Immaculate Conception Academy

Latin III:  Caesar, De Bello Gallico
Instructor:  James Ransom
November 11, 2017

Caesar, DBG 1:4

Course Notes

11/11/2017 Update

[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.

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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). 

“Helvetiis”:  masculine dative plural   

Moribus suis Orgetoricem ex vinculis causam dicere coegerunt As precedent required, they forced Orgetorix to plead his cause in chains;

“moribus suis”:  ablative of respect, “according to their customs.”

“causam dicere”:  idiomatic, “to plead (his) case.”   

“vinculis” is ablative plural of vinculum, vinculi n. (2), “chain.” 

“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 burnt alive;

“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.  

“igni”:  ablative of means

“oportebat” is third person singular imperfect indicative active of the impersonal  oportet, oportere, oportuit, “to be necessary, proper, required.” 

damnatum poenam sequi oportebat: damnatum agrees with eum understood as object of sequi; ‘if condemned’ (Kelsey); poenam: subject of sequi; ‘the penalty,’ defined by the following ut-clause (Kelsey); poenam sequi oportebat: ‘the penalty would inevitably follow,’ lit. ‘it was necessary that the penalty follow.’ (Kelsey); In this sentence the subject of oportebat is the clause damnatum…sequi; the subject of sequi is poenam; and ut…cremaretur is in apposition with poenam, defining the puishment. Translate, ‘he was doomed, if condemned, to be burned by fire’; lit. ‘it must needs be that the penalty should overtake him condemned of being burned with fire.’ 

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, cogere, coegi, coactum, “to collect, assemble, gather together.” Orgetorix is the subject.

“Die constituta”:  ablative of time when, “on the established day.”  “constituta” is feminine ablative singular of the perfect passive participle of constituo, constituere, constitui, constitutum, “to confirm; decide, resolve.”   

“dictionis causae”: “for the pleading of the case.” 

“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.” 

“ad…milia decem”:  “up to” or “approximately” 10,000

“undique”=whencesoever, from all parts, from all corners.  

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.” 

The adjective “obaeratos” is masculine accusative plural of obaeratus, obaeratum, obaerata (1/2), “indebted.” 

per eos ne causam diceret se eripuit and through their interference he escaped trial;

 “ne causam diceret”=Oregetorix avoided having to plead his case (cf. “causam dicere” supra at 4.1.) subjunctive in negative clause of purpose.

 “diceret” is third perfect singular imperfect subjunctive active of dico, dicere, dixi, dictum (3). 

“eos” is accusative plural of is, ea, id. 

  “eripuit” is third person singular perfect indicative active of eripio, eripere, eripui, ereptum, “to snatch away, rescue, escape.”  “se”=reflexive.