Caesar De Bello Gallico 1:4 Course Notes

Latin III:  Caesar, De Bello Gallico
Instructor:  James Ransom
January 14, 2014

Caesar, DBG 1:4

Course Notes

© 2014 James Ransom, M.A., J.D.

[4]        1       Ea res est Helvetiis per indicium enuntiata. Moribus suis Orgetoricem ex vinculis causam dicere coegerunt; damnatum poenam sequi oportebat, ut igni cremaretur.    2       Die constituta causae dictionis Orgetorix ad iudicium omnem suam familiam, ad hominum milia decem, undique coegit, et omnes clientes obaeratosque suos, quorum magnum numerum habebat, eodem conduxit; per eos ne causam diceret se eripuit.    3       Cum civitas ob eam rem incitata armis ius suum exequi conaretur multitudinemque hominum ex agris magistratus cogerent, Orgetorix mortuus est;      4       neque abest suspicio, ut Helvetii arbitrantur, quin ipse sibi mortem consciverit.

________________________________________________

1          Ea res est Helvetiis per indicium enuntiata This plot was betrayed to the Helvetians by an informer; “enuntiata est” is perfect passive of  enuntio, enuntiare, enuntiavi, enuntiatum, “report, disclose, reveal, declare.” “indicium” is accusative singular of the second declension noun indicium, indicii, n., “evidence, report, token, sign.” The literal sense is here anthropomorphized (i.e., the “evidence” of the plot is provided to the Helvetians by a spy, agent, or turncoat).     

Moribus suis Orgetoricem ex vinculis causam dicere coegerunt As precedent required, they forced Orgetorix to plead his cause in chains; “coegerunt” is third person plural perfect indicative active of cogo, cogere, coegi, coactum, “to force, compel, require.”  “Orgetoricem”:  accusative object of “coegerunt,” but also accusative subject of “dicere.”

damnatum poenam sequi oportebat, ut igni cremaretur were he found guilty, the law required that he be burned at the stake; “cremaretur” is third-person singular imperfect passive subjunctive (in an ut clause of indirect command) of cremo, cremare, cremavi, crematum, “to burn, destroy by fire, cremate.”  “damnatum” is the perfect passive participle of damno, damnare, damnavi, damnatum, “sentence, declare guilty, condemn, convict.”   the participle conveys a conditional sense; “if convicted.”  “poenam” is accusative singular of poena, poenae, f.  “sequi” is present infinitive of the deponent sequor, sequi, secutus sum.  “oportebat” is third person singular imperfect indicative active of oportet, oportere, oportuit, “to be necessary, proper, required.” 

2          Die constituta causae dictionis Orgetorix ad iudicium omnem suam familiam, ad hominum milia decem, undique coegit, On the day set for oral argument, Oregorix summoned to the trial court from every corner of the realm his family and personal militia, numbering some ten thousand men; “coegit”:  third person singular perfect indicative active of cogo. Orgetorix is the subject. “undique”=whencesoever, from all parts, from all corners.  “Die constituta”:  ablative of time when.  “dictionis” is genitive singular of dictio, dictionis, f., “speech, oratory.”  “causae” is genitive singular of causa, causae, f. , “case, claim, contention.”  “iudicum” is accusative singular of iudicum, iudici, n., “trial, judgment, decision.”  

et omnes clientes obaeratosque suos, quorum magnum numerum habebat, eodem conduxit; and he also deployed there all his vassals and debtors, of whom he had a great number; “conduxit” is third person singular perfect indicative active of (con-)duco, ducere, dixi, dictum; its subject is “Orgetorix” understood.  “eodem,” an ablative of place where, modifies “conduxit.” 

per eos ne causam diceret se eripuit and through their interference he escaped trial; “diceret” is third person singular imperfect subjunctive of dico, dicere, dixi, dictum. “ne causam diceret”=Oregetorix avoided having to plead his case (cf. “causam dicere” supra at 4.1.  “eripuit” is third person singular perfect indicative active of eripio, eripere, eripui, ereptum, “to snatch away, rescue, escape.”  “se”=reflexive. 

3          Cum civitas ob eam rem incitata armis ius suum exequi conaretur  When the citizenry, outraged by this turn of events, sought to bring Orgetorix to justice by armed force;  “cum”: temporal of time when (i.e., when “Orgetorix mortuus est.”)  “exequi”=ex-sequi=present infinitive of the deponent verb ex-sequor, -sequi, -secutus est, “seek after, pursue for punishment or revenge.” “conaretur” is third person singular imperfect subjunctive of the deponent verb conor, conari, conatus. “incitata,” “having been aroused, incited,” is perfect passive participle of incito, incitare, incitavi, incitatum. “armis”=ablative of means.  “ius” is accusative singular of ius, iuris, n.; direct object of “exsequi.” 

  multitudinemque hominum ex agris magistratus cogerent, Orgetorix mortuus est …and the magistrates were calling up masses of men from the countryside, Orgetorix died; “cogerent” is third person plural imperfect subjunctive active of cogo, cogere, coegi, coactum, “collect, assemble.”  “hominum” is genitive plural, qualifying “multitudinem.” “mortuus est” is third person singular perfect indicative active of the deponent verb morior, mori, mortuus sum, “to die”; “mortuus est” is passive in form but active in meaning. 

4          neque abest suspicio, ut Helvetii arbitrantur, quin ipse sibi mortem consciverit not without speculation, as the Helvetians claim, that death came by his own hand; “consciverit” is third person singular perfect subjunctive active of conscisco, consciscere, consciscivi, conscitum, “to inflict or bring upon oneself.” “mortem,” the accusative singular of mors, mortis, f.. is the direct object.  “quin” = “that.”  “suspicio,” observes Finch, “is derived from sub + specere, to look at secretly askance…”  “abest” is third person singular present indicative of (ab-)sum, -esse, -fui, -futurus.