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Julius Caesar · Gallic War §6.22.1-6.22.4

German Land Distribution and Its Reasons

Passage 236 of 404 · Latin

Summary

The Germans do not focus on agriculture, and their leaders annually redistribute land and force them to move. They justify this system by arguing that it maintains their military focus, prevents land monopoly by the powerful, deters the construction of luxurious homes, restrains greed, and keeps the common people content with equal wealth.

§6.22.1Agriculturae non student, maiorque pars eorum victus in lacte, caseo, carne consistit.
They do not pay attention to agriculture, and the greater part of their food consists of milk, cheese, and meat.
§6.22.2Neque quisquam agri modum certum aut fines habet proprios; sed magistratus ac principes in annos singulos gentibus cognationibusque hominum, qui una coierunt, quantum et quo loco visum est agri attribuunt atque anno post alio transire cogunt.
Nor does anyone have a fixed measure of land or his own boundaries; but the magistrates and leading men, year by year, assign to the clans and kindreds of men who have gathered together, as much land and in such a place as seems appropriate, and the year after compel them to move elsewhere.
§6.22.3Eius rei multas adferunt causas: ne adsidua consuetudine capti studium belli gerendi agricultura commutent; ne latos fines parare studeant, potentioresque humiliores possessionibus expellant; ne accuratius ad frigora atque aestus vitandos aedificent; ne qua oriatur pecuniae cupiditas, qua ex re factiones dissensionesque nascuntur; §6.22.4ut animi aequitate plebem contineant, cum suas quisque opes cum potentissimis aequari videat.
They bring forward many reasons for this practice: lest, captivated by daily habit, they should exchange their eagerness for waging war for agriculture; lest they should be anxious to acquire extensive estates, and the more powerful should drive the weaker from their possessions; lest they should build more carefully to avoid cold and heat; lest any desire for money should arise, from which cause factions and dissensions spring up; that they may keep the common people in contentment of mind, since each sees his own wealth equal to that of the most powerful.

Notes

  1. §6.22.2quantum et quo loco visum est agri — quantum is the neuter accusative singular of quantus, taking the genitive agri (partitive genitive), and serves as the direct object of attribuunt. quo loco is an ablative of place. visum est is used impersonally meaning 'it seemed good/proper'. The entire phrase means 'as much land and in such a place as seems appropriate.'
  2. §6.22.3studium belli gerendi agricultura commutent — The verb commutare takes the construction 'to exchange A (accusative) for B (ablative)'. Here, it means exchanging the accusative studium (eagerness for waging war) for the ablative agricultura (agriculture), i.e., 'lest they should abandon their eagerness for war in favor of agriculture.'
  3. §6.22.4cum suas quisque opes cum potentissimis aequari videat — The conjunction cum takes the subjunctive videat, expressing circumstance or cause. The object of videat is an accusative-with-infinitive construction consisting of the accusative suas quisque opes and the passive infinitive aequari ('each one seeing his own wealth be made equal to that of the most powerful').

Cite this passage

Julius Caesar, Gallic War §6.22.1-6.22.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:6.22.1-6.22.4

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