Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 8
De Bello Gallico 8.26
Caninius at Lemonum
Hirtius, De Bello Gallico VIII. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
Tap any word for its meaning and grammar, save words to review, and track your reading.
Read in Lectitō8.26.1Interim Gāius Canīnius lēgātus, cum magnam multitūdinem convēnisse hostium in fīnēs Pictonum litterīs nūntiīsque Dūrātī cognōsceret, quī perpetuō in amīcitiā mānserat Rōmānōrum, cum pars quaedam cīvitātis eius dēfēcisset, ad oppidum Lemonum contendit.
Meanwhile the legate Gaius Caninius learned from the letters and messengers of Duratius, who had always remained a friend of the Romans, that a large number of the enemy had gathered in the territory of the Pictones, since part of that state had revolted; he marches to the town of Lemonum.
Note. Pictonum: the Pictones lived south of the Loire (around Poitiers). cum pars quaedam … dēfēcisset: 'since a certain part of that state had revolted'.
8.26.2Quō cum adventāret atque ex captīvīs certius cognōsceret multīs hominum mīlibus ā Dumnacō, duce Andium, Dūrātium clausum Lemonī oppugnārī neque īnfirmās legiōnēs hostibus committere audēret, castra posuit locō mūnītō.
As he was approaching it, and learned more definitely from prisoners that Duratius was shut up in Lemonum and being besieged by many thousands of men under Dumnacus, the leader of the Andes, and since he did not dare to commit his weak legions against the enemy, he pitched camp in a strong position.
Note. Duratium clausum Lemonī oppugnārī: indirect statement; Lemonī is the locative, 'at Lemonum'. multīs hominum mīlibus: ablative of agent without a, common with numbers of troops. īnfirmās legiōnēs: Caninius had only two under-strength legions.
8.26.3Dumnacus, cum appropinquāre Canīnium cognōsset, cōpiīs omnibus ad legiōnēs conversīs castra Rōmānōrum oppugnāre īnstituit.
When Dumnacus learned that Caninius was approaching, he turned all his forces against the legions and began to attack the Roman camp.
Note. cognōsset = cognōvisset. cōpiīs omnibus … conversīs: ablative absolute.
8.26.4Cum complūrēs diēs in oppugnātiōne cōnsūmpsisset et magnō suōrum dētrīmentō nūllam partem mūnītiōnum convellere potuisset, rūrsus ad obsidendum Lemonum redit.
When he had spent several days on the attack and, with heavy loss to his own men, had been unable to tear down any part of the fortifications, he goes back to besieging Lemonum.
Note. complūrēs diēs: accusative of duration. ad obsidendum Lemonum: gerundive of purpose.
Vocabulary
| interim (adv.) | meanwhile |
| lēgātus, -ī, m. | ambassador |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| multitūdō, -tūdinis, f. | multitude |
| conveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventus | come together, assemble |
| hostis, -is, m. and f. | enemy, foe |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| fīnis, -is, m. | end, boundary; plur., borders, territory, country |
| littera, -ae f. | letter (of the alphabet); pl. letter, writing |
| nūntius, -ī, m. | messenger; message |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| cognōscō, -gnōscere, -gnōvī, -gnitus | find out, learn; in tenses of completed action, have found out, know |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| perpetuō (adv.) | for ever, permanently |
| amīcitia, -ae f. | friendship, alliance |
| maneō, manēre, mānsī, mānsus | remain |
| Rōmānus, -a, -um | Roman |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| quīdam, quaedam, quoddam, indef. pron. | a certain, certain |
| cīvitās, -tātis, f. | state |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| dēficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | fail |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| oppidum, -ī, n. | town |
| contendō, -tendere, -tendī, -tentus | stretch, hasten |
| quō, adv. | to what place? whither? to which place, whither; for which reason, wherefore, therefore; quō ūsque, till when? how long? |
| adventō, -āre, -āvī | come nearer and nearer, approach |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| captīvus, -a, -um | captive |
| certē (adv.) | certainly, surely; at any rate |
| multus, -a, -um | much, great; plur., many |
| homō, hominis, m. | man |
| mīlle, indecl. adj. | a thousand; mīlia, -ium, n. plur., thousands; |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| dux, ducis, m. and f. | leader, commander |
| claudō, -ere, clausī, clausum | close, shut; (agmen) bring up the rear |
| oppugnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | attack, besiege |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| īnfirmus, -a, -um | weak |
| legiō, -ōnis f. | legion |
| committō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send together; commit, intrust; expose; proelium committere, to join battle |
| audeō, audēre, ausus sum | dare |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| pōnō, pōnere, posuī, positus | place, put; pōnī with in and abl., to be placed in, rest or depend on |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| mūniō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus | fortify |
| appropinquō, -propinquāre, -propinquāvī, -propinquātus | approach to, approach |
| cōpia, -ae, f. | supply, abundance; plur., forces, troops |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| convertō, -vertere, -vertī, -versus | turn round, turn, change; in fugam convertere, to put to flight |
| īnstituō, -stituere, -stituī, -stitūtus | decide upon, determine |
| complūrēs, -plūra, plur. adj. | several, many |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| oppugnātiō, -ōnis f. | siege, assault on a town |
| cōnsūmō, -sūmere, -sūmpsī, -sūmptus | take completely, use up, consume, spend |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| dētrīmentum, -ī n. | loss, harm |
| nūllus, -a, -um | not any, none, no |
| mūnītiō, -ōnis f. | fortification, defence works |
| convellō, -ere, -vellī, -vulsum | tear away, wrench loose; shatter |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| rūrsus, adv. | again |
| obsideō, -sidēre, -sēdī, -sessus | beset, besiege |
| redeō, -īre, -iī, -itus | go back, return |