Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Caesar DBG 5 38 Course Notes


Latin III:  Caesar, De Bello Gallico
Instructor:  James Ransom
April 30, 2014

Caesar DBG 5:38
Course Notes
© 2014 James Ransom, M.A., J.D.

[38]          1         Hac victoria sublatus Ambiorix statim cum equitatu in Aduatucos, qui erant eius regno finitimi, proficiscitur;  neque noctem neque diem intermittit peditatumque subsequi iubet.          2         Re demonstrata Aduatucisque concitatis postero die in Nervios pervenit hortaturque, ne sui in perpetuum liberandi atque ulciscendi Romanos pro eis quas acceperint iniuriis occasionem dimittant:          3         interfectos esse legatos duos magnamque partem exercitus interisse demonstrat; nihil esse negoti subito oppressam legionem quae cum Cicerone hiemet interfici; se ad eam rem profitetur adiutorem. Facile hac oratione Nerviis persuadet.

1            Hac victoria sublatus Ambiorix statim cum equitatu in Aduatucos, qui erant eius regno finitimi, proficiscitur Giddy with this triumph, Ambiorix with his cavalry  immediately made for the neighboring kingdom of the Aduatuci; “proficiscitur” is third person singular present indicative passive of the deponent proficiscor, proficisci, profectus sum, “to set out, depart, leave.”  “sublatus” is perfect passive participle of tollo, tollere, sustuli, sublatum, “to lift up, elevate.” 

neque noctem neque diem intermittit peditatumque subsequi iubet He rode both day and night non-stop, and ordered the infantry to follow;  “iubet” is third person singular present indicative active of iubeo, iubere, iussi, iussum.  “intermittit” is third person singular present indicative active of intermitto, intermittere, intermisi, intermissumi, “to interrupt, stop (temporarily).” 

2            Re demonstrata Aduatucisque concitatis His tale once told, the Aduatuci were readily whipped up; “concitatis” is perfect passive participle of concito, concitare, concitavi, concitatum, “to rouse or agitate.”  “demonstrata” is perfect passive participle of demonstro, demonstrare, demonstravi, demonstratum, “to show, draw attention to.” 

postero die in Nervios pervenit hortaturque Next day he approached and harangued the Nervii; “hortatur” is third person singular present indicative active of the deponent hortor, hortari, hortatus sum.  “pervenit” is third person singular present indicative active of pervenio, pervenire, perveni, perventum.

ne sui in perpetuum liberandi atque ulciscendi Romanos pro eis quas acceperint iniuriis occasionem dimittant declaring that they must not squander this chance for liberation and revenge against the Romans for the outrages received at their hands; “dimmittant” is third person plural present subjunctive active of dimitto, dimittere, dimisi, dimissum, “to send away, dismiss.” “acceperint” is third person plural perfect subjunctive active of accipio, accipere, accepi, acceptum, “to receive, accept.”  “liberandi” and “ulciscendi”:  see Steadman’s note. 
3            interfectos esse legatos duos magnamque partem exercitus interisse demonstrat he argued that, as two legates had been slaughtered and the greater part of the army destroyed…; “demonstrat” is third person singular present indicative active of demonstro, demonstrare, demonstravi, demonstratum, “to show, demonstrate, prove.” “interisse”  is perfect active infinitive of intereo, interire, interii, interitum, “to be lost, ruined, undone.”  “esse” is present infinitive of sum, esse, fui, futurus.  “interfectos” is perfect passive participle of interficio, interficere, interfeci, interfectum

4  nihil esse negoti subito oppressam legionem quae cum Cicerone hiemet interfici it would not be difficult work to launch a surprise attack and destroy the legion at Cicero’s winter quarters; “interfici” is present passive infinitive of interficio, interficere, interfeci, interfectum, “to kill, destroy.” “oppressam” is perfect passive participle of opprimo, opprimere, oppressi, oppressum, “to press upon, take by surprise.” 

se ad eam rem profitetur adiutorem. Facile hac oratione Nerviis persuadet and Ambiorix promised that he himself would advise them on carrying out the plan;  This speech easily won over the Nervii; “persuadet” is third person singular present indicative active of persuadeo, persuadere, persuasi, persuasum, “to prevail upon, persuade, induce.”  “profitetur” is third person singular present indicative active of the deponent profiteor, profiterei, professus sum, “to declare publically, pro

Latin III Caesar De Bello Gallico 5 37 Course Notes


Latin III:  Caesar, De Bello Gallico
Instructor:  James Ransom
April 30, 2014
Caesar DBG 5:37
Course Notes
© 2014 James Ransom, M.A., J.D.

