CaesarBG6Notes

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6.13

Qui aliquo sunt in numero atque honore: 'who are of any note and are held in any estimation' (Anthon).

aliquo numero: ‘of any account’ (Walker); ‘in any consideration’ (Moberly).

genera: 'classes'. Literally, 'kinds', or 'orders'. (Anthon)

plebes: here a noun of the fifth declension, cf. plebs. (Allen & Greenough). Compare the Roman plebs

cum…premuntur: a general condition expressing repeated action, cum meaning 'whenever' or 'as often as'. (A&G 542)

aere alieno: 'by debt'. Aes alienum means literally, 'the money of another', i. e., due or owing to another. The first money coined by the Romans was of brass, and hence the use of aes in this sense (Anthon)

nobilibus: Compare Roman nobles

magnitudine tributorum: 'the weight of taxes' (Anthon).

iniuria: 'the oppression'. More literally, 'the injurious', or 'insolent treatment' (Anthon).

Sese dicant: 'give themselves up'. (Anthon)

quae dominis: (dat. of poss.) 'as masters have' (Allen & Judson)(A&G 373)

Druides: Compare Roman Priests

equitum: here means 'knights', not 'cavalry'. The 'knights' mentioned in this passage were the Gallic aristocracy, and the 'men of rank' (nobilibus) mentioned in § 2 were the most distinguished of the knights (Rice Holmes). Compare Roman equites

religiones: 'questions of religion' (Rice Holmes).

si qui. . . populus: 'if any one, whether private individual or tribe' (Rice Holmes)

decreto non stetit: ‘does not abide by the decision’ (Walker).

his...decedunt: his is dative, de via being understood with decedunt, just as in English one might say 'Get out ', meaning 'Get out of the way' (Rice Holmes); 'make way for them in the street' (Allen & Greenough).

incommodi: partitive genitive following quid (Allen & Greenough).

Huc omnes...parent: In § 5 Caesar has said that the Druids 'are judges in nearly all disputes' (fere de omnibus controversiis . . . constituunt). Probably the suitors who appealed to them were equites (§ 3), who alone could afford the expense of the journey, and who, having, as Caesar says (§ 3), unlimited rights over their dependants, may have settled their petty disputes without having recourse to Druids. The Druids had not a monopoly of jurisdiction. The Aeduan Vergobret (i.16, § 5 and p. liv) had 'the power of life and death over his countrymen', just as fathers had over their wives and children (vi.19, § 3); and the chief magistrate of every tribe adjudicated on offences against the state (i.4; v.56, § 3; vii.4, § 1), though the punishment which he inflicted may have been sanctioned and superintended by Druids (Rice Holmes).

6.14

sponte: adverbial ablative: unaided; on one’s own accord (Sihler) (A&G 419.c)

disciplina: Compare Roman Education

quod neque velint: ‘because it is supposed that they do not wish’ (Moberly) (A&G 540).

litteris confisos: 'by trusting to written words' (Allen & Judson) (A&G 496).

minus studere: ‘to pay less attention to’ (Walker).

minus memoriae studere: 'to cultivate the memory less' (Hodges).

praesidio: lit. ‘because of the protection of’ = ‘depending on’ (Walker).

remittant: 'relax' (Hodges).

quod…remittant: ‘which is the result in most cases, that persons relying on the aid of writing lose their perseverance in learning by heart as well as their retentiveness of memory’ (Peskett).

hoc: (acc.; more usually illud) refers to what follows; hōc (abl.) to what has just been said (Allen & Judson)(A&G 297).

excitari: ‘that men are incited’ (Walker).

multa…disputant: ‘they also theorise largely’ (Moberly).

6.15

equites: Compare Roman Equites

usus: a noun (Allen & Greenough).

versantur: 'engaged', or 'are employed' (Allen & Judson)

ut quisque amplissimus…ita plurimos: 'the more powerful…the greater number' (Allen & Greenough); ut quisque…ita: 'the more…the more' (Allen & Judson)(A&G 313.a and 323.g)

clientes: Compare Roman Patrons and Clients

6.16

admodum: adv.: very, very much (Sihler)'

homines: object of both immolant and immolaturos. Although Caesar does not say that he saw an instance of human sacrifice, there is no good reason to doubt the truth of his statement. The practice seems to have ceased after the Roman conquest (Walker); the practice of human sacrifice is thought (by Thierry) to have been obsolete at this time in Gaul. Caesar appears not to have known any actual instances of it (Allen & Judson).

