Humanitext Reader

Julius Caesar · Gallic War §6.15.1-6.15.2

Military Role and Dependents of the Gallic Knights

Passage 229 of 404 · Latin

Summary

Describes the other ruling class of knights, their military activity, and how their power and influence are measured by the number of vassals and dependents they maintain.

§6.15.1Alterum genus est equitum.
The other class is that of the knights.
Hi, cum est usus atque aliquod bellum incidit (quod fere ante Caesaris adventum quotannis accidere solebat, uti aut ipsi iniurias inferrent aut illatas propulsarent), omnes in bello versantur, §6.15.2atque eorum ut quisque est genere copiisque amplissimus, ita plurimos circum se ambactos clientesque habet.
These, when there is need and any war occurs (which before Caesar's arrival was accustomed to happen almost every year, so that they were either themselves inflicting injuries or repelling those inflicted on them), are all engaged in war, and as each of them is most distinguished by birth and resources, so he has the greatest number of vassals and dependents about him.
Hanc unam gratiam potentiamque noverunt.
This is the only influence and power they know.

Notes

  1. §6.15.1uti aut ipsi iniurias inferrent aut illatas propulsarent — A clause of subjunctive (inferrent, propulsarent) introduced by uti (an archaic spelling of ut). It functions as a substantive clause of result defining the content of the preceding accidere solebat ('was accustomed to happen'), representing the circumstance 'that they either inflicted injuries themselves or repelled those inflicted upon them'.
  2. §6.15.2ut quisque est ... ita ... habet — A proportional comparison construction using the combination of ut quisque with a superlative (amplissimus) and ita with a word of quantity (plurimos). It means 'the more... the more...'.
  3. §6.15.2eorum — Genitive plural of the pronoun is, functioning as a partitive genitive depending on quisque ('each of them').

Cite this passage

Julius Caesar, Gallic War §6.15.1-6.15.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:6.15.1-6.15.2

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