[37]          1         Sabinus quos in praesentia tribunos militum circum se habebat et primorum ordinum centuriones se sequi iubet et, cum propius Ambiorigem accessisset, iussus arma abicere imperatum facit suisque ut idem faciant imperat.          2         Interim, dum de condicionibus inter se agunt longiorque consulto ab Ambiorige instituitur sermo, paulatim circumventus interficitur.          3         Tum vero suo more victoriam conclamant atque ululatum tollunt impetuque in nostros facto ordines perturbant.          4         Ibi Lucius Cotta pugnans interficitur cum maxima parte militum. Reliqui se in castra recipiunt unde erant egressi.          5         Ex quibus Lucius Petrosidius aquilifer, cum magna multitudine hostium premeretur, aquilam intra vallum proiecit; ipse pro castris fortissime pugnans occiditur. Illi aegre ad noctem oppugnationem sustinent;          6         noctu ad unum omnes desperata salute se ipsi interficiunt.          7         Pauci ex proelio lapsi incertis itineribus per silvas ad Titum Labienum legatum in hiberna perveniunt atque eum de rebus gestis certiorem faciunt.

            1            Sabinus quos in praesentia tribunos militum circum se habebat et primorum ordinum centuriones se sequi iubet Sabinus then ordered the military tribunes and senior centurions at hand to follow him; “iubet” is third person singular present indicative active of iubeo, iubere, iussi, iussum.  “habebat” is third person singular imperfect indicative active of habeo, habere, habui, habitum.           

et, cum propius Ambiorigem accessisset, iussus arma abicere imperatum facit suisque ut idem faciant imperat and when he had drawn near to Ambiorix, he was ordered to disarm, which he did, and ordered his men to do likewise.  “imperat” is third person singular present indicative active of impero, imperare, imperavi, imperatum, “to command, give orders to.”  “faciant” is third person plural present subjunctive active of facio, facere, feci, factum.  “facit” is third person singular present indicative active of facio. “imperatum”is perfect passive participle of impero, imperare, imperavi, imperatum, “to command, give orders to.”  “imperatum facit”=”the thing having been commanded.”  “abicere” is present infinitive of abicio, abicere, abieci, abiectum, “to cast down, throw away.”  “
“iussus” is perfect passive participle of  iubeo.  “accessisset” is third person singular pluperfect subjunctive active of accedo, accedere, accessi, accessum, “to go forward, approach.”

2            Interim, dum de condicionibus inter se agunt longiorque consulto ab Ambiorige instituitur sermo, paulatim circumventus interficitur. Meanwhile, as Ambiorix deceitfully dragged out the negotiations, Sabinus was little by little surrounded, then suddenly slain; “interficitur” is third person singular present indicative passive of interficio, interficere, interfeci, interfectum.  “circumventus” is perfect passive participle of circumvenio, circumvenire, circumveni, circumventum,” “to surround.”  “instituitur” isthird person singular present indicative passive of instituo, instituere, institui, institutum, “to set up, instigate.”   

3            Tum vero suo more victoriam conclamant atque ululatum tollunt impetuque in nostros facto ordines perturbant At that point, true to form, they took up shouting ferociously and yodelling their victory, then stormed our ranks in a shock attack.  “perturbant” is third person plural present indicative active of perturbo, perturbare, perturbavi, perturbatum, “to perturb or alarm.”  “tollunt” is third person plural present indicative active of tollo, tollere, sustuli, sublatum, “to raise, lift up, take up.”  “conclamant” is third erson plural presnt indicative active of conclamo, conclamare, conclamavi, conclamatum, “to shout or cry out.” 

