- Source
- Julius Caesar. Aulus Hirtius. C. Iuli Commentarii Rerum in Gallia Gestarum VII A. Hirti Commentarius VII. Holmes, T. Rice (Thomas Rice), editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1914.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:1.7.1-1.7.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-23
Caesar, hearing of the Helvetii's plan to march through the Roman province, hastens to Genava, orders the bridge destroyed, and levies troops. Distrusting them due to a past Roman defeat, he delays his reply to the Helvetian envoys to gain time.
Caesari1 cum id nuntiatum esset, eos per provinciam nostram iter facere conari, maturat ab urbe proficisci et quam maximis potest itineribus in Galliam ulteriorem contendit et ad Genavam pervenit.
When it was reported to Caesar that they were attempting to make their march through our province, he hastened to set out from the city, and hurried into Farther Gaul by as great marches as he could, and arrived at Genava.
Provinciae toti quam maximum potest militum numerum imperat (erat omnino in Gallia ulteriore legio una), pontem, qui erat ad Genavam, iubet rescindi.
He requisitioned from the whole province as great a number of soldiers as possible (there was in all only one legion in Farther Gaul), and ordered the bridge which was at Genava to be cut down.
Ubi de eius adventu Helvetii certiores facti sunt, legatos ad eum mittunt nobilissimos civitatis, cuius legationis Nammeius et Verucloetius principem locum obtinebant, qui dicerent2 sibi esse in animo sine ullo maleficio iter per provinciam facere, propterea quod aliud iter haberent nullum: rogare ut eius voluntate id sibi facere liceat. Caesar, quod memoria tenebat L. Cassium consulem occisum exercitumque eius ab Helvetiis pulsum et sub iugum missum, concedendum3 non putabat;
When the Helvetii were informed of his arrival, they sent to him the most noble envoys of their state, of which embassy Nammeius and Verucloetius held the chief place, to say that they had it in mind to make their journey through the province without any mischief, because they had no other route; and to ask that it might be permitted to them to do this with his consent. Caesar, because he kept in memory that Lucius Cassius the consul had been slain, and his army routed by the Helvetii and sent under the yoke, did not think that their request should be granted;
neque homines inimico animo, data facultate per provinciam itineris faciundi, temperaturos ab iniuria et maleficio existimabat.
nor did he think that men of an unfriendly disposition, if the opportunity of making a journey through the province were given, would refrain from outrage and mischief.
Tamen, ut spatium intercedere posset dum milites quos imperaverat convenirent, legatis respondit diem se ad deliberandum sumpturum: si quid vellent, ad Id. April. reverterentur.4
Yet, that a space of time might intervene until the soldiers whom he had requisitioned should assemble, he replied to the envoys that he would take time for deliberating; if they wished for anything, they should return by the Ides of April.
- 1.7.1Caesari
The dative Caesari at the beginning of the sentence modifies the passive verb nuntiatum esset in the cum clause, but the logical subject of the main sentence, Caesar, is anticipated at the very beginning in the dative. This word order, where an element of the subordinate clause is pulled to the front of the sentence, is very common in Latin.
- 1.7.3qui dicerent
The relative pronoun qui (whose antecedent is legatos) with the imperfect subjunctive dicerent expresses purpose ('in order to say'), functioning similarly to a purposive adverbial clause.
- 1.7.3concedendum
The neuter singular of the gerundive (future passive participle), forming an accusative infinitive phrase with the copula esse omitted (concedendum esse). It is used impersonally to express obligation or necessity ('that it ought to be granted'), functioning here as the object of putabat.
- 1.7.5reverterentur
The subjunctive used to express a command in indirect discourse. The imperative of direct discourse (revertimini, 'return!') becomes the imperfect subjunctive in accordance with the sequence of tenses after the historical main verb respondit.