AlexandrosPapadopoulos

APLatin,125
th
January5
,2016

DeBelloGallico
Book5Essay/TestQuestions

PARTII:

Chapter27LiteralTranslation
quodeiusoperastipendioliberatusesset,quodAduatucis,finitimissuis,pendereconsuesset,
Becausebyhis(Caesars)service,he(Ambiorix)hadbeenfreedfrom(the)taxwhichhehad
becomeusedtopayingtohisneighbors,theAduatuci,[]

quodque ei et filius et fratris filius ab Caesare remissi essent, quos Aduatuci obsidum numero
missosapudseinservituteetcatenistenuissent
And because both his son and his brothers son had been returned to him by Caesar, which,
(having been) sent in the number of (the) hostages, the Aduatuci had kept in slavery and in
chainsamongstthem[]

Asyndeton:theomissionofaconjunctionbetweenpartsofasentence
Thisrhetoricaldevice particularsuitsAmbiorixssenseofurgencysothatheputsmoreemphasis
on the danger Sabinus faces if he does not heed Ambiorixs warning. These progressively
weighted words thus influence Sabinus more greatly thantheywouldbyjustoneortheother,as
AmbiorixseemsmoresincereinlookingoutforthesecurityofSabinusandhismen.

4A: Id se facile ex humilitate sua probare posse, quod non adeo sit imperitus rerum ut suis
copiispopulumRomanumsuperariposseconfidat.
He was able to demonstrate this easily out of his own humility, because he isnot soignorantof
mattersthathefeelsconfidenttheRomanpeopleareabletobeconqueredbyhistroops.
In this manner of speaking, Ambiorix flatters the power of the Roman army saying that he will
never attack the Romans due to their military might.Ambiorixgoesontosaythatevenifhedid
attack the Romans, he does not believe he can conquer them with his own army, which heuses
as a reason for why he is compelled not to attack them. This indirectly reinforces his
trustworthinessandseemingloyaltytoCaesarandhisarmy.

4B: llud se polliceri et iureiurando confirmare tutum iterperfinesdaturumquodcumfaciat,et

civitatiseseconsulere,quodhibernislevetur,etCaesariproeiusmeritisgratiamreferre.
He promises this and confirms by oath he would giveasafejourneythroughhisterritory (and)
by doing this, he both takes care for his state, because (the state) would be relieved from the
wintercamps,andtoCaesarhewouldreturn(the)favorforhiskindness.
Ambiorix now swears that Caesar would be able to gain passage through his territory on the
account of the good deeds Caesar had done for him. Ambiorix stresses his debt to Caesar, and
how he therefore considers not only the affairs of his ruling state, but the Romans as well.
Ambiorix indicates that he puts the interests of Caesar equivalent to his own people, which
makeshimseemfaithfultoCaesarinthisaspect.

Chapter30/31ImpersonalPassiveTranslations
Hac in utramque partem disputatione habita, cum a Cotta primisque ordinibus acriter
resisteretur,"Vincite,"inquit,"siitavultis,"
With this argument having been had into each part, when Cotta and the first order fiercely
resisted(this),he(Sabinus)saidwinifyouwantitso,[]

Consurgitur ex consilio comprehenduntutrumqueetorant,nesuadissensioneetpertinaciarem

insummumpericulumdeducant:
They stand up as a group they seize (thehands)ofeachandbeseechthemnottobringthestate
ofaffairsinto(the)highestriskbytheirdisagreementandstubbornness:[]

Chapter31LiteralTranslationwiththeImpersonal
Consumitur vigiliis reliqua pars noctis, cum sua quisque miles circumspiceret, quid secum
portare posset, quid ex instrumento hibernorum relinquere cogeretur.Omniaexcogitantur,quare
nec sine periculo maneatur, et languore militum et vigiliispericulumaugeatur.Primalucesicex
castris proficiscuntur, ut quibus esset persuasum non ab hoste, sed ab homine amicissimo
Ambiorigeconsiliumdatum,longissimoagminemaximisqueimpedimentis.

The remaining part of the night is consumed inwakefulness,whileeachsoldierisexamininghis

(possessions), what he would be able to carry with him, (and) what he was forced to relinquish
from the equipment of the winter camp. All sorts ofreasonsaredevised,whytheywouldremain
(in that place) withoutdanger,and(why)dangerwouldbeincreasedby(boththe)weaknessand
wakefulness of the soldiers. At dawn, theythussetoutfromthecamp,(theyleavejust)as(those)
who were persuaded that the advice had not been given by the enemy, but instead by the
friendliestmanAmbiorix,withthelongestmarchingcolumnandthegreatestbaggage.

Caesar narrates these accounts in the soldiers perspective so that he can capture their anxiety
andalertnessdespitebeinglethargic(whichheemphasizesgreatly)ofthedecisiontheyareabout
to make. Caesar usestheir worryandunderlyingsenseofdoubtinAmbiorixtosupporthisbelief
thatSabinusmadetheincorrectdecisiontrustingtheenemy

Chapter33ParallelConstruction
At Cotta, qui cogitasset haec posse in itinere accidere atqueobeamcausamprofectionisauctor
non fuisset, nulla in re communi saluti deerat et in appellandis cohortandisque militibus
imperatorisetinpugnamilitisofficiapraestabat.

But Cotta, since he had thought that these (things) were able to happen on the trip and for this
reason [he] had not been a promotor of this setting out, in no affair was he lacking for the
common security() he exhibits both the duties of a general in calling and encouraging his
soldiersand[heexhibitsthedutiesof]asoliderinbattle.