4            Ibi Lucius Cotta pugnans interficitur cum maxima parte militum. Reliqui se in castra recipiunt unde erant egressi.  There Cotta fell fighting, with the greater part of his legion.  The survivors retreated back to the same camp they had just abandoned.  “erant egressi”:  see Steadman’s note.  “recipiunt” is third person plural present indicative active of recipio, recipere, recepi, receptum, “to take back, regain possession.”  “interficitur” is third person singular present indicative passive of interficio, interficere, interfeci, interfectum.

5            Ex quibus Lucius Petrosidius aquilifer, cum magna multitudine hostium premeretur, aquilam intra vallum proiecit;  Among them was a standard-bearer named Lucius Petrosidius.  While a great number of enemy swarmed around him, he hurled his eagle within the walls; “proiecit” is third person singular perfect indicative active of proicio, proicere, proieci, proiectum, “to throw or hurl.”   “premeretur” is third person singular imperfect passive subjunctive of premo, premere, pressi, pressum.              ipse pro castris fortissime pugnans occiditur. Then he fell fighting most courageously outside the camp; “occiditur” is third person singular present indicative passive of occido, occidere, occidi, occasum.  “pugnans” is present active participle of pugno, pugnare, pugnavi, pugnatum

Illi aegre ad noctem oppugnationem sustinent;             6            noctu ad unum omnes desperata salute se ipsi interficiunt They barely sustained the battle until nightfall; with the darkness, despairing of saving themselves, every last man took his own life;  “interficiunt” is third person singular present indictive active of interficio.  “desperata salute”:  ablative absolute.  “sustinent” is third person plural present indicative active of sustineo, sustinere, sustinui, sustentum, “to sustain, endure, hold out.” 



7            Pauci ex proelio lapsi incertis itineribus per silvas ad Titum Labienum legatum in hiberna perveniunt atque eum de rebus gestis certiorem faciunt A few deserters made their way back through devious paths through the forest to the camp of Titus Libienus, and provided a fairly reliable account of what had happened; “faciunt” is third person plural present indicative active of facio, facere, feci, factum.  “perveniunt” is third person plural present indicative active of pervenio, pervenire, perveni, perventum“ex proelio lapsi”:  see Steadman’s note.  

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Caesar De Bello Gallico 5 36 Course Notes


Latin III:  Caesar, De Bello Gallico
Instructor:  James Ransom
April 29, 2014

Caesar DBG 5:36
Course Notes
© 2014 James Ransom, M.A., J.D.

[36]          1         His rebus permotus Quintus Titurius, cum procul Ambiorigem suos cohortantem conspexisset, interpretem suum Gnaeum Pompeium ad eum mittit rogatum ut sibi militibusque parcat.          2         Ille appellatus respondit: si velit secum colloqui, licere; sperare a multitudine impetrari posse, quod ad militum salutem pertineat; ipsi vero nihil nocitum iri, inque eam rem se suam fidem interponere. Ille cum Cotta saucio communicat,          3         si videatur, pugna ut excedant et cum Ambiorige una colloquantur: sperare ab eo de sua ac militum salute impetrari posse. Cotta se ad armatum hostem iturum negat atque in eo perseverat.

1            His rebus permotus Quintus Titurius All these things this drove Sabinus into a panic; “permotus “ is perfect passive participle of permoveo, permovere, permovi, permotum, “to stir profoundly, upset.”  cum procul Ambiorigem suos cohortantem conspexisset when having spied Ambiorix exhorting his troops; “conspexisset” is third person singular pluperfect active subjunctive of conspicio, conspicere, conspexi, conspectum, “to notice, catch sight of.”  interpretem suum Gnaeum Pompeium ad eum mittit rogatum ut sibi militibusque parcat he sent Gaius Pompeius to him to beg mercy for himself and his soldiers;  “parcat” is third person singular present subjunctive active of parco, parcere, peperci, parsum, “to spare, be lenient to.”  “rogatum” (see Steadman’s note) is perfect passive participle of rogo, rogare, rogavi, rogatum, “to ask, request.”  “mittit” is third person singular present indicative active of mitto, mittere, misi, missum

2            Ille appellatus respondit: si velit secum colloqui, licere Ambiorix replied to this petition that if Sabinus wished to sue for peace he was free to do so; “licere” is present infinitive of the impersonal licet, licere, licuit, licitum, “it is allowed; one is permitted.” 

