Chapter 5.25 | Dickinson College Commentaries

Erat in Carnūtibus summō locō nātūs Tasgētius, cūius māiōrēs in suā cīvitāte rēgnum obtinuerant. Huic Caesar prō eius virtūte atque in sē benevolentiā, quod in omnibus bellīs singulārī eius operā fuerat ūsus, māiōrum locum restituerat. Tertium iam hunc annum rēgnantem inimīcī palam multīs ex cīvitāte auctōribus interfēcērunt. Dēfertur ea rēs ad Caesarem. Ille veritus, quod ad plūrēs pertinēbat, nē cīvitās eōrum impulsū dēficeret, L. Plancum cum legiōne ex Belgiō celeriter in Carnūtēs proficīscī iubet ibīque hiemāre, quōrumque operā cōgnōverat Tasgētium interfectum, hōs comprehēnsōs ad sē mittere. Interim ab omnibus lēgātīs quaestōribusque, quibus legiōnēs trādiderat certior factus est in hīberna perventum locumque hībernīs esse mūnītum.

notes

Assassination of Tasgetius.

Carnutes, Carnutum, m. pl.: the Carnutes, who lived in the vicinity of Chartres (Allen & Greenough).

Tasgetius, -i m. One of his coins.

summo loco natus: 'born in the highest station', i. e., of a royal family (Harkness). loco is abl. of source, or origin (Hodges)(A&G 403.a).

Huic: indirect object of restituerat. This act of restoring chiefs exiled by the democracy of the tribes was peculiarly odious to the Gauls, as here appears (Allen & Greenough).

in se: 'toward him', i. e., toward Caesar (Harkness).

hunc annum regnantem: 'in this year, which was the third of his reign' (Moberly).

palam multis ex civitate auctoribus: ‘in the presence and with the consent of a large number of the people’ (Moberly); 'with the avowed sanction of many of the citizens' (Rice Holmes). The text given here is that of Rice Holmes. The OCT preserves and obelizes the unintelligible reading of manuscript a: inimicis iam multis palam ex civitate et eis auctoribus eum.

quod ad plures pertinebat: 'because several persons were concerned.' Literally, 'because it pertained to more persons than one' (Anthon)

quorum: the antecedent is hos. (Allen & Greenough)

perventum: impersonal passive. Supply esse (Harkness)(A&G 208.d).

in hiberna perventum etc.: 'that they had reached their respective quarters, and that a place for wintering in had been fortified by each' (Anthon).

hibernis: dat. (Hodges)(A&G 382).

vocabulary

obtĭnĕō –tĭnēre –tĭnŭī –tentum: take hold of; occupy, possess

bĕnĕvŏlentĭa, -ae f.: loyalty, devotion; kindness, favor

singŭlāris, -e: distinguished, extraordinary, single

rēstĭtŭo, -ĕre, -ŭi, -ūtum: re-establish, restore, rebuild

regnō –āre: rule, reign

pălam adv.: openly

impulsus, -ūs m.: instigation

hĭĕmō –āre: pass the winter, winter

comprĕhendo, -ĕre, -ndi, -nsum: grasp, seize; hurriedly take; catch; arrest, take

hībernus –a –um: referring to winter; hīberna –ōrum n. pl.: winter quarters