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Julius Caesar · Gallic War §7.43.1-7.43.6

Apologies of the Aedui and Caesar's Plan to Retreat

Passage 301 of 404 · Latin

Summary

The Aedui, learning that their soldiers are held by Caesar, send envoys to apologize, but secretly plot war out of fear of punishment. Caesar, aware of their schemes, responds mildly and plans a strategic retreat from Gergovia to consolidate his army.

§7.43.1Interim nuntio allato omnes eorum milites in potestate Caesaris teneri, concurrunt ad Aristium, nihil publico factum consilio demonstrant; quaestionem de bonis direptis decernunt, §7.43.2Litavicci fratrumque bona publicant, legatos ad Caesarem sui purgandi gratia mittunt.
Meanwhile, on the arrival of a messenger bringing word that all their soldiers were held in Caesar's power, they rushed to Aristius and explained that nothing had been done by public decision; they decreed an inquiry into the plundered property, confiscated the goods of Litaviccus and his brothers, and sent envoys to Caesar for the purpose of clearing themselves.
§7.43.3Haec faciunt reciperandorum suorum causa; sed contaminati facinore et capti compendio ex direptis bonis, quod ea res ad multos pertinebat, timore poenae exterriti consilia clam de bello inire incipiunt civitatesque reliquas legationibus sollicitant.
They did these things for the sake of recovering their own men; but having been defiled by the crime and captivated by the gain from the plundered property—since that matter involved many people—and terrified by the fear of punishment, they began to make secret plans for war and solicited the remaining states by embassies.
§7.43.4Quae tametsi Caesar intellegebat, tamen quam mitissime potest legatos appellat: nihil se propter inscientiam levitatemque vulgi gravius de civitate iudicare neque de sua in Aeduos benevolentia deminuere.
Although Caesar was aware of this, he nevertheless addressed the envoys as mildly as he could, saying that he did not judge the state too severely because of the ignorance and fickleness of the common people, nor would he diminish his goodwill toward the Aedui.
§7.43.5Ipse maiorem Galliae motum exspectans, ne ab omnibus civitatibus circumsisteretur, consilia inibat quemadmodum ab Gergovia discederet ac rursus omnem exercitum contraheret, §7.43.6ne profectio nata ab timore defectionis similis fugae videretur.
He himself, expecting a greater uprising in Gaul, in order not to be surrounded by all the states, began to form plans on how he might withdraw from Gergovia and once more concentrate his entire army, lest a departure arising from the fear of defection should seem like a flight.

Notes

  1. §7.43.1omnes eorum milites in potestate Caesaris teneri — Accusative with infinitive clause functioning in apposition to nuntio, explaining its content.
  2. §7.43.2sui purgandi gratia — A gerundive construction with the genitive pronoun sui (referring to the plural Aedui), which formally triggers the singular gerundive purgandi regardless of the plural reference.
  3. §7.43.3reciperandorum suorum — A standard gerundive construction in the genitive plural, modifying suorum ("their own men").
  4. §7.43.4nihil se propter inscientiam levitatemque vulgi gravius de civitate iudicare — Accusative with infinitive clause in indirect speech dependent on the verb of speaking implied in appellat, with se as the subject accusative referring to Caesar.
  5. §7.43.5quemadmodum ab Gergovia discederet ac rursus omnem exercitum contraheret — Indirect question clause introduced by quemadmodum with subjunctive verbs discederet and contraheret, explaining the nature of consilia.

Cite this passage

Julius Caesar, Gallic War §7.43.1-7.43.6. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:7.43.1-7.43.6

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