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Julius Caesar · Gallic War §5.5.1-5.5.4

Arrival at Portus Itius and hostages of Gallic leaders

Passage 161 of 404 · Latin

Summary

Caesar arrives at Portus Itius and learns that some ships were forced back by a storm, while the rest are ready. He decides to take most of the Gallic leaders with him as hostages to prevent any rebellion during his absence.

§5.5.1His rebus constitutis Caesar ad portum Itium cum legionibus pervenit.
These matters having been settled, Caesar arrived at Portus Itius with his legions.
§5.5.2Ibi cognoscit LX naves, quae in Meldis factae erant, tempestate reiectas cursum tenere non potuisse atque eodem unde erant profectae revertisse; reliquas paratas ad navigandum atque omnibus rebus instructas invenit.
There he learned that sixty ships, which had been built among the Meldi, having been driven back by a storm, had not been able to hold their course and had returned to the same place from which they had set out; the remaining ships he found ready for sailing and equipped with everything.
§5.5.3Eodem equitatus totius Galliae convenit, numero milium quattuor, principesque ex omnibus civitatibus.
To the same place assembled the cavalry of all Gaul, four thousand in number, and the leading men from all the states.
§5.5.4Ex quibus perpaucos, quorum in se fidem perspexerat, relinquere in Gallia, reliquos obsidum loco secum ducere decreverat, quod, cum ipse abesset, motum Galliae verebatur.
Of these he had resolved to leave in Gaul only a very few whose fidelity toward himself he had clearly perceived, and to take the rest with him in the character of hostages, because, since he himself would be absent, he feared an uprising in Gaul.

Notes

  1. 5.5.2reiectas — A perfect participle agreeing with 'naves'. It is part of the accusative-and-infinitival clause (with 'naves' as subject and 'potuisse' as infinitive) dependent on 'cognoscit'. 'tempestate reiectas' functions adverbially, expressing cause or temporal circumstance ('having been driven back by a storm').
  2. 5.5.3numero — An ablative of specification, meaning 'in number'. 'milium quattuor' (of four thousand) is a genitive modifying 'numero', specifying the exact quantity.
  3. 5.5.4obsidum loco — The ablative 'loco' with a genitive is an idiomatic expression meaning 'in the place of', 'in the character of', or 'as'. Here it means 'as hostages' or 'in the status of hostages'.

Cite this passage

Julius Caesar, Gallic War §5.5.1-5.5.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:5.5.1-5.5.4

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