Humanitext Reader

Julius Caesar · Gallic War §2.14.1-2.14.6

Diviciacus Pleads for Clemency on Behalf of the Bellovaci

Passage 68 of 404 · Latin

Summary

Diviciacus of the Haedui returns to Caesar and pleads on behalf of the Bellovaci, explaining that they were instigated by their leaders and asking Caesar to show his customary clemency.

§2.14.1Pro his Diviciacus (nam post discessum Belgarum dimissis Haeduorum copiis ad eum reverterat) facit verba: §2.14.2Bellovacos omni tempore in fide atque amicitia civitatis Haeduae fuisse; §2.14.3impulsos ab suis principibus, qui dicerent Haeduos a Caesare in servitutem redactos omnes indignitates contumeliasque perferre, et ab Haeduis defecisse et populo Romano bellum intulisse.
On their behalf, Diviciacus (for after the departure of the Belgae, having dismissed the forces of the Haedui, he had returned to him) spoke: that the Bellovaci had at all times been in the loyalty and friendship of the Haeduan state; that, having been urged on by their leaders, who said that the Haedui, having been reduced to slavery by Caesar, were enduring all kinds of indignities and insults, they had both revolted from the Haedui and brought war upon the Roman people.
§2.14.4Qui eius consilii principes fuissent, quod intellegerent quantam calamitatem civitati intulissent, in Britanniam profugisse.
That those who had been the leaders of that plot, because they understood how great a calamity they had brought upon the state, had fled to Britain.
§2.14.5Petere non solum Bellovacos, sed etiam pro his Haeduos, ut sua clementia ac mansuetudine in eos utatur.
That not only the Bellovaci, but also the Haedui on their behalf, begged that he would use his clemency and kindness toward them.
§2.14.6Quod si fecerit, Haeduorum auctoritatem apud omnes Belgas amplificaturum, quorum auxiliis atque opibus, si qua bella inciderint, sustentare consuerint.
That if he did this, he would increase the influence of the Haedui among all the Belgae, by whose help and resources they were accustomed to support themselves if any wars occurred.

Notes

  1. §2.14.2fuisse — Marks the beginning of the indirect discourse (oratio obliqua) introduced by 'facit verba' (spoke) in the preceding section; consequently, all main verbs in the subsequent sentences are in the infinitive (fuisse, defecisse, intulisse, profugisse, petere, amplificaturum [esse]).
  2. §2.14.3impulsos — A perfect participle modifying the omitted accusative subject 'Bellovacos'. This participle phrase coordinates with the subsequent infinitive verbs 'defecisse' and 'intulisse'.
  3. §2.14.6amplificaturum — Active future infinitive 'amplificaturum [esse]', with the omitted accusative subject 'Caesarem' (that Caesar would increase...). It functions as the apodosis of the conditional sentence starting with 'Quod si fecerit'.
  4. §2.14.6quorum auxiliis atque opibus — The antecedent of the relative pronoun 'quorum' is 'Belgas' (the Belgae). The implied subject of 'sustentare' (to support/sustain) is 'Haeduos' (the Haedui, who are also the subject of 'consuerint'), meaning that the Haedui were accustomed to sustain themselves by the help and resources of the Belgae.

Cite this passage

Julius Caesar, Gallic War §2.14.1-2.14.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:2.14.1-2.14.6

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.