sperare a multitudine impetrari posse, quod ad militum salutem pertineat he professed optimism that he could bring his men around to agreeing to the safety of Sabinus’ force; “pertineat” is third person singular present subjunctive active of pertineo, pertinere, pertinui, “to extend, stretch out, pertain.”  “posse” is present infinitive of possum, posse, potui.  “impetrari” is present passive infinitive of impetro, impetrare, impetravi, impetratrum, “to obtain, procure.” 

ipsi vero nihil nocitum iri, inque eam rem se suam fidem interponere and as to the safety of Sabinus himself, Ambiorix pledged on his honor that no harm should befall him; “interponere” is present infinitive of interpono, interponere, interposui, interpositum, “to pledge.”  “iri” is present passive infinitive of eo, ire, ii, itum, “to go, to happen.” 

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Caesar De Bello Gallico 5 35 Course Notes


Latin III:  Caesar, De Bello Gallico
Instructor:  James Ransom
April 19, 2014

Caesar, DBG 5:35
Course Notes
© 2014 James Ransom, M.A., J.D.

[35]          1         Quo praecepto ab eis diligentissime observato, cum quaepiam cohors ex orbe excesserat atque impetum fecerat, hostes velocissime refugiebant.          2         Interim eam partem nudari necesse erat et ab latere aperto tela recipi.          3         Rursus cum in eum locum unde erant egressi reverti coeperant, et ab eis qui cesserant et ab eis qui proximi steterant circumveniebantur;          4         sin autem locum tenere vellent, nec virtuti locus relinquebatur, neque ab tanta multitudine coniecta tela conferti vitare poterant.          5         Tamen tot incommodis conflictati, multis vulneribus acceptis resistebant et magna parte diei consumpta, cum a prima luce ad horam octavam pugnaretur, nihil quod ipsis esset indignum committebant.         6         Tum Tito Balventio, qui superiore anno primum pilum duxerat, viro forti et magnae auctoritatis, utrumque femur tragula traicitur; 7 Quintus Lucanius, eiusdem ordinis, fortissime pugnans, dum circumvento filio subvenit, interficitur;  8         Lucius Cotta legatus omnes cohortes ordinesque adhortans in adversum os funda vulneratur.
[35]             1            Quo praecepto ab eis diligentissime observato, His men precisely followed his tactics; “observato” is perfect passive participle of observo, observare, observavi, observatum, “to heed, regard, respect.”

cum quaepiam cohors ex orbe excesserat atque impetum fecerat, hostes velocissime refugiebant when one of the cohorts ventured out of the circle to mount an attack, the enemy would immediately retreat;  “refugiebant” is third person plural imperfect indicative active of refugio, refugere, refugi, “to run away, escape.”  “fecerat” is third person singular pluperfect indicative active of facio, facere, feci, factum, “to make, to do.”  “excesserat” is third person singular pluperfect indicative active of excedo, excedere, excessi, excessum, “to go out, go forth from.”

2            Interim eam partem nudari necesse erat et ab latere aperto tela recipi This maneuver necessarily left a gap in the line, exposing us to fire on the open flank; “recipi” is present passive infinitive of recipio, recipere, recepi, receptum, “to receive, to take.”  “nudari” is present passive infinitive of nudo, nudare, nudavi, nudatum, “to make naked, strip bare.”
3            Rursus cum in eum locum unde erant egressi reverti coeperant, et ab eis qui cesserant et ab eis qui proximi steterant circumveniebantur Then when they sought to return to position they were swamped both by those enemy who had retreated and those who had stood fast; “circumveniebantur” is third person plural imperfect passive indicative of circumvenio, circumvenire, circumveni, circumventum, “to surround, beset, overwhelm.” “steterant” is third person plural pluperfect indicative active of sto, stare, steti, statum, “to stand, remain.”  “cesserant” is third person plural pluperfect indicative active of cedo, cedere, cessi, cessum, “to withdraw, fall back.”  “coeperant” is third person plural pluperfect indicative active of the defective coepi, coepisse, coeptum, “to begin.” “reverti” is present infinitive of the deponent revertor, reverti, reversus sum, “ to return, turn back.”  “erant egressi” is third person plural pluperfect indicative active of the deponent egredior, egredi, egressus sum, “to march forth.” 