Chapter34FindandTranslate
At barbaris consilium non defuit. Nam duces eorum tota acie pronuntiare iusserunt, ne quis ab
loco discederet: illorum esse praedam atque illis reservari quaecumque Romani reliquissent:
proindeomniainvictoriapositaexistimarent.

But a plan was not lacking for the barbarians. For their leaders ordered (them) to announce
along the whole battle line, that no one should leave from (their) place: theirs was the plunder
and this was reserved to them whatever the Romans had relinquished: therefore they reckoned
thateverythingwasplacedinvictory.

In Book 6, the Gauls are shown to plunder only after they have conquered the enemy. During
Chapter 8, the Gauls tell one another that the spoils were theirs if theywonthebattle andnotto
grab the plunder prematurely. Similarly in Chapter 34 of Book 5, Ambiorix uses the Romans
possessions as an incentive of plunder in order to incentivize the Gauls, but warns them to not
takeituntiltheywinthebattle.

Chapter37Miscellaneous
Hyperbatonaninversionofthenormalorderofwords,usuallyforemphasis.
In the context of this example, the words longiorque consulto ab Ambiorige instituitur sermo
are part of a phrase in which Caesar employs Hyperbaton. The word instituitur is inserted
betweentheablativephrase,whenitisusuallyputbeforeorafteraclauseofsuchatype.

This is particularly artful in this situation because instead of leaving the main verb concerning
the clause beforehand or at the very end,itisplacedinsidethe ablativephrase.Thisthuslygives
thephrasemoreofanactivetone,insteadofasthepassiveorcausalformitusuallyrepresents.

Chapter38AblativeAbsolutePhrase
RedemonstrataAduatucisqueconcitatis
WiththematterhavingbeenexplainedandtheAduatuciincited[]

Chapter40LiteralTranslations:
Mittuntur ad Caesarem confestim ab Cicerone litterae magnis propositis praemiis, si
pertulissent:obsessisomnibusviismissiintercipiuntur.
Letters are immediately sent to Caesar from Cicero with a great reward having been offered,if
they would have carried through: with all the roads having been blockaded, those (messengers
whohadbeen)sentwereintercepted.

Ipse Cicero, cum tenuissima valetudine esset, ne nocturnum quidem sibi tempus ad quietem
relinquebat,utultromilitumconcursuacvocibussibiparcerecogeretur.
Cicero himself, although he wasofverydelicatehealth,didnotevenleavehimselftimetorestat
night,thathewasforcedtosparehimselfbytherunningandvoicesofthesoldiers.

Chapters 4245 In the battle against the Nervii, Ciceros camp, though they are severely
disadvantaged due tothecircumstancesofthebattle,isabletoturnthetidefora whileduetothe
courageous presence of mind exhibited bythesoldiers.Caesarexplainsthecauseofthisreversal
of advantages, attributing it to the bravery of the soldiers in general. He also credits the third
cohort for their ability to protect the camp from an enemy tower, as well as the centurions T.
Pullio and L. Vorenus, whose rivalry helped both to kill a large number of the enemy. Though
the attacks become greater and greater in magnitude, Cicero able to withhold againsttheenemy
andfinallyisabletosendamessagetoCaesardetailinghissituationandaskingforaid.

Celeritas
Book6Chapter1

Pompey granted Caesars request forthe sakeoftheRepublicandtheclaimsoffriendship,and

Caesars lieutenants
quickly
completed thelevy.Threeregimentswerebothformedandbrought
to Caesar before winter was over, and the number of thecohortsthathehadlostunderQuintus
Titurius were doubled, thus enabling Caesar to teach theGaulsbothbyhis
quickefficiencyand
by the size of his forces what the discipline and the power of the Roman people could
accomplish.

Due to his estimation of requiring more troops in order to triumph over Gaul, Caesarmakeshis
lieutenants conduct a levy in order to enlist more troops into his army. With thehelpofGnaeus
Pompey, the consul during 55 BCE and a personal friend, Caesars lieutenants are able to
quickly levy enough troops to replace Quintus Tituriuss lost men twice over. The quick
recruitment of so many more troops into Gaul gives Caesar the ability tolayouthisstrategyfor
conquering Gaul in a much more efficient manner. Caesar finishes the chapter with a promise:
that he will show the Gallic people the swift military power and ability of his army, and,
consequently,thestrengthoftheRomanpeople.

Book7Chapters2728

[Caesar] proposed a reward for those who would first scale the walls, and gave the signal to
the soldiers.Theysuddenlyfewoutfromallquartersand
quickly
filledthewalls.Alarmed bythe
suddennessoftheattack,theenemyweredislodgedfromthewallandtowers
Here, Caesars military swiftness can be observed in fullscale. Offering a reward for those to
first invaded the Gallic camp, he is able to incentivize his soldiers into attacking the enemy
swiftly.Asaresultoftheirspeed,the enemyiscaughtunawares,andare forcedoutofthetowers
and walls. With the outer defenses removed, the Romans were able to encircle the camp and
instill a sense a panic among the Gauls that they wouldnotbeabletoflee.Withmassconfusion
instilled in the enemy, the Roman army quickly cut them down. In the end, only 800 out of the
40,000 originally at Avaricum survived in order to flee back to Vercingetorix. This outcome,
while a brutal massacre, was still verybeneficialtotheRomans,whowereabletokill almostall
oftheenemyandclaimedthetownofAvaricumthankstoCaesarsquickmilitarystrategy.