Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 1
De Bello Gallico 1.17
Liscus speaks
Caesar, De Bello Gallico I. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō1.17.1Tum dēmum Liscus ōrātiōne Caesaris adductus quod anteā tacuerat prōpōnit: esse nōn nūllōs, quōrum auctōritās apud plēbem plūrimum valeat, quī prīvātim plūs possint quam ipsī magistrātūs.
Only then, moved by Caesar's words, did Liscus bring out what he had kept quiet before: there were certain men with great influence among the common people who had more power as private persons than the magistrates themselves.
1.17.2Hōs sēditiōsā atque improbā ōrātiōne multitūdinem dēterrēre, nē frūmentum cōnferant quod dēbeant: praestāre, sī iam prīncipātum Galliae obtinēre nōn possint, Gallōrum quam Rōmānōrum imperia perferre, neque dubitāre dēbeant quīn, sī Helvētiōs superāverint Rōmānī, ūnā cum reliquā Galliā Haeduīs lībertātem sint ēreptūrī.
These men, by seditious and wicked talk, were frightening the people from bringing in the grain they owed: if they could no longer hold the leadership of Gaul, it was better to endure the rule of Gauls than of Romans, and they should not doubt that if the Romans defeated the Helvetii they would take freedom from the Haedui together with the rest of Gaul.
1.17.5Ab īsdem nostra cōnsilia quaeque in castrīs gerantur hostibus ēnūntiārī;
By these same men our plans and everything done in the camp were reported to the enemy;
1.17.5hōs ā sē coercērī nōn posse.
he could not restrain them.
1.17.6Quīn etiam, quod necessāriam rem coāctus Caesarī ēnūntiārit, intellegere sēsē quantō id cum perīculō fēcerit, et ob eam causam quam diū potuerit tacuisse.
What is more, he knew how dangerous it was for him to have reported this to Caesar under pressure of necessity, and for that reason he had kept silent as long as he could.
Note. Quīn etiam: 'what is more'. quantō id cum perīculō fēcerit: an indirect question.
Vocabulary
| tum, adv. | then, at that time |
| dēmum, adv. | at last |
| ōrātiō, -ōnis, f. | speech; ōrātiōnem habēre, to deliver an oration, speak |
| addūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead to, bring, take; induce, influence |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| anteā, adv. | before |
| taceō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | be silent |
| prōpōnō, -pōnere, -posuī, -positus | put or set before, offer, propose; set forth, say |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| nūllus, -a, -um | not any, none, no |
| auctōritās, -tātis f. | influence, authority, prestige |
| apud, prep, with acc. | among, with |
| plēbs, plēbis f. | the common people |
| plūrimum (adv.) | most, very much (plūrimum posse: be most powerful) |
| valeō, -ēre, -uī, -itūrus | be strong or effectual, have effect, prevail |
| prīvātim (adv.) | privately, as individuals |
| plūs (adv.) | more |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| quam, adv. | how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| magistrātus, -ūs m. | magistrate, official |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| sēditiōsus, -a, -um | rebellious, stirring up trouble |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| improbus, -a, -um | wicked. in, prep, with acc., into, in, to, upon; with abl., in, on |
| multitūdō, -tūdinis, f. | multitude |
| dēterreō, -terrēre, -terruī, -territus | frighten off, deter |
| nē, adv. | not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest |
| frūmentum, -ī, n. | grain |
| cōnferō, cōnferre, contulī, conlātus | bring together; grant, confer; sē cōnferre, to betake oneself, make one's way |
| dēbeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | owe; with infin., ought |
| praestō, -stāre, -stitī, -stitus | stand in front; show |
| sī, conj. | if |
| iam, adv. | now, already |
| prīncipātus, -ūs m. | leadership, first place |
| obtineō, -tinēre, -tinuī, -tentus | hold |
| Rōmānus, -a, -um | Roman |
| imperium, -ī, n. | command; sway, rule |
| perferō, -ferre, -tulī, -lātus | bear through, bear, endure; weather |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| dubitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | doubt, hesitate |
| quīn, conj. | so that ... not, but that, but |
| superō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | overcome, defeat, conquer |
| ūnā | together, along |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| lībertās, -tātis, f. | freedom, liberty |
| ēripiō, -ripere, -ripuī, -reptus | snatch out or away, rescue |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron. | the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also |
| noster, -tra, -trum | our |
| cōnsilium, -ī, n. | advice; plan, design, purpose; prudence |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| gerō, gerere, gessī, gestus | carry, wear; carry on, do |
| hostis, -is, m. and f. | enemy, foe |
| ēnūntiō, -nūntiāre, -nūntiāvī, -nūntiātus | speak out, announce, make known |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| coerceō, -ēre, coercuī, coercitum | restrain, keep in check |
| etiam, adv. | and now, also, too, even |
| quod, conj. | that, in that, because |
| necessārius, -a, -um; as noun, -ī m. | necessary, critical; (noun) close friend, relative |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| cōgō, cōgere, coēgī, coāctus | drive together, collect; compel |
| intellegō, -legere, -lēxī, -lēctus | perceive, understand |
| quantus, -a, -um | how great or much? |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| perīculum, -ī, n. | danger, peril, risk |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| ob, prep. with acc. | on account of, for; in compounds, to, against |
| causa, -ae, f. | cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of |
| diū, adv. | for a long time, a long time or while, long; comp |