[*] 8.14. renuntiatur, word is brought back: i.e. by messengers sent to ascertain, as the prefix re implies; the subject is the clause Helvetiis esse, etc. （see note on 6 24）. [*] 8.15. Santonum: a people north of the Garonne, on the Bay of Biscay. This is so far from the borders of the province as to show that Caesar was only searching for a pretext. But the conquest of Gaul was already determined upon, and the warlike Helvetii were too dangerous a people to be allowed to add their strength to that of the present inhabitants. [*] 8.16. Tolosatium: the people of Tolosa, the modern Toulouse. [*] 8.17. Id refers to the Helvetii marching into the territory of the Santones. — fieret: the subjv. of indir. disc. after intellegebat. [*] 8.18. futurum [esse] ut haberet, etc., it would be to the great peril of the province that it should have, etc. （§ 561. N. 1 (329. N.); B. 294; G. 506; H. 571 (540); H-B. 238）. — ut … haberet: a substantive clause of result used as the subject of futurum [esse] （§ 537, 568 (319, 332. a); B. 284. 1, 297. 2; G. 553. 4. R. 3; H. 571. 1 (501. i. 1); H-B. 521. 3. a）. Caesar's thought would be: 'Id si fiet, magno … futurum est ut populus Romanus … habeat.' [*] 8.19. locis （loc. abl.） patentibus, in an open country: the southwest part of Gaul is a broad river valley, giving easy access to the province. [*] 8.20. finitimos: predicate, have as neighbors, etc. [*] 8.21. munitioni praefecit, he put in command of the fortification. — Labienum: this was Caesar's best officer, a prominent and influential politician, of strongly democratic sympathies. He served Caesar faithfully through the Gallic wars, but when the civil war broke out he joined what he conceived to be the party of the republic went over to Pompey, and was killed at Munda, B.C. 45. [*] 8.22. legatum, aide, lieutenant: no English word exactly translates this word. — magnis itineribus: cf. quam maximis potest itineribus, 6 16. It is the usual phrase for forced marches of an army. The ordinary day's march of the Romans was about 15 miles; a magnum iter was from 20 to 25 miles. — Italiam probably only into his province of Cisalpine Gaul, but this was already regarded as a part of Italy.
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| Figure 114. Signifer. |
