Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 7
De Bello Gallico 7.68
The retreat to Alesia
Caesar, De Bello Gallico VII. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō7.68.1Fugātō omnī equitātū Vercingetorīx cōpiās, ut prō castrīs collocāverat, redūxit prōtinusque Alesiam, quod est oppidum Mandubiōrum, iter facere coepit celeriterque impedīmenta ex castrīs ēdūcī et sē subsequī iussit.
When all his cavalry had been routed, Vercingetorix led back his forces, as he had drawn them up in front of the camp, and at once began to march to Alesia, a town of the Mandubii, and ordered the baggage to be brought out of the camp quickly and to follow him.
7.68.2Caesar impedīmentīs in proximum collem dēductīs, duābus legiōnibus praesidiō relictīs, secūtus quantum diēī tempus est passum, circiter tribus mīlibus hostium ex novissimō agmine interfectīs alterō diē ad Alesiam castra fēcit.
Caesar took the baggage to the nearest hill and left two legions to guard it, followed as far as the daylight allowed, killed about three thousand of the enemy from the rear of the column, and on the next day pitched camp near Alesia.
Note. quantum diēī tempus est passum: 'as far as the time of day allowed'; passum is from patior.
7.68.3Perspectō urbis sitū perterritīsque hostibus, quod equitātū, quā maximē parte exercitūs cōnfīdēbant, erant pulsī, adhortātus ad labōrem mīlitēs circumvallāre īnstituit.
He studied the site of the town; and since the enemy were terrified because their cavalry, the arm of their forces they most relied on, had been beaten, he urged his soldiers to the work and began to surround the place with siege works.
Note. quā maximē parte exercitūs cōnfīdēbant: the antecedent equitātū comes before, and parte is drawn into the relative clause.
Vocabulary
| fugō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | put to flight, rout |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| equitātus, -ūs m. | cavalry |
| cōpia, -ae, f. | supply, abundance; plur., forces, troops |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| prō, prep. with abl. | before, in front of; for, in behalf of; for, as; in return for, for |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| collocō (conlocō), -āre, -āvī, -ātum | place, station; give in marriage |
| redūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead or bring back; restore |
| prōtinus (adv.) | straight on; at once |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| oppidum, -ī, n. | town |
| iter, itineris, n. | a going, journey, march; iter facere, to journey, march |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| coepī, coepisse, coeptus (used in tenses of completed action) | have begun, began |
| celeriter, adv. | swiftly, quickly |
| impedīmentum, -ī n. | hindrance; (pl.) baggage |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| ēdūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead out, draw |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| subsequor, -ī, -secūtus sum | follow closely |
| iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussus | bid, order, command |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| proximus, -a, -um | nearest, next |
| collis, -is m. | hill |
| dēdūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead down or away, bring; nāvem dēdūcere, to draw down or launch a ship |
| duo, -ae, -o, plur. adj. | two |
| legiō, -ōnis f. | legion |
| praesidium, -ī, n. | protection; guard, escort |
| relinquō, -linquere, -līquī, -lictus | leave behind, leave |
| sequor, sequī, secūtus | follow |
| quantum, adv. | how much? how? |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| tempus, temporis, n. | time, season |
| patior, patī, passus, bear | suffer, allow |
| circiter, prep. with acc. and adv. | about |
| trēs, tria, plur. adj. | three |
| mīlle, indecl. adj. | a thousand; mīlia, -ium, n. plur., thousands; |
| hostis, -is, m. and f. | enemy, foe |
| novissimus, -a, -um | last (novissimum agmen: the rear) |
| agmen, -minis, n. | band, column |
| interficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | put out of the way, kill |
| alter, -era, -erum | one or the other (of two); another, second |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| perspiciō, -ere, -spexī, -spectum | see clearly, observe |
| urbs, urbis, f. | city |
| situs, -a, -um | placed, situated |
| perterreō, -terrēre, -terrui, -territus | thoroughly frighten, terrify |
| quod, conj. | that, in that, because |
| maximē, adv. | very greatly, exceedingly, especially |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| exercitus, -ūs, m. | army |
| cōnfīdō, -ere, cōnfīsus sum | trust, be confident |
| pellō, pellere, pepulī, pulsus | drive, drive away, beat, rout |
| adhortor, -ārī, -ātus sum | encourage, urge on |
| labor, -ōris, m. | labor, toil |
| mīles, mīlitis, m. | soldier |
| circumvallō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | surround with siege works, blockade |
| īnstituō, -stituere, -stituī, -stitūtus | decide upon, determine |