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Julius Caesar · Gallic War §5.56.1-5.56.5

Indutiomarus Summons an Armed Council against Labienus

Passage 212 of 404 · Latin

Summary

Indutiomarus summons an armed council, convinced of the widespread support and war preparations of neighboring tribes. There, he declares his pro-Roman son-in-law Cingetorix a public enemy, confiscates his property, and announces his plan to attack Labienus's camp.

§5.56.1Vbi intellexit ultro ad se veniri, altera ex parte Senones Carnutesque conscientia facinoris instigari, altera Nervios Aduatucosque bellum Romanis parare, neque sibi voluntariorum copias defore, si ex finibus suis progredi coepisset, armatum concilium indicit.
When he understood that people were coming to him of their own accord, that on one side the Senones and Carnutes were urged on by the consciousness of their crime, and on the other the Nervii and Aduatuci were preparing war against the Romans, and that forces of volunteers would not be lacking to him if he should begin to advance from his borders, he proclaims an armed council.
Hoc more Gallorum est initium belli, §5.56.2quo lege communi omnes puberes armati convenire consuerunt; qui ex eis novissimus convenit, in conspectu multitudinis omnibus cruciatibus affectus necatur.
This, according to the custom of the Gauls, is the beginning of war, at which, by a common law, all adults are accustomed to assemble armed; whoever of them arrives last is put to death after being afflicted with all kinds of torture in the sight of the multitude.
§5.56.3In eo concilio Cingetorigem, alterius principem factionis, generum suum, quem supra demonstravimus Caesaris secutum fidem ab eo non discessisse, hostem iudicat bonaque eius publicat.
In that council, he declares Cingetorix, the leader of the other faction, his son-in-law, whom we have shown above to have followed Caesar's protection and not to have departed from him, a public enemy and confiscates his property.
§5.56.4His rebus confectis, in concilio pronuntiat arcessitum se a Senonibus et Carnutibus aliisque compluribus Galliae civitatibus; §5.56.5huc iturum per fines Remorum eorumque agros populaturum ac, priusquam id faciat, castra Labieni oppugnaturum.
These things being completed, he declares in the council that he has been summoned by the Senones and Carnutes and several other states of Gaul; that he will go thither through the territories of the Remi and ravage their lands, and before he does that, will attack the camp of Labienus.
Quae fieri velit praecipit.
He instructs them what he wishes to be done.

Notes

  1. §5.56.1ultro ad se veniri — Impersonal passive infinitive of venio in indirect discourse without a subject accusative. It means 'that people were coming to him (Indutiomarus) of their own accord.'
  2. §5.56.1defore — A contracted form of the future infinitive defuturum esse. It functions in the indirect discourse governed by intellexit, with copias as its subject accusative.
  3. §5.56.3quem supra demonstravimus Caesaris secutum fidem ab eo non discessisse — An accusative with infinitive construction governed by demonstravimus (we have shown). The relative pronoun quem is the subject accusative of this construction, governing both secutum (esse) and non discessisse. Note that secutum is the perfect participle of the deponent verb sequor, active in meaning.

Cite this passage

Julius Caesar, Gallic War §5.56.1-5.56.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:5.56.1-5.56.5

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