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Julius Caesar · Gallic War §3.16.1-3.16.4

Surrender of the Veneti and Severe Punishment by Caesar

Passage 105 of 404 · Latin

Summary

The war with the Veneti is concluded; following their surrender, Caesar executes their entire senate and sells the rest into slavery to ensure that the rights of ambassadors are respected by barbarians in the future.

§3.16.1Quo proelio bellum Venetorum totiusque orae maritimae confectum est.
By this battle, the war with the Veneti and the whole maritime coast was finished.
§3.16.2Nam cum omnis iuventus, omnes etiam gravioris aetatis in quibus aliquid consilii aut dignitatis fuit eo convenerant, tum navium quod ubique fuerat in unum locum coegerant; §3.16.3quibus amissis reliqui neque quo se reciperent neque quem ad modum oppida defenderent habebant.
For not only had all their youth, and even all those of a more advanced age in whom there was any counsel or authority, assembled there, but they had also collected in one place whatever ships there had been anywhere; and when these were lost, the survivors had neither any place to which they could retreat, nor any means by which they could defend their towns.
§3.16.4Itaque se suaque omnia Caesari dediderunt.
Therefore, they surrendered themselves and all their possessions to Caesar.
In quos eo gravius Caesar vindicandum statuit quo diligentius in reliquum tempus a barbaris ius legatorum conservaretur.
Caesar decided that they should be punished the more severely for this reason, that the right of ambassadors might be more carefully observed by barbarians for the future.
Itaque omni senatu necato reliquos sub corona vendidit.
Therefore, having put all their senate to death, he sold the rest as slaves.

Notes

  1. 3.16.2navium quod ubique fuerat — navium is a partitive genitive depending on the neuter singular relative pronoun quod. Literally 'that of the ships which had been anywhere', meaning 'all the ships that were everywhere'.
  2. 3.16.4eo gravius ... quo diligentius — A correlative construction using the ablatives of degree of difference, eo and quo, with comparatives, meaning 'the more... the more...'. Here it expresses that the punishment should be 'the more severe, so that the right of ambassadors might be the more carefully observed'.
  3. 3.16.4vindicandum — The neuter singular of the gerundive, forming an impersonal future passive infinitive with esse omitted. It functions as the object of statuit, taking in quos to mean 'that punishment ought to be inflicted upon them'.

Cite this passage

Julius Caesar, Gallic War §3.16.1-3.16.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:3.16.1-3.16.4

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