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Julius Caesar · Gallic War §4.6.1-4.6.5

Caesar Rejoins the Army and Prepares to Fight the Germans

Passage 124 of 404 · Latin

Summary

Caesar rushes to his army to prevent a major outbreak of war and discovers that several Gallic states have invited the Germans across the Rhine. Keeping this secret, he reassures the Gallic chiefs and orders them to provide cavalry for the coming conflict.

§4.6.1Qua consuetudine cognita Caesar, ne graviori bello, occurreret, maturius quam consuerat ad exercitum proficiscitur.
Having learned of this custom, Caesar, lest he should meet with a more serious war, sets out for the army earlier than he was accustomed to.
§4.6.2Eo cum venisset, ea quae fore suspicatus erat facta cognovit: §4.6.3missas legationes ab non nullis civitatibus ad Germanos invitatos eos uti ab Rheno discederent: omnia quae[que] postulassent ab se fore parata.
When he had arrived there, he discovered that those things which he had suspected would happen had actually occurred: namely, that embassies had been sent by several states to the Germans, and they had been invited to leave the Rhine, and that everything which they demanded would be prepared by them.
§4.6.4Qua spe adducti Germani latius iam vagabantur et in fines Eburonum et Condrusorum, qui sunt Treverorum clientes, pervenerant.
Induced by this hope, the Germans were already roaming more widely and had reached the territories of the Eburones and the Condrusi, who are dependents of the Treveri.
§4.6.5Principibus Gallice evocatis Caesar ea quae cognoverat dissimulanda sibi existimavit, eorumque animis permulsis et confirmatis equitatu imperato bellum cum Germanis gerere constituit.
Having summoned the leaders of Gaul, Caesar thought that those things which he had learned should be concealed by him; and having soothed and encouraged their minds, and having ordered cavalry to be furnished, he resolved to wage war with the Germans.

Notes

  1. §4.6.2ea quae fore suspicatus erat facta — ea is the subject of the accusative with infinitive construction (ea facta [esse]) acting as the object of cognovit. quae fore suspicatus erat is a relative clause modifying ea, in which fore (shortened from futura esse, future infinitive) forms an accusative with infinitive dependent on suspicatus erat ('which he had suspected would happen').
  2. §4.6.3ab se — The reflexive pronoun se is used here as an indirect reflexive, referring not to the subject of the main clause (Caesar) but to the logical subjects of the indirect discourse, namely, 'several states' (non nullis civitatibus). It means 'would be prepared by them (the Gallic states)'.
  3. §4.6.5Principibus Gallice — Although Gallice is technically an adverb ('in the Gallic tongue/manner'), in this context it is widely understood as a scribal variant or error for Galliae (of Gaul) or Gallicis (Gallic), forming an ablative absolute with principibus evocatis ('the leaders of Gaul having been summoned').
  4. §4.6.5dissimulanda sibi — dissimulanda is the neuter plural accusative of the gerundive agreeing with ea quae cognoverat. sibi is the dative of agent commonly used with the gerundive, referring to Caesar ('should be concealed by him').

Cite this passage

Julius Caesar, Gallic War §4.6.1-4.6.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:4.6.1-4.6.5

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