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Julius Caesar · Gallic War §8.47.1-8.47.3

Resistance of Commius and Raids on Roman Supplies

Passage 396 of 404 · Latin

Summary

At his winter quarters, Caesar learns that Commius the Atrebatian continues his resistance, supporting his followers through plunder and attacking Roman supply convoys.

§8.47.1Ibi cognoscit Commium Atrebatem proelio cum equitatu suo contendisse. §8.47.2Nam cum Antonius in hiberna venisset, civitasque Atrebatum in officio esset, Commius, qui post illam vulnerationem, quam supra commemoravi, semper ad omnes motus paratus suis civibus esse consuesset, ne consilia belli quaerentibus auctor armorum duxque deesset, §8.47.3parente Romanis civitate cum suis equitibus latrociniis se suosque alebat infestisque itineribus commeatus complures, qui comportabantur in hiberna Romanorum, intercipiebat.
There he learned that Commius the Atrebatian had engaged in battle with his cavalry. For when Antonius had come into winter quarters, and the state of the Atrebatian was remaining in its allegiance, Commius—who, after that wound which I have mentioned above, had always been accustomed to be ready for his fellow-citizens for all commotions, so that a leader and adviser of arms might not be wanting to those who were seeking plans of war— while his state was obeying the Romans, supported himself and his men by robberies with his cavalry, and, by rendering the roads dangerous, intercepted several convoys of provisions that were being carried into the winter quarters of the Romans.

Notes

  1. 8.47.2consuesset — A syncopated form of consuevisset, the pluperfect subjunctive of consuesco (to accustom oneself). Since the perfect tense of this verb has a present meaning ('to be accustomed'), the pluperfect denotes a past habit ('had been accustomed'). The subjunctive is used in the relative clause introduced by qui to express characteristic.
  2. 8.47.3parente Romanis civitate — An ablative absolute construction consisting of the present participle parente (from pareo, 'to obey', in the ablative singular) and civitate (ablative singular of civitas, 'state'). Since the verb pareo governs the dative case, Romanis is the dative dependent on parente.
  3. 8.47.3infestis itineribus — Consisting of the ablative plural of iter (road, route) and the adjective infestus (hostile, dangerous). It can be interpreted either as an ablative of means ('by making the roads dangerous') or an ablative of attendant circumstances ('the roads being infested'), indicating Commius's guerrilla-style harassment of the routes.

Cite this passage

Julius Caesar, Gallic War §8.47.1-8.47.3. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:8.47.1-8.47.3

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