De Bello Civili 3.1

BC 3.1.1Dictātōre habente comitia Caesare cōnsulēs creantur Iūlius Caesar et P. Servīlius;

With Caesar as dictator holding the elections, Julius Caesar and Publius Servilius are elected consuls;

Note. Book III opens in late 49 BC. Dictātōre habente comitia Caesare: an ablative absolute, 'with Caesar as dictator holding the elections'. Caesar had been named dictator so that someone with full authority could hold the consular elections in Rome; he then had himself elected consul for 48 BC. creantur: historic present, 'are elected'.

BC 3.1.1is enim erat annus, quō per lēgēs eī cōnsulem fierī licēret.

for this was the year in which by law he was allowed to become consul.

Note. per lēgēs: a law required ten years between two consulships; Caesar had been consul in 59, so 48 was the first year he could legally hold the office again. quō … licēret: relative clause of characteristic, 'the year in which he was allowed'. eī … cōnsulem fierī: with licet the predicate noun stands in the accusative (cōnsulem) although eī is dative.

BC 3.1.2hīs rēbus cōnfectīs, cum fidēs tōta Ītaliā esset angustior, neque crēditae pecūniae solverentur, cōnstituit ut arbitrī darentur;

When this business was finished, since credit was rather tight throughout Italy and money that had been lent was not being repaid, he decided that arbitrators should be appointed;

Note. fidēs: here 'credit', the willingness of lenders to trust borrowers. tōtā Ītaliā: ablative of place without in, usual with tōtus. arbitrī: arbitrators who would value property so that debtors could pay their creditors in land and goods at pre-war prices.

BC 3.1.2per eōs fierent aestimātiōnēs possessiōnum et rērum, quantī quaeque eārum ante bellum fuisset, atque eae crēditōribus trāderentur.

through them valuations were to be made of properties and possessions, at what each of them had been worth before the war, and these were to be handed over to the creditors.

Note. quantī: genitive of price, 'at how much'. quaeque eārum: 'each of them' (the properties). The subjunctives fierent, fuisset and trāderentur continue the indirect command introduced by cōnstituit ut in the previous sentence.

BC 3.1.3hoc et ad timōrem novārum tabulārum tollendum minuendumque, quī ferē bella et cīvīlēs dissēnsiōnēs sequī cōnsuēvit, et ad dēbitōrum tuendam exīstimātiōnem esse aptissimum exīstimāvit.

He judged this to be the most suitable way both to remove and lessen the fear of a cancellation of debts, which usually follows wars and civil discord, and to protect the good name of the debtors.

Note. novae tabulae, 'new account-books', meant a general cancellation of debts, which creditors feared after every civil war. ad timōrem … tollendum minuendumque: gerundive of purpose, 'for removing and lessening the fear'. quī … cōnsuēvit: the relative refers to timōrem; cōnsuēvit, perfect of cōnsuēscō, means 'is accustomed'. existimātiōnem: 'reputation, credit-worthiness'.

BC 3.1.4item praetōribus tribūnīsque plēbis rogātiōnēs ad populum ferentibus nōnnūllōs ambitūs Pompēiā lēge damnātōs illīs temporibus, quibus in urbe praesidia legiōnum Pompēius habuerat, quae iūdicia aliīs audientibus iūdicibus, aliīs sententiam ferentibus singulīs diēbus erant perfecta, in integrum restituit, quī sē illī initiō cīvīlis bellī obtulerant, sī suā operā in bellō utī vellet, proinde aestimāns ac sī ūsus esset, quoniam suī fēcissent potestātem.

Likewise, by bills which the praetors and tribunes of the people put to the people, he restored to their former standing a number of men who had been condemned for bribery under Pompey's law at the time when Pompey had kept garrisons of legions in the city (trials that were completed in single days, with some judges hearing the case and others voting); these men had offered themselves to him at the start of the civil war, in case he wished to use their services in the war, and he valued them just as if he had used them, since they had put themselves at his disposal.

Note. A long sentence; the main verb is restituit, 'he restored'. praetōribus tribūnīsque … ferentibus: ablative absolute, 'with the praetors and tribunes bringing bills before the people'. ambitūs … damnātōs: 'condemned for bribery', genitive of the charge. Pompeiā lēge: Pompey's law of 52 BC on electoral bribery, tried in courts guarded by soldiers. aliīs audientibus iūdicibus, aliīs sententiam ferentibus: the judges who heard the evidence were not all the same ones who voted. in integrum restituit: 'restored to their former position'. suī fēcissent potestātem: 'had put themselves in his power' (suī is genitive plural of the reflexive).

BC 3.1.5statuerat enim prius hōs iūdiciō populī dēbēre restituī quam suō beneficiō vidērī receptōs, ne aut ingrātus in referendā grātiā aut arrogāns in praeripiendō populī beneficiō vidērētur.

For he had decided that they ought to be restored by the judgment of the people rather than be seen to have been taken back by his own favour, so that he should not seem either ungrateful in repaying a kindness or arrogant in snatching away the people's right to grant a favour.

Note. prius … quam: 'rather … than'. suō beneficiō … receptōs: 'taken back by his own favour'. in referendā grātiā: gerundive, 'in returning a favour'. in praeripiendō populī beneficiō: 'in snatching away the people's right to bestow the favour'.