Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 7
De Bello Gallico 7.70
The cavalry fight on the plain
Caesar, De Bello Gallico VII. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō7.70.1Opere īnstitūtō fit equestre proelium in eā plānitiē, quam intermissam collibus tria mīlia passuum in longitūdinem patēre suprā dēmōnstrāvimus.
When the work had begun, a cavalry battle took place on that plain which, as we showed above, stretched three miles long between the hills.
7.70.1Summā vī ab utrīsque contenditur.
Both sides fought with the greatest force.
7.70.2Labōrantibus nostrīs Caesar Germānōs summittit legiōnēsque prō castrīs cōnstituit, nē qua subitō irruptiō ab hostium peditātū fīat.
When our men were in difficulty, Caesar sent up the Germans in support and drew up the legions in front of the camp, so that no sudden attack might be made by the enemy's infantry.
7.70.3Praesidiō legiōnum additō nostrīs animus augētur: hostēs in fugam coniectī sē ipsī multitūdine impediunt atque angustiōribus portīs relictīs coacervantur.
With the support of the legions added, our men's spirits rose: the enemy, put to flight, got in each other's way by their very numbers and were crowded together because the gates left open were too narrow.
7.70.4Germānī ācrius usque ad mūnītiōnēs secuntur.
The Germans pursued them more fiercely right up to their fortifications.
7.70.5Fit magna caedēs: nōnnūllī relictīs equīs fossam trānsīre et māceriam trānscendere cōnantur.
There was a great slaughter: some abandoned their horses and tried to cross the ditch and climb the wall.
7.70.5Paulum legiōnēs Caesar quās prō vallō cōnstituerat prōmovērī iubet.
Caesar ordered the legions which he had drawn up in front of the rampart to move forward a little.
7.70.6Nōn minus quī intrā mūnītiōnēs erant perturbantur Gallī: venīrī ad sē cōnfestim exīstimantēs ad arma conclāmant;
The Gauls who were inside the fortifications were just as alarmed: thinking that our men were coming at them at once, they shouted 'To arms!';
Note. venīrī ad sē: impersonal passive, literally 'that it was being come at them', i.e. that the Romans were attacking.
7.70.6nōnnūllī perterritī in oppidum irrumpunt.
some in terror burst into the town.
7.70.7Vercingetorīx iubet portās claudī, nē castra nūdentur.
Vercingetorix ordered the gates to be shut, so that the camp should not be left empty.
7.70.7Multīs interfectīs, complūribus equīs captīs Germānī sēsē recipiunt.
After many had been killed and a good many horses captured, the Germans withdrew.
Vocabulary
| opus, operis, n. | work, task |
| īnstituō, -stituere, -stituī, -stitūtus | decide upon, determine |
| fīō, fierī, factus sum | be done or made, become, happen |
| equester, -tris, -tre | of cavalry |
| proelium, -ī, n. | battle, combat; proelium committere, to join battle |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| plānitiēs, -ēī f. | plain, level ground |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| intermittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | leave off, interrupt; let pass; pass., be left between, intervene, elapse |
| collis, -is m. | hill |
| trēs, tria, plur. adj. | three |
| mīlle, indecl. adj. | a thousand; mīlia, -ium, n. plur., thousands; |
| passus, -ūs, m. | pace (mīlia passuum: miles) |
| longitūdō, -inis f. | length |
| pateō, -ēre, -uī | lie open; extend, stretch |
| suprā, adv. and prep. with acc. | above, before |
| dēmōnstrō, -mōnstrāre, -mōnstrāvī, -mōnstrātus | point out, show; make known |
| summus, -a, -um | uppermost, highest, greatest |
| vīs, vīs, f. | violence, force; virtue, potency, efficacy; plur. vīrēs, -ium, strength; omnibus vīribus, with all one's strength, with might and main |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| uterque, utraque, utrumque | each, either, both |
| contendō, -tendere, -tendī, -tentus | stretch, hasten |
| labōrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | labor, toil |
| noster, -tra, -trum | our |
| submittō, -ere, -mīsī, -missum | send (as help) |
| legiō, -ōnis f. | legion |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| prō, prep. with abl. | before, in front of; for, in behalf of; for, as; in return for, for |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| cōnstituō, -stituere, -stituī, -stitūtus | set together or up; appoint; determine |
| nē, adv. | not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest |
| quis, qua, quid, indef. pron. | any one, anybody, anything, some one, somebody, something |
| subitō, adv. | unexpectedly, suddenly |
| irruptiō, -ōnis f. | breaking in, attack |
| hostis, -is, m. and f. | enemy, foe |
| peditātus, -ūs m. | infantry, foot soldiers |
| praesidium, -ī, n. | protection; guard, escort |
| addō, -ere, -didī, -ditus | add, put to |
| animus, -ī, m. | mind; heart; spirit, courage |
| augeō, -ēre, auxī, auctum | increase, enlarge |
| fuga, -ae, f. | flight |
| coniciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectus | throw together; throw, cast, hurl |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| multitūdō, -tūdinis, f. | multitude |
| impediō, -pedīre, -pedīvī, -pedītus | hinder, prevent, impede |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| angustus, -a, -um | narrow, cramped |
| porta, -ae, f. | gate; door |
| relinquō, -linquere, -līquī, -lictus | leave behind, leave |
| coacervō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | heap up |
| ācriter, adv. | sharply, fiercely |
| ūsque, adv. | all the time; ūsque ad, as far as, until; quō ūsque, see quō |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| mūnītiō, -ōnis f. | fortification, defence works |
| sequor, sequī, secūtus | follow |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| caedēs, -is, f. | cutting down, killing, slaughter |
| nōnnūllus, -a, -um | not none, some, several |
| equus, -ī, m. | horse |
| fossa, -ae, f. | ditch, trench |
| trānseō, -īre, -iī, -itus | go across or over, cross |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| māceria, -ae f. | wall (of stones or rough masonry) |
| trānscendō, -ere, -scendī, -scēnsum | climb over, board |
| cōnor, -ārī, -ātus | try, attempt |
| paulum, adv. | a little, somewhat |
| vallum, -ī n. | rampart, palisade |
| prōmoveō, -ēre, -mōvī, -mōtum | move forward |
| iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussus | bid, order, command |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| minus, comp. adv. | less |
| intrā, prep. with acc. | within |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| perturbō, -turbāre, -turbāvi, -turbātus | greatly disturb, disturb, agitate, throw into confusion |
| veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus | come |
| cōnfestim (adv.) | at once, immediately |
| exīstimō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | consider, believe, think |
| arma, -ōrum, n. plur. | arms, weapons |
| conclāmō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | shout out, cry out |
| perterreō, -terrēre, -terrui, -territus | thoroughly frighten, terrify |
| oppidum, -ī, n. | town |
| inrumpō, -rumpere, -rūpī, -ruptus | burst into or in |
| claudō, -ere, clausī, clausum | close, shut; (agmen) bring up the rear |
| nūdō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | strip, leave bare |
| multus, -a, -um | much, great; plur., many |
| interficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | put out of the way, kill |
| complūrēs, -plūra, plur. adj. | several, many |
| capiō, capere, cēpī, captus | take, catch, seize; receive, suffer; adopt |
| recipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take or get back, recover; sē recipere, to betake oneself, withdraw; to collect oneself, recover |