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Julius Caesar · Gallic War §5.6.1-5.6.6

Dumnorix's Refusal and Incitement of the Chiefs

Passage 162 of 404 · Latin

Summary

Caesar decides to take Dumnorix, a powerful and ambitious Aeduan chief, with him to prevent trouble, but Dumnorix tries to stay behind under various pretexts and actively incites other Gallic chiefs to remain on the continent and oppose Caesar's plans.

§5.6.1Erat una cum ceteris Dumnorix Aeduus, de quo ante ab nobis dictum est.
Along with the others was Dumnorix the Aeduan, of whom mention has been made by us before.
Hunc secum habere in primis constituerat, quod eum cupidum rerum novarum, cupidum imperi, magni animi, magnae inter Gallos auctoritatis cognoverat.
Caesar had determined to keep him with him in particular, because he knew him to be desirous of revolution, desirous of power, of great courage, and of great influence among the Gauls.
§5.6.2Accedebat huc quod in concilio Aeduorum Dumnorix dixerat sibi a Caesare regnum civitatis deferri; quod dictum Aedui graviter ferebant, neque recusandi aut deprecandi causa legatos ad Caesarem mittere audebant.
To this was added the fact that Dumnorix had said in the council of the Aedui that the sovereignty of the state was being offered to him by Caesar; which statement the Aedui took heavily, and yet they did not dare to send ambassadors to Caesar for the purpose of rejecting or deprecating it.
§5.6.3Id factum ex suis hospitibus Caesar cognoverat.
Caesar had learned of this fact from his own guest-friends.
Ille omnibus primo precibus petere contendit ut in Gallia relinqueretur, partim quod insuetus navigandi mare timeret, partim quod religionibus impediri sese diceret.
Dumnorix at first strove by every entreaty to request that he might be left in Gaul, partly because, being unaccustomed to sailing, he feared the sea, and partly because he said he was prevented by religious obligations.
§5.6.4Posteaquam id obstinate sibi negari vidit, omni spe impetrandi adempta principes Galliae sollicitare, sevocare singulos hortarique coepit uti in continenti remanerent; §5.6.5metu territare: non sine causa fieri, ut Gallia omni nobilitate spoliaretur; id esse consilium Caesaris, ut quos in conspectu Galliae interficere vereretur, hos omnes in Britanniam traductos necaret; §5.6.6fidem reliquis interponere, iusiurandum poscere, ut quod esse ex usu Galliae intellexissent communi consilio administrarent.
When he saw that this was obstinately denied to him, all hope of obtaining his request being taken away, he began to solicit the chiefs of Gaul, to call them aside individually, and to exhort them to remain on the continent; to terrify them with fear, saying that it was not without cause that Gaul was being stripped of all her nobility; that it was Caesar's plan to put to death, after transporting them to Britain, all these whom he feared to kill in the sight of Gaul; to pledge his faith to the rest, and to demand an oath that they would carry out by common counsel what they should understand to be for the advantage of Gaul.
Haec a compluribus ad Caesarem deferebantur.
These things were reported to Caesar by several persons.

Notes

  1. §5.6.2Accedebat huc quod — Meaning 'to this was added the fact that...'. The verb `accedebat` is used impersonally (or with the `quod` clause as its subject), where the `quod` clause functions as a noun clause.
  2. §5.6.2quod dictum — Connecting relative. The relative adjective `quod` modifies the noun `dictum` (statement), meaning 'which statement'. `Aedui` is the subject of `ferebant`.
  3. §5.6.4sollicitare, sevocare... territare... interponere, poscere — Historical infinitives. They function as main verbs and are translated like the imperfect indicative (began to..., kept...ing), vividly describing Dumnorix's active agitation.
  4. §5.6.5non sine causa fieri, ut — Indirect discourse implied by `territare` (to terrify/warn). `fieri` is the infinitive of the clause in indirect speech, with the `ut` clause acting as its subject clause.

Cite this passage

Julius Caesar, Gallic War §5.6.1-5.6.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:5.6.1-5.6.6

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