Caesar 1.2 - Orgetorix persuades the Helvetians to migrate

1. Apud Helvētiōs longē nōbilissimus fuit et dītissimus Orgetorīx. Is, M.

2. Messalā et M. Pūpiō Pisone cōnsulibus, rēgnī cupiditāte inductus coniūrā-

3. tiōnem nōbilitātis fēcit et cīvitāti persuāsit ut dē finibus suīs cum omnibus

4. cōpiīs exīrent: perfacile esse, cum virtūte omnibus praestārent, tōtīus Gal-

5. liae imperio potīrī. Id hōc facilius eīs persuāsit, quod undique locī natūrā

6. Helvētiī continentur:

Among the Helvetii, by far the richest and the most noble was Orgetorix. He, during the consulship of M. Messala and M. Pisone, having been influenced by desire to form a kingdom, made a conspiracy of the nobility and persuaded the tribe to leave from thier own boarders with all their troops; he said that this was very easy since they surpassed everyone with courage to take power of all Gaul. He very easily persuaded them by this fact, because the Helvetti are contained on all sides by the nature of the place.

7. ina ex parte flūmine Rhēnō lātissimo atque altissimō, quī agrum Helvētium

8. ā Germānīs dīvidit; alterā ex parte monte lūrā altissimō, qui est inter Sēquanōs

9. et Helvētiōs; tertiā lacū Lemannō et flūmine Rhodānō, qui provinciam nos-

10. tram ab Helvētiīs dīvidit. Hīs rēbus fiẽbat ut et minus lātē vagārentur et mi

11. nus facile fĩnitimīs bellum īnferre possent: quā ex parte hominēs bellandī

12. cupidī magnō dolōre adficiēbantur. Prō multitūdine autem hominum et prō

13. gloriā bellī atque fortitūdinis angustos sē finēs habēre arbitrābantur quī in

14. longitūdinem mīlia passuum CCXL, in lātitūdinem CLXXX patēbant.

On one side by the deepest and widest Rhine River, which divides the land of the Helvetti from the Germans; Another part of the highest Jura Mountain, which is inbetween the Sequani and the Helvetti; on the third, both Lake Geneva and the Rhone River which divides our province from the Helvetti. So it was happening so that they both wandered less for and less widely to be able to wage war less easily on their neighbors: for this reason, men desirous of waging war were affected with great grief. However, boarders for their number of men and for their glory of war and their strength which extended 240 miles in length and 180 in width.

Two superlative adjectives (lines 1-6)

1. nobilissimus - most noble

2. ditissimus - richest

A comparative adverb

facilius - more easily

An indirect command

persuāsit ut exīrent - persuaded the tribe to leave

A genitive pronoun with a -ius ending

totius - all

Cum Clause

cum virtūte omnibus praestārent - with courage to take power (of all Gaul)

Two imperfect subjunctive verbs

1. exīrent - to leave

2. praestārent - to take power

Ablative or means

natura - the nature

Ablative Absolute

M. Messalā et M. Pūpiō Pīsōne cōnsulibus - during the consulship of M. Messala and M. Pisone

Noun-Adjective Agreement (lines 1-6)

1. longe nobillissimus - all the nobility

2. ditissimus Orgetorix - the richest was Orgetorix

3. perfacile esse - this was very easy

Two superlative adjectives (lines 7-14)

1. altissimo - deepest

2. latissimo - widest

Four relative pronouns (lines 7-14)

1. qui (nom) - Rheno flūmine

2. qui (nom) - monte Rhodano

3. qui (nom) - flūmine

4. qui (nom) - fines

Two imperfect subjective verbs

1. possent - to be able to

2. vagarentur - they wandered

One comparative adverb

minus - less easily

One positive adverb

late - widley

An indirect statement

sē (acc.) habēre (infinitive) arbitrābantur (VOH) - they thought that they had

Noun-Adjective Agreement (lines 7-14)

1. noc facilius - less easily

2. provinciam nostrum - our province

3. His rebus - this thing (it)