4            sin autem locum tenere vellent, nec virtuti locus relinquebatur, neque ab tanta multitudine coniecta tela conferti vitare poterant but if they tried to maintain a static formation they lacked a way to bring their force to bear against the enemy, and could not avoid the missile fire from the numerous enemy fighters; “poterant” is third person plural imperfect indicative active of the irregular possum, posse, potui.  “vitare” is present infinitive active of vito, vitare, vitavi, vitatum, “to avoid, shun.” “vellent” is third person plural imperfect subjunctive active of volo, velle, volui, “to wish, to want.” “tenere” is present infinitive of teneo, tenire, tenui, tentum, “to hold, maintain.” 

5            Tamen tot incommodis conflictati, multis vulneribus acceptis resistebant et magna parte diei consumpta, cum a prima luce ad horam octavam pugnaretur, nihil quod ipsis esset indignum committebant Under such unfavorable conditions the men nevertheless put up a fight, incurring no discredit while sustaining many casualties in a battle lasting from dawn till mid-afternoon; “committebant” is third person plural imperfect indicative active of committo, committere, commisi, commissum, “to begin, commence, carry on.”  “esset” is third person singular imperfect subjunctive active of sum, esse, fui, futurus.  “pugnaretur” is third person singular imperfect subjunctive passive of pugno, pugnare, pugnavi, pugnatum.  “consumpta” is perfect passive participle of consumo, consumere, consumpsi, consumptum, “consume, spend.”  “resistebant” is third person plural imperfect indicative active of resisto, resistere, restiti, “withstand, oppose, resist.”  “conflictati” is perfect passive participle of conflicto, conflictare, conflictavi, conflictatum, “to assail, torment, buffet.”

6            Tum Tito Balventio, qui superiore anno primum pilum duxerat, viro forti et magnae auctoritatis, utrumque femur tragula traicitur Then Titus Balventius, who had been a high-ranking centurion over the previous year, was transfixed by a javelin through the thighs; “traicitur” is third person singular present indicative passive of traicio, traicere, traieci, traiectum, “to pierce, transfix.” “duxerat” is third person singular pluperfect indicative active of duco, ducere, duxi, ductum, “to lead.” 

7 Quintus Lucanius, eiusdem ordinis, fortissime pugnans, dum circumvento filio subvenit, interficitur and Quintus Lucanius, another leading soldier, went to the rescue of his beleaguered son and was killed fighting most courageously; “interficitur” is third person singular present indicative passive of interficio, interficere, interfeci, interfectum, “to kill, destroy.”  “subvenit” is third person singular present indicative active of subvenio, subvenire, subveni, subventum, “to assist, come to the aid of.”  “pugnans” is present participle of pugno, pugnare, pugnavi, pugnatum, “to fight, give battle.” 

8            Lucius Cotta legatus omnes cohortes ordinesque adhortans in adversum os funda vulneratur. The legate Cotta, while rallying all the ranks, was wounded by a slingshot taken full in the face; “vulneratur” is third person singular present indicative passive of vulnero, vulnerare, vulneravi, vulneratum, “to wound, injure.”  “adhortans” is present participle of adhortor, adhortari, adhortatus sum, “to encourage, exhort.”

Caesar De Bello Gallico 5 34 Course Notes


Latin III:  Caesar, De Bello Gallico
Instructor:  James Ransom
April 19, 2014

Caesar DBG 5:34
Course Notes
© 2014 James Ransom, M.A., J.D.

