Humanitext Reader

Julius Caesar · Gallic War §1.45.1-1.45.3

Caesar's Justification of Roman Presence in Gaul

Passage 45 of 404 · Latin

Summary

Caesar counters Ariovistus, arguing that Rome cannot withdraw from Gaul due to obligations to its allies and historical precedence.

§1.45.1Multa a Caesare in eam sententiam dicta sunt quare negotio desistere non posset: neque suam neque populi Romani consuetudinem pati ut optime meritos socios desereret, neque se iudicare Galliam potius esse Ariovisti quam populi Romani.
Many arguments to this effect were stated by Caesar, as to why he could not desist from the undertaking: that neither his own custom nor that of the Roman people permitted him to desert allies who had deserved so well, nor did he judge that Gaul belonged to Ariovistus rather than to the Roman people.
§1.45.2Bello superatos esse Arvernos et Rutenos a Q. Fabio Maximo, quibus populus Romanus ignovisset neque in provinciam redegisset neque stipendium posuisset.
That the Arverni and the Ruteni had been overcome in war by Quintus Fabius Maximus, whom the Roman people had pardoned, and had neither reduced into a province nor imposed a tribute upon them.
§1.45.3Quod si antiquissimum quodque tempus spectari oporteret, populi Romani iustissimum esse in Gallia imperium; si iudicium senatus observari oporteret, liberam debere esse Galliam, quam bello victam suis legibus uti voluisset.
But if it were proper that the most ancient time should be regarded, the sovereignty of the Roman people in Gaul was most just; if the judgment of the senate ought to be observed, Gaul ought to be free, which, though conquered in war, the senate had willed should enjoy its own laws.

Notes

  1. 1.45.1in eam sententiam — Meaning 'to this effect' or 'in this sense', serving to introduce and summarize the subsequent indirect speech clauses.
  2. 1.45.1pati ut optime meritos socios desereret — The verb pati ('to permit') here takes an ut-clause with the subjunctive (desereret) as its object, instead of the more common accusative with infinitive construction. The imperfect subjunctive is used in accordance with the sequence of tenses after the historical perfect dicta sunt.
  3. 1.45.3antiquissimum quodque tempus — The superlative combined with quisque, meaning literally 'each most ancient time', translated as 'the oldest times' or 'priority of time', referring to historical precedence.
  4. 1.45.3bello victam suis legibus uti voluisset — Inside the relative clause quam... voluisset. The subject of voluisset is senatus, understood from the preceding clause. bello victam is a perfect participle modifying the relative pronoun quam (= Galliam) with a concessive force ('although conquered in war'). uti is a complementary infinitive dependent on voluisset and governs the ablative legibus.

Cite this passage

Julius Caesar, Gallic War §1.45.1-1.45.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:1.45.1-1.45.3

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.