Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 8
De Bello Gallico 8.11
Caesar sends for more legions
Hirtius, De Bello Gallico VIII. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō8.11.1Caesar, cum animadverteret hostem complūrēs diēs castrīs palūde et locī nātūrā mūnītīs sē tenēre neque oppugnārī castra eōrum sine dīmicātiōne perniciōsā nec locum mūnītiōnibus claudī nisi ā maiōre exercitū posse, litterās ad Trebōnium mittit, ut quam celerrimē posset legiōnem XIII, quae cum T. Sextiō lēgātō in Biturīgibus hiemābat, arcesseret atque ita cum tribus legiōnibus magnīs itineribus ad sē venīret;
When Caesar noticed that the enemy kept themselves for several days in a camp protected by the marsh and the nature of the ground, and that their camp could not be attacked without a costly fight nor the place shut in by siege works except with a larger army, he sends a letter to Trebonius to summon as quickly as he could the thirteenth legion, which was wintering among the Bituriges with the legate Titus Sextius, and so to come to him by forced marches with three legions;
Note. Another long periodic sentence: the cum clause holds three indirect statements (sē tenēre, oppugnārī … posse, claudī … posse) before the main verb mittit. quam celerrimē posset: quam with the superlative, 'as quickly as he could'.
8.11.2ipse equitēs in vicem Rēmōrum ac Lingonum reliquārumque cīvitātum, quōrum magnum numerum ēvocāverat, praesidiō pābulātiōnibus mittit, quī subitās hostium incursiōnēs sustinērent.
he himself sends cavalry of the Remi and the Lingones and the other states, of whom he had called out a great number, in turn as an escort for the foraging parties, to hold off sudden attacks by the enemy.
Note. in vicem: 'in turn'. praesidiō pābulātiōnibus: double dative, 'as protection for the foraging parties'. quī … sustinērent: relative clause of purpose.
Vocabulary
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| animadvertō, -vertere, -vertī, -versus | turn the mind to, observe |
| hostis, -is, m. and f. | enemy, foe |
| complūrēs, -plūra, plur. adj. | several, many |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| pālus, -ī, m. | stake |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| nātūra, -ae, f. | nature, character |
| mūniō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus | fortify |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| teneō, -ēre, -uī, -tus | hold, keep; hold back, restrain, stop |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| oppugnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | attack, besiege |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| sine, prep. with abl. | without |
| dīmicātiō, -ōnis f. | fight, struggle, combat |
| perniciōsus, -a, -um | destructive, ruinous, dangerous |
| mūnītiō, -ōnis f. | fortification, defence works |
| claudō, -ere, clausī, clausum | close, shut; (agmen) bring up the rear |
| nisi, conj. | if not, unless |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| exercitus, -ūs, m. | army |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| littera, -ae f. | letter (of the alphabet); pl. letter, writing |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus | send |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| quam, adv. | how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible |
| celeriter, adv. | swiftly, quickly |
| legiō, -ōnis f. | legion |
| Roman numeral | a number written with letters: I 1, V 5, X 10, L 50, C 100, D 500, M 1000 |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| lēgātus, -ī, m. | ambassador |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| hiemō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | spend the winter |
| arcessō, -ere, -īvī, -ītus | call, summon, fetch |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| ita, adv. | in this manner, thus, so; ita ut, as |
| trēs, tria, plur. adj. | three |
| iter, itineris, n. | a going, journey, march; iter facere, to journey, march |
| veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus | come |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| eques, equitis m. | horseman; (pl.) cavalry |
| vicis (gen.), vicem f. | change, turn; in vicem: in turn |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| cīvitās, -tātis, f. | state |
| numerus, -ī, m. | number |
| ēvocō, -vocāre, -vocāvī, -vocātus | call out, challenge |
| praesidium, -ī, n. | protection; guard, escort |
| pābulātiō, -ōnis f. | foraging |
| subitus, -a, -um | sudden |
| incursiō, -ōnis f. | raid, attack |
| sustineō, -tinēre, -tinuī, -tentus | hold or bear up, sustain, withstand |