Lectitō › Julius Caesar › The Spanish War (Bellum Hispaniense)
Bellum Hispaniense 39
The Death of Gnaeus Pompey
Anonymous, Bellum Hispaniense. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōB. Hisp. 39.1Pompēius, ut suprā dēmōnstrāvimus, saucius et intortō tālō idcircō tardābātur ad fugiendum, itemque propter locī difficultātem neque equō neque vehiculō salūtī suae praesidium parāre poterat.
Pompey, as we showed above, was wounded and had a twisted ankle, and for that reason was slowed in his flight; and also, because of the difficulty of the ground, he could find no help for his safety either on horseback or by carriage.
Note. intortō talō: ablative absolute, 'with his ankle twisted'. ad fugiendum: gerund. neque equō neque vehiculō: ablatives of means.
B. Hisp. 39.2Caedēs ā nostrīs undique administrābātur.
Our men were carrying out slaughter on all sides.
Note. Caedēs … administrābātur: 'slaughter was being carried out'.
B. Hisp. 39.2Exclūsus mūnītiōne āmissīsque auxiliīs ad convallem exēsumque locum in spēluncam Pompēius sē occultāre coepit, ut ā nostrīs nōn facile invenīrētur nisi captīvōrum indiciō.
Shut out by the siege work and having lost his helpers, Pompey began to hide himself in a cave, in a valley where the rock was hollowed out, so that he could not easily be found by our men except through information from prisoners.
Note. Exclūsus mūnītiōne: 'shut out by the siege work'. auxiliīs: here 'helpers, supporters'. convallem exēsumque locum: 'a valley and a hollowed-out place'. nisi captīvōrum indiciō: 'except through information given by prisoners'.
B. Hisp. 39.3Ita ibi interficitur.
So he is killed there.
Note. Gnaeus Pompey was killed on 12 April 45 BC.
B. Hisp. 39.3Cum Caesar Gādibus fuisset, Hispalim prīd.
When Caesar was at Gades, on the day before
Note. prīd.: abbreviation of prīdiē, 'on the day before', followed in the next line by the date.
B. Hisp. 39.3Īd. Aprīl.
the Ides of April,
Note. Īd. Aprīl.: Īdūs Aprīlēs, the Ides of April, 13 April; prīdiē Īdūs is the 12th. The sentence division here comes from the abbreviation points and the phrase belongs with sentence 116.
B. Hisp. 39.3caput adlātum et populō datum est in cōnspectum.
the head was brought to Hispalis and put on show to the people.
Note. caput adlātum: Pompey's head was brought to Hispalis. in cōnspectum: 'to be seen'.
Vocabulary
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| suprā, adv. and prep. with acc. | above, before |
| dēmōnstrō, -mōnstrāre, -mōnstrāvī, -mōnstrātus | point out, show; make known |
| saucius, -a, -um | wounded |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| intorqueō, -ēre, -torsī, -tortus | hurl, twist into |
| tālus, -ī m. | ankle |
| idcircō (adv.) | for that reason |
| tardō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | slow down, check |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| fugiō, fugere, fūgī, fugitūrus | flee, run away |
| item | likewise, also |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| propter, prep. with acc. | on account of, because of |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| difficultas, -tātis, f. | difficulty |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| equus, -ī, m. | horse |
| vehiculum, -ī n. | vehicle, carriage |
| salūs, salūtis, f. | safety, deliverance, escape |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| praesidium, -ī, n. | protection; guard, escort |
| parō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | make ready, prepare |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| caedēs, -is, f. | cutting down, killing, slaughter |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| noster, -tra, -trum | our |
| undique, adv. | from or on all sides |
| administrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | manage, carry out |
| exclūdō, -clūdere, -clūsī, -clūsus | shut out, hinder, prevent |
| mūnītiō, -ōnis f. | fortification, defence works |
| āmittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send away, lose |
| auxilium, -ī, n. | help, aid |
| convallis, -is f. | enclosed valley |
| exedō, -ēsse, -ēdī, -ēsus | eat away, consume; exēsus: hollowed out, porous |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| spēlunca, -ae, f. | cave, cavern |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| occultō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | hide, conceal |
| coepī, coepisse, coeptus (used in tenses of completed action) | have begun, began |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| facile, adv. | easily |
| inveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventus | come upon, find |
| nisi, conj. | if not, unless |
| captīvus, -a, -um | captive |
| indicium, -ī n. | information, evidence; an informer's report |
| ita, adv. | in this manner, thus, so; ita ut, as |
| ibi, adv. | in that place, there |
| interficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | put out of the way, kill |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| prīdiē (adv.) | the day before |
| Īdūs, -uum f. pl. | the Ides (13th or 15th of the month) |
| Aprīlis, -e | of April |
| caput, capitis, n. | head |
| afferō, afferre, attulī, allātum | bring, bring to; cause |
| populus, -ī m. | people, nation |
| dō, dare, dedī, datus | give |
| cōnspectus, -ūs, m. | sight |