Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 7
De Bello Gallico 7.84
Fighting everywhere
Caesar, De Bello Gallico VII. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō7.84.1Vercingetorīx ex arce Alesiae suōs cōnspicātus ex oppidō ēgreditur;
Vercingetorix, seeing his people from the citadel of Alesia, goes out from the town;
7.84.1crātēs, longuriōs, mūsculōs, falcēs reliquaque quae ēruptiōnis causā parāverat prōfert.
he brings out the hurdles, poles, sheds, hooks and the other things he had prepared for the sally.
7.84.2Pugnātur ūnō tempore omnibus locīs, atque omnia temptantur: quae minimē vīsa pars firma est, hūc concurritur.
There is fighting everywhere at one time, and everything is tried: wherever a part seems least strong, there men rush together.
Note. quae minimē vīsa pars firma est, hūc: 'whichever part seemed least strong, there'; the antecedent comes inside the relative clause.
7.84.3Rōmānōrum manus tantīs mūnītiōnibus distinētur nec facile plūribus locīs occurrit.
The Roman force is spread out over such long fortifications and does not easily meet the attack at several places.
7.84.4Multum ad terrendōs nostrōs valet clāmor, quī post tergum pugnantibus exstitit, quod suum perīculum in aliēnā vident salūte cōnstāre: omnia enim plērumque quae absunt vehementius hominum mentēs perturbant.
The shout that rose behind them as they fought did much to frighten our men, because they saw that their own danger depended on the courage of others: for as a rule what is out of sight troubles men's minds more strongly.
Note. omnia … quae absunt: 'everything that is out of sight'. A general truth, so the present tense.
Vocabulary
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| arx, arcis f. | citadel, stronghold |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| cōnspicor, -ārī, -ātus sum | catch sight of |
| oppidum, -ī, n. | town |
| ēgredior, -gredī, -gressus | go out or forth, go ashore, disembark |
| crātis, -is f. | wickerwork, hurdle |
| longurius, -ī m. | long pole |
| mūsculus, -ī m. | little mouse; a shed protecting soldiers working at a wall |
| falx, falcis, f. | sickle; curved sword, falchion |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| ēruptiō, -ōnis f. | sally, sortie |
| causa, -ae, f. | cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of |
| parō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | make ready, prepare |
| prōferō, -ferre, -tulī, -lātus | bring forward, bring out |
| pugnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | fight |
| ūnus, -a, -um | one; only, alone |
| tempus, temporis, n. | time, season |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| temptō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | try, attempt |
| minimē, adv. | least, very little; by no means, not at all |
| videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus | see; pass., seem |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| firmus, -a, -um | strong, steadfast |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| hūc, adv. | to this place, hither |
| concurrō, -currere, -currī, -cursus | run, rush, or dash together |
| Rōmānus, -a, -um | Roman |
| manus, -ūs, f. | hand |
| tantus, -a, -um | so great or much |
| mūnītiō, -ōnis f. | fortification, defence works |
| distineō, -ēre, -tinuī, -tentum | keep apart, keep divided |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| facile, adv. | easily |
| multus, -a, -um | much, great; plur., many |
| occurrō, -currere, -currī, -cursus | run against, meet |
| multum, -ī, n. | much |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| terreō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | frighten, terrify |
| noster, -tra, -trum | our |
| valeō, -ēre, -uī, -itūrus | be strong or effectual, have effect, prevail |
| clāmor, -ōris, m. | shout, cry |
| post, adv. | after, later; prep. with acc., after, behind |
| tergum, -ī, n. | back |
| exsistō, -ere, -stitī | come forth, arise; appear |
| quod, conj. | that, in that, because |
| perīculum, -ī, n. | danger, peril, risk |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| aliēnus, -a, -um | belonging to another, out of place |
| salūs, salūtis, f. | safety, deliverance, escape |
| cōnstō, -stāre, -stitī, -stātūrus | stand together, agree; consist; |
| enim, conj. | for |
| plērumque (adv.) | generally, mostly |
| absum, abesse, āfuī, āfutūrus | be away, be absent, be distant; be wanting |
| vehementer, adv. | violently, vehemently; earnestly; exceedingly, greatly |
| homō, hominis, m. | man |
| mēns, mentis f. | mind, spirit |
| perturbō, -turbāre, -turbāvi, -turbātus | greatly disturb, disturb, agitate, throw into confusion |