[34] 1         At barbaris consilium non defuit. Nam duces eorum tota acie pronuntiare iusserunt, ne quis ab loco discederet: illorum esse praedam atque illis reservari quaecumque Romani reliquissent: proinde omnia in victoria posita existimarent.          2         Erant et virtute et studio pugnandi pares; nostri, tametsi ab duce et a fortuna deserebantur, tamen omnem spem salutis in virtute ponebant, et quotiens quaeque cohors procurrerat, ab ea parte magnus numerus hostium cadebat.          3         Qua re animadversa Ambiorix pronuntiari iubet, ut procul tela coniciant neu propius accedant et, quam in partem Romani impetum fecerint, cedant (levitate armorum et cotidiana exercitatione nihil eis noceri posse),                   4         rursus se ad signa recipientes insequantur.
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[34] At barbaris consilium non defuit But the barbarians were ready with their counter-move; “defuit” is third person plural perfect indicative active of desum, deesse, defui, defuturusNam duces eorum tota acie pronuntiare iusserunt, ne quis ab loco discederet for their commanders passed the word down to the front lines that no one was to leave his post; “discederet” is third person singular imperfect subjunctive active of discedo, discedere, discessi, discessum, “to leave, depart.”  “iusserunt” is third person plural perfect indicative active of iubeo, iubere, iussi, iussum.  “pronuntiare” is present infinitive of pronuntio, pronuntiare, pronuntiavi, pronuniatum, “to declare, announce.”

illorum esse praedam atque illis reservari quaecumque Romani reliquissent: The spoils of war were theirs, and whatever the Romans abandoned had been predetermined for them; “reliquissent” is third person plural pluperfect subjunctive active of relinquo, relinquere, reliqui, relictum, “to abandon, leave behind.”  “reservari” is present passive infinitive of reservo, reservare, reservavi, reservatum, “to reserve, retain, save.” “esse” is present infinitive of sum, esse, fui, futurus.   proinde omnia in victoria posita existimarent. This instilled in them the conviction that everything hinged on victory; “existimarent” is third person plural imperfect subjunctive active of existimo, existimare, existimavi, existimatum, “to think, suppose, believe.”  “posita” is the perfect passive participle of pono, ponere, posui, positum, “to put, place.” 

2            Erant et virtute et studio pugnandi pares; they were a match for us both in courage and prowess in war; “pugnandi” : genitive singular of the gerund of pugno, pugnare, pugnavi, pugnatum, “to fight, give battle.” 

nostri, tametsi ab duce et a fortuna deserebantur, tamen omnem spem salutis in virtute ponebant our men, though deserted by luck and by their own leader; knew their only hope lay in taking courage;  “ponebant” is third person plural imperfect indicative active of pono, ponere, posui, positum.  “deserebantur” is third person plural imperfect indicative passive of desero, deserere, deserui, desertum, “to quit, desert., leave.” 

et quotiens quaeque cohors procurrerat, ab ea parte magnus numerus hostium cadebat and whenever a cohort charged, a large number of the enemy fell; “cadebat” is third person plural imperfect indicative active of cado, cadere, cecidi, casum, “to fall, die. “procurrerat” is third person singular pluperfect indicative active of procurro, procurrere, procurri, procursum, “to advance, charge.” 

3            Qua re animadversa Ambiorix pronuntiari iubet, ut procul tela coniciant neu propius accedant  When Ambiorix realized this he ordered his men to hurl their missiles from a safe distance and not to approach too close; “accedant” is third person plural present subjunctive active of accedo, accedere, accessi, accessum, “to come toward, approach.”  “coniciant” is third person plural present subjunctive active of conicio, conicere, conieci, coniectum, “to throw, hurl.”  “iubet” is third person singular present indicative active of iubeo, iubere, iussi, iussum.  “pronuntiari” is present passive infinitive of pronuntio, pronuntiare, pronuntiavi, pronuntiatum.  “animadversa” is perfect passive participle of animadverto, animadvertere, animadverti, animadversum, “to notice, attend to.” 

quam in partem Romani impetum fecerint, cedant and to yield ground where the Romans attack; “cedant” is third person plural present subjunctive active of cedo, cedere, cessi, cessum.  “fecerint” is third person plural perfect subjunctive active of facio, facere, feci, factum.

(levitate armorum et cotidiana exercitatione nihil eis noceri posse) (The lightness of their armor and their constant training enabled them to stay out of harm’s way); “posse” is present infinitive of possum, posse, potui.  “noceri” is present passive infinitive of noceo, nocere, nocui, nocitum, “injure, do harm, hurt.” 

