De Bello Civili Book I.5
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[5] His de causis aguntur omnia raptim atque turbate. Nec docendi[1] Caesaris propinquis eius spatium datur, nec tribunis plebis sui periculi deprecandi neque etiam extremi iuris intercessione retinendi, quod L. Sulla reliquerat, facultas tribuitur, sed de sua salute septimo die cogitare coguntur, quod illi turbulentissimi superioribus temporibus[2] tribuni plebis octavo denique mense suarum actionum respicere ac timere consuerant. Decurritur ad illud extremum atque ultimum senatus consultum, quo nisi paene in ipso urbis incendio atque in desperatione omnium salutis sceleratorum audacia numquam ante descensum est: dent operam consules, praetores, tribuni plebis, quique pro consulibus sint ad urbem, ne[3] quid res publica detrimenti capiat. Haec senatus consulto perscribuntur a.d. VII Id. Ian. Itaque V primis diebus,[4] quibus haberi senatus potuit, qua ex die consulatum iniit Lentulus, biduo excepto comitiali et de imperio Caesaris et de amplissimis viris, tribunis plebis, gravissime acerbissimeque decernitur. Profugiunt statim ex urbe tribuni plebis seseque ad Caesarem conferunt. Is eo tempore erat Ravennae[5] exspectabatque suis lenissimis postulatis responsa, si qua[6] hominum aequitate res ad otium deduci posset.
[1] A gerundive modifying Caesaris which functionally serves as its direct object: for informing Caesar
[2] superioribus temporibus- an ablative of time
[3] Introduces a purpose clause
[4] V…diebus- an ablative of time
[5] The locative
[6] Si (ali)qua
Vocabulary
Acerbus, a, um- bitter, harsh
Aequitās, ātis, f.- fairness, equity
Agō, ere, ēgī, āctus- to do, drive, act
Amplissimus, a, um- most distinguished, very noble
Audācia, ae, f.- boldness, audacity
Biduum, ī, n.- two-day period
Caesar, Caesaris, m.- caesar
Capiō, ere, cēpī, captus- to take, receive, suffer
Causa, ae, f.- cause, reason
Cogitō, āre, āvī, ātus- to think
Comitiālis, e- related to elections
Cōnferō, cōnferre, contulī, collātus- to bring together, betake oneself
Consuēscō, ere, consuēvī, consuētus- to become accustomed
Cōnsul, cōnsulis, m.- consul
Cōnsulātus, ūs, m.- consulship
Dēcernō, ere, dēcrēvī, dēcrētus- to decree
Decurrō, ere, decurrī, decursus- to run down, resort
Dēdūcō, ere, dēdūxī, dēductus- to lead away, reduce
Deprecor, ārī, deprecātus sum- to plead against, avert
Dēscendō, ere, dēscendī, dēscēnsus- to descend, resort to
Dēspērātiō, dēspērātiōnis, f.- despair
Dētrīmentum, ī, n.- loss, harm
Diēs, diēī, m.- day
Dō, dāre, dēdī, datus- to give
Doceō, ēre, docuī, doctus- to teach
Etiam (adv.)- also, even
Excipiō, ere, excēpī, exceptus- to take out, except
Exspectō, āre, āvī, ātus- to wait for, expect
Extrēmus, a, um- outermost, last
Facultās, facultātis, f.- ability, opportunity
Gravis, grave- heavy, serious
Iānuārius, a, um- january (used with dates)
Īdūs, Īduum, f.- the ides (13th or 15th of the month)
Imperium, ī, n.- power, authority (esp. military)
Incendium, ī, n.- fire, conflagration
Ineō, inīre, iniī, initus- to enter, begin
Intercessiō, intercessiōnis, f.- veto, intercession
Iūs, iūris, n.- law, right
Lēnis, lēne- mild, gentle
Nisī (conj.)- unless
Omnis, omne- all, every
Opera, ae, f.- effort, service
Ōtium, ī, n.- leisure, peace
Paene- almost
Perīculum, ī, n.- danger
Perscribō, ere, perscrīpsī, perscrīptus- to write out, record
Plebēs, plebis, f.- common people
Postulātum, ī, n.- demand, request
Praetor, praetōris, m.- praetor
Prō+ abl.- for, on behalf of
Profugiō, profugere, profūgī- to flee
Propinquus, ī, m.- relative, kinsman
Quī, quae, quod- who, which
Raptim (adv.)- hastily
Ravenna, -ae, f.- Ravenna (a city)
Rēs pūblica, reī pūblicae, f.- the republic, the state
Rēs, reī, f.- thing, matter
Respiciō, ere, respēxī, respectus- to look back
Respōnsum, ī, n.- answer, reply
Retineō, ēre, retinuī, retentus- to hold back
Salūs, salūtis, f.- safety, health
Scelestus, a, um- wicked, criminal
Sī (conj.)- if
Spatium, ī, n.- space, opportunity, time
Superior, superius- higher, earlier
Suus, a, um- his, her, their (own)
Tempus, temporis, n.- time
Timeō, timēre, timuī- to fear
Tribūnus, ī, m.- tribune
Tribuō, ere, tribuī, tribūtus- to grant, assign
Turbātus, a, um- confused, disturbed
Turbulentus, a, um- unruly, riotous
Urbs, urbis, f.- city
Vir, virī, m.- man
Translation
On account of these reasons, everything happened hurriedly and with confusion. Neither was time given to his associates for notifying Caesar, nor for the tribunes of the plebeians was the ability of averting their danger nor even for restraining with the intercession of their final judgment, which Sulla had left them, but on the seventh day they were forced to think about their safety that which the most violent of the tribunes of the plebeians had been accustomed to at last consider and fear in the eighth month of their activity. It had come to the final and ultimate decree of the senate to which the it had never been reduced except when nearly in conflagration and despairing of its well-being of all on account of the audacity of the wicked: the consuls, praetors, tribunes of the plebeians, and the proconsuls who are in the city shall be attentive that no overthrow shall take the republic. These words were written out by decree of the senate on January 7. And so on the first five days, on which the senate was able to be held, from the day Lentulus entered the consulate, except for two days for the election, there were decrees in the most severe and harsh manner concerning the power of Caesar and those most important men, the tribunes of the plebeians. Immediately they fled from the city and brought themselves to Caesar. He at that time was in Ravenna was was waiting for responses from his very mild demands if the matter was able to be laid to rest with some justice of men.