Liber I Caput XLII

[bedtime]

Some difficult passages which I am unsure of are in bold.

Feel free to comment!



Chapter 1.42

Cognitō Caesaris adventū, Ariovistus lēgātōs ad eum mittit: quod anteā dē colloquiō postulāsset, id per sē fierī licēre, quoniam propius accessisset, sēque id sine perīculō facere posse exīstimāret. Nōn respuit condiciōnem Caesar, iamque eum ad sānitātem revertī arbitrābātur, cum id quod anteā petentī dēnegāsset ultrō pollicērētur; magnamque in spem veniēbat prō suīs tantīs populīque Romānī in eum beneficiīs, cognitīs suīs postulātīs fore utī pertināciā dēsisteret. Diēs colloquiō dictus est ex eō diē quīntus. Interim saepe ultrō citroque cum lēgātī inter eōs mitterentur, Ariovistus postulāvit nē quem peditem ad colloquium Caesar addūceret: verērī sē nē per īnsidiās ab eō circumvenīrētur: uterque cum equitātū venīret: aliā ratiōne sēsē nōn esse ventūrum. Caesar, quod neque colloquium interpositā causā tollī volēbat neque salūtem suam Gallorum equitātuī committere audēbat, commodissimum esse statuit, omnibus equīs Gallīs equitibus dētractīs, eō legiōnāriōs mīlitēs legiōnis decimae, cui quam maximē cōnfīdēbat, impōnere, ut praesidium quam amīcissimum, sī quid opus factō esset, habēret. Quod cum fieret, nōn irrīdiculē quīdam ex mīlitibus decimae legiōnis dīxit: plūs quam pollicitus esset Caesarem facere; pollicitum sē in cohortis praetōriae locō decimam legiōnem habitūrum, ad equum rescrībere.


Clause Subordination + Translation

Cognitō Caesaris adventū
when the arrival of Caesar had been learned (lit. with the arrival of Caesar having been learned)
Ariovistus lēgātōs ad eum mittit
Ariovistus sends embassadors to him
quod anteā dē colloquiō postulāsset
[saying] that which he had demanded previously as to the conference (lit. concerning the conference)
id per sē fierī licēre
might now, as far as his permission went, take place (lit. it, through himself, was being allowed to be done)
quoniam propius accessisset
since he (Caesar) had approached nearer
sēque id sine perīculō facere posse
and he himself was able to do this thing without danger
exīstimāret
he considered

Nōn respuit condiciōnem Caesar
Caesar did not reject the proposal (lit. condition)
iamque
and now
eum ad sānitātem revertī
he was now returning to a rational state of mind (lit. he was being returned to sanity)
arbitrābātur
he was thinking that
cum id
when, it
quod anteā petentī dēnegāsset
that which he had previously denied, requesting
ultrō pollicērētur
he spontaneously offered
magnamque in spem veniēbat
and he was in great hope (lit. he was coming into great hope) that
prō suīs tantīs populīque Romānī in eum beneficiīs
in consideration of his own and the Roman people's great favors toward him (lit. on account of his own great beneficence and (the beneficence) of the Roman people toward him)
cognitīs suīs postulātīs
upon his demands being made known (lit. with his demands having been made known)
fore utī
it would be that
pertināciā dēsisteret
he would desist from (his) obstinancy

Diēs colloquiō dictus est ex eō diē quīntus
The fifth day after that was appointed as the day of conference
(lit. the fifth day was set for the conference out from this day)

Interim
in the meantime
saepe ultrō citroque cum lēgātī inter eōs mitterentur
as (cum = as) the ambassadors were often being sent back and forth between them
Ariovistus postulāvit
Ariovistus demanded that
nē quem peditem ad colloquium Caesar addūceret
Caesar not lead any foot-soldier to the conference
verērī sē
[saying] that he himself was fearing
nē per īnsidiās ab eō circumvenīrētur
lest, through a treachery, he should be surrounded (lit. circumvented) by him
uterque cum equitātū venīret
and both should come with cavalry
aliā ratiōne sēsē nōn esse ventūrum
[and] that, in another condition, he would not come

Caesar
Caesar
quod neque colloquium
as neither, the conference
interpositā causā
by an excuse thrown in the way (lit. by an excuse having been thrown in the way)
tollī volēbat
he was wishing to be set aside (lit. to be taken away)
neque salūtem suam Gallorum equitātuī committere audēbat
nor was he daring to trust his own safety to the cavalry of the Gauls
commodissimum esse
[it] was most commodious (arch. for 'convenient')
statuit
he decided

omnibus equīs Gallīs equitibus dētractīs
to take away from the Gallic cavalry all their horses (lit. with all the Gallic cavalry having been taken away from all [their] horses)
[in] eō legiōnāriōs mīlitēs legiōnis decimae
[and] in that place the legionary soldiers of the tenth legion
cui quam maximē cōnfīdēbat
to whom he was having the most confidence
impōnere
to mount upon (lit. to place upon)
ut praesidium quam amīcissimum
in order that, as trustworthy an escort as possible
sī quid opus factō esset
if there had been any need for action
habēret
he might have

Quod cum fieret
And when this was done
nōn irrīdiculē (adv.) quīdam ex mīlitibus decimae legiōnis dīxit
one of the soldiers of the tenth legion said, not without a touch of humor (lit. someone out from the soldiers of the tenth legion, not unwittily, said) that
plūs quam pollicitus esset
more than he had promised
Caesarem facere
Caesar was doing

pollicitum
he promised that
sē in cohortis praetōriae [in] locō decimam legiōnem habitūrum
he himself will have the tenth legion in place of [his] praetorian cohort
ad equum rescrībere
[and] (he) was re-enlisting [them] to cavalry

 

[Dantius]

commodissimum esse statuit, omnibus equīs Gallīs equitibus dētractīs, eō legiōnāriōs mīlitēs legiōnis decimae, cui quam maximē cōnfīdēbat, impōnere, ut praesidium quam amīcissimum, sī quid opus factō esset, habēret.

