō convocātō cohortātus ut ea quae imperāsset dīligenter industriēque administrārent, nāvēs, quās Metiosēdō dēdūxerat, singulās equitibus Rōmānīs attribuit, et prīmā cōnfectā vigiliā quattuor mīlia passuum secundō flūmine silentiō prōgredī ibique sē exspectārī iubet.
Towards evening he called a council and urged them to carry out his orders carefully and energetically; he assigned the boats he had brought from Metiosedum one each to Roman knights, and ordered them, when the first watch was over, to go four miles downstream in silence and wait for him there.
7.60.2Quīnque cohortēs, quās minimē firmās ad dīmicandum esse exīstimābat, castrīs praesidiō relinquit;
He left the five cohorts which he thought least steady in fighting as a guard for the camp;
Note. castrīs praesidiō: another double dative, 'as a guard for the camp'.
7.60.3quīnque eiusdem legiōnis reliquās dē mediā nocte cum omnibus impedīmentīs adversō flūmine magnō tumultū proficīscī imperat.
the other five of the same legion he ordered to set out at midnight upstream with all the baggage, making a great uproar.
7.60.4Conquīrit etiam lintrēs: hās magnō sonitū rēmōrum incitātās in eandem partem mittit.
He also collected small boats; these he sent off in the same direction, driven along with a loud noise of oars.
7.60.4Ipse post paulō silentiō ēgressus cum tribus legiōnibus eum locum petit quō nāvēs appellī iusserat.
He himself shortly afterwards went out in silence with three legions and made for the place where he had ordered the boats to put in.
Note. post paulō: 'a little afterwards'; post is an adverb here and paulō the ablative of degree of difference.
Vocabulary
| sub, prep. with acc. and abl. | under; sub vesperum, towards evening |
| vesper, vesperī, m. | evening |
| cōnsilium, -ī, n. | advice; plan, design, purpose; prudence |
| convocō, -vocāre, -vocāvī, -vocātus | call together, summon, assemble |
| cohortor, -hortārī, -hortātus | encourage, exhort |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| imperō, -perāre, -perāvī, -perātus | command, order, enjoin |
| dīligenter, adv. | carefully, diligently |
| industrius, -a, -um | active, diligent, hard-working |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| administrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | manage, carry out |
| nāvis, -is, f. | ship |
| dēdūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead down or away, bring; nāvem dēdūcere, to draw down or launch a ship |
| singulī, -ae, -a | one at a time, single |
| eques, equitis m. | horseman; (pl.) cavalry |
| Rōmānus, -a, -um | Roman |
| attribuō, -ere, -tribuī, -tribūtum | assign, allot |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| prīmus, -a, -um | first, foremost |
| cōnficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | make or do completely, complete, finish, accomplish, make; wear out |
| vigilia, -ae, f. | watch |
| quattuor, indecl. adj. | four |
| mīlle, indecl. adj. | a thousand; mīlia, -ium, n. plur., thousands; |
| passus, -ūs, m. | pace (mīlia passuum: miles) |
| secundus, -a, -um | following, favorable |
| flūmen, -minis, n. | river |
| silentium, -ī n. | silence; silentiō: in silence, quietly |
| prōgredior, -gredī, -gressus | go forward, advance |
| ibi, adv. | in that place, there |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| exspectō, -spectāre, -spectāvī, -spectātus | look out for, wait for, await, expect; wait |
| iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussus | bid, order, command |
| quīnque | five |
| cohors, cohortis f. | cohort (a tenth of a legion); company |
| minimē, adv. | least, very little; by no means, not at all |
| firmus, -a, -um | strong, steadfast |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| dīmicō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | fight |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| exīstimō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | consider, believe, think |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| praesidium, -ī, n. | protection; guard, escort |
| relinquō, -linquere, -līquī, -lictus | leave behind, leave |
| īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron. | the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also |
| legiō, -ōnis f. | legion |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| medius, -a, -um | mid, middle |
| nox, noctis, f. | night |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| impedīmentum, -ī n. | hindrance; (pl.) baggage |
| adversus, -a, -um | facing; unfavourable, unsuccessful |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| tumultus, -ūs m. | uproar, uprising |
| proficīscor, -ficīscī, -fectus sum | set out, depart, march |
| conquīrō, -ere, -quīsīvī, -quīsītum | search out, hunt down |
| etiam, adv. | and now, also, too, even |
| linter, lintris, f. | boat, skiff |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| sonitus, -ūs, m. | sound, noise |
| rēmus, -ī, m. | oar |
| incitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | stir up, provoke |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus | send |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| post, adv. | after, later; prep. with acc., after, behind |
| paulō, adv. | by a little, a little, somewhat |
| ēgredior, -gredī, -gressus | go out or forth, go ashore, disembark |
| trēs, tria, plur. adj. | three |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| petō, -ere, -īvī or -iī, -ītus | seek, ask; attack |
| quō, adv. | to what place? whither? to which place, whither; for which reason, wherefore, therefore; quō ūsque, till when? how long? |
| appellō, -pellāre, -pellāvī, -pellātus | call, name |