Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 7
De Bello Gallico 7.64
Vercingetorix's plan and the attack on the Province
Caesar, De Bello Gallico VII. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō7.64.1Ipse imperat reliquīs cīvitātibus obsidēs diemque eī reī cōnstituit.
He himself demanded hostages from the other states and fixed a day for this.
7.64.1Omnēs equitēs, quīndecim mīlia numerō, celeriter convenīre iubet;
He ordered all the cavalry, fifteen thousand in number, to assemble quickly;
7.64.2peditātū quem anteā habuerit sē fore contentum dīcit, neque fortūnam temptātūrum aut in aciē dīmicātūrum, sed, quoniam abundet equitātū, perfacile esse factū frūmentātiōnibus pābulātiōnibusque Rōmānōs prohibēre, aequō modo animō sua ipsī frūmenta corrumpant aedificiaque incendant, quā reī familiāris iactūrā perpetuum imperium lībertātemque sē cōnsequī videant.
he said that he would be content with the infantry he had had before, and would not tempt fortune or fight in a pitched battle; but since he had plenty of cavalry, it was very easy to keep the Romans from getting grain and fodder, provided that they themselves were willing to destroy their own grain and burn their buildings, seeing that by this loss of private property they were gaining lasting sovereignty and freedom.
Note. From here to the end of 7.66 Vercingetorix's words are in indirect speech: infinitives for statements, subjunctives for commands and subordinate clauses. factū is the supine in -ū after perfacile, 'very easy to do'.
7.64.4Hīs cōnstitūtīs rēbus Aeduīs Segusiāvīsque, quī sunt fīnitimī prōvinciae, decem mīlia peditum imperat;
When this was settled, he ordered ten thousand infantry from the Aedui and the Segusiavi, who border on the Province;
7.64.4hūc addit equitēs octingentōs.
he added eight hundred cavalry to these.
7.64.5Hīs praeficit frātrem Eporēdorīgis bellumque īnferrī Allobrogibus iubet.
He put Eporedorix' brother in command of them and ordered war to be made on the Allobroges.
7.64.6Alterā ex parte Gabalōs proximōsque pāgōs Arvernōrum in Helviōs, item Rutēnōs Cadurcōsque ad fīnēs Volcārum Arecomicōrum dēpopulandōs mittit.
On the other side he sent the Gabali and the nearest cantons of the Arverni against the Helvii, and the Ruteni and Cadurci to lay waste the territory of the Volcae Arecomici.
7.64.7Nihilō minus clandestīnīs nūntiīs lēgātiōnibusque Allobrogās sollicitat, quōrum mentēs nōndum ab superiōre bellō resēdisse spērābat.
None the less, by secret messages and embassies he tried to win over the Allobroges, whose minds he hoped had not yet settled down after the earlier war.
Note. Nihilō minus: 'none the less', literally 'less by nothing'.
7.64.8Hōrum prīncipibus pecūniās, cīvitātī autem imperium tōtīus prōvinciae pollicētur.
To their leading men he promised money, and to their state rule over the whole Province.
Vocabulary
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| imperō, -perāre, -perāvī, -perātus | command, order, enjoin |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| cīvitās, -tātis, f. | state |
| obses, obsidis m./f. | hostage |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| cōnstituō, -stituere, -stituī, -stitūtus | set together or up; appoint; determine |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| eques, equitis m. | horseman; (pl.) cavalry |
| quīndecim (indecl.) | fifteen |
| mīlle, indecl. adj. | a thousand; mīlia, -ium, n. plur., thousands; |
| numerus, -ī, m. | number |
| celeriter, adv. | swiftly, quickly |
| conveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventus | come together, assemble |
| iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussus | bid, order, command |
| peditātus, -ūs m. | infantry, foot soldiers |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| anteā, adv. | before |
| habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | have, hold; consider |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| contentus, -a, -um | content, satisfied (+ abl.) |
| dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus | say, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| fortūna, -ae, f. | fortune |
| temptō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | try, attempt |
| aut, conj. | or; aut ... aut, either ... or |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| aciēs, -ēī, f. | line of battle |
| dīmicō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | fight |
| sed, conj. | but |
| quoniam, conj. | since now, since |
| abundō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | overflow; have plenty of, abound in (+ abl.) |
| equitātus, -ūs m. | cavalry |
| perfacilis, -e | very easy |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| frūmentātiō, -ōnis f. | foraging, getting grain |
| pābulātiō, -ōnis f. | foraging |
| Rōmānus, -a, -um | Roman |
| prohibeō, -hibēre, -hibuī, -hibitus | hold back, prevent, hinder |
| aequus, -a, -um | level; equal; fair |
| modo, adv. | only |
| animus, -ī, m. | mind; heart; spirit, courage |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| frūmentum, -ī, n. | grain |
| corrumpō, -rumpere, -rūpī, -ruptus | spoil, ruin, destroy; bribe |
| aedificium, -ī n. | building |
| incendō, -ere, -cendī, -cēnsum | set on fire, burn |
| familiāris, -e; as noun, -is m. | of the household (rēs familiāris: private property); friend |
| iactūra, -ae f. | loss, sacrifice; expense |
| perpetuus, -a, -um | continuous, perpetual; in perpetuum, for all time, forever |
| imperium, -ī, n. | command; sway, rule |
| lībertās, -tātis, f. | freedom, liberty |
| cōnsequor, -sequī, -secūtus | follow up, follow; overtake |
| videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus | see; pass., seem |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| fīnitimus, -a, -um | neighboring, adjoining |
| prōvincia, -ae f. | province; here, the Roman Province in southern Gaul |
| decem, indecl. adj. | ten |
| pedes, peditis m. | foot soldier |
| hūc, adv. | to this place, hither |
| addō, -ere, -didī, -ditus | add, put to |
| octingentī, -ae, -a | eight hundred |
| praeficiō, -ere, -fēcī, -fectum | put in charge of |
| frāter, frātris, m. | brother |
| bellum, -ī, n. | war |
| īnferō, īnferre, intulī, inlātus | bring in or against, wage against; inflict |
| alter, -era, -erum | one or the other (of two); another, second |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| proximus, -a, -um | nearest, next |
| pāgus, -ī m. | district, canton |
| item | likewise, also |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| fīnis, -is, m. | end, boundary; plur., borders, territory, country |
| dēpopulor, -ārī, -ātus sum | lay waste, ravage |
| mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus | send |
| nihilō (adv.) | by nothing; nihilō minus: none the less, nevertheless |
| minus, comp. adv. | less |
| clandestīnus, -a, -um | secret, hidden |
| nūntius, -ī, m. | messenger; message |
| lēgātiō, -ōnis f. | embassy, mission |
| sollicitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | stir up, tempt |
| mēns, mentis f. | mind, spirit |
| nōndum, adv. | not yet |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| superus, -a, -um; comp. superior, superl. summus or suprēmus | above, upper; comp. higher, earlier, previous; superior; superl. highest, top of |
| resīdō, -sīdere, -sēdī | settle down, subside |
| spērō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | hope |
| prīnceps, -ipis | first, chief; as noun: leader |
| pecūnia, -ae, f. | money (the possession of cattle constituting wealth in early times) |
| autem, conj. | moreover; but, however; now |
| tōtus, -a, -um | all the, the whole or entire |
| polliceor, -licērī, -licitus | promise |