Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 7
De Bello Gallico 7.79
The relief army arrives
Caesar, De Bello Gallico VII. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō7.79.1Intereā Commius reliquīque ducēs quibus summa imperī permissa erat cum omnibus cōpiīs ad Alesiam perveniunt et colle exteriōre occupātō nōn longius mīlle passibus ab nostrīs mūnītiōnibus cōnsīdunt.
Meanwhile Commius and the other leaders to whom the supreme command had been given arrive at Alesia with all their forces, and, seizing a hill outside the lines, they encamp not more than a mile from our fortifications.
Note. nōn longius mīlle passibus: ablative of comparison, 'not more than a mile'.
7.79.2Posterō diē equitātū ex castrīs ēductō omnem eam plānitiem, quam in longitūdinem tria mīlia passuum patēre dēmōnstrāvimus, complent pedestrēsque cōpiās paulum ab eō locō abditās in locīs superiōribus cōnstituunt.
The next day they lead the cavalry out of camp and fill the whole plain which, as we have shown, stretched three miles in length, and they post their infantry a little way from that place, hidden on higher ground.
7.79.3Erat ex oppidō Alesiā dēspectus in campum.
There was a view down onto the plain from the town of Alesia.
7.79.3Concurrunt hīs auxiliīs vīsīs;
When they see this relief force, they run together;
7.79.3fit grātulātiō inter eōs, atque omnium animī ad laetitiam excitantur.
there is rejoicing among them, and the spirits of all are roused to joy.
7.79.4Itaque prōductīs cōpiīs ante oppidum cōnsīdunt et proximam fossam crātibus integunt atque aggere explent sēque ad ēruptiōnem atque omnēs cāsūs comparant.
And so they lead out their forces, take position in front of the town, cover the nearest trench with hurdles and fill it with earth, and prepare themselves for a sally and for every chance.
Vocabulary
| intereā, adv. | in the meantime, meanwhile |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| dux, ducis, m. and f. | leader, commander |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| summa, -ae f. | total, sum; supreme command |
| imperium, -ī, n. | command; sway, rule |
| permittō, -ere, -mīsī, -missum | allow, permit; entrust |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| cōpia, -ae, f. | supply, abundance; plur., forces, troops |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| perveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventus | come through, come, arrive, reach |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| collis, -is m. | hill |
| exterior, -ius | outer, outside, exterior |
| occupō, -cupāre, -cupāvī, -cupātus | seize; fill |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| longē, adv. | far |
| mīlle, indecl. adj. | a thousand; mīlia, -ium, n. plur., thousands; |
| passus, -ūs, m. | pace (mīlia passuum: miles) |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| noster, -tra, -trum | our |
| mūnītiō, -ōnis f. | fortification, defence works |
| cōnsīdō, -sīdere, -sēdī, -sessus | sit down |
| posterus, -a, -um | following, next |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| equitātus, -ūs m. | cavalry |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| ēdūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead out, draw |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| plānitiēs, -ēī f. | plain, level ground |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| longitūdō, -inis f. | length |
| trēs, tria, plur. adj. | three |
| pateō, -ēre, -uī | lie open; extend, stretch |
| dēmōnstrō, -mōnstrāre, -mōnstrāvī, -mōnstrātus | point out, show; make known |
| compleō, -plēre, -plēvī, -plētus | fill full, fill up |
| pedester, -tris, -tre | on foot, infantry (pedestrēs cōpiae: infantry) |
| paulum, adv. | a little, somewhat |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| abdō, -dere, -didī, -ditus | put away, hide |
| superior, -ius, adj. | higher; former, previous, preceding |
| cōnstituō, -stituere, -stituī, -stitūtus | set together or up; appoint; determine |
| oppidum, -ī, n. | town |
| dēspectus, -ūs m. | view down, outlook |
| campus, -ī, m. | plain, field |
| concurrō, -currere, -currī, -cursus | run, rush, or dash together |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| auxilium, -ī, n. | help, aid |
| videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus | see; pass., seem |
| fīō, fierī, factus sum | be done or made, become, happen |
| grātulātiō, -ōnis f. | rejoicing, congratulation |
| inter, prep, with acc. | among, between |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| animus, -ī, m. | mind; heart; spirit, courage |
| laetitia, -ae, f. | joy |
| excitō, -citāre, -citāvī, -citātus | call out, arouse |
| itaque, adv. | and so, accordingly, therefore |
| prōdūcō, -ere, -dūxī, -ductum | lead out, bring out |
| ante, prep, with acc. and adv. | before |
| proximus, -a, -um | nearest, next |
| fossa, -ae, f. | ditch, trench |
| crātis, -is f. | wickerwork, hurdle |
| integō, -ere, -tēxī, -tēctus | cover over, cover |
| agger, aggeris m. | mound, siege ramp |
| expleō, -ēre, -plēvī, -plētus | fill up, complete; make good |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| ēruptiō, -ōnis f. | sally, sortie |
| cāsus, -ūs, m. | fall; chance, accident |
| comparō, -parāre, -parāvī, -parātus | prepare, collect |