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Julius Caesar · Gallic War §7.75.1-7.75.5

Levy of the Relief Army and Quotas of the Gallic Tribes

Passage 333 of 404 · Latin

Summary

While the siege of Alesia proceeds, the Gauls decide to levy a limited number of troops from each tribe and specify the quotas. The Bellovaci refuse the demand to fight on their own terms, but send a small contingent out of friendship with Commius.

§7.75.1Dum haec apud Alesiam geruntur, Galli concilio principum indicto non omnes eos qui arma ferre possent, ut censuit Vercingetorix, convocandos statuunt, sed certum numerum cuique ex civitate imperandum, ne tanta multitudine confusa nec moderari nec discernere suos nec frumentandi rationem habere possent.
While these things were being done at Alesia, the Gauls, having convened a council of their chiefs, decided that not all who could bear arms should be called together, as Vercingetorix thought, but that a certain number should be demanded from each state, lest they should not be able, with so great a confused multitude, either to control or to distinguish their own men, or to have any means of provisioning.
§7.75.2Imperant Aeduis atque eorum clientibus, Segusiavis, Ambivaretis, Aulercis Brannovicibus, Blannoviis, milia XXXV; parem numerum Arvernis adiunctis Eleutetis, Cadurcis, Gabalis, Vellaviis, qui sub imperio Arvernorum esse consuerunt; Sequanis, §7.75.3Senonibus, Biturigibus, Santonis, Rutenis, Carnutibus duodena milia; Bellovacis X; totidem Lemovicibus; octona Pictonibus et Turonis et Parisiis et Helvetiis; [Suessionibus,] Ambianis, Mediomatricis, Petrocoriis, Nerviis, Morinis, Nitiobrigibus quina milia; Aulercis Cenomanis totidem; Atrebatibus [IIII milibus]; Veliocassis, Lexoviis et Aulercis Eburovicibus terna; Rauracis et Boiis bina; §7.75.4[XXX milia] universis civitatibus, quae Oceanum attingunt quaeque eorum consuetudine Armoricae appellantur, quo sunt in numero Curiosolites, Redones, Ambibarii, Caletes, Osismi, Veneti, Lemovices, Venelli.
They demand of the Aedui and their dependents, the Segusiavi, Ambivareti, Aulerci Brannovices, and Blannovii, thirty-five thousand; an equal number of the Arverni, together with the Eleuteti, Cadurcis, Gabali, and Vellavii, who were accustomed to be under the command of the Arverni; of the Sequani, the Senones, Bituriges, Santoni, Ruteni, and Carnutes, twelve thousand each; of the Bellovaci, ten thousand; as many of the Lemovices; eight thousand each of the Pictones, Turoni, Parisii, and Helvetii; five thousand each of the [Suessiones,] Ambiani, Mediomatrici, Petrocorii, Nervii, Morini, and Nitiobriges; as many of the Aulerci Cenomani; [four thousand] of the Atrebates; three thousand each of the Veliocasses, Lexovii, and Aulerci Eburovices; two thousand each of the Rauraci and Boii; [thirty thousand] of all the states together that border on the Ocean, and which in their custom are called Armorican, among whom are the Curiosolites, Redones, Ambibarii, Caletes, Osismi, Veneti, Lemovices, and Venelli.
§7.75.5Ex his Bellovaci suum numerum non compleverunt, quod se suo nomine atque arbitrio cum Romanis bellum gesturos dicebant neque cuiusquam imperio obtemperaturos; rogati tamen ab Commio pro eius hospitio duo milia una miserunt.
Of these, the Bellovaci did not complete their number, because they said they would wage war with the Romans on their own account and at their own discretion, and would not obey the command of anyone; however, having been requested by Commius on account of his hospitality, they sent two thousand together with them.

Notes

  1. §7.75.1convocandos... imperandum — Accusative gerundive constructions with omitted esse (convocandos [esse] and imperandum [esse]) depend on the verb statuunt to express necessity.
  2. §7.75.1tanta multitudine confusa — Ablative absolute (tanta multitudine confusa) expressing the cause or circumstance where an excessively large, disordered crowd would cause a lack of control.
  3. §7.75.2adiunctis Eleutetis — Ablative absolute formed by the perfect passive participle adiunctis and the noun Eleutetis (with the subsequent tribal names), modifying the indirect object Arvernis ('the Arverni, with the Eleuteti ... joined to them').
  4. §7.75.5pro eius hospitio — The genitive pronoun eius refers to Commius. hospitium denotes the mutual relation of hospitality and guest-friendship, which entailed moral and reciprocal obligations to assist.

Cite this passage

Julius Caesar, Gallic War §7.75.1-7.75.5. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:7.75.1-7.75.5

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