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Julius Caesar · Gallic War §8.53.1-8.53.2

Rejection of Marcellus's Motion and Opponents' Plots

Passage 402 of 404 · Latin

Summary

Caesar recalls how the senate rejected Marcellus' anti-Caesar proposal in the previous year as proof of the senate's general support. However, his enemies, instead of being discouraged, are prompted to prepare more powerful means to coerce the senate.

§8.53.1Magnum hoc testimonium senatus erat universi conveniensque superiori facto.
This was a great testimony of the entire senate and consistent with the former event.
Nam Marcellus proximo anno, cum impugnaret Caesaris dignitatem, contra legem Pompei et Crassi rettulerat ante tempus ad senatum de Caesaris provinciis, sententiisque dictis discessionem faciente Marcello, qui sibi omnem dignitatem ex Caesaris invidia quaerebat, senatus frequens in alia omnia transiit.
For in the preceding year, Marcellus, when he was attacking Caesar's dignity, had, contrary to the law of Pompey and Crassus, brought before the senate before the proper time a motion concerning Caesar's provinces, and after the opinions had been delivered, while Marcellus—who was seeking all his own prestige from the hatred against Caesar—was making a division, the crowded senate went over to all other things.
§8.53.2Quibus non frangebantur animi inimicorum Caesaris, sed admonebantur quo maiores pararent necessitates, quibus cogi posset senatus id probare, quod ipsi constituissent.
By these things the spirits of Caesar's enemies were not broken, but they were warned to prepare greater constraints, by which the senate might be forced to approve that which they themselves had determined.

Notes

  1. 8.53.1in alia omnia transiit — "went over to all other things," a technical idiom in senate voting meaning "voted against the proposal."
  2. 8.53.1discessionem faciente Marcello — An ablative absolute construction using the present participle. The term discessio refers to the voting procedure in the senate where members physically divided into opposing sides.
  3. 8.53.2quo maiores pararent — The conjunction quo is used with a comparative (maiores) to introduce a purpose clause ("in order that they might prepare greater..."), taking the imperfect subjunctive pararent.

Cite this passage

Julius Caesar, Gallic War §8.53.1-8.53.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi0448.phi001.humanitext-lat2:8.53.1-8.53.2

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