Humanitext Reader

Julius Caesar · Gallic War §1.5.1-1.5.3

Burning of Settlements and Final Preparations to Depart

Passage 5 of 404 · Latin

Summary

Despite the death of Orgetorix, the Helvetii proceed with their plan to emigrate, burning their own towns, villages, and grain, while persuading neighboring tribes and the Boii to join them as allies.

§1.5.1Post eius mortem nihilo minus Helvetii id quod constituerant facere conantur, ut e finibus suis exeant.
After his death, the Helvetii nevertheless attempt to do that which they had resolved on, namely, to go out from their territories.
§1.5.2Ubi iam se ad eam rem paratos esse arbitrati sunt, oppida sua omnia, numero ad duodecim, vicos ad quadringentos, reliqua privata aedificia incendunt; §1.5.3frumentum omne, praeter quod secum portaturi erant, comburunt, ut domum reditionis spe sublata paratiores ad omnia pericula subeunda essent; trium mensum molita cibaria sibi quemque domo efferre iubent.
When they thought they were now prepared for this undertaking, they set fire to all their towns, in number about twelve, and to their villages, about four hundred, and to the private dwellings that remained; they burn up all the corn, except what they were about to carry with them, so that, the hope of returning home being taken away, they might be more ready to undergo all dangers; they order every man to carry from home ground provisions for three months.
Persuadent Rauracis et Tulingis et Latobrigis finitimis, uti eodem usi consilio oppidis suis vicisque exustis una cum iis proficiscantur, Boiosque, qui trans Rhenum incoluerant et in agrum Noricum transierant Noreiamque oppugnabant, receptos ad se socios sibi adsciscunt.
They persuade the Rauraci, the Tulingi, and the Latobrigi, their neighbors, to adopt the same plan, and after burning down their towns and villages, to set out with them; and they receive and adopt as allies to themselves the Boii, who had dwelt beyond the Rhine, and had crossed over into the Norican territory and were besieging Noreia.

Notes

  1. §1.5.1ut e finibus suis exeant — The ut clause functions as a noun clause in apposition to explain the demonstrative pronoun id (or the whole phrase id quod constituerant facere), meaning 'namely, to go out...'.
  2. §1.5.3domum reditionis spe sublata — An ablative absolute construction, where spe is the noun and sublata is the perfect passive participle of tollere. domum reditionis is a genitive qualifying spe ('the hope of returning home').
  3. §1.5.3ad omnia pericula subeunda — The preposition ad combined with the gerundive subeunda (agreeing in gender, number, and case with the noun pericula) expressing purpose ('to undergo all dangers').
  4. §1.5.3receptos ad se socios sibi adsciscunt — receptos is a perfect passive participle agreeing with Boios, functioning adverbially ('having received them'). socios is a predicative accusative, meaning 'as allies' (they adopt them as allies to themselves).

Cite this passage

Julius Caesar, Gallic War §1.5.1-1.5.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:1.5.1-1.5.3

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.