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Julius Caesar · Gallic War §1.32.1-1.32.5

The Silence of the Sequani and Fear of Ariovistus

Passage 32 of 404 · Latin

Summary

Caesar notices that only the Sequani remain silent and sorrowful, and Diviciacus explains on their behalf that they are in the most wretched state with no way to escape, having welcomed Ariovistus into their territory.

§1.32.1Hac oratione ab Diviciaco habita omnes qui aderant magno fletu auxilium a Caesare petere coeperunt. §1.32.2Animadvertit Caesar unos ex omnibus Sequanos nihil earum rerum facere quas ceteri facerent sed tristes capite demisso terram intueri.
When this speech had been delivered by Diviciacus, all who were present began with great weeping to petition Caesar for aid. Caesar noticed that the Sequani alone of all did none of those things which the others did, but in sadness, with their heads bowed down, kept staring at the ground.
Eius rei quae causa esset miratus ex ipsis quaesiit. §1.32.3Nihil Sequani respondere, sed in eadem tristitia taciti permanere.
Wondering what the cause of this was, he inquired of themselves. The Sequani made no reply, but remained silent in the same sadness.
Cum ab his saepius quaereret neque ullam omnino vocem exprimere posset, idem Diviacus Haeduus respondit: §1.32.4hoc esse miseriorem et graviorem fortunam Sequanorum quam reliquorum, quod soli ne in occulto quidem queri neque auxilium implorare auderent absentisque Ariovisti crudelitatem, §1.32.5velut si coram adesset, horrerent, propterea quod reliquis tamen fugae facultas daretur, Sequanis vero, qui intra fines suos Ariovistum recepissent, quorum oppida omnia in potestate eius essent, omnes cruciatus essent perferendi.
When he inquired of them repeatedly and could not draw out any voice at all, the same Diviciacus the Haeduan answered: that the fortune of the Sequani was more wretched and grievous than that of the rest on this account, because they alone dared not, even in secret, complain or implore aid, and dreaded the cruelty of the absent Ariovistus just as if he were present before them; because, while the opportunity of flight was nevertheless given to the rest, yet by the Sequani, who had received Ariovistus within their territories and whose towns were all in his power, all kinds of tortures had to be endured.

Notes

  1. 1.32.3respondere — Historic infinitives (infinitivus historicus), along with `permanere`. The subject is in the nominative (`Sequani`), and they are used with the force of the imperfect indicative to describe a vivid, ongoing scene.
  2. 1.32.4hoc — Ablative of cause or measure of difference, correlating with the following `quod` clause ("because..."). It means "on this account / for this reason, namely that...".
  3. 1.32.5Sequanis — Dative of agent (dativus auctoris), used with the passive periphrastic conjugation (the gerundive `perferendi` with `essent`) to express necessity or obligation: "had to be endured by the Sequani (i.e., the Sequani had to endure)".

Cite this passage

Julius Caesar, Gallic War §1.32.1-1.32.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:1.32.1-1.32.5

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