Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 7
De Bello Gallico 7.89
Vercingetorix surrenders
Caesar, De Bello Gallico VII. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō7.89.1Posterō diē Vercingetorīx conciliō convocātō id bellum sē suscēpisse nōn suārum necessitātium, sed commūnis lībertātis causā dēmōnstrat, et quoniam sit fortūnae cēdendum, ad utramque rem sē illīs offerre, seu morte suā Rōmānīs satisfacere seu vīvum trādere velint.
The next day Vercingetorix calls a council and declares that he undertook that war not for his own needs but for the sake of the common freedom; and since they must yield to fortune, he offers himself to them for either course, whether they wish to satisfy the Romans by his death or to hand him over alive.
Note. seu … seu … velint: 'whether they wish … or …'; vīvum trādere means 'to hand him over alive'.
7.89.2Mittuntur dē hīs rēbus ad Caesarem lēgātī.
Envoys are sent to Caesar about these matters.
7.89.3Iubet arma trādī, prīncipēs prōdūcī.
He orders the weapons to be handed over and the chiefs to be brought out.
7.89.4Ipse in mūnītiōne prō castrīs cōnsēdit: eō ducēs prōdūcuntur;
He himself took his seat on the fortification in front of the camp; the leaders are brought out there;
7.89.4Vercingetorīx dēditur, arma prōiciuntur.
Vercingetorix is surrendered, the weapons are thrown down.
7.89.5Reservātīs Aeduīs atque Arvernīs, sī per eōs cīvitātēs reciperāre posset, ex reliquīs captīvīs tōtō exercituī capita singula praedae nōmine distribuit.
Keeping back the Aedui and the Arverni, in case he could win back their states through them, he distributes the rest of the captives to the whole army, one apiece, as booty.
Note. capita singula praedae nōmine: 'one captive each, as booty'.
Vocabulary
| posterus, -a, -um | following, next |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| concilium, -ī n. | meeting, council |
| convocō, -vocāre, -vocāvī, -vocātus | call together, summon, assemble |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| bellum, -ī, n. | war |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| suscipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | undertake |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| necessitās, -ātis f. | necessity, compulsion |
| sed, conj. | but |
| commūnis, -e | common, shared, public |
| lībertās, -tātis, f. | freedom, liberty |
| causa, -ae, f. | cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of |
| dēmōnstrō, -mōnstrāre, -mōnstrāvī, -mōnstrātus | point out, show; make known |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| quoniam, conj. | since now, since |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| fortūna, -ae, f. | fortune |
| cēdō, -ere, cessī, cessum | go, withdraw, give way |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| uterque, utraque, utrumque | each, either, both |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| offerō, offerre, obtulī, oblātus | bear to, proffer, offer |
| sīve or seu, conj. | or if; sīve ... sīve, whether ... or |
| mors, mortīs, f. | death |
| Rōmānus, -a, -um | Roman |
| satisfaciō, -ere, -fēcī, -factum (+ dat.) | satisfy; make amends, apologize |
| vīvus, -a, -um | alive, living |
| trādō, -dere, -didī, -ditus | give across, over, or up, deliver; hand down, relate, report |
| volō, velle, voluī | wish |
| mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus | send |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| lēgātus, -ī, m. | ambassador |
| iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussus | bid, order, command |
| arma, -ōrum, n. plur. | arms, weapons |
| prīnceps, -ipis | first, chief; as noun: leader |
| prōdūcō, -ere, -dūxī, -ductum | lead out, bring out |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| mūnītiō, -ōnis f. | fortification, defence works |
| prō, prep. with abl. | before, in front of; for, in behalf of; for, as; in return for, for |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| cōnsīdō, -sīdere, -sēdī, -sessus | sit down |
| eō (adv.) | to that place, thither; to that point (usque eō); (with comparatives) by so much, all the (more) |
| dux, ducis, m. and f. | leader, commander |
| dēdō, -dere, -didī, -ditus | give away or up |
| prōiciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectus | throw forth or down, cast away, throw |
| reservō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | keep back, save |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| sī, conj. | if |
| per, prep, with ace. | through, by means of |
| cīvitās, -tātis, f. | state |
| reciperō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | get back, recover |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| captīvus, -a, -um | captive |
| tōtus, -a, -um | all the, the whole or entire |
| exercitus, -ūs, m. | army |
| caput, capitis, n. | head |
| singulī, -ae, -a | one at a time, single |
| praeda, -ae, f. | booty, spoil, plunder |
| nōmen, -minis, n. | name (that by which one is known) |
| distribuō, -ere, -tribuī, -tribūtum | divide up, distribute |