Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 8
De Bello Gallico 8.43
The spring runs dry; surrender
Hirtius, De Bello Gallico VIII. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō8.43.1Caesar cum complūrēs suōs vulnerārī vidēret, ex omnibus oppidī partibus cohortēs montem ascendere et simulātiōne moenium occupandōrum clāmōrem undique iubet tollere.
When Caesar saw many of his men being wounded, he ordered cohorts to climb the hill from all sides of the town and to raise a shout everywhere, as if they were about to seize the walls.
Note. simulātiōne moenium occupandōrum: 'by a pretence of seizing the walls', a diversion to draw the defenders away from the fire.
8.43.2Quō factō perterritī oppidānī, cum quid agerētur in locīs reliquīs essent suspēnsī, revocant ab impugnandīs operibus armātōs mūrīsque dispōnunt.
Alarmed by this, and uncertain what was happening in the other places, the townspeople called their fighting men back from attacking the works and posted them on the walls.
Note. cum … essent suspēnsī: 'since they were in suspense'. quid agerētur: indirect question. ab impugnandīs operibus: gerundive, 'from attacking the works'. armātōs: 'the armed men'.
8.43.3Ita nostrī fīne proelī factō celeriter opera flammā comprehēnsā partim restinguunt, partim interscindunt.
So our men, once the fighting had ended, quickly put out the parts of the works that had caught fire and cut off the rest.
Note. fīne proelī factō: ablative absolute. partim restinguunt, partim interscindunt: they put out some of the burning works and cut away others to stop the fire spreading.
8.43.4Cum pertināciter resisterent oppidānī, magnā etiam parte āmissā sitī suōrum in sententiā permanērent, ad postrēmum cunīculīs vēnae fontis intercīsae sunt atque āversae.
The townspeople went on resisting stubbornly, and even after losing a great part of their number to thirst they held to their resolve; but at last the channels of the spring were cut through and diverted by the tunnels.
Note. magnā … parte āmissā sitī suōrum: 'though they had lost a large part of their men to thirst'. ad postrēmum: 'at last'. vēnae fontis: the underground channels feeding the spring, cut by the mines.
8.43.5Quō factō repente perennis exāruit fōns tantamque attulit oppidānīs salūtis dēspērātiōnem, ut id nōn hominum cōnsiliō, sed deōrum voluntāte factum putārent.
When this happened, the ever-flowing spring suddenly dried up, and it brought the townspeople such despair of rescue that they thought it had been done not by the plans of men but by the will of the gods.
Note. perennis … fōns: 'the ever-flowing spring'. ut id … deōrum voluntāte factum putārent: result clause; the townsmen take the miracle as a sign from the gods.
8.43.5Itaque sē necessitāte coāctī trādidērunt.
And so, forced by necessity, they surrendered.
Note. sē … trādidērunt: the reflexive refers to the plural subject (the townspeople).
Vocabulary
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| complūrēs, -plūra, plur. adj. | several, many |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| vulnerō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | wound |
| videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus | see; pass., seem |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| oppidum, -ī, n. | town |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| cohors, cohortis f. | cohort (a tenth of a legion); company |
| mōns, montis, m. | mountain |
| ascendō, -scendere, -scendī, -scēnsus | climb to, ascend, mount |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| simulātiō, -ōnis f. | pretence |
| moenia, -ium, n. plur. | walls |
| occupō, -cupāre, -cupāvī, -cupātus | seize; fill |
| clāmor, -ōris, m. | shout, cry |
| undique, adv. | from or on all sides |
| iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussus | bid, order, command |
| tollō, tollere, sustulī, sublātus | lift, raise; take away, remove; ancorās tollere, to weigh anchor |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| perterreō, -terrēre, -terrui, -territus | thoroughly frighten, terrify |
| oppidānus, -ī m. | townsman (pl. the people of the town) |
| quis, quid, interrog. pron. | who? which? what? |
| agō, agere, ēgī, āctus | drive; do; pass, lead; grātiās agere, see grātia |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| suspendō, -pendere, -pendī, -pēnsus | hang up, hang |
| revocō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | call back, recall |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| impugnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | attack |
| opus, operis, n. | work, task |
| armātus, -a, -um | armed |
| mūrus, -ī, m. | wall |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| dispōnō, -ere, -posuī, -positum | station here and there, post |
| ita, adv. | in this manner, thus, so; ita ut, as |
| noster, -tra, -trum | our |
| fīnis, -is, m. | end, boundary; plur., borders, territory, country |
| proelium, -ī, n. | battle, combat; proelium committere, to join battle |
| celeriter, adv. | swiftly, quickly |
| flamma, -ae, f. | flame |
| comprehendō, -prehendere, -prehendī, -prehēnsus | seize, catch |
| partim (adv.) | partly (partim … partim: some … others) |
| restinguō, -ere, -stīnxī, -stīnctus | put out, extinguish |
| interscindō, -ere, -scidī, -scissum | cut down, break down |
| pertināciter (adv.) | stubbornly, persistently |
| resistō, -sistere, -stitī | stand back, resist |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| etiam, adv. | and now, also, too, even |
| āmittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send away, lose |
| sitis, -is f. | thirst |
| sententia, -ae, f. | opinion; purpose |
| permaneō, -manēre, -mānsi, -mānsus | remain |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| postrēmus, -a, -um | last |
| cunīculus, -ī m. | underground tunnel, mine |
| vēna, -ae f. | vein |
| fōns, fontis, m. | fountain, spring |
| intercīdō, -ere, -cīdī, -cīsus | cut through, cut apart |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| āvertō, -ere, āvertī, āversum | turn away, turn aside |
| repente (adv.) | suddenly |
| perennis, -e | lasting throughout the year, perennial, perpetual |
| exārēscō, -ere, -āruī | dry up, wither |
| tantus, -a, -um | so great or much |
| afferō, afferre, attulī, allātum | bring, bring to; cause |
| salūs, salūtis, f. | safety, deliverance, escape |
| dēspērātiō, -ōnis f. | despair, hopelessness |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| homō, hominis, m. | man |
| cōnsilium, -ī, n. | advice; plan, design, purpose; prudence |
| sed, conj. | but |
| deus, -ī, m. | god |
| voluntās, -tātis, f. | wish, will |
| putō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | think |
| itaque, adv. | and so, accordingly, therefore |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| necessitās, -ātis f. | necessity, compulsion |
| cōgō, cōgere, coēgī, coāctus | drive together, collect; compel |
| trādō, -dere, -didī, -ditus | give across, over, or up, deliver; hand down, relate, report |