- 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-lat2:6.11.1-6.11.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-30
Caesar begins a comparison of the customs of Gaul and Germany, first explaining that Gallic society and households are invariably divided into factions, with leaders protecting the common people.
Quoniam ad hunc locum perventum est, non alienum esse videtur de Galliae Germaniaeque moribus et quo differant1 hae nationes inter sese proponere.
Since we have arrived at this point, it does not seem foreign to our subject to set forth the customs of Gaul and Germany, and in what respect these nations differ from each other.
In Gallia non solum in omnibus civitatibus atque in omnibus pagis partibusque, sed paene etiam in singulis domibus factiones sunt, earumque factionum principes sunt qui summam auctoritatem eorum iudicio habere existimantur, quorum ad arbitrium iudiciumque2 summa omnium rerum consiliorumque redeat.
In Gaul, there are factions not only in all the states and in all the cantons and districts, but almost even in individual households, and the leaders of these factions are those who, in their judgment, are esteemed to possess the greatest authority, to whose decision and judgment the supreme determination of all affairs and counsels is referred.
Itaque eius rei causa antiquitus institutum videtur, ne quis ex plebe contra potentiorem auxili egeret:3 suos enim quisque opprimi et circumveniri non patitur, neque, aliter si faciat, ullam inter suos habet auctoritatem.
Therefore, this custom seems to have been established in ancient times for this reason, that no one of the common people should lack assistance against a more powerful person; for each leader does not suffer his own followers to be oppressed and defrauded, nor, if he should act otherwise, does he retain any authority among his own people.
Haec eadem ratio est in summa totius Galliae: namque omnes civitates in partes divisae sunt duas.
This same principle exists in the general sum of all Gaul; for all the states are divided into two parties.
- 6.11.1quo differant
An indirect question clause introduced by the interrogative adverb quo ("in what respect", "how"), with the subjunctive present differant, serving as the object of proponere.
- 6.11.3quorum ad arbitrium iudiciumque
The antecedent of the relative pronoun quorum is not the immediately preceding eorum (the Gauls in general), but rather refers back to the 'leaders' (principes) who are the subject of the relative clause qui... It describes that everything is referred to their decision and judgment.
- 6.11.4auxili egeret
Since the verb egeret (imperfect subjunctive of egeo, "to lack" or "need") governs the genitive case, auxili is the genitive singular of auxilium ("assistance").