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Julius Caesar · Gallic War §6.18.1-6.18.3

Descent from Dis, Time Reckoning, and Family Customs

Passage 232 of 404 · Latin

Summary

The Gauls claim descent from Father Dis, reckon time by nights rather than days, and practice a unique family custom wherein young sons are not permitted to appear publicly with their fathers until they reach military age.

§6.18.1Galli se omnes ab Dite patre prognatos praedicant idque ab druidibus proditum dicunt.
The Gauls all declare that they are descended from Father Dis, and they say that this has been handed down by the Druids.
§6.18.2Ob eam causam spatia omnis temporis non numero dierum sed noctium finiunt; dies natales et mensum et annorum initia sic observant ut noctem dies subsequatur.
For this reason, they measure the periods of all time not by the number of days but of nights; they keep birthdays and the beginnings of months and years in such a manner that the day follows the night.
§6.18.3In reliquis vitae institutis hoc fere ab reliquis differunt, quod suos liberos, nisi cum adoleverunt, ut munus militiae sustinere possint, palam ad se adire non patiuntur filiumque puerili aetate in publico in conspectu patris adsistere turpe ducunt.
In the other practices of life, they differ from almost all other nations chiefly in this, that they do not permit their children to approach them openly until they have grown up so as to be able to sustain the duty of military service; and they regard it as disgraceful for a son of boyish age to stand in public in the sight of his father.

Notes

  1. §6.18.1prognatos — The auxiliary infinitive esse is omitted after prognatos (and similarly after proditum in the next clause), forming an accusative-and-infinitive construction. The subject of prognatos is the accusative se omnes.
  2. §6.18.2noctem dies subsequatur — dies is the subject (nominative) and noctem is the direct object (accusative) of the transitive verb subsequatur, indicating their conception of time where the day follows the night (i.e., the day begins at night).
  3. §6.18.3hoc... quod — hoc is an ablative of specification ('in this respect'), and the quod clause (governing non patiuntur... and turpe ducunt) acts as an appositive noun clause explaining the content of hoc.
  4. §6.18.3puerili aetate — This is an ablative of quality (or description) modifying filium, meaning 'a son of boyish age' or 'a son who is still a boy'.

Cite this passage

Julius Caesar, Gallic War §6.18.1-6.18.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:6.18.1-6.18.3

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