I would translate this as: "He decided it was most convenient to take away all the horses from the Gallic cavalry, and to replace them with (lit. place in there) the legionary soldiers of the 10th legion, which he trusted a lot (lit. as much as possible), so that he would have a very friendly guard, if he needed to do anything (lit. if there would be any need of it having been done).

So you seem to have put "si quid opus facto esset" as "if there had been any need for action".
It is in fact just a normal future conditional: he would have a very friendly guard, if there were any need for action.

 

[gedwimere]

I would translate this as: "He decided it was most convenient to take away all the horses from the Gallic cavalry, and to replace them with (lit. place in there) the legionary soldiers of the 10th legion

Replace the horses with the legionary soldiers? Caesar's legionaries surely were very versatile... or you could try to rewrite it less ambiguously. Perhaps "He decided it was the most convenient to place the soldiers of the 10th legion, in which he had the greatest trust, on the horses taken away from the Gallic cavalry, so that (...)"

 

[Dantius]

Gratias!
I must admit that whenever I try to translate some passage of Latin into a good English sentence it comes out a bit incoherently.

 

[gedwimere]

I think that the other passages you put in bold type are correctly translated and hardly even need any rewriting.

Cognitō Caesaris adventū, Ariovistus lēgātōs ad eum mittit: quod anteā dē colloquiō postulāsset, id per sē fierī licēre, quoniam propius accessisset, sēque id sine perīculō facere posse exīstimāret.

Having learned of Caesar's arrival, Ariovistus sent to him ambassadors, who said that what Caesar had demanded previously as to the conference might now, as far as Ariovistus's permission went, be done, since Caesar had approached nearer, and since Ariovistus considered himself to be able to do it without danger.

mittit is historic present, as can be inferred from the usage of imperfect and pluperfect subjunctives.

Caesar, quod neque colloquium interpositā causā tollī volēbat neque salūtem suam Gallorum equitātuī committere audēbat,
Because Caesar neither wanted that the conference be set aside by an excuse thrown in the way nor dared to trust his safety to the cavalry of the Gauls,

 

[Callaina]

Replace the horses with the legionary soldiers? Caesar's legionaries surely were very versatile...

 

[bedtime]

So you seem to have put "si quid opus facto esset" as "if there had been any need for action".
It is in fact just a normal future conditional: he would have a very friendly guard, if there were any need for action.

I'll have to watch for this, but there is such a pull to just translate it as it looks.

Replace the horses with the legionary soldiers? Caesar's legionaries surely were very versatile... or you could try to rewrite it less ambiguously. Perhaps "He decided it was the most convenient to place the soldiers of the 10th legion, in which he had the greatest trust, on the horses taken away from the Gallic cavalry, so that (...)"

Seeing the abl. of 'omnibus equīs Gallīs equitibus dētractīs' as 'on' and not 'in' or 'with,' seemed to make it click for me; it makes sense now.

Thank you all!

 

[gedwimere]

Nothing is impossible for Caesar's soldiers. For example, in Book V they prove they're virtually amphibious:

18. Caesar cognito consilio eorum ad flumen Tamesim in fines Cassivellauni exercitum duxit; quod flumen uno omnino loco pedibus, atque hoc aegre, transiri potest. Eo cum venisset, animum advertit ad alteram fluminis ripam magnas esse copias hostium instructas; ripa autem erat acutis sudibus praefixis munita, eiusdemque generis sub aqua defixae sudes flumine tegebantur. His rebus cognitis a captivis perfugisque Caesar praemisso equitatu confestim legiones subsequi iussit. Sed ea celeritate atque eo impetu milites ierunt, cum capite solo ex aqua exstarent, ut hostes impetum legionum atque equitum sustinere non possent ripasque dimitterent ac se fugae mandarent.

 

[bedtime]

Nothing is impossible for Caesar's soldiers. For example, in Book V they prove they're virtually amphibious:

18. Caesar cognito consilio eorum ad flumen Tamesim in fines Cassivellauni exercitum duxit; quod flumen uno omnino loco pedibus, atque hoc aegre, transiri potest. Eo cum venisset, animum advertit ad alteram fluminis ripam magnas esse copias hostium instructas; ripa autem erat acutis sudibus praefixis munita, eiusdemque generis sub aqua defixae sudes flumine tegebantur. His rebus cognitis a captivis perfugisque Caesar praemisso equitatu confestim legiones subsequi iussit. Sed ea celeritate atque eo impetu milites ierunt, cum capite solo ex aqua exstarent, ut hostes impetum legionum atque equitum sustinere non possent ripasque dimitterent ac se fugae mandarent.

This is the first time I've read De Bello Gallico, and I dare not read what happens too early lest I spoil it, but I am quite excited to read it eventually!