Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Gallic War, Book 8
De Bello Gallico 8.1
New stirrings in Gaul
Hirtius, De Bello Gallico VIII. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō8.1.1Omnī Galliā dēvictā Caesar cum ā superiōre aestāte nūllum bellandī tempus intermīsisset mīlitēsque hībernōrum quiēte reficere ā tantīs labōribus vellet, complūrēs eōdem tempore cīvitātēs renovāre bellī cōnsilia nūntiābantur coniūrātiōnēsque facere.
With all Gaul conquered, since Caesar had not stopped fighting at any time since the previous summer and wanted to restore the soldiers after such great labours by the rest of winter quarters, it was reported that several states at the same time were renewing plans for war and forming conspiracies.
Note. Omnī Galliā dēvictā: ablative absolute. ā superiōre aestāte: 'since the previous summer' (52 BC, the year of Alesia). hībernōrum quiēte: 'by the rest of winter quarters'. nūntiābantur … renovāre: personal construction, 'several states were reported to be renewing'.
8.1.2Cuius reī vērīsimilis causa adferēbātur, quod Gallīs omnibus cognitum esset neque ūllā multitūdine in ūnum locum coāctā resistī posse Rōmānīs, nec, sī dīversa bella complūrēs eōdem tempore intulissent cīvitātēs, satis auxilī aut spatī aut cōpiārum habitūrum exercitum populī Rōmānī ad omnia persequenda;
A plausible reason for this was given: that all the Gauls had learned that the Romans could not be resisted by any host gathered in one place, but that if several states made war in different places at the same time, the army of the Roman people would not have enough help or time or forces to deal with everything;
Note. quod … cognitum esset: subjunctive because this is the reason as the Gauls gave it. neque … resistī posse Rōmānīs: impersonal passive, 'that it was impossible to resist the Romans'. ūllā multitūdine … coāctā: ablative absolute. habitūrum (esse): future infinitive in indirect statement.
8.1.2nōn esse autem alicui cīvitātī sortem incommodī recūsandam, sī tālī morā reliquae possent sē vindicāre in lībertātem.
and that no state should refuse its share of misfortune, if by such a delay the rest could claim their freedom.
Note. nōn esse … recūsandam: 'that it should not be refused', still reporting the Gauls' reasoning. sortem incommodī: 'its share of misfortune'. sē vindicāre in lībertātem: 'to claim their freedom', a legal phrase used of freeing a slave.
Vocabulary
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| dēvincō, -ere, -vīcī, -victus | conquer completely, subdue |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| superior, -ius, adj. | higher; former, previous, preceding |
| aestās, -tātis, f. | summer |
| nūllus, -a, -um | not any, none, no |
| bellō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | wage war, fight |
| tempus, temporis, n. | time, season |
| intermittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | leave off, interrupt; let pass; pass., be left between, intervene, elapse |
| mīles, mīlitis, m. | soldier |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| hīberna, -ōrum n. pl. | winter quarters |
| quiēs, quiētis, f. | rest, repose |
| reficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | make anew, renew, repair |
| tantus, -a, -um | so great or much |
| labor, -ōris, m. | labor, toil |
| volō, velle, voluī | wish |
| complūrēs, -plūra, plur. adj. | several, many |
| īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron. | the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also |
| cīvitās, -tātis, f. | state |
| renovō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | renew |
| bellum, -ī, n. | war |
| cōnsilium, -ī, n. | advice; plan, design, purpose; prudence |
| nūntiō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | report, announce |
| coniūrātiō, -ōnis f. | conspiracy |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| vērīsimilis, -e | probable, likely, plausible |
| causa, -ae, f. | cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of |
| afferō, afferre, attulī, allātum | bring, bring to; cause |
| quod, conj. | that, in that, because |
| cognōscō, -gnōscere, -gnōvī, -gnitus | find out, learn; in tenses of completed action, have found out, know |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| ūllus, -a, -um | any |
| multitūdō, -tūdinis, f. | multitude |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| ūnus, -a, -um | one; only, alone |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| cōgō, cōgere, coēgī, coāctus | drive together, collect; compel |
| resistō, -sistere, -stitī | stand back, resist |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| Rōmānus, -a, -um | Roman |
| sī, conj. | if |
| dīversus, -a, -um | turned different ways, opposite, contrary, different |
| īnferō, īnferre, intulī, inlātus | bring in or against, wage against; inflict |
| satis, adv. | enough, sufficiently |
| auxilium, -ī, n. | help, aid |
| aut, conj. | or; aut ... aut, either ... or |
| spatium, -ī, n. | space, interval; space of time, time |
| cōpia, -ae, f. | supply, abundance; plur., forces, troops |
| habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | have, hold; consider |
| exercitus, -ūs, m. | army |
| populus, -ī m. | people, nation |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| persequor, -sequī, -secūtus | follow up, pursue |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| autem, conj. | moreover; but, however; now |
| aliquis, -quid, indef. pron. | someone, any one, something, anything, some, any |
| sors, sortis, f. | lot |
| incommodum, -ī, n. | inconvenience |
| recūsō, -cūsāre, -cūsāvī, -cūsātus | give a reason against, refuse |
| tālis, -e | such |
| mora, -ae, f. | delay |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| vindicō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | punish; claim |
| lībertās, -tātis, f. | freedom, liberty |