Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 6
De Bello Gallico 6.16
Human sacrifice
Caesar, De Bello Gallico VI. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō6.16.1Nātiō est omnis Gallōrum admodum dēdita religiōnibus, atque ob eam causam, quī sunt adfectī graviōribus morbīs quīque in proeliīs perīculīsque versantur, aut prō victimīs hominēs immolant aut sē immolātūrōs vovent administrīsque ad ea sacrificia druidibus ūtuntur, quod, prō vītā hominis nisi hominis vīta reddātur, nōn posse deōrum immortālium nūmen plācārī arbitrantur, pūblicēque eiusdem generis habent īnstitūta sacrificia.
The whole Gallic nation is greatly given to religious observances, and for that reason those who are afflicted with serious illnesses and those who are engaged in battles and dangers either sacrifice men as victims or vow that they will sacrifice themselves, and they use the Druids as ministers for these sacrifices, because they think that unless a man's life is given for a man's life, the power of the immortal gods cannot be appeased; and they have sacrifices of the same kind established by the state.
Note. pūblicē: 'by the state'. The wicker figures of the next sentence are among the most famous details of the book.
6.16.3Aliī immānī magnitūdine simulācra habent, quōrum contexta vīminibus membra vīvīs hominibus complent;
Others have images of huge size, whose limbs, woven of wicker, they fill with living men;
6.16.4quibus succēnsīs circumventī flammā exanimantur hominēs.
these are set on fire, and the men, surrounded by the flames, perish.
6.16.5Supplicia eōrum quī in fūrtō aut in latrōciniō aut aliquā noxiā sint comprehēnsī grātiōra dīs immortālibus esse arbitrantur;
They think the punishment of those caught in theft or robbery or some other crime is more pleasing to the immortal gods;
Note. grātiōra … esse: indirect statement after arbitrantur.
6.16.5sed, cum eius generis cōpia dēfēcit, etiam ad innocentium supplicia dēscendunt.
but when the supply of such men runs out, they go so far as to punish even the innocent.
Vocabulary
| nātiō, -ōnis f. | people, nation; birth |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| admodum (adv.) | very, quite |
| dēditus, -a, -um | devoted, given up (to) |
| religiō, -ōnis f. | religious scruple, religious duty |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| ob, prep. with acc. | on account of, for; in compounds, to, against |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| causa, -ae, f. | cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| afficiō, -ere, -fēcī, -fectum | affect, afflict |
| gravis, -e | heavy; severe, grievous, serious |
| morbus, -ī m. | sickness, disease |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| proelium, -ī, n. | battle, combat; proelium committere, to join battle |
| perīculum, -ī, n. | danger, peril, risk |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| versor, -ārī, -ātus | keep turning, be busy or employed, be |
| aut, conj. | or; aut ... aut, either ... or |
| prō, prep. with abl. | before, in front of; for, in behalf of; for, as; in return for, for |
| victima, -ae, f. | victim |
| homō, hominis, m. | man |
| immolō, -molāre, -molāvī, -molātus | sacrifice (the victim was sprinkled with consecrated meal) |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| voveō, -ēre, vōvī, vōtus | vow, promise |
| administer, -trī m. | assistant, helper |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| sacrificium, -ī, n. | sacrifice |
| druidēs, -um m. pl. | the Druids (Gallic priests) |
| ūtor, ūtī, ūsus | use |
| quod, conj. | that, in that, because |
| vīta, -ae, f. | life |
| nisi, conj. | if not, unless |
| reddō, -dere, -didī, -ditus | give back, return, restore; render |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| deus, -ī, m. | god |
| immortālis, -e | immortal |
| nūmen, -inis n. | divine power, divinity |
| plācō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | calm, appease |
| arbitror, -ārī, -ātus | consider, think, judge |
| pūblicē (adv.) | officially, as a state |
| īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron. | the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also |
| genus, generis, n. | kind, nature |
| habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | have, hold; consider |
| īnstituō, -stituere, -stituī, -stitūtus | decide upon, determine |
| alius, -a, -ud | another, other; aliī ... aliī, some ... others |
| immānis, -e | huge, enormous; savage |
| magnitūdō, -tūdinis, f. | greatness, size |
| simulācrum, -ī n. | image, statue |
| contexō, -ere, -texuī, -textus | weave together, join, fasten |
| vīmen, -minis, n. | osier |
| membrum, -ī, n. | limb, member |
| vīvus, -a, -um | alive, living |
| compleō, -plēre, -plēvī, -plētus | fill full, fill up |
| succendō, -cendere, -cendī, -cēnsus | kindle beneath, set on fire |
| circumveniō, -īre, -vēnī, -ventum | surround |
| flamma, -ae, f. | flame |
| exanimō, -animāre, -animāvī, -animātus | put out of breath, fatigue, tire, exhaust; stupefy; kill |
| supplicium, -ī, n. | punishment, torture |
| fūrtum, -ī, n. | theft |
| latrōcinium, -ī n. | robbery, raiding |
| aliquis, -quid, indef. pron. | someone, any one, something, anything, some, any |
| noxia, -ae f. | offense, crime |
| comprehendō, -prehendere, -prehendī, -prehēnsus | seize, catch |
| grātus, -a, -um | pleasing, grateful |
| sed, conj. | but |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| cōpia, -ae, f. | supply, abundance; plur., forces, troops |
| dēficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | fail |
| etiam, adv. | and now, also, too, even |
| innocēns, -entis | harmless; innocent |
| dēscendō, -scendere, -scendī, -scēnsus | climb down, descend |