Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 8
De Bello Gallico 8.34
The defenders go out for grain
Hirtius, De Bello Gallico VIII. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō8.34.1Quod cum animadverterent oppidānī miserrimāque Alesiae memoriā sollicitī similem cāsum obsessiōnis verērentur, maximēque ex omnibus Lucterius, quī fortūnae illīus perīculum fēcerat, monēret frūmentī ratiōnem esse habendam, cōnstituunt omnium cōnsēnsū parte ibi relictā cōpiārum ipsī cum expedītīs ad importandum frūmentum proficīscī.
When the townspeople noticed this, troubled by the memory of the misery of Alesia and fearing a similar outcome of a siege, and when Lucterius above all, who had had experience of that fate, warned them that they must take thought for grain, by common consent they decide to leave part of their forces there and to set out themselves with light-armed troops to bring in grain.
Note. Alesiae memoriā: the siege of Alesia (Book VII), where Vercingetorix's army was starved into surrender. fortūnae illīus perīculum fēcerat: 'had made trial of that fate', had lived through it. frūmentī ratiōnem esse habendam: 'that they must take thought for grain'.
8.34.2Eō cōnsiliō probātō proximā nocte duōbus mīlibus armātōrum relictīs reliquōs ex oppidō Drappēs et Lucterius ēdūcunt.
When this plan had been approved, on the following night, leaving two thousand armed men, Drappes and Lucterius lead the rest out of the town.
Note. Eō cōnsiliō probātō: ablative absolute. duōbus mīlibus armātōrum relictīs: 'leaving two thousand armed men'.
8.34.3Hī paucōs diēs morātī ex fīnibus Cadurcōrum, quī partim rē frūmentāriā sublevāre eōs cupiēbant, partim prohibēre quō minus sūmerent nōn poterant, magnum numerum frūmentī comparant, nōnnumquam autem expedītiōnibus nocturnīs castella nostrōrum adoriuntur.
After staying a few days, they gather a great quantity of grain from the territory of the Cadurci, some of whom were eager to help them with supplies, while others could not stop them from taking it; and sometimes they attack our men's forts in night raids.
Note. partim … partim: 'some … others'. quō minus sūmerent: 'from taking (it)', after a verb of preventing.
8.34.4Quam ob causam Gāius Canīnius tōtō oppidō mūnītiōnēs circumdare morātur, nē aut opus effectum tuērī nōn possit aut plūrimīs in locīs īnfirma dispōnat praesidia.
For this reason Gaius Caninius delays putting siege works round the whole town, in case he either could not defend the work once finished or would post weak garrisons in very many places.
Note. Quam ob causam: 'for this reason'. nē aut … aut …: 'in case he should either … or…'.
Vocabulary
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| animadvertō, -vertere, -vertī, -versus | turn the mind to, observe |
| oppidānus, -ī m. | townsman (pl. the people of the town) |
| miser, misera, miserum | wretched, unhappy |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| memoria, -ae, f. | memory |
| sollicitus, -a, -um | troubled, anxious |
| similis, -e | like, similar (vērī similis: likely) |
| cāsus, -ūs, m. | fall; chance, accident |
| obsessiō, -ōnis f. | blockade, siege |
| vereor, -ērī, -itus | fear |
| maximē, adv. | very greatly, exceedingly, especially |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| fortūna, -ae, f. | fortune |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| perīculum, -ī, n. | danger, peril, risk |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| moneō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | warn |
| frūmentum, -ī, n. | grain |
| ratiō, -ōnis, f. | plan, means, method, manner; reason; account |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | have, hold; consider |
| cōnstituō, -stituere, -stituī, -stitūtus | set together or up; appoint; determine |
| cōnsēnsus, -ūs, m. | agreement, consent |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| ibi, adv. | in that place, there |
| relinquō, -linquere, -līquī, -lictus | leave behind, leave |
| cōpia, -ae, f. | supply, abundance; plur., forces, troops |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| expedītus, -a, -um | unobstructed, easy; lightly equipped |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| importō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | bring in, import |
| proficīscor, -ficīscī, -fectus sum | set out, depart, march |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| cōnsilium, -ī, n. | advice; plan, design, purpose; prudence |
| probō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | prove, show; approve |
| proximus, -a, -um | nearest, next |
| nox, noctis, f. | night |
| duo, -ae, -o, plur. adj. | two |
| mīlle, indecl. adj. | a thousand; mīlia, -ium, n. plur., thousands; |
| armātus, -a, -um | armed |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| oppidum, -ī, n. | town |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| ēdūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead out, draw |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| paucī, -ae, -a, plur. adj. | few |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| moror, -ārī, -ātus | delay, linger, stay |
| fīnis, -is, m. | end, boundary; plur., borders, territory, country |
| partim (adv.) | partly (partim … partim: some … others) |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| frūmentārius, -a, -um | of grain (rēs frūmentāria: grain supply) |
| sublevō, -levāre, -levāvī, -levātus | lift from beneath, lift, raise |
| cupiō, -ere, -īvī, -ītus | desire, long for, wish |
| prohibeō, -hibēre, -hibuī, -hibitus | hold back, prevent, hinder |
| quō, adv. | to what place? whither? to which place, whither; for which reason, wherefore, therefore; quō ūsque, till when? how long? |
| minus, comp. adv. | less |
| sūmō, sūmere, sūmpsī, sūmptus | take under or up, take; poenam sūmere, to exact or inflict punishment |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| numerus, -ī, m. | number |
| comparō, -parāre, -parāvī, -parātus | prepare, collect |
| nōnnumquam (adv.) | sometimes |
| autem, conj. | moreover; but, however; now |
| expedītiō, -ōnis f. | expedition, raid |
| nocturnus, -a, -um | of night, nocturnal; nocturnum tempus, night-time |
| castellum, -ī n. | fort, redoubt |
| noster, -tra, -trum | our |
| adorior, -īrī, adortus sum | attack |
| ob, prep. with acc. | on account of, for; in compounds, to, against |
| causa, -ae, f. | cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of |
| tōtus, -a, -um | all the, the whole or entire |
| mūnītiō, -ōnis f. | fortification, defence works |
| circumdō, -dare, -dedī, -datus | put around, surround |
| nē, adv. | not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest |
| aut, conj. | or; aut ... aut, either ... or |
| opus, operis, n. | work, task |
| efficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | make or work out, accomplish, effect |
| tueor, -ērī, tuitus sum | watch over, protect, defend |
| multus, -a, -um | much, great; plur., many |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| īnfirmus, -a, -um | weak |
| dispōnō, -ere, -posuī, -positum | station here and there, post |
| praesidium, -ī, n. | protection; guard, escort |