- 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-lat2:6.24.1-6.24.6
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-10-30
The passage contrasts a historical era when the Gauls were superior to the Germans in valor and founded colonies in Germany with the current state where the Gauls have grown weaker due to the luxury and goods from Roman provinces.
Ac fuit antea tempus, cum Germanos Galli virtute superarent,1 ultro bella inferrent, propter hominum multitudinem agrique inopiam trans Rhenum colonias mitterent.
And there was formerly a time when the Gauls surpassed the Germans in valor, waged war of their own accord, and, because of the great number of their people and the scarcity of land, sent colonies across the Rhine.
Itaque ea quae fertilissima Germaniae sunt loca circum Hercyniam silvam, quam Eratostheni et quibusdam Graecis fama notam esse2 video, quam illi Orcyniam appellant, Volcae Tectosages occupaverunt atque ibi consederunt;
And so, the Volcae Tectosages seized those places around the Hercynian forest (which I see was known by report to Eratosthenes and certain Greeks, which they call Orcynia), which are the most fertile parts of Germany, and settled there;
quae gens ad hoc tempus his sedibus sese continet summamque habet iustitiae et bellicae laudis opinionem.
which nation to this time maintains itself in these settlements, and enjoys the highest reputation for justice and military renown.
Nunc quod in eadem inopia, egestate, patientia qua Germani permanent, eodem victu et cultu corporis utuntur;3 Gallis autem provinciarum propinquitas et transmarinarum rerum notitia multa ad copiam atque usus largitur, paulatim adsuefacti superari multisque victi proeliis ne se quidem ipsi cum illis virtute comparant.4
Now, because they remain in the same scarcity, poverty, and endurance as the Germans, and use the same food and clothing; while to the Gauls the proximity of the provinces and the knowledge of transmarine affairs supply many things for luxury and utility, having gradually become accustomed to being overcome and being conquered in many battles, they do not even compare themselves with them in valor.
- 6.24.1cum Germanos Galli virtute superarent
The conjunction 'cum' introduces a descriptive or characteristic clause modifying the antecedent 'tempus', taking the imperfect subjunctive ('superarent', 'inferrent', 'mitterent').
- 6.24.2Eratostheni et quibusdam Graecis fama notam esse
An accusative with infinitive construction (with the relative pronoun 'quam' referring to 'Hercyniam silvam' as the subject of 'notam esse') dependent on the main verb 'video'. 'Eratostheni et quibusdam Graecis' functions as a dative of reference with the adjective 'notus'.
- 6.24.4Nunc quod in eadem inopia, egestate, patientia qua Germani permanent, eodem victu et cultu corporis utuntur
The correlative construction 'eadem... qua...' means 'the same... as...'. While the subject of 'permanent' is 'Germani', the subject of 'utuntur' is the Volcae ('quae gens' from §6.24.3), explaining that they endure the same hardships as the Germans.
- 6.24.6ne se quidem ipsi cum illis virtute comparant
The combination of the nominative intensive pronoun 'ipsi' and the accusative reflexive pronoun 'se' emphasizes the subject: 'they themselves (the Gauls) do not even compare themselves (with the Germans)'.