Vocabulary and Functional Chunks for Gallic Wars Book

Vocabulary and Functional Chunks for Gallic Wars Book I

ad eas res conficiendas for the purpose of finishing these things Nota Bene: ad + gerundive = for the purpose of

ad hominum milia decem up to ten thousand of men Nota Bene: ad shows approx; hominum is part gen

auctoritate permoti having been moved by the authority

cum virtute omnibus praestarent since they stood before everyone in virtue Nota Bene: praesto takes dat; imp subj in cum clause

damnatum poenam sequi oportebat it was right that a punishment should follow one having been damned Nota Bene: damnatum is substansive; has sense of “if he were damned”

de finibus suis cum omnibus copiis exierint they might leave from their own boundaries with all of their abundances Nota Bene: perf subj in ind command

ea quae ad proficiscendum pertinerent comprare to obtain those things which were reaching for the purpose of setting out Nota Bene: ad + gerundive expresses purpose; better translation = pertained to setting out

eo tempore principatum in civitate obtinebat in that time he obtained the chief position in the state

facile perpauci prohibere possent a very few would easily be able to prohibit them Nota Bene: per+adj = very; possent is imp subj in purp clause

fere cotidianis proeliis contendunt they compete in almost daily battles

frumentum omne all the grain

Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres All Gaul has been divided into three parts

hac oratione adducti inter se fidem et ius iurandum dant having been led on by this speech they give loyalty and an oath between themselves Nota Bene: ius iurandum = oath

hi omnes lingua, institutis, legibus inter se differunt all of these differ among themselves in language, institutions, and laws

his rebus fiebat from these things it happened

hominess bellandi cupidi magno dolore afficiebantur men desirous of war were being affected with great grief Nota Bene: bellandi is gerundive in gen

idem conaretur he might try the same thing Nota Bene: conaretur is imp dep subj in ind command

igni cremaretur he might be burned by fire Nota Bene: igni is Caesar’s abl in 3 rd decl; cremaretur is imp subj in purp clause

in eorum finibus bellum gerunt they wage war on their own boundaries

in itinere copia frumenti suppeteret on their journey an abundance of grain might be available Nota Bene: suppeteret is imp subj in purp clause

is sibi legationem ad civitates suscipit he takes up for himself the embassy to the states

L. Pisone, A. Gabinio consulibus with L. Piso and A. Gabinius as consuls Nota Bene: all in abl; years dated by consuls

milia passum a thousand paces/ a mile Nota Bene: passum is part gen

minus facile finitimis bellum inferre possent they would be able to bring war upon those neighboring them less easily Nota Bene: possent is imp subj in purp clause; bellum inferre takes dat

minus late vagarentur they would wander less widely Nota Bene: vagarentur is imp dep subj in purp clause

moribus suis by their own customs

nihilo minus Helvetii id quod constituerant facere conantur nevertheless the Helvetii try to do that which they had decided

non esse dubium quin totius Galliae plurimum Helvetii possent that there was not a doubt but that the Helvetii were the most powerful of the whole of Gaul Nota Bene: esse is inf in ind state; plurimum possent = they were the most powerful

oppida sua omnia, numero ad duodecim, vicos ad quadrigentos, reliqua privata aedificia incendunt they set on fire all of their own towns, in number up to twelve, their villages up to four hundred, [and] the private buildings having been left behind Nota Bene: ad + number = up to (shows approx)

Orgetoricem ex vinculis causam dicere coegerunt they forced Orgetorix to plead his case from chains Nota Bene: causam dicere = to plead his case in this context

perfacile esse that it would be very easy Nota Bene: inf in ind state; per+adj = very

perfacile factu esse illis probat conata perficere he proves to those that to complete their attempts would be very easy in doing Nota Bene: per+adj or adv = very; factu is supine abl of spec or resp; perficere is inf in ind state

praeter quod secum portaturi erant except that which they were going to carry with them Nota Bene: portaturi is fut part

propterea quod because

qua de causa about which reason Nota Bene: Romans sometimes used a relative pronoun to refer to a previous phrase whereas we often use demonstratives

quam maximis potest itineribus in Galliam ulteriorem contendit by as great journeys as possible he hurries into furthest Gaul Nota Bene: quam + superl = as … as possible; potest is redundant

quam maximum numerum coemere to buy up as great a number as possible Nota Bene: quam + superl = as … as possible

quarum unam incolunt Belgae one of which the Belgae inhabit

qui ipsorum lingua Celtae, nostra Galli appellantur who are called Celts in the language of their own selves and Gauls in ours Nota Bene: third part of a sentence showing asyndeton, and zeugma/ parallel structure

quin ipse sibi mortem consciverit but that he himself decided upon death for himself

regni cupiditate inductus having been led on by a desire of the kingdom

reliquos virtute praecedunt they go before the rest in virtue

suis finibus eos prohibent they prevent them from their own boundaries

totius Galliae imperio potiri that they would take possession of the whole of Gaul in their power Nota Bene: potiri is dep inf in ind state

totius Galliae sese potiri posse sperant they hope that they themselves are ableto take possession of the whole of Gaul Nota Bene: potiri is dep compl inf of posse; posse is inf in ind state

ubi iam se ad eam rem paratos esse arbitrati sunt when they now judged that they were prepared for this thing Nota Bene: paratos esse is past pass inf in ind state

undique coegit he gathered from all sides

undique loci natura Helvetii continentur the Helvetii are contained on all sides by the nature of the place

ut domum reditionis spe sublata paratiores ad omnia pericula subeunda essent so that with the hope of a return home having been lifted they would be more prepared for the purpose of undergoing all dangers Nota Bene: domum… sublata is abl abs; ad subeunda is gerundive phrase with ad expressing purpose; essent is imp subj in a purp clause

vel vi coacturos ut per suos fines eos ire paterentur or by force they would force so that they might lie open to them to go through their own boundaries Nota Bene: esse is understood after coacturos as fut inf in ind state; paterentur is imp subj in purp clause

vix qua singuli carri ducerentur by which wagons are led scarcely one at a time