Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 1
De Bello Gallico 1.47
Envoys in chains
Caesar, De Bello Gallico I. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō1.47.1Bīduō post Ariovistus ad Caesarem lēgātōs mīsit: velle sē dē iīs rēbus quae inter eōs agī coeptae neque perfectae essent agere cum eō: utī aut iterum conloquiō diem cōnstitueret aut, sī id minus vellet, ex suīs lēgātīs aliquem ad sē mitteret.
Two days later Ariovistus sent envoys to Caesar: he wanted to discuss with him the matters that had begun to be discussed between them and had not been settled; Caesar should either set a day for another meeting or, if he did not want that, send one of his officers to him.
1.47.2Conloquendī Caesarī causa vīsa nōn est, et eō magis quod prīdiē eius diēī Germānī retinērī nōn potuerant quīn tēla in nostrōs coicerent.
Caesar saw no reason for a meeting, all the more because the day before the Germans could not be held back from throwing weapons at our men.
1.47.3Lēgātum ex suīs sēsē magnō cum perīculō ad eum missūrum et hominibus ferīs obiectūrum exīstimābat.
He thought he would be sending one of his officers to him at great risk, and exposing him to savage men.
1.47.4Commodissimum vīsum est C. Valerium Procillum, C. Valeriī Caburī fīlium, summā virtūte et hūmānitāte adulēscentem, cuius pater ā C. Valeriō Flaccō cīvitāte dōnātus erat, et propter fidem et propter linguae Gallicae scientiam, quā multa iam Ariovistus longinquā cōnsuētūdine ūtēbātur, et quod in eō peccandī Germānīs causa nōn esset, ad eum mittere, et ūnā M. Mētium, quī hospitiō Ariovistī ūtēbātur.
The most suitable course seemed to be to send to him Gaius Valerius Procillus, son of Gaius Valerius Caburus, a young man of great courage and culture, whose father had been granted citizenship by Gaius Valerius Flaccus, both because of his loyalty and because of his knowledge of Gaulish, which Ariovistus now spoke a good deal from long practice, and because the Germans would have no reason to harm him; and with him Marcus Metius, who was a guest-friend of Ariovistus.
Note. Commodissimum vīsum est … mittere: 'it seemed best to send'. The infinitive mittere is the subject. hospitiō … ūtēbātur: 'was a guest-friend of', a formal bond of hospitality.
1.47.5Hīs mandāvit quae dīceret Ariovistus cognōscerent et ad sē referrent.
He told them to find out what Ariovistus had to say and report back to him.
1.47.5Quōs cum apud sē in castrīs Ariovistus cōnspexisset, exercitū suō praesente conclāmāvit: quid ad sē venīrent?
When Ariovistus saw them with him in his camp, he shouted out in front of his army: why were they coming to him?
Note. quid ad sē venīrent?: a question in indirect speech, 'why were they coming to him?'
1.47.5an speculandī causā?
Was it to spy?
1.47.5Cōnantēs dīcere prohibuit et in catēnās coniēcit.
When they tried to speak he stopped them and threw them into chains.
Vocabulary
| bīduum, -ī n. | two days |
| post, adv. | after, later; prep. with acc., after, behind |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| lēgātus, -ī, m. | ambassador |
| mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus | send |
| volō, velle, voluī | wish |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| inter, prep, with acc. | among, between |
| agō, agere, ēgī, āctus | drive; do; pass, lead; grātiās agere, see grātia |
| coepī, coepisse, coeptus (used in tenses of completed action) | have begun, began |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| perficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | do or make through, accomplish |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| aut, conj. | or; aut ... aut, either ... or |
| iterum, adv. | again, a second time |
| conloquium, -ī, n. | conversation |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| cōnstituō, -stituere, -stituī, -stitūtus | set together or up; appoint; determine |
| sī, conj. | if |
| minus, comp. adv. | less |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| aliquis, -quid, indef. pron. | someone, any one, something, anything, some, any |
| colloquor (conloquor), -ī, -locūtus sum | talk with, confer |
| causa, -ae, f. | cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of |
| videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus | see; pass., seem |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| eō (adv.) | to that place, thither; to that point (usque eō); (with comparatives) by so much, all the (more) |
| magis, comp. adv. | more, rather |
| quod, conj. | that, in that, because |
| prīdiē (adv.) | the day before |
| retineō, -tinēre, -tinuī, -tentus | hold or keep back, keep, restrain; hold fast |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| quīn, conj. | so that ... not, but that, but |
| tēlum, -ī, n. | missile, spear, weapon |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| noster, -tra, -trum | our |
| coiciō, -ere, coiēcī, coiectum | throw, hurl |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| perīculum, -ī, n. | danger, peril, risk |
| homō, hominis, m. | man |
| ferus, -a, -um | wild, savage |
| obiciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectus | throw in the way or to |
| exīstimō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | consider, believe, think |
| commodus, -a, -um | convenient, suitable |
| fīlius, -ī, m. | son |
| summus, -a, -um | uppermost, highest, greatest |
| virtūs, -tūtis, f. | manliness, courage, bravery |
| hūmānitās, -tātis f. | culture, refinement |
| adulēscēns, -entis, m. | youth, young man |
| pater, patris, m. | father |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| cīvitās, -tātis, f. | state |
| dōnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | give; present (someone with something) |
| propter, prep. with acc. | on account of, because of |
| fidēs, -eī f. | faith, trust; pledge |
| lingua, -ae f. | tongue; language |
| Gallicus, -a, -um | Gallic, of Gaul |
| scientia, -ae, f. | knowledge, skill |
| multus, -a, -um | much, great; plur., many |
| iam, adv. | now, already |
| longinquus, -a, -um | distant, remote |
| cōnsuētūdō, -inis f. | custom, habit; way of life |
| ūtor, ūtī, ūsus | use |
| peccō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | do wrong |
| ūnā | together, along |
| hospitium, -ī, n. | hospitality |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| mandō, -dāre, -dāvī, -dātus | put in hand, intrust, commit; charge, command |
| quis, quid, interrog. pron. | who? which? what? |
| dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus | say, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day |
| cognōscō, -gnōscere, -gnōvī, -gnitus | find out, learn; in tenses of completed action, have found out, know |
| referō, referre, rettulī, relātus | bring or carry back, return; pedem referre, to draw back, retire, retreat; grātiam referre, see grātia |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| apud, prep, with acc. | among, with |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| cōnspiciō, -spicere, -spēxī, -spectus | behold, perceive, see |
| exercitus, -ūs, m. | army |
| praesēns, -sentis, adj. | present, immediate, imminent |
| conclāmō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | shout out, cry out |
| veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus | come |
| an, conj. | or (in questions) |
| speculor, -ārī, -ātus sum | spy, watch |
| cōnor, -ārī, -ātus | try, attempt |
| prohibeō, -hibēre, -hibuī, -hibitus | hold back, prevent, hinder |
| catēna, -ae, f. | chain |
| coniciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectus | throw together; throw, cast, hurl |