4            rursus se ad signa recipientes insequantur. But when the Romans retreated to their own standards, they were to give chase; “insequantur” is third person plural present subjunctive active of the deponent insequor, insequi, insecutus sum, “to pursue, follow.” 
“recipientes” is present active participle of recipio, recipere, recepi, receptum, “to regain, take back.”

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Caesar DBG 5 32 Course Notes


Latin III:  Caesar, De Bello Gallico
Instructor:  James Ransom

Caesar DBG 5:32
Course Notes
© 2014 James Ransom, M.A., J.D.

[32]          1         At hostes, posteaquam ex nocturno fremitu vigiliisque de profectione eorum senserunt, collocatis insidiis bipertito in silvis opportuno atque occulto loco a milibus passuum circiter duobus Romanorum adventum exspectabant,          2         et cum se maior pars agminis in magnam convallem demisisset, ex utraque parte eius vallis subito se ostenderunt novissimosque premere et primos prohibere ascensu atque iniquissimo nostris loco proelium committere coeperunt.
[32]             1            At hostes, posteaquam ex nocturno fremitu vigiliisque de profectione eorum senserunt But the enemy, once they saw from the commotion and sentry activity that the Romans were really on the move; “senserunt” is third person plural perfect indicative active of sentio, sentire, sensi, sensum, “to perceive with the senses.” 
collocatis insidiis bipertito in silvis opportuno atque occulto loco a milibus passuum circiter duobus Romanorum adventum exspectabant, they set up ambushes at two coverts in the woods and then began to await the arrival of the Roman force in a well-chosen secure location about 2 miles away; “exspectabant” is third person plural imperfect indicative active of expecto, exspectare, exspectavi, exspectatum, “to await, expect.”  “collocatis” is second person plural present indicative active of colloco, collocare, collocavi, collocatum, “to place, put, set in order.” “collocatis insidiis”:  ablative absolute. 
2            et cum se maior pars agminis in magnam convallem demisisset and when the better part of the column had snaked down into a steep ravine; “demisisset” is third person singular pluperfect subjunctive active of demitto, demittere, demisi, demissum, “(military) to send, bring, or lead soldiers down into a lower place.” 

ex utraque parte eius vallis subito se ostenderunt novissimosque premere et primos prohibere ascensu atque iniquissimo nostris loco proelium committere coeperunt they suddenly showed themselves and launched a pincer attack from two sides of this valley, striking the rear and blocking the advance of the vanguard, placing our troops at a serious disadvantage; “coeperunt” is third person plural perfect indicative active of the defective coepi, coepisse, coeptum, “to have begun.” (no present tense).  “committere” is present infinitive of committo, comittere, comisi, comissum, “to commence (a battle).”  “prohibere” is present infinitive of prohibeo, prohibere, prohibui, prohibitum, “to forbid, hold back.”  “premere” is present infinitive of premo, premere, pressi, pressum, “to press, pursue.”  See Steadman’s note.  “ostenderunt” is third person plural perfect indicative active of ostendo, ostendere, ostendi, ostentum, “to expose to view, exhibit, show.” 

Caesar DBG 5:33.1-4 Course Notes


Latin III:  Caesar, De Bello Gallico
Instructor:  James Ransom
April 10, 2014
Caesar DBG 5:33.1-4
Course Notes

[33]          1         Tum demum Titurius, qui nihil ante providisset, trepidare et concursare cohortesque disponere, haec tamen ipsa timide atque ut eum omnia deficere viderentur; quod plerumque eis accidere consuevit, qui in ipso negotio consilium capere coguntur. 2         At Cotta, qui cogitasset haec posse in itinere accidere atque ob eam causam profectionis auctor non fuisset, nulla in re communi saluti deerat et in appellandis cohortandisque militibus imperatoris et in pugna militis officia praestabat.          3         Cum propter longitudinem agminis minus facile omnia per se obire et, quid quoque loco faciendum esset, providere possent, iusserunt pronuntiare, ut impedimenta relinquerent atque in orbem consisterent.          4         Quod consilium etsi in eiusmodi casu reprehendendum non est, tamen incommode accidit:
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[33]             1            Tum demum Titurius, qui nihil ante providisset, trepidare et concursare cohortesque disponere Finally Sabinus, who hadn’t seen this coming at all, began anxiously running up and down the line to organize his cohorts’ defense; “disponere” is present infinitive of dispono, disponere, disposui, dispositum, “to dispose, distribute, arrange.” “concursare” is present infinitive of concurso, concursare, concursavi, concursatum, “trepidare” is present infinitive of trepido, trepidare, trepidavi, trepidatum, “to tremble, to waver.”  “providisset” is third person singular pluperfect subjunctive active of provideo,providere, providi, provisum, “to forsee.”

