De Bello Gallico 8, Preface

8.0.1Coāctus assiduīs tuīs vōcibus, Balbe, cum cōtīdiāna mea recūsātiō nōn difficultātis excūsātiōnem, sed inertiae vidērētur dēprecātiōnem habēre, rem difficillimam suscēpī.

Driven by your constant urging, Balbus, since my daily refusal seemed to be not an excuse based on difficulty but a plea in defence of laziness, I have taken on a very difficult task.

Note. Book VIII was written not by Caesar but by his officer Aulus Hirtius, who opens with a letter to Lucius Cornelius Balbus, Caesar's friend and agent. Coāctus: perfect participle of cōgō, 'compelled'. Balbe: vocative. cum … vidērētur: causal cum with the subjunctive, 'since … seemed'. nōn difficultātis excūsātiōnem, sed inertiae dēprecātiōnem: two parallel phrases, 'not an excuse of difficulty but a plea for laziness'.

8.0.2Caesaris nostrī commentāriōs rērum gestārum Galliae, nōn comparantibus superiōribus atque īnsequentibus eius scrīptīs, contexuī novissimumque imperfectum ab rēbus gestīs Alexandrīae cōnfēcī usque ad exitum nōn quidem cīvīlis dissēnsiōnis, cuius fīnem nūllum vidēmus, sed vītae Caesaris.

I have woven together Caesar's commentaries on his deeds in Gaul, since his earlier and later writings did not join up, and I have completed the last, unfinished one, from the events at Alexandria up to the end, not indeed of the civil discord, of which we see no end, but of Caesar's life.

Note. contexuī: 'I have woven together', i.e. filled the gap between Caesar's Gallic War and his Civil War. nōn comparantibus … scrīptīs: ablative absolute, 'since his earlier and later writings did not join up'. novissimum imperfectum: 'the last, unfinished one' (the Civil War, which breaks off at Alexandria). cuius fīnem nūllum vidēmus: Hirtius writes after Caesar's murder (44 BC), with civil war still raging.

8.0.3Quōs utinam quī legent scīre possint quam invītus suscēperim scrībendōs, quā facilius caream stultitiae atque arrogantiae crīmine, quī mē mediīs interposuerim Caesaris scrīptīs.

I wish that those who will read them could know how unwillingly I undertook to write them, so that I may more easily escape the charge of folly and arrogance, I who have put myself in the middle of Caesar's writings.

Note. Quōs utinam … possint: utinam with the present subjunctive expresses a wish that can still come true, 'I wish they could know'. quam invītus: 'how unwillingly'. scrībendōs: gerundive agreeing with quōs, 'that they should be written'. quā facilius: 'so that more easily', introducing a purpose clause (quā here does the work of quō). quī mē … interposuerim: relative clause of cause, 'I who have inserted myself'.

8.0.4Cōnstat enim inter omnēs nihil tam operōsē ab aliīs esse perfectum, quod nōn hōrum ēlegantia commentāriōrum superētur: quī sunt ēditī, nē scientia tantārum rērum scrīptōribus dēesset, adeōque probantur omnium iūdiciō ut praerepta, nōn praebita, facultās scrīptōribus videātur.

For everyone agrees that nothing has ever been finished by others with such care that it is not surpassed by the elegance of these commentaries: they were published so that writers should not lack knowledge of such great events, and they are so approved by everyone's judgement that an opportunity seems to have been taken away from writers, not offered to them.

Note. Cōnstat … nihil … esse perfectum: indirect statement after cōnstat, 'it is agreed that nothing has been finished'. quod nōn … superētur: relative clause of result, 'that is not surpassed'. adeōque … ut … videātur: 'and so much … that … seems'. praerepta, nōn praebita: a neat contrast: Caesar's commentaries were meant to give material to historians, but they are so good that they seem to have snatched the chance away.

8.0.6Cuius tamen reī maior nostra quam reliquōrum est admīrātiō: cēterī enim, quam bene atque ēmendātē, nōs etiam, quam facile atque celeriter eōs perfēcerit scīmus.

Yet our admiration of this is greater than that of the rest: for the others know how well and how faultlessly he finished them, we also know how easily and quickly.

Note. maior nostra quam reliquōrum est admīrātiō: 'our admiration is greater than that of the others'. The point: others know how well Caesar wrote; Hirtius, who was close to him, also knows how fast. The indirect questions (quam bene … quam facile) all depend on scīmus at the end.

8.0.7Erat autem in Caesare cum facultās atque ēlegantia summa scrībendī, tum vērissima scientia suōrum cōnsiliōrum explicandōrum.

For Caesar had both the greatest skill and elegance in writing and the truest understanding of how to explain his own plans.

Note. cum … tum: 'both … and especially'. scrībendī: gerund, 'of writing'. suōrum cōnsiliōrum explicandōrum: gerundive phrase in the genitive, 'of explaining his own plans'.

8.0.8Mihi nē illud quidem accidit, ut Alexandrīnō atque Āfricānō bellō interessem;

I did not even have the chance to take part in the Alexandrian and African wars;

Note. nē … quidem: 'not even'. ut … interessem: a noun clause after accidit, 'that I should be present at'. Hirtius did not serve in Caesar's Alexandrian and African wars, so he had to rely on others.

8.0.8quae bella quamquam ex parte nōbīs Caesaris sermōne sunt nōta, tamen aliter audīmus ea, quae rērum novitāte aut admīrātiōne nōs capiunt, aliter, quae prō testimōniō sumus dictūrī.

and although these wars are partly known to us from Caesar's own conversation, still we listen in one way to things that capture us by their novelty or by our admiration, and in another to things we are going to state as evidence.

Note. ex parte: 'partly'. aliter … aliter: 'in one way … in another': we listen differently to an entertaining story and to facts we must vouch for. dictūrī: future participle, 'about to say, going to state'.

8.0.9Sed ego nīmīrum, dum omnēs excūsātiōnis causās colligō nē cum Caesare cōnferar, hoc ipsum crīmen arrogantiae subeō, quod mē iūdiciō cuiusquam exīstimem posse cum Caesare comparārī.

But no doubt, while I gather every reason for excusing myself from being compared with Caesar, I incur this very charge of arrogance, that I think I can be compared with Caesar in anyone's judgement.

Note. nīmīrum: 'no doubt' (with a touch of irony at his own expense). nē cum Caesare cōnferar: purpose clause, 'so as not to be compared with Caesar'. quod … exīstimem: 'namely that I think', explaining hoc ipsum crīmen.

8.0.9Valē.

Farewell.

Note. Valē: imperative of valeō, 'be well, farewell', the usual close of a Latin letter.