Humanitext Reader

Julius Caesar · Gallic War §7.63.1-7.63.9

Council at Bibracte and Choice of Vercingetorix

Passage 321 of 404 · Latin

Summary

With the defection of the Aedui, the war expands, and a general council of Gaul at Bibracte unanimously elects Vercingetorix as commander-in-chief, leaving the Aedui secretly resentful of their lost leadership.

§7.63.1Defectione Aeduorum cognita bellum augetur.
When the defection of the Aedui was known, the war increases.
Legationes in omnes partes circummittuntur: §7.63.2quantum gratia, auctoritate, pecunia valent, ad sollicitandas civitates nituntur; §7.63.3nacti obsides, quos Caesar apud eos deposuerat, horum supplicio dubitantes territant.
Embassies are sent out in all directions: as far as they are powerful in influence, authority, and money, they strive to win over the states; having got possession of the hostages whom Caesar had deposited with them, they terrify those who are wavering by the execution of these.
§7.63.4Petunt a Vercingetorige Aedui ut ad se veniat rationesque belli gerendi communicet.
The Aedui request Vercingetorix to come to them and share his plans for conducting the war.
§7.63.5Re impetrata contendunt ut ipsis summa imperi tradatur, et re in controversiam deducta totius Galliae concilium Bibracte indicitur.
This request being granted, they insist that the chief command should be handed over to them, and when the matter was brought into dispute, a council of all Gaul is summoned to Bibracte.
Eodem conveniunt undique frequentes.
They assemble there from all sides in great numbers.
§7.63.6Multitudinis suffragiis res permittitur: ad unum omnes Vercingetorigem probant imperatorem.
The matter is submitted to the votes of the multitude: all to a man approve Vercingetorix as commander-in-chief.
§7.63.7Ab hoc concilio Remi, Lingones, Treveri afuerunt: illi, quod amicitiam Romanorum sequebantur; Treveri, quod aberant longius et ab Germanis premebantur, quae fuit causa quare toto abessent bello et neutris auxilia mitterent.
From this council the Remi, the Lingones, and the Treveri were absent: the former, because they maintained their friendship with the Romans; the Treveri, because they were too far off and were hard pressed by the Germans, which was the reason why they remained absent from the whole war and sent auxiliaries to neither side.
§7.63.8Magno dolore Aedui ferunt se deiectos principatu, queruntur fortunae commutationem et Caesaris indulgentiam in se requirunt, neque tamen suscepto bello suum consilium ab reliquis separare audent.
With great grief the Aedui bear that they have been cast down from their leadership, they complain of the change in their fortune and miss Caesar's indulgence toward them; yet, since the war had been undertaken, they do not dare to separate their plans from the rest.
§7.63.9Inviti summae spei adulescentes Eporedorix et Viridomarus Vercingetorigi parent.
Unwillingly, Eporedorix and Viridomarus, young men of the greatest expectations, obey Vercingetorix.

Notes

  1. 7.63.2quantum — A relative adverb (adverbial accusative of the neuter pronoun) meaning "to the extent that" or "as much as," modifying `valent`.
  2. 7.63.3dubitantes — The present participle of `dubito` (to hesitate) used substantively in the accusative plural masculine, serving as the direct object of the transitive verb `territant`.
  3. 7.63.5Bibracte — The locative (or ablative) case of the neuter noun `Bibracte` (the chief town of the Aedui), indicating the place where the council is summoned.
  4. 7.63.7quae fuit causa quare — The relative pronoun `quae` refers to the entire preceding clause (the Treveri being far off and hard pressed) but agrees in gender and number with the predicate noun `causa` (feminine singular) by attraction. The following `quare` clause takes the subjunctive mood (`abessent`, `mitterent`).
  5. 7.63.8se deiectos principatu — Accusative with infinitive construction (with `esse` omitted after the participle `deiectos`). `se` is the subject accusative referring to the Aedui. `principatu` is an ablative of separation, expressing "deprived of the leadership."
  6. 7.63.8Caesaris indulgentiam in se requirunt — The verb `requiro` here means "to feel the loss of" or "to miss" something that was previously enjoyed. It describes the Aedui missing Caesar's past "indulgence" toward them now that they have revolted.
  7. 7.63.9Inviti — Predicative (adverbial) use of the adjective `inviti` (unwilling), describing the state of the subjects `Eporedorix and Viridomarus` ("unwillingly").

Cite this passage

Julius Caesar, Gallic War §7.63.1-7.63.9. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:7.63.1-7.63.9

Please note the AI-draft status of the translation and the date accessed.

Translation, notes and summary are AI-generated drafts, revised through reader feedback.