Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 8
De Bello Gallico 8.28
The cavalry battle on the march
Hirtius, De Bello Gallico VIII. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō8.28.1Īnsequentī nocte Fabius equitēs praemittit sīc parātōs ut cōnflīgerent atque omne agmen morārentur, dum cōnsequerētur ipse.
The following night Fabius sends the cavalry ahead, prepared to engage and to hold up the whole column until he himself could catch up.
Note. sīc parātōs ut cōnflīgerent: 'so prepared as to engage', a result clause. dum cōnsequerētur: dum with the subjunctive, 'until he should catch up'.
8.28.2Cuius praeceptīs ut rēs gererētur, Quīntus Atius Vārus, praefectus equitum, singulāris et animī et prūdentiae vir, suōs hortātur agmenque hostium cōnsecūtus turmās partim idōneīs locīs dispōnit, parte equitum proelium committit.
So that matters might be carried out according to his instructions, Quintus Atius Varus, commander of the cavalry, a man of exceptional courage and good sense, encourages his men, and having overtaken the enemy column he posts some squadrons in suitable places and opens battle with part of the cavalry.
Note. Cuius praeceptīs: 'by his instructions'. singulāris et animī et prūdentiae vir: genitives of quality, 'a man of exceptional courage and judgement'.
8.28.3Cōnflīgit audācius equitātus hostium succēdentibus sibi peditibus, quī tōtō agmine subsistentēs equitibus suīs contrā nostrōs ferunt auxilium.
The enemy cavalry engage rather boldly, with the infantry coming up behind them; these halt along the whole column and bring help to their cavalry against our men.
Note. audācius: 'rather boldly'. succēdentibus sibi peditibus: ablative absolute, 'with their infantry coming up behind them'. tōtō agmine: 'along the whole column'.
8.28.3Fit proelium ācrī certāmine.
A battle is fought with fierce struggle.
Note. ācrī certāmine: ablative of manner.
8.28.4Namque nostrī contemptīs prīdiē superātīs hostibus, cum subsequī legiōnēs meminissent, et pudōre cēdendī et cupiditāte per sē cōnficiendī proelī fortissimē contrā peditēs proeliantur, hostēsque nihil amplius cōpiārum accessūrum crēdentēs, ut prīdiē cognōverant, dēlendī equitātūs nostrī nactī occāsiōnem vidēbantur.
For our men, scorning the enemy they had beaten the day before, and remembering that the legions were following, fight most bravely against the infantry, from shame at retreating and from eagerness to finish the battle by themselves; and the enemy, believing that no more troops would arrive, as they had found the day before, seemed to have got a chance to destroy our cavalry.
Note. contemptīs … hostibus: 'scorning the enemy'. pudōre cēdendī: 'from shame at giving way'. per sē: 'by themselves', without the legions. dēlendī equitātūs nostrī … occāsiōnem: gerundive, 'a chance of destroying our cavalry'.
Vocabulary
| īnsequor, -sequī, -secūtus | follow upon or up, pursue |
| nox, noctis, f. | night |
| eques, equitis m. | horseman; (pl.) cavalry |
| praemittō, -ere, -mīsī, -missum | send ahead |
| sīc, adv. | so, thus |
| parō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | make ready, prepare |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| cōnflīgō, -flīgere, -flīxī, -flīctus | dash together |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| agmen, -minis, n. | band, column |
| moror, -ārī, -ātus | delay, linger, stay |
| dum, conj. | while, as; as long as; until |
| cōnsequor, -sequī, -secūtus | follow up, follow; overtake |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| praeceptum, -ī n. | instruction, order |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| gerō, gerere, gessī, gestus | carry, wear; carry on, do |
| quīntus, -a, -um | fifth |
| praefectus, -ī m. | commander, officer |
| singulāris, -e | single; remarkable |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| animus, -ī, m. | mind; heart; spirit, courage |
| prūdentia, -ae, f. | prudence |
| vir, virī, m. | man |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| hortor, -ārī, -ātus | exhort, encourage, urge |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| hostis, -is, m. and f. | enemy, foe |
| turma, -ae f. | troop, squadron of cavalry |
| partim (adv.) | partly (partim … partim: some … others) |
| idōneus, -a, -um | suitable, fit; favorable |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| dispōnō, -ere, -posuī, -positum | station here and there, post |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| proelium, -ī, n. | battle, combat; proelium committere, to join battle |
| committō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send together; commit, intrust; expose; proelium committere, to join battle |
| audācter (adv.; comp. audācius) | boldly |
| equitātus, -ūs m. | cavalry |
| succēdō, -cēdere, -cessī, -cessus | go or come under, follow after, succeed |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| pedes, peditis m. | foot soldier |
| tōtus, -a, -um | all the, the whole or entire |
| subsistō, -ere, -stitī | halt, make a stand |
| contrā, prep, with acc. | against, contrary to |
| noster, -tra, -trum | our |
| ferō, ferre, tulī, lātus | bear, bring |
| auxilium, -ī, n. | help, aid |
| fīō, fierī, factus sum | be done or made, become, happen |
| ācer, ācris, ācre | sharp, shrill |
| certāmen, -minis, n. | struggle, contest |
| namque, conj. | for |
| contemnō, -ere, -tempsī, -temptus | despise, scorn, think little of |
| prīdiē (adv.) | the day before |
| superō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | overcome, defeat, conquer |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| subsequor, -ī, -secūtus sum | follow closely |
| legiō, -ōnis f. | legion |
| meminī, meminisse | remember |
| pudor, -ōris m. | shame, sense of honour |
| cēdō, -ere, cessī, cessum | go, withdraw, give way |
| cupiditās, -tātis, f. | desire, longing, eagerness |
| per, prep, with ace. | through, by means of |
| cōnficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | make or do completely, complete, finish, accomplish, make; wear out |
| fortiter, adv. | bravely |
| proelior, -ārī, -ātus sum | fight a battle |
| nihil, n., indecl. | nothing |
| amplius (adv.) | more, further |
| cōpia, -ae, f. | supply, abundance; plur., forces, troops |
| accēdō, -ere, accessī, accessum | come near, approach; be added |
| crēdō, -dere, -didī, -ditus | believe |
| cognōscō, -gnōscere, -gnōvī, -gnitus | find out, learn; in tenses of completed action, have found out, know |
| dēleō, -ēre, dēlēvī, dēlētum | destroy, wipe out |
| nancīscor, nancīscī, nactus | get, obtain, find |
| occāsiō, -ōnis, f. | chance, opportunity |
| videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus | see; pass., seem |