Chapter 5.29

The advice considered in a council of war.

Titurius: Quintus Titurius Sabinus, one of Caesar’s legati in Gaul. Caesar refers to him by his nomen here. Elsewhere he uses his cognomen, Sabinus (Gaisser).

sero facturos, cum: 'that they would act too late, when', i. e., that it would be too late to act, when (Harkness); facturos [esse]: Supply se as subject. The indirect statement governed by clamitabat continues through the whole paragraph (Gaisser).

proximis: 'close at hand' (Allen & Judson); 'nearest'. This camp was farthest off from the main body, and hence if the nearest camps should be taken, the forces could not easily withdraw in safety. (Allen & Greenough)

Caesarem: subject of profectum [esse]. This indirect statement depends on se arbitrari (Gaisser).

neque…fuisse capturos: 'that otherwise the Carnutes would not have adopted' (Harkness). The direct discourse would have cepissent, and for venturos esse, venirent (Allen & Judson). Apodosis of a condition contrary to fact (unreal), the protasis of which is contained in the adverb aliter. (Hodges) ( A&G 589.b)

Carnutes: a Celtic tribe living between the Loire and the Seine. They began the revolt by killing their king, Tasgetius, a client of Caesar’s (Gaisser).

interficiendi Tasgeti: 'of killing Tasgetius' ( A&G 504.c).

ille: i.e., Caesar. ille is often used to refer to the most important person in a situation (Gaisser)( A&G 297.b).

nostri: objective genitive with contemptione: 'of us' (Gaisser). ( A&G 348)

neque Eburones venturos esse: ‘nor would the Eburones have come.’ (Moberly)

venturos esse: for venirent in direct discourse, the apodosis of a pres. condition contrary to fact. We should expect venturos fuisse. ( A&G 517)

Non…spectare: ‘It was not to the enemy that he looked for guidance, but to facts.’ (Holmes)

magno ... dolori: predicate dative '[for] a great sorrow' (Gaisser)( A&G 382).

Ariovisti: leader of a German tribe that had invaded Gaul in 71. Caesar drove him out of Gaul in 58 and he died or was killed soon afterwards (Gaisser).

superiores: here, 'earlier' (Gaisser).

ardere: 'is in a blaze' (Allen & Judson); 'was ablaze'. (Hodges)

tot contumeliis acceptis redactam: 'because it had been reduced after such a series of disasters, and after losing all their former military reputation' (Moberly); contumeliis acceptis: ablative absolute (Gaisser) ( A&G 419).

hoc: object of persuaderet. We would say, 'who would persuade himself of this?' (Gaisser)

in utramque partem: 'on each side' (Harkness); 'in either event' (Gaisser).

perventuros: The subject (the Romans) is not expressed (Gaisser).

si nihil esset durius: ‘If no greater difficulty came in their way,’ i.e. if no attack were made by the Gauls. (Anthon)