CaesarBG1Notes

1.1

Gallia . . . omnis: ‘Gaul as a whole,’ contrasted with Gaul in the narrower sense, or Celtic Gaul; Celtic Gaul also is often called Gallia. (Kelsey) historical map satellite image

Gallia . . . divisa: Notice the order of the words. ‘Gaul, taken as a whole, is divided’. (Rice Holmes)

Belgae: Belgae -arum m., the Belgae or Belgians; Aquitani, -orum m.: the Aquitani, inhabiting southwestern Gaul;Celtae, -arum m: the Celtae or Celts (Walker)

institutis: institutum, -i n., fixed course or principle; habit, institution, custom (Walker)

Gallos . . . dividit: the verb is singular, because the two rivers make one boundary; as we should say, ‘is divided by the line of the Seine and Marne.’ (Allen & Judson; Allen & Greenough)

Garumna: Garumna, -ae m., the river Garumna now the Garonne. Matrona, -ae m.: the river Matrona, now the Marne. Sequana, -ae m.: the river Sequana, now the Seine (Walker)

propterea: adv., because of, on this account; propterea quod: because (Walker)

cultu atque humanitate: cultus indicates the outward characteristics of civilization (dress, habits of life, etc.); humanitas, the moral characteristics (refinement of thought and feeling, education, etc.) (Merryweather & Tancock). humanitate: ‘refinement’ (Kelsey)

provinciae: the province of Gallia Narbonensis, organized about B. C. 120. Its chief cities were Massilia (Marseilles), an old Greek free city, and the capital, Narbo (Narbonne), a Roman colony. The name Provincia has come down to us in the modern Provence. (Allen & Greenough) historical map satellite image

minime saepe: ‘very seldom’ (Walker)

mercatores: nom. Traders and peddlers from Massilia (Marseilles) and northern Italy brought wine (their most attractive commodity) and other luxuries on pack mules or even on their own backs (Towle & Jenks).

commeant: ‘make their way to’ (Kelsey); words of motion compounded with cum often contain an idea of ‘hither and thither’ (Walpole). Construe saepe with commeant, minime with both commeant and important; ‘least of all do traders (often resort) make frequent journeys back and forth to them and bring in', etc. (Towle & Jenks)

ad effeminandos animos: ‘to weaken the courage’ (Walker)

Qua de causa: ‘For this reason’ (Kelsey); ‘and for this reason’: referring back to proximi, etc., and further explained by quod…contendunt

quoque: i.e. as well as the Belgians (Towle & Jenks); ‘also,’ always follows the emphatic word, ‘because they (just as the Belgians) dwell near the Germans.’ (Harper & Tolman)

in eorum finibus: eorum refers to the Germans (Walker)

Eorum una pars: Eorum refers back to the Gauls as a whole, not to the Helvetii, who have just been mentioned. historical map

quam Gallos obtinere: quam is the subject, Gallos the object of obtinere; the infinitive clause quam...obtinere is the subject of dictum est. The whole may be freely translated 'which, as has been said, the Gauls occupy'. (Walker)

a flumine: 'at the river' (Walker)

ab Sequanis: ‘on the side of the Sequani.’ (Merryweather & Tancock).

in septentriones…solem: i.e. toward the northeast (Walker). Septentriones -um m.: 'the north,' lit. the constellations of the great and little Bear. The word is used both in the singular (as a compound) and in the plural. (Allen & Judson)

spectat inter etc.: i.e. 'has a northwesterly aspect'. Caesar regards the whole country from the standpoint of 'The Province'. (Walpole)

1.2

Orgetorix: the termination -rix, which occurs in so many Gallic names (cp. Ambiorix, Cingetorix, Dumnorix, Eporedorix, Lugotorix, Vergingetorix) means 'king'. (Stock)

M. Messala et M. Pupio Pisone consulibus…: ‘61 B.C.’ (Kelsey); M. Messala, M. Piso: consuls, A. U. 693, B. C. 61, i. e. when Caesar was quaestor in Spain. (Walpole); Messala, &c.: this was B. C. 61, three years before Caesar’s first campaign in Gaul. The construction of consulibus is abl. absolute: not so formal as ‘while Messala and Piso were consuls,’ but merely ‘in their consulship.’ This was the usual way of denoting the year. (Allen & Judson, 9)

suis cum omnibus copiis: men, women, and children. (Harper & Tolman)

praestarent: ‘they excelled’ (Kelsey)

potiri: here alone in Caesar with the genitive, but this is the usual construction in Cicero for acquiring political power. (Walpole)

hōc facilius: hōc: ‘so much,’ abl. of measure with comparatives (Walpole); ‘all the easier’ (Allen & Judson)

una ex parte: ‘on one side, &c’ The effect on the senses is supposed to come from the direction referred to. (Allen & Judson)

his rebus: lit. ‘from these things it was coming about that they roamed about less widely and could less easily make war,’ etc.

