Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 6
De Bello Gallico 6.20
How news is handled
Caesar, De Bello Gallico VI. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō6.20.1Quae cīvitātēs commodius suam rem pūblicam administrāre exīstimantur, habent lēgibus sānctum, sī quis quid dē rē pūblicā ā fīnitimīs rūmōre aut fāmā accēperit, utī ad magistrātum dēferat nēve cum quō aliō commūnicet, quod saepe hominēs temerāriōs atque imperītōs falsīs rūmōribus terrērī et ad facinus impellī et dē summīs rēbus cōnsilium capere cognitum est.
The states that are thought to manage their public affairs more successfully have it laid down by law that if anyone has heard anything about public matters from their neighbors by rumor or report, he must take it to a magistrate and not share it with anyone else, because it is well known that rash and inexperienced men are often frightened by false rumors and driven to wrongdoing and to taking decisions on matters of the greatest importance.
Note. habent lēgibus sānctum: 'have it laid down by law'. utī … dēferat nēve … commūnicet: the content of the law; utī is an old form of ut.
6.20.3Magistrātūs quae vīsa sunt occultant quaeque esse ex ūsū iūdicāvērunt multitūdinī prōdunt.
The magistrates conceal what they think fit, and what they judge to be useful they make known to the people.
6.20.3Dē rē pūblicā nisi per concilium loquī nōn concēditur.
It is not permitted to speak about public affairs except in an assembly.
Vocabulary
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| cīvitās, -tātis, f. | state |
| commodē (adv.) | conveniently, easily, well |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| pūblicus, -a, -um | public, of the state (rēs pūblica: the state) |
| administrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | manage, carry out |
| exīstimō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | consider, believe, think |
| habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | have, hold; consider |
| lēx, lēgis f. | law |
| sanciō, -īre, sānxī, sānctum | make binding, ratify |
| sī, conj. | if |
| quis, qua, quid, indef. pron. | any one, anybody, anything, some one, somebody, something |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| fīnitimus, -a, -um | neighboring, adjoining |
| rūmor, -ōris m. | rumour, report |
| aut, conj. | or; aut ... aut, either ... or |
| fāma, -ae, f. | report, rumor |
| accipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take to oneself, receive, accept; hear; suffer |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| magistrātus, -ūs m. | magistrate, official |
| dēferō, -ferre, -tulī, -lātus | bear or carry away or off |
| nēve or neu, conj. | and that not, and not, nor |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| alius, -a, -ud | another, other; aliī ... aliī, some ... others |
| commūnicō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | share; in the Gospels also: make common, make (ritually) unclean |
| quod, conj. | that, in that, because |
| saepe, adv. | often, frequently |
| homō, hominis, m. | man |
| temerārius, -a, -um | rash, reckless |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| imperītus, -a, -um | inexperienced, unskilled, ignorant |
| falsus, -a, -um | feigned, pretended, false |
| terreō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | frighten, terrify |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| facinus, facinoris, n. | deed, crime |
| impellō, -pellere, -pulī, -pulsus | drive or urge on, incite, urge |
| summus, -a, -um | uppermost, highest, greatest |
| cōnsilium, -ī, n. | advice; plan, design, purpose; prudence |
| capiō, capere, cēpī, captus | take, catch, seize; receive, suffer; adopt |
| cognōscō, -gnōscere, -gnōvī, -gnitus | find out, learn; in tenses of completed action, have found out, know |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus | see; pass., seem |
| occultō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | hide, conceal |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| ūsus, -ūs, m. | use; experience |
| iūdicō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | judge, decide |
| multitūdō, -tūdinis, f. | multitude |
| prōdō, -ere, -didī, -ditum | hand down; betray |
| nisi, conj. | if not, unless |
| per, prep, with ace. | through, by means of |
| concilium, -ī n. | meeting, council |
| loquor, loquī, locūtus | speak |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| concēdō, -cēdere, -cessī, -cessus | grant, yield |