pro victimis: ‘by way of victims’ (Moberly)(A&G 221.16)'

publice: ‘on behalf of the state’ (Walker).

habent instituta: lit. ‘they have…established,’ = ‘they regularly perform.’ (Walker)

6.17

Mercurium: the gods had no such names, nor were they, in fact, the same gods; but they were identified with similar Roman divinities as nearly as possible. The name of the god whom the Romans identified with Mercury is lost (Teutates?); but it appears from inscriptions and images that his worship was very widespread and important throughout the period of the Empire. The other deities here mentioned appear under numerous epithets. Jupiter was probably the Gallic Taranis, whose name appears to indicate that he was a god of thunder. He has been identified by some with a statuette bearing in its hand a long hammer or mallet, like the Scandinavian Thor. (Allen & Greenough).

neglecta religione: i.e. in violation of his vow (Allen & Greenough)

capta: 'taken as spoil' (Allen & Greenough)

ea quae ex bello ceperint: Compare the distribution of spoils in the Roman army

6.18

Dite: = Pluto, the god of Darkness, or the Underworld (Allen & Judson)

Ab Dite prognatos: apparently meaning that they sprang from the soil. (Walker)

non numero ... finiunt: so also the Greeks, Germans, and Jews. The Welsh call a week 'eight nights'. (Lowe and Ewing)

mensium: the months began with the first quarter of the moon. (Lowe and Ewing)

subsequatur: i.e., the Gauls counted their days from sunset to sunset. (Lowe and Ewing)

ab reliquis: sc. populis: e.g. the Greeks and Romans. (Lowe and Ewing

Suos liberos: &c.: The Romans, on the other hand, accustomed their sons to public life, and in early times even took them with them into the Senate. (Allen & Judson) Compare Roman child rearing practices

turpe ducunt: they consider it disgraceful, turpe being pred. adj. agreeing with the infin. clause (Allen & Greenough).

palam…adire: ‘to approach them in public.’ (Walker)

assistere: ‘to place himself.’ The acc. ‘se’ is understood, as it is with ‘consisto’ (Moberly).

6.19

viri, quantas pecunias acceperunt, tantas cum dotibus communicant: ‘husbands add to the dowry as much property as they have received’ (Walker); 'the husband deposits, in a common fund, an amount equal to the wife’s marriage-portion' (Allen & Judson).

dotibus: Compare Roman dowry customs

communicant: place in a common fund. (Hodges)

coniunctim: adv.: jointly (Sihler)(A&G 215.2)

fructus: 'revenues', or 'profits' (Allen & Judson).

uter vita superarit: whichever of the two outlives the other receives both dos and donatio; with the interest which has accrued from each during the time of the marriage (Moberly).

Viri in uxores: Compare Roman marriage customs

vitae necisque potestatem: Compare the Roman Patria Potestas

funera: Compare Roman funeral customs

pro cultu: 'considering the degree of refinement' (Allen & Judson)(A&G 221.16).

vivis cordi fuisse: ‘were dear to them when alive’. The burning of the dead was not the only method used by the Gauls. Tombs have been opened which contained vases, rings, armor and the bones of horses and dogs. (Walker)

hanc: = nostram (Allen & Judson)(A&G 297.a).

iustis: 'right', by conventional rule. When these had been fulfilled, the sacrifice was added (Allen & Judson).

dilectos: distinguish from delectos (Allen & Greenough).

supra hanc memoriam: ‘before our time’ (Walker).

iustis funeribus: 'the regular funeral rites' (Hodges).

6.20

legibus sanctum: 'established by law', agreeing with the clause si…communicet (obj. of habent) (Allen & Judson).

quo: indef., 'any one' (nequis) (Allen & Judson) (A&G 310).

neve: 'and that not', the regular connective for a negative purpose clause (Allen & Greenough) (A&G 531).

neve…communicet: 'and not impart it to any one else'. Since neve contains the particle ne, quo (from quis) is the proper indefinite (Hodges) (A&G 310.a).

quae visa sunt: what they think fit to conceal (understand occultanda) (Allen & Greenough)

ex usu: 'of advantage' (Hodges) (A&G 221.11.c).

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