Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 4
De Bello Gallico 4.5
The fickleness of the Gauls
Caesar, De Bello Gallico IV. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō4.5.1Hīs dē rēbus Caesar certior factus et īnfirmitātem Gallōrum veritus, quod sunt in cōnsiliīs capiendīs mōbilēs et novīs plērumque rēbus student, nihil hīs committendum exīstimāvit.
Caesar was informed of these things and, fearing the fickleness of the Gauls, because they are changeable in making decisions and generally eager for revolution, he thought that nothing should be entrusted to them.
Note. nihil hīs committendum: impersonal gerundive with dative of agent omitted; hīs is dative of the indirect object, 'nothing should be entrusted to them'.
4.5.2Est enim hoc Gallicae cōnsuētūdinis, utī et viātōrēs etiam invītōs cōnsistere cōgant et quid quisque eōrum dē quāque rē audierit aut cognōverit quaerant et mercātōrēs in oppidīs vulgus circumsistat quibus ex regiōnibus veniant quāsque ibi rēs cognōverint prōnūntiāre cōgat.
For it is a custom of the Gauls to make travelers stop even against their will and ask what each of them has heard or learned about every matter; and in the towns the crowd surrounds traders and forces them to declare from what regions they come and what they have learned there.
Note. hoc Gallicae cōnsuētūdinis: predicate genitive, 'this is (part) of Gallic custom'; the utī-clauses explain hoc.
4.5.3Hīs rēbus atque audītiōnibus permōtī dē summīs saepe rēbus cōnsilia ineunt, quōrum eōs in vestīgiō paenitēre necesse est, cum incertīs rūmōribus serviant et plērīque ad voluntātem eōrum ficta respondeant.
Stirred by these reports and hearsay, they often make plans about matters of the greatest importance which they must regret on the spot, since they are slaves to uncertain rumors and most people give answers made up to please them.
Note. quōrum … paenitēre: impersonal paenitet takes the accusative of the person (eōs) and the genitive of the thing (quōrum).
Vocabulary
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| certus, -a, -um | determined, fixed, certain; certiōrem facere, to make more certain, inform |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| īnfirmitās, -ātis f. | weakness; fickleness |
| vereor, -ērī, -itus | fear |
| quod, conj. | that, in that, because |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| cōnsilium, -ī, n. | advice; plan, design, purpose; prudence |
| capiō, capere, cēpī, captus | take, catch, seize; receive, suffer; adopt |
| mōbilis, -e | movable, quick; fickle, changeable |
| novus, -a, -um | new; novissimus, last |
| plērumque (adv.) | generally, mostly |
| studeō, -ēre, -uī | be eager, give attention, apply oneself |
| nihil, n., indecl. | nothing |
| committō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send together; commit, intrust; expose; proelium committere, to join battle |
| exīstimō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | consider, believe, think |
| enim, conj. | for |
| Gallicus, -a, -um | Gallic, of Gaul |
| cōnsuētūdō, -inis f. | custom, habit; way of life |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| viātor, -tōris, m. | wayfarer, traveler |
| etiam, adv. | and now, also, too, even |
| invītus, -a, -um | unwilling |
| cōnsistō, -sistere, -stitī, -stitus | station oneself, take one's stand; consist |
| cōgō, cōgere, coēgī, coāctus | drive together, collect; compel |
| quis, quid, interrog. pron. | who? which? what? |
| quisque, quaeque, quidque, indef. pron. | each |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| audiō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus | hear; listen or attend to |
| aut, conj. | or; aut ... aut, either ... or |
| cognōscō, -gnōscere, -gnōvī, -gnitus | find out, learn; in tenses of completed action, have found out, know |
| quaerō, quaerere, quaesīvī, quaesītus | seek; ask, inquire |
| mercātor, -ōris, m. | trader, merchant |
| oppidum, -ī, n. | town |
| vulgus, -ī n. | the common people, the crowd |
| circumsistō, -ere, circumstetī | stand around, surround |
| quī, quae, quod, interrog. pron. adj. | what? |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| regiō, -ōnis, f. | direction; country, region |
| veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus | come |
| ibi, adv. | in that place, there |
| prōnūntiō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | proclaim, announce |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| audītiō, -ōnis f. | hearing; hearsay, rumor |
| permoveō, -ēre, -mōvī, -mōtum | move deeply, influence |
| summus, -a, -um | uppermost, highest, greatest |
| saepe, adv. | often, frequently |
| ineō, -īre, -iī, -itus | go into, enter; adopt |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| vestīgium, -ī, n. | track, foot-print |
| paeniteō, -ēre, -uī | cause regret; impersonal: it causes regret (to) |
| necesse, indecl. adj. | necessary |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| incertus, -a, -um | uncertain, unreliable |
| rūmor, -ōris m. | rumour, report |
| serviō, -ire, -īvī, -ītus | be subject to, serve |
| plērīque, plēraeque, plēraque | most, very many |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| voluntās, -tātis, f. | wish, will |
| fingō, fingere, finxī, fictus | invent, make up |
| respondeō, -spondēre, -spondī, -spōnsus | reply, answer |