Humanitext Reader

Julius Caesar · Gallic War §4.38.1-4.38.5

Surrender of the Morini and Twenty-Day Thanksgiving

Passage 156 of 404 · Latin

Summary

On the next day, Caesar sent Labienus to suppress the rebellion of the Morini, who surrendered as the dry marshes left them no place of retreat, while Titurius and Cotta devastated the territory of the Menapii. The legions entered winter quarters among the Belgae, and a twenty-day thanksgiving was decreed by the senate upon receiving Caesar's reports.

§4.38.1Caesar postero die T. Labienum legatum cum iis legionibus quas ex Britannia reduxerat in Morinos qui rebellionem fecerant misit.
On the following day, Caesar sent the lieutenant T. Labienus, with those legions which he had brought back from Britain, against the Morini, who had renewed the war.
§4.38.2Qui cum propter siccitates paludum quo se reciperent non haberent, quo perfugio superiore anno erant usi, omnes fere in potestatem Labieni venerunt.
And since they, owing to the dryness of the marshes, had no place to which they might retreat—a refuge which they had used the previous year—almost all of them fell into the power of Labienus.
§4.38.3At Q. Titurius et L. Cotta legati, qui in Menapiorum fines legiones duxerant, omnibus eorum agris vastatis, frumentis succisis, aedificiis incensis, quod Menapii se omnes in densissimas silvas abdiderant, se ad Caesarem receperunt.
But the lieutenants Q. Titurius and L. Cotta, who had led their legions into the territories of the Menapii, having laid waste all their fields, cut down their corn, and burnt their buildings, because the Menapii had all hidden themselves in their thickest forests, returned to Caesar.
§4.38.4Caesar in Belgis omnium legionum hiberna constituit.
Caesar established the winter quarters of all the legions among the Belgae.
Eo duae omnino civitates ex Britannia obsides miserunt, reliquae neglexerunt.
Thither only two states in all from Britain sent hostages; the remainder neglected to do so.
§4.38.5His rebus gestis ex litteris Caesaris dierum XX supplicatio a senatu decreta est.
Upon these achievements being performed, a thanksgiving of twenty days was decreed by the senate, on receiving Caesar's dispatches.

Notes

  1. 4.38.2Qui cum — A relative connection (qui connecting clauses), where the relative pronoun at the beginning of a sentence refers back to Morini in the previous sentence. It functions like a demonstrative pronoun with a conjunction ('And they...').
  2. 4.38.2quo se reciperent — A relative clause of characteristic or purpose with the antecedent omitted, where the verb reciperent is in the subjunctive imperfect. It expresses 'a place to which they might retreat'.
  3. 4.38.2quo perfugio — A construction where the antecedent perfugium is attracted into the relative clause and agrees with the relative pronoun quo. It functions as the object of erant usi (ablative, as required by the verb utor).
  4. 4.38.5dierum XX — A genitive of measure (or description) modifying the noun supplicatio, indicating the duration ('of twenty days').

Cite this passage

Julius Caesar, Gallic War §4.38.1-4.38.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:4.38.1-4.38.5

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.