De Bello Gallico 1.35

Caesar's demands

In brief. Caesar sends his demands: Ariovistus must bring no more people across the Rhine, return the Haeduan hostages and leave the Haedui and their allies alone. Otherwise, following a Senate decree, Caesar will defend them.

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1.35.1Hīs respōnsīs ad Caesarem relātīs, iterum ad eum Caesar lēgātōs cum hīs mandātīs mittit: quoniam tantō suō populīque Rōmānī beneficiō adfectus, cum in cōnsulātū suō rēx atque amīcus ā senātū appellātus esset, hanc sibi populōque Rōmānō grātiam referret ut in conloquium venīre invītātus gravārētur neque dē commūnī rē dīcendum sibi et cognōscendum putāret, haec esse quae ab eō postulāret: prīmum nē quam multitūdinem hominum amplius trāns Rhēnum in Galliam trādūceret;When these replies were brought back to Caesar, he sent envoys to him again with this message: since, after being treated with such kindness by himself and the Roman people, having been called king and friend by the Senate in Caesar's consulship, he showed his gratitude to Caesar and the Roman people by refusing to come to a conference when invited and by not thinking he needed to discuss and learn about matters of common concern, these were Caesar's demands: first, that he should bring no more people across the Rhine into Gaul;Note. This long sentence is the message in indirect speech. gravārētur: 'he was unwilling', from the deponent gravor. haec esse quae … postulāret: 'these were the things he demanded'. 1.35.3deinde obsidēs quōs habēret ab Haeduīs redderet Sēquanīsque permitteret ut quōs illī habērent voluntāte eius reddere illīs licēret;next, that he should return the hostages he held from the Haedui, and allow the Sequani to return, with his permission, the hostages they held; 1.35.3nēve Haeduōs iniūriā lacesseret nēve hīs sociīsque eōrum bellum īnferret.and that he should not provoke the Haedui with wrongs or make war on them or their allies.

1.35.4Sī id ita fēcisset, sibi populōque Rōmānō perpetuam grātiam atque amīcitiam cum eō futūram;If he did this, Caesar and the Roman people would have lasting goodwill and friendship with him; 1.35.4sī nōn impetrāret, sēsē, quoniam M. Messālā, M. Pīsōne cōnsulibus senātus cēnsuisset utī quīcumque Galliam prōvinciam obtinēret, quod commodō reī pūblicae facere posset, Haeduōs cēterōsque amīcōs populī Rōmānī dēfenderet, sē Haeduōrum iniūriās nōn neglēctūrum.if Caesar did not obtain this, then, since the Senate had decreed in the consulship of Marcus Messala and Marcus Piso that whoever governed the province of Gaul should protect the Haedui and the other friends of the Roman people, as far as he could do so with advantage to the state, he would not overlook the wrongs done to the Haedui.Note. M. Messālā, M. Pīsōne cōnsulibus: 61 BC, as in 1.2. quod commodō reī pūblicae facere posset: 'as far as he could do so with advantage to the state'.

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Grammar in this passage: cum clauses ×1, gerunds and gerundives ×2, ablative absolute ×2, indirect statement ×2

Latin vocabulary for this passage (85 words)

hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron.	this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter
respōnsum, -ī, n.	reply, answer, response
ad, prep. with acc.	to, toward; at, near; for
referō, referre, rettulī, relātus	bring or carry back, return; pedem referre, to draw back, retire, retreat; grātiam referre, see grātia
iterum, adv.	again, a second time
is, ea, id, dem. pron.	this, that; he, she, it, they
lēgātus, -ī, m.	ambassador
cum, prep, with abl.	with
mandātum, -ī n.	order, instruction, message
mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus	send
quoniam, conj.	since now, since
tantus, -a, -um	so great or much
suus, -a, -um	his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their
populus, -ī m.	people, nation
que, enclitic conj.	and
Rōmānus, -a, -um	Roman
beneficium, -ī, n.	well-doing, kindness, service, benefit
afficiō, -ere, -fēcī, -fectum	affect, afflict
cum, conj.	when, while, after; since; although
in, prep. with acc. and abl.	with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
cōnsulātus, -ūs m.	consulship
rēx, rēgis, m.	king
atque, ac (conj.)	and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants)
amīcus, -ī, m.	friend
ā, ab (prep. + abl.)	away from, from; by (ā only before consonants)
senātus, -ūs m.	senate
appellō, -pellāre, -pellāvī, -pellātus	call, name
sum, esse, fuī, futūrus	be
suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron.	himself, herself, itself, themselves
grātia, -ae, f.	favor; gratitude, thanks; plur., thanks; grātiās agere, to give thanks, thank; grātiam referre, to return a favor, show gratitude, requite
ut, conj.	as; when; that; ita ut, as
colloquium (conloquium), -ī n.	conference, talk
veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus	come
invītō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	invite
gravor, -ārī, -ātus sum	be unwilling, object to
neque or nec, conj.	and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not
dē, prep, with abl.	down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of
commūnis, -e	common, shared, public
rēs, reī, f.	thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really
dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus	say, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day
et, conj.	and; et ... et, both ... and
cognōscō, -gnōscere, -gnōvī, -gnitus	find out, learn; in tenses of completed action, have found out, know
putō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	think
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.	who, which
postulō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	ask, request, demand
prīmum, adv.	first, in the first place
nē, adv.	not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest
quis, qua, quid, indef. pron.	any one, anybody, anything, some one, somebody, something
multitūdō, -tūdinis, f.	multitude
homō, hominis, m.	man
amplius (adv.)	more, further
trāns, prep. with acc.	across, over
trādūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus	lead across
deinde, adv.	then, next
obses, obsidis m./f.	hostage
habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus	have, hold; consider
reddō, -dere, -didī, -ditus	give back, return, restore; render
permittō, -ere, -mīsī, -missum	allow, permit; entrust
ille, illa, illud, dem. pron.	that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc
voluntās, -tātis, f.	wish, will
licet, -ēre, -uit or -itum est, impers.	is lawful or permitted
nēve or neu, conj.	and that not, and not, nor
iniūria, -ae, f.	injury, wrong, hurt, harm
lacessō, -ere, -īvī, -ītum	provoke, harass
socius, -ī, m.	companion, comrade, ally
bellum, -ī, n.	war
īnferō, īnferre, intulī, inlātus	bring in or against, wage against; inflict
sī, conj.	if
ita, adv.	in this manner, thus, so; ita ut, as
faciō, facere, fēcī, factus	make, do; iter facere, see iter
perpetuus, -a, -um	continuous, perpetual; in perpetuum, for all time, forever
amīcitia, -ae f.	friendship, alliance
nōn, adv.	not
impetrō, -petrāre, -petrāvī, -petrātus	gain one's end, obtain (a request)
cōnsul, -ulis m.	consul (one of Rome's two chief magistrates)
cēnseō, cēnsēre, cēnsuī, cēnsus	think, believe, consider
quīcumque, quaecumque, quodcumque	whoever, whatever
prōvincia, -ae f.	province; here, the Roman Province in southern Gaul
obtineō, -tinēre, -tinuī, -tentus	hold
commodum, -ī n.	advantage, interest
pūblicus, -a, -um	public, of the state (rēs pūblica: the state)
possum, posse, potuī	be able, have power, can
cēterī, -ae, -a, plur. adj.	the other, the remaining, the rest of
dēfendō, -fendere, -fendī, -fēnsus	ward off; defend
neglegō, -legere, -lēxī, -lēctus	disregard, neglect

Caesar, De Bello Gallico I. Latin text: T. Rice Holmes (Oxford, 1914), public domain; digital text from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA. Word analysis: LatinCy, then every word checked and corrected by hand. Vocabulary: F. Ritchie (1903, public domain) and entries written for this app. English translation, notes and grammar hints: written for this app.