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Gallic War

§1.1.1-1.1.7

The Three Divisions of Gaul and Their Inhabitants

The text describes the geographical division of Gaul into three parts inhabited by different tribes (Belgae, Aquitani, and Gauls) and outlines their characteristics and relationships with neighboring peoples.

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§1.1.1

​Gallia est omnis divisa1 in partes tres, quarum unam incolunt Belgae, aliam Aquitani, tertiam qui ipsorum lingua Celtae,2 nostra Galli appellantur.

​Gaul is a whole divided into three parts, one of which the Belgae inhabit, another the Aquitani, the third those who in their own language are called Celts, in our own Gauls.

§1.1.2

​Hi omnes lingua, institutis, legibus inter se differunt. Gallos ab Aquitanis Garumna flumen, a Belgis Matrona et Sequana dividit.

​All these differ from one another in language, customs, and laws. The Garonne River divides the Gauls from the Aquitani, and the Marne and Seine divide them from the Belgae.

§1.1.3

​Horum omnium fortissimi sunt Belgae, propterea quod a cultu atque humanitate provinciae longissime absunt, minimeque ad eos mercatores saepe commeant atque ea quae ad effeminandos animos3 pertinent important, ​proximique sunt Germanis, qui trans Rhenum incolunt, quibuscum continenter bellum gerunt. Qua de causa Helvetii quoque reliquos Gallos virtute praecedunt, quod fere cotidianis proeliis cum Germanis contendunt, cum aut suis finibus eos prohibent aut ipsi in eorum finibus bellum gerunt.

​Of all these, the bravest are the Belgae, because they are furthest removed from the civilization and refinement of the Province, and merchants least frequently resort to them and import those things which tend to effeminate the mind, ​and they are nearest to the Germans, who dwell beyond the Rhine, with whom they are continually waging war. For which reason the Helvetii also surpass the rest of the Gauls in valor, as they contend with the Germans in almost daily battles, when they either repel them from their own territories, or themselves wage war in their territories.

§1.1.5

[Eorum una pars, quam Gallos obtinere dictum est,4 initium capit a flumine Rhodano, continetur Garumna flumine, Oceano, finibus Belgarum, attingit etiam ab Sequanis et Helvetiis flumen Rhenum, vergit ad septentriones.

[One part of these, which it has been said the Gauls occupy, takes its beginning from the river Rhone, is bounded by the Garonne river, the Ocean, and the territories of the Belgae, borders also on the side of the Sequani and Helvetii upon the river Rhine, and stretches toward the north.

§1.1.6

​Belgae ab extremis Galliae finibus oriuntur, pertinent ad inferiorem partem fluminis Rheni, spectant in septentrionem et orientem solem.

​The Belgae rise from the extreme frontier of Gaul, extend to the lower part of the river Rhine, and look toward the north and the rising sun.

§1.1.7

​Aquitania a Garumna flumine ad Pyrenaeos montes et eam partem Oceani quae est ad Hispaniam pertinet; spectat inter occasum solis et septentriones.]

​Aquitania extends from the Garonne river to the Pyrenean mountains and that part of the Ocean which is next to Spain; it looks between the setting of the sun and the north.]

Syntax notes4 items
  1. 1.1.1Gallia est omnis divisa

    omnis is a nominative singular feminine agreeing with Gallia. While it can be translated directly as "all Gaul," its position suggests a predicative use, meaning "Gaul as a whole is divided."

  2. 1.1.1qui ipsorum lingua Celtae

    The antecedent of the relative pronoun qui (such as ii or ei, referring to the inhabitants of the third part) is omitted. ipsorum is a genitive referring to the people themselves indicated by qui.

  3. 1.1.3ad effeminandos animos

    The preposition ad is combined with the gerundive effeminandos, which agrees in gender, number, and case with the noun animos, to express purpose ("for the purpose of weakening the minds" or "tending to effeminate the mind").

  4. 1.1.5quam Gallos obtinere dictum est

    In the relative clause quam ... dictum est, the accusative with infinitive construction Gallos obtinere ("that the Gauls occupy") functions as the subject of the impersonal passive dictum est ("it has been said"). The antecedent is una pars.

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25)urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:1.1.1-1.1.7