De Bello Civili 2.21

BC 2.21.1Caesar cōntiōne habitā Cordubae omnibus generātim grātiās agit: cīvibus Rōmānīs, quod oppidum in suā potestāte studuissent habēre, Hispānīs, quod praesidia expulissent, Gāditānīs, quod cōnātūs adversāriōrum īnfrēgissent sēsēque in lībertātem vindicāvissent, tribūnīs mīlitum centuriōnibusque, quī eō praesidiī causā vēnerant, quod eōrum cōnsilia suā virtūte cōnfirmāvissent.

Caesar held an assembly at Corduba and thanked everyone group by group: the Roman citizens, because they had been eager to keep the town in their own control; the Spaniards, because they had driven out the garrisons; the people of Gades, because they had crushed the attempts of his opponents and claimed their freedom; and the military tribunes and centurions who had come there as a garrison, because by their courage they had strengthened the others' resolve.

Note. generātim: 'group by group'. A list of datives with quod clauses of reason: cīvibus Rōmānīs, quod …; Hispānīs, quod …; Gāditānīs, quod … The subjunctives (studuissent, expulissent) give the reasons as Caesar's own, in his speech.

BC 2.21.2pecūniās, quās erant in pūblicum Varrōnī cīvēs Rōmānī pollicitī, remittit;

He remitted the sums of money that the Roman citizens had promised to Varro for the public treasury;

Note. erant … pollicitī: pluperfect of the deponent polliceor, split by in pūblicum Varrōnī. remittit: 'he let them off'.

BC 2.21.2bona restituit iīs quōs līberius locūtōs hanc poenam tulisse cognōverat.

he restored their property to those who he had learned had suffered this penalty for speaking too freely.

Note. quōs … cognōverat: the antecedent is iīs. līberius locūtōs: 'for speaking too freely'.

BC 2.21.3tribūtīs quibusdam pūblicīs prīvātīsque praemiīs reliquōs in posterum bonā spē complet bīduumque Cordubae commorātus Gādīs proficīscitur;

After giving certain people public and private rewards, he filled the rest with good hope for the future, and after staying two days at Corduba he set out for Gades;

Note. tribūtīs quibusdam … praemiīs: ablative absolute; quibusdam is dative, 'to certain people'. in posterum: 'for the future'. biduum: accusative of duration. Gādīs: 'to Gades'.

BC 2.21.3pecūniās monimentaque quae ex fānō Herculis collāta erant in prīvātam domum, referrī in templum iubet.

he ordered the money and treasures that had been taken from the temple of Hercules into a private house to be brought back to the temple.

Note. monimenta: the edition's spelling of monumenta, here 'votive offerings'. referrī … iubet: Caesar restores the temple treasures Varro had removed.

BC 2.21.4prōvinciae Q. Cassium praeficit;

He put Quintus Cassius in charge of the province;

Note. Cassius' governorship turned out badly: his greed provoked a mutiny in Further Spain the next year.

BC 2.21.4huic iiii legiōnēs adtribuit.

he assigned four legions to him.

Note. iiii = quattuor. Older inscriptions and texts often write IIII rather than IV.

BC 2.21.4ipse iīs nāvibus quās M. Varrō quāsque Gāditānī iussū Varrōnis fēcerant, Tarracōnem paucīs diēbus pervēnit.

He himself, with the ships that Marcus Varro and the people of Gades had built at Varro's order, reached Tarraco in a few days.

Note. Tarracōnem: accusative of place to which, without a preposition, as with towns.

BC 2.21.4ibi tōtīus ferē citeriōris prōvinciae lēgātiōnēs Caesaris adventum exspectābant.

There embassies from almost the whole of the Nearer province were awaiting Caesar's arrival.

Note. lēgātiōnēs: 'embassies', the subject; Caesāris adventum is the object of exspectābant.

BC 2.21.5eādem ratiōne prīvātim ac pūblicē quibusdam cīvitātibus habitīs honōribus Tarracōne discēdit pedibusque Narbōnem atque inde Massiliam pervēnit.

After conferring honours in the same way on certain communities, privately and publicly, he left Tarraco, went by land to Narbo, and from there reached Massilia.

Note. eādem ratiōne: 'in the same way' as at Corduba. pedibus: 'on foot', i.e. by land. Narbō(nem): the capital of the Roman province in Gaul.

BC 2.21.5ibi lēgem dē dictātōre lātam sēsēque dictātōrem dictum ā M. Lepidō praetōre cognōscit.

There he learned that a law about a dictator had been passed and that he had been named dictator by the praetor Marcus Lepidus.

Note. lēgem dē dictātōre lātam [esse]: 'that a law about a dictator had been passed'. M. Lepidus: Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, the future triumvir, who as praetor named Caesar dictator in the consuls' absence.