Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 8
De Bello Gallico 8.18
The trap in the clearing
Hirtius, De Bello Gallico VIII. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō8.18.1Hostēs in īnsidiīs dispositī, cum sibi dēlēgissent campum ad rem gerendam nōn amplius patentem in omnēs partēs passibus mīlle, silvīs undique aut impedītissimō flūmine mūnītum, velut indāgine hunc īnsidiīs circumdedērunt.
The enemy, posted in ambush, had chosen for the fight a stretch of open ground extending no more than a mile in each direction, shut in on every side by woods or a very difficult river, and they surrounded it with their ambush like a ring of hunters.
Note. patentem … passibus mīlle: 'extending a mile', ablative of measure. impedītissimō flūmine: 'a very difficult river'. velut indāgine: an indāgō is the ring of hunters and nets drawn round game: the Gauls mean to trap the Romans like animals.
8.18.2Explōrātō hostium cōnsiliō nostrī ad proeliandum animō atque armīs parātī, cum subsequentibus legiōnibus nūllam dīmicātiōnem recūsārent, turmātim in eum locum dēvēnērunt.
Our men, knowing the enemy's plan and ready in spirit and in arms for battle, since with the legions following behind they would refuse no engagement, came into that place squadron by squadron.
Note. Explōrātō … cōnsiliō: ablative absolute, 'the enemy's plan being known'. ad proeliandum: gerund of purpose. cum … recūsārent: causal cum, 'since they would refuse no fight', with the legions following (subsequentibus legiōnibus, ablative absolute). turmātim: 'squadron by squadron'.
8.18.3Quōrum adventū cum sibi Correus oblātam occāsiōnem reī gerendae exīstimāret, prīmum cum paucīs sē ostendit atque in proximās turmās impetum fēcit.
When Correus thought that at their arrival a chance for action had been offered him, he first showed himself with a few men and attacked the nearest squadrons.
Note. Quōrum adventū: 'at their arrival'. sibi … oblātam occāsiōnem: 'that an opportunity had been offered to him'. reī gerendae: gerundive, 'of doing something, of action'.
8.18.4Nostrī cōnstanter incursum sustinent īnsidiātōrum neque plūrēs in ūnum locum conveniunt;
Our men steadily withstand the charge of the men in ambush, and do not crowd together in one place;
Note. neque plūrēs in ūnum locum conveniunt: the Roman troopers keep their places instead of crowding together, which (as the next sentence explains) is what usually loses cavalry battles.
8.18.4quod plērumque equestribus proeliīs cum propter aliquem timōrem accidit, tum multitūdine ipsōrum dētrīmentum accipitur.
this usually happens in cavalry battles through some panic, and then loss is suffered through the very size of the crowd.
Note. quod: 'which (crowding)', subject of accidit. cum … tum: 'whenever … then'. multitūdine ipsōrum: 'by their own numbers'.
Vocabulary
| hostis, -is, m. and f. | enemy, foe |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| īnsidiae, -ārum, f. plur. | ambush; plot, stratagem |
| dispōnō, -ere, -posuī, -positum | station here and there, post |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| dēligō, -ligere, -lēgī, -lēctus | choose out, choose, select |
| campus, -ī, m. | plain, field |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| gerō, gerere, gessī, gestus | carry, wear; carry on, do |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| amplē (adv.; superl. amplissimē) | generously, handsomely |
| pateō, -ēre, -uī | lie open; extend, stretch |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| passus, -ūs, m. | pace (mīlia passuum: miles) |
| mīlle, indecl. adj. | a thousand; mīlia, -ium, n. plur., thousands; |
| silva, -ae, f. | wood, forest |
| undique, adv. | from or on all sides |
| aut, conj. | or; aut ... aut, either ... or |
| impedītus, -a, -um | hindered; hard to cross, impassable |
| flūmen, -minis, n. | river |
| mūniō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus | fortify |
| velut | even or just as, as |
| indāgō, -inis f. | a ring of hunters and nets closing round game; an encircling trap |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| circumdō, -dare, -dedī, -datus | put around, surround |
| explōrō, -plōrāre, -plōrāvī, -plōrātus | search out, explore |
| cōnsilium, -ī, n. | advice; plan, design, purpose; prudence |
| noster, -tra, -trum | our |
| proelior, -ārī, -ātus sum | fight a battle |
| animus, -ī, m. | mind; heart; spirit, courage |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| arma, -ōrum, n. plur. | arms, weapons |
| parō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | make ready, prepare |
| subsequor, -ī, -secūtus sum | follow closely |
| legiō, -ōnis f. | legion |
| nūllus, -a, -um | not any, none, no |
| dīmicātiō, -ōnis f. | fight, struggle, combat |
| recūsō, -cūsāre, -cūsāvī, -cūsātus | give a reason against, refuse |
| turmātim, adv. | squadron by squadron, in troops |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| dēveniō, -īre, dēvēnī, dēventum | come, arrive |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| adventus, -ūs, m. | approach, arrival |
| offerō, offerre, obtulī, oblātus | bear to, proffer, offer |
| occāsiō, -ōnis, f. | chance, opportunity |
| exīstimō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | consider, believe, think |
| prīmum, adv. | first, in the first place |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| paucī, -ae, -a, plur. adj. | few |
| ostendō, -tendere, -tendī, -tentus | stretch out before, show, explain |
| proximus, -a, -um | nearest, next |
| turma, -ae f. | troop, squadron of cavalry |
| impetus, -ūs, m. | attack; impetum facere, to charge |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| cōnstanter (adv.) | steadily, consistently |
| incursus, -ūs m. | attack, onrush |
| sustineō, -tinēre, -tinuī, -tentus | hold or bear up, sustain, withstand |
| īnsidiātor, -ōris m. | a man lying in ambush; (pl.) the ambushers |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| multus, -a, -um | much, great; plur., many |
| ūnus, -a, -um | one; only, alone |
| conveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventus | come together, assemble |
| plērumque (adv.) | generally, mostly |
| equester, -tris, -tre | of cavalry |
| proelium, -ī, n. | battle, combat; proelium committere, to join battle |
| propter, prep. with acc. | on account of, because of |
| aliquis, -quid, indef. pron. | someone, any one, something, anything, some, any |
| timor, -ōris, m. | fear |
| accidō, -cidere, -cidī | fall to or upon; befall, happen |
| tum, adv. | then, at that time |
| multitūdō, -tūdinis, f. | multitude |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| dētrīmentum, -ī n. | loss, harm |
| accipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take to oneself, receive, accept; hear; suffer |