fiebat: the imperfect expresses the continued effect of the causes. (Allen & Greenough)

qua ex parte: ‘and on that account’ (Kelsey); ‘In which respect;’ lit. ‘from which side’ (Merryweather & Tancock); ‘for this reason’ (Towle & Jenks)

Pro multitudine…pro gloria belli: Pro: ‘Considering’ (Kelsey); Pro: ‘In proportion to.’ This meaning of pro comes from its other sense of ‘in the place of;’ so, ‘in return or requital for.’ (Merryweather & Tancock); Pro: ‘in proportion to’ (Allen & Judson)

Angustos…fines: ‘too small’ (Kelsey); ‘too narrow’ (Walpole); ‘too narrow limits’ (Allen & Judson)

Qui in longitudinem…patebant: Qui: i.e. fines (Kelsey); Milia passuum: ‘miles’; Patebant: ‘extended.’

1.3

His rebus adducti: ‘Prompted by these considerations’ (Kelsey); ‘induced by these considerations’ (Harper & Tolman)

pertinerent: the subjunctive is used because Caesar is not giving his own opinion as to what preparations were required, but that of the Helvetii: 'to make the necessary preparations' means 'to make the preparations which, as they considered, were necessary'. (Rice Holmes)

quam maximum numerum: 'as great a number as possible' or 'as many . . . as possible'. (Walker)

ut copia suppeteret: 'in order that a supply might be at hand' (Walker)

Ad eas res conficiendas biennium sibi satis esse duxerunt: Ad…conficiendas: gerundive construction ‘to complete these preparations’ (Kelsey); Biennium satis esse: ‘that two years would be sufficient’ (Kelsey); Duxerunt: here a verb of thought; ‘they reckoned’ (Kelsey); Biennium…duxerunt: ‘they judged that two years were sufficient’ (Walker)

Ad…conficiendas: ‘to carry out these arrangements’ (Kelsey)

in tertium annum: in tertium annum means directly after the end of the two years' preparation; we might say, 'at the beginning of the third year'.

Civitates: ‘clans,’ such as the Aedui, Sequani, &c., - about 60 in all, - whose territory had no local name, but was known only by that of the clan, which was sovereign and wholly independent, except for voluntary alliances. (Allen & Judson)

cuius pater ... appellatus erat: this clause is parenthetical; in working out the sentence, omit it until the rest has been thoroughly grasped. Then go back and read this clause; then read the entire sentence. (Towle and Jenks)

amicus: the Romans sometimes gave this distinction to barbarian chiefs whose aid they wished to gain. (Towle and Jenks)

Itemque: Item: ‘also’ (Kelsey, 10)

qui: i.e. Dumnorix

Principatum…obtinebat: Principatum: ‘the foremost place’ (Kelsey); Distinct from regnum, and implying the influential position in his tribe of a man of high birth, wealth, and military distinction. ‘Who at that time held a leading position in his state.’ (Merryweather & Tancock); ‘highest rank,’ as distinct from political power. (Allen & Greenough)

factu: ‘of accomplishment,’ lit. ‘in respect to the doing’ (Kelsey).

probat: ‘He showed them’ (Kelsey).

Obtenturus esset: ‘he was going to seize’ (Kelsey)

Non esse dubium: ‘that there was no doubt’ (Kelsey)

Quin…possent: ‘that the Helvetians were the most powerful (people) in all Gaul, ‘ lit. ‘were able the most of the whole (of) Gaul’ (Kelsey); Quin…plurimum…possent: ‘that the Helvetii were the most powerful nation of Gaul.’ ‘Possum’ means here absolutely ‘to be powerful:’ not prolatively, ‘to be able to do a thing.’ (Moberly)

Regno occupato: ‘having seized the supreme power’ (Kelsey); ‘in case they should get in their hands the royal power’ (Allen & Greenough)