- 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-lat2:6.20.1-6.20.3
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-30
The system of information control in the more orderly Gallic states is described, highlighting the obligation to report rumors to magistrates and the prohibition of discussing state affairs outside the assembly.
Quae civitates commodius suam rem publicam administrare existimantur, habent1 legibus sanctum, si quis quid de re publica a finitimis rumore aut fama acceperit, uti2 ad magistratum deferat neve cum quo alio communicet, quod saepe homines temerarios atque imperitos falsis rumoribus terreri et ad facinus impelli et de summis rebus consilium capere cognitum est.3
Those states which are considered to administer their commonwealth more efficiently have it ordained by law that, if anyone should receive any news concerning the commonwealth from their neighbors by rumor or report, he must report it to a magistrate and not communicate it to anyone else, because it is known that rash and inexperienced men are often terrified by false rumors, driven to crime, and make decisions on the most important matters.
Magistratus quae visa sunt4 occultant quaeque esse ex usu iudicaverunt multitudini produnt. De re publica nisi per concilium loqui non conceditur.
The magistrates conceal what they think best to keep secret, and disclose to the multitude what they judge to be of practical use. Speaking about the commonwealth is not permitted except through an assembly.
- 6.20.1Quae civitates ... habent
The relative adjective quae attracts its antecedent civitates into the relative clause, while the demonstrative eae (which would act as the subject of the main verb habent) is omitted. The structure is equivalent to Eae civitates, quae... existimantur, habent....
- 6.20.1habent legibus sanctum ... uti ...
A construction of habere + object + objective complement (the neuter adjective sanctum). The noun clause introduced by the conjunction uti (an archaic form of ut), namely uti ... deferat neve ..., serves as the object of habent.
- 6.20.2quod ... cognitum est
The conjunction quod is causal ('because'). cognitum est is used impersonally ('it is known/established'), taking the accusative and infinitive clause homines ... terreri et ... impelli et ... capere as its logical subject.
- 6.20.3quae visa sunt
The perfect tense of the verb videri ('to seem'). Here it means 'what seems appropriate [to keep secret]' or 'what has been decided [to conceal]', forming a relative clause quae... (with the antecedent ea omitted) that acts as the object of occultant.