Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 3
De Bello Gallico 3.8
The Veneti seize the envoys
Caesar, De Bello Gallico III. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō3.8.1Huius est cīvitātis longē amplissima auctōritās omnis ōrae maritimae regiōnum eārum, quod et nāvēs habent Venetī plūrimās, quibus in Britanniam nāvigāre cōnsuērunt, et scientiā atque ūsū rērum nauticārum cēterōs antecēdunt et in magnō impetū maris atque apertō paucīs portibus interiectīs, quōs tenent ipsī, omnēs ferē quī eō marī utī cōnsuērunt habent vectīgālēs.
This state has by far the greatest authority along the whole sea coast of those regions, because the Veneti have a great many ships, in which they regularly sail to Britain, and they surpass the others in knowledge and experience of seamanship; and since the sea is very violent and open, with only a few harbours here and there, which they hold themselves, they have almost all who regularly use that sea paying them tribute.
Note. habent vectīgālēs: 'they hold as tributaries', vectīgālēs agreeing with omnēs.
3.8.2Ab hīs fit initium retinendī Sīliī atque Velāniī, quod per eōs suōs sē obsidēs, quōs Crassō dedissent, recuperātūrōs exīstimābant.
They begin by detaining Silius and Velanius, because they thought that through them they would get back their own hostages whom they had given to Crassus.
3.8.3Hōrum auctōritāte fīnitimī adductī, ut sunt Gallōrum subita et repentīna cōnsilia, eādem dē causā Trebium Terrasidiumque retinent et celeriter missīs lēgātīs per suōs prīncipēs inter sē coniūrant nihil nisi commūnī cōnsiliō āctūrōs eundemque omnēs fortūnae exitum esse lātūrōs, reliquāsque cīvitātēs sollicitant, ut in eā lībertāte quam ā maiōribus accēperint permanēre quam Rōmānōrum servitūtem perferre mālint.
Led on by their influence, the neighbouring peoples, as the plans of the Gauls are sudden and hasty, detain Trebius and Terrasidius for the same reason; they quickly send envoys and through their leaders swear to one another to do nothing except by common consent and to share the same fortune whatever happens; and they stir up the other states to choose to remain in the freedom they had received from their ancestors rather than endure slavery under the Romans.
Note. ut sunt Gallōrum subita … cōnsilia: 'as the plans of the Gauls are sudden'; Caesar comments on the Gallic character.
3.8.5Omnī ōrā maritimā celeriter ad suam sententiam perductā commūnem lēgātiōnem ad P. Crassum mittunt, sī velit suōs recuperāre, obsidēs sibi remittat.
When the whole sea coast had quickly been won over to their view, they send a joint embassy to Publius Crassus: if he wanted his men back, he should send back their hostages.
Note. sī velit … remittat: indirect speech of the message, 'if he wants … let him send back'.
Vocabulary
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| cīvitās, -tātis, f. | state |
| longē, adv. | far |
| amplus, -a, -um | large, great; distinguished |
| auctōritās, -tātis f. | influence, authority, prestige |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| ōra, -ae f. | coast, shore |
| maritimus, -a, -um | of the sea, coastal |
| regiō, -ōnis, f. | direction; country, region |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| quod, conj. | that, in that, because |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| nāvis, -is, f. | ship |
| habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | have, hold; consider |
| multus, -a, -um | much, great; plur., many |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| nāvigō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | sail |
| cōnsuēscō, -suēscere, -suēvī, -suētus | become accustomed; in tenses of completed action, have become accustomed, be accustomed or wont |
| scientia, -ae, f. | knowledge, skill |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| ūsus, -ūs, m. | use; experience |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| nauticus, -a, -um | naval, nautical |
| cēterī, -ae, -a, plur. adj. | the other, the remaining, the rest of |
| antecēdō, -ere, -cessī, -cessum | go before; surpass |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| impetus, -ūs, m. | attack; impetum facere, to charge |
| mare, maris, n. | sea |
| apertus, -a, -um | open |
| paucī, -ae, -a, plur. adj. | few |
| portus, -ūs, m. | harbor, haven, port |
| intericiō, -ere, -iēcī, -iectum | put between, interweave |
| teneō, -ēre, -uī, -tus | hold, keep; hold back, restrain, stop |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| ferē, adv. | nearly, about, almost, for the most part |
| ūtor, ūtī, ūsus | use |
| vectīgālis, -e | paying tribute, tributary |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| fīō, fierī, factus sum | be done or made, become, happen |
| initium, -ī, n. | beginning |
| retineō, -tinēre, -tinuī, -tentus | hold or keep back, keep, restrain; hold fast |
| per, prep, with ace. | through, by means of |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| obses, obsidis m./f. | hostage |
| dō, dare, dedī, datus | give |
| recuperō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | recover |
| exīstimō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | consider, believe, think |
| fīnitimus, -a, -um | neighboring, adjoining |
| addūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead to, bring, take; induce, influence |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| subitus, -a, -um | sudden |
| repentīnus, -a, -um | sudden |
| cōnsilium, -ī, n. | advice; plan, design, purpose; prudence |
| īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron. | the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| causa, -ae, f. | cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| celeriter, adv. | swiftly, quickly |
| mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus | send |
| lēgātus, -ī, m. | ambassador |
| prīnceps, -ipis | first, chief; as noun: leader |
| inter, prep, with acc. | among, between |
| coniūrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | swear together, conspire |
| nihil, n., indecl. | nothing |
| nisi, conj. | if not, unless |
| commūnis, -e | common, shared, public |
| agō, agere, ēgī, āctus | drive; do; pass, lead; grātiās agere, see grātia |
| fortūna, -ae, f. | fortune |
| exitus, -ūs m. | way out; outcome, end |
| ferō, ferre, tulī, lātus | bear, bring |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| sollicitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | stir up, tempt |
| lībertās, -tātis, f. | freedom, liberty |
| maiōrēs, -um m. pl. | ancestors |
| accipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take to oneself, receive, accept; hear; suffer |
| permaneō, -manēre, -mānsi, -mānsus | remain |
| quam, adv. | how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible |
| Rōmānus, -a, -um | Roman |
| servitūs, -tūtis, f. | slavery, servitude |
| perferō, -ferre, -tulī, -lātus | bear through, bear, endure; weather |
| mālō, mālle, māluī | wish rather, prefer |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| sententia, -ae, f. | opinion; purpose |
| perdūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead or bring through, lead, bring |
| lēgātiō, -ōnis f. | embassy, mission |
| sī, conj. | if |
| volō, velle, voluī | wish |
| remittō, -ere, -mīsī, -missum | send back; give up, remit |