pour out, we pray, upon your servants
a spirit of truth, understanding and peace,
that they may strive with all their heart
to know what is pleasing to you
and then pursue it with all their strength.
O God, who care for your peoples with
gentleness
and rule them in love,
endow with a spirit of wisdom
those to whom you have handed on authority to govern,
that your people may be led to know the truth more fully
and to grow in holiness according to your will.
Look upon the offerings of your servants,
O God of all compassion,
and bestow on them the grace of your light,
that they may have a true understanding
of what is right in your eyes
and boldly carry it out.
Grant, we pray, O merciful God,
that the holy gifts we have received
may confirm your servants in the truth
and prompt them to seek the honour of your name.
Render the underlined text in classical Latin.
Ariovistus answered Caesar, that he did not wage war against the Gauls, but that the Gauls waged war against him; that all tribes of Gaul had assembled to attack him and had been in the field1 against him; that he had defeated and put to flight all these troops in a single engagement, and that if they wished to try again, he was willing to fight them a second time; that if Caesar did not lead his army out of that country, he would consider him as an enemy; but that, if he would depart and leave him in the possession of Gaul, he would reward him with valuable presents. Tullius called loudly to his cavalry to return, (saying), that there was no necessity for fear, that the army of the Albani was on the march2 to attack the Fidenates. When Regulus was sent from Carthage to Rome, he said in the senate, that the Carthaginians, discouraged by so many mishaps, had no hope; that he was not of such value that so many thousand captives should be returned in exchange for him and the few Romans who had been taken prisoners. Socrates said that he went walking towards evening in order to dine the better, that namely3 the seasoning of food is hunger and that of drink is thirst.
1castra habere. 2circumduci. 3nam.
Caesar sent ambassadors to Ariovistus with the following demands: first, that he should not any more lead an army across the Rhine into Gaul; furthermore that he should return the hostages whom he had received from the Aedui, and also permit the Sequani to return those whom they held; that he should not provoke the Aedui by wrongs nor wage war against them or (ve) their allies; that if he would comply with these demands, he and the Romans would always maintain friendship with him. Turnus Herdonius of Aricia1 in a meeting of the Latins, sternly inveighed against the absent Tarquinius, saying, that it was not astonishing that at Rome they had given him the surname of Proud, or could there be anything more haughty than to despise the whole Latin nation; that while its chiefs were summoned from their distant homes, he who called the meeting was not present. That their patience was surely tested, in order that after they had submitted to the yoke, he might oppress them as his subjects; for to whom was it not evident, that he aimed at the supremacy over the Latins? That if they would listen to his advice, each one would return to his home and heed the day of the meeting as little as he who had announced it.
1Aricinus, a, um
The Aeduatici sent ambassadors to Caesar concerning peace, who spoke as follows: We do not believe that you wage war without divine assistance, since you can move machines of such size with so much ease and rapidity; we surrender our persons and all our possessions to you. For one thing we ask and beseech you: if perhaps in accordance with your clemency and mildness, of which we hear from others, you have resolved to spare our lives, do not deprive us of our weapons; nearly all our neighbors are our enemies and are jealous of our valour; hence, if we should be deprived of our arms, we could not defend ourselves against them. It is better for us to suffer any calamity at the hands of the Romans, than to be cruelly killed by those over whom we were accustomed to rule. To this Caesar replied: I will preserve your nation more because of my custom than of your merits, if you surrender before the battering ram touches the walls; but there is no possibility of surrender except after delivering up your weapons. I will command your neighbours not to inflict any wrong on the subjects1 of the Roman people.
1dedititius.
