- 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-lat2:7.78.1-7.78.5
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-03
The Gauls decide to expel non-combatants from Alesia. The Mandubii, who had hosted them, are forced out with their families and beg the Romans for aid, but Caesar refuses to admit them.
Sententiis dictis constituunt ut ei qui valetudine aut aetate inutiles sunt bello1 oppido excedant, atque omnia prius experiantur, quam ad Critognati sententiam descendant:
After these opinions were delivered, they determine that those who by reason of health or age are useless for war should depart from the town, and that they should try all expedients before descending to the proposal of Critognatus;
illo tamen potius utendum consilio, si res cogat atque auxilia morentur, quam aut deditionis aut pacis subeundam condicionem.2
that they should, however, adopt that plan, if circumstances should compel them and the auxiliary forces be delayed, rather than submit to any terms of surrender or peace.
Mandubii, qui eos oppido receperant, cum liberis atque uxoribus exire coguntur. Hi, cum ad munitiones Romanorum accessissent, flentes omnibus precibus orabant, ut se in servitutem receptos cibo iuvarent.
The Mandubii, who had received them into the town, are compelled to depart with their children and wives. When these had come near to the fortifications of the Romans, weeping, they begged with all entreaties that they would receive them as slaves and assist them with food.
At Caesar dispositis in vallo custodibus recipi prohibebat.3
But Caesar, having stationed guards on the rampart, forbade them to be received.
- 7.78.1valetudine aut aetate inutiles sunt bello
valetudine and aetate are ablatives of respect or cause. bello is a dative qualifying the adjective inutiles, meaning 'for war' or 'with respect to war'.
- 7.78.2illo tamen potius utendum consilio ... quam aut deditionis aut pacis subeundam condicionem
This is an indirect discourse depending on constituunt, with esse omitted in both clauses. In the first clause, utendum (esse) is used with the ablative illo consilio because the verb utor governs the ablative. In the second, subeundam (esse) condicionem features the gerundive of the transitive verb subeo modifying the accusative subject condicionem.
- 7.78.5recipi prohibebat
prohibeo takes an accusative and infinitive (often a passive infinitive) meaning 'prevent/forbid from being...'. Here, the passive infinitive recipi ('to be received') is used, meaning 'he forbade them to be received' into the Roman lines.