haec tamen ipsa timide atque ut eum omnia deficere viderentur; but even this he did as if in a panic, and in short it seemed he had lost it; “viderentur” is third person plural imperfect indicative passive of video, videre, vidi visum.  “deficere” is present infinitive of deficio, deficere, defeci, defectum, “to fail, desert, abandon.”

quod plerumque eis accidere consuevit, qui in ipso negotio consilium capere coguntur.  Which is what typically happens to those who suddenly have to make decisions in a crisis; “coguntur” is third person plural present indicative passive of cogo, cogere, coegi, coactum, “to force, compel.” “capere” is present infinitive of capio, capere, cepi, captum, “to capture, seize; to take in, understand.”  “consuevit” is third person singular perfect indicative active of consuesco, consuescere, consuevi, consuetum, “to accustom, to tend to.”  “accidere” is present infinitive of accido, accidere, accidi, “to happen to, befall.” 

2            At Cotta, qui cogitasset haec posse in itinere accidere atque ob eam causam profectionis auctor non fuisset, nulla in re communi saluti deerat et in appellandis cohortandisque militibus imperatoris et in pugna militis officia praestabat. But Cotta, who had figured some sort of ambush might happen along the march route (and for this exact reason had opposed leaving camp) left nothing undone to safeguard his men and did his duty as a commander, calling the men by name and bucking up their courage, while also taking part in the fighting; “praestabat” is third person sinular imperfect indicative active of praesto, praestare, praestiti, praestatum, “to stand before, to excel.”  “cohortandis” is dative of the future passive participle (gerundive) of cohorto, cohortare, cohortavi, cohortatum, “to encourage, exhort.”  “appellandis” is dative of the future passive participle (gerundive) of appello, appellare, appellavi, appellatum, “to call by name.”  “deerat” is third person singular imperfect indicative active of desum, deesse, defui, defuturus, “to abandon, desert.” “fuisset” is third person singular pluperfect subjunctive active of sum, esse, fui, futurus.  “accidere” is present infinitive of accido, accidere, accidi, “to happen to, befall.”  “cogitasset” is third person singular pluperfect subjunctive active of cogito, cogitare, cogitavi, cogitatum, “to think, consider, ponder.” 

3            Cum propter longitudinem agminis minus facile omnia per se obire et, quid quoque loco faciendum esset, providere possent, iusserunt pronuntiare, ut impedimenta relinquerent atque in orbem consisterent  Since the length of the column made it hard for the officers to get an overview and to know what orders were necessary where, they sent word down through the chain to abandon baggage and form up in a circle;  “consisterent” is third person plural imperfect subjunctive active of consisto, consistere, constiti, constitum, “to stop, take a stand.”  “relinquerent” is third person plural imperfect subjunctive active of relinquo, relinquere, reliqui, relictum, “to abandon, leave behind.” “pronuntiare” is present indicative of pronuntio, pronuntiare, pronuntiavi, pronuntiatum, “to proclaim, declare.”  “iusserunt” is third person plural perfect indicative active of iubeo, iubere, iussi, iussum, “to command, order.”  “possent” is third person plural imperfect subjunctive active of possum, posse, potui, “to be able.”  “providere” is present infinitive of provideo, providere, providi, provisum.  “faciendum esset”:  passive periphrastic +third person singular imperfect subjunctive active of sum.  “obire” is present infinitive of obeo, obire, obii, obitum, “to survey, look over.” 

4            Quod consilium etsi in eiusmodi casu reprehendendum non est, tamen incommode accidit: While it’s tough to criticize this tactic under the circumstances, it did have some unintended consequences:  “accidit” is third person singular present indicative active of accido, accidere, accidi, “to happen, befall.”  “reprehendendum”:  passive periphrastic; see Steadman’s note.