- 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-lat2:3.17.1-3.17.7
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-27
While Sabinus arrives in the territory of the Venelli, the enemy leader Viridovix gathers a large force, joined by other revolting tribes, to pressure his camp. Sabinus deliberately confines himself to his camp to avoid a disadvantageous battle in Caesar's absence, leading the enemy to believe he is cowardly.
Dum haec in Venetis geruntur, Q. Titurius Sabinus cum iis copiis quas a Caesare acceperat in fines Venellorum pervenit.
While these things were being transacted among the Veneti, Quintus Titurius Sabinus, with those forces which he had received from Caesar, arrived in the territories of the Venelli.
His praeerat Viridovix ac summam imperii tenebat earum omnium civitatum quae defecerant, ex quibus exercitum [magnasque copias] coegerat;
Viridovix presided over them and held the chief command of all those states which had revolted, from which he had collected an army [and large forces];
atque his paucis diebus Aulerci Eburovices Lexoviique, senatu suo interfecto quod auctores belli esse nolebant,1 portas clauserunt seque cum Viridovice coniunxerunt;
and within these few days, the Aulerci Eburovices and the Lexovii, having put their own senate to death because they did not wish to be promoters of the war, closed their gates and joined Viridovix;
magnaque praeterea multitudo undique ex Gallia perditorum hominum latronumque convenerat, quos spes praedandi studiumque bellandi ab agri cultura et cotidiano labore revocabat.
and besides, a great multitude of desperate men and robbers had assembled from all parts of Gaul, whom the hope of plunder and the love of fighting recalled from agriculture and daily labor.
Sabinus idoneo omnibus rebus loco castris sese tenebat, cum Viridovix contra eum duorum milium spatio consedisset cotidieque productis copiis pugnandi potestatem faceret, ut iam non solum hostibus in contemptionem Sabinus veniret,2 sed etiam nostrorum militum vocibus non nihil carperetur;
Sabinus kept himself within his camp in a place suitable for all purposes, while Viridovix had encamped opposite him at a distance of two miles, and daily led out his forces and gave him an opportunity of fighting, so that Sabinus now came into contempt not only with the enemy, but was also somewhat carped at by the remarks of our own soldiers;
tantamque opinionem timoris praebuit ut iam ad vallum castrorum hostes accedere auderent.
and he gave so great an impression of fear that the enemy now dared to approach the rampart of the camp.
Id ea de causa faciebat quod cum tanta multitudine hostium, praesertim eo absente qui summam imperii teneret, nisi aequo loco aut oportunitate aliqua data legato dimicandum3 non existimabat.
He did this for this reason, because he did not think that a lieutenant-general ought to fight with so great a multitude of the enemy, especially in the absence of him who held the chief command, unless on favorable ground or some opportunity was given.
- 3.17.3senatu suo interfecto quod auctores belli esse nolebant
Although the subject is "senatus" (senate, a singular collective noun), the verb in the dependent clause, "nolebant," is plural. This is an instance of "constructio ad sensum" (construction according to sense), referring to the individual members of the senate.
- 3.17.5hostibus in contemptionem veniret
"hostibus" is a dative of reference or judgment ("in the eyes of the enemy"), construed with the phrase "in contemptionem venire" (to fall into contempt), meaning "to be held in contempt by the enemy."
- 3.17.7legato dimicandum
The impersonal passive gerundive "dimicandum [esse]" (that it must be fought) is accompanied by "legato," which is a dative of agent (dativus auctoris). It expresses the obligation: "that the lieutenant-general ought to fight."