6.
There was together with the others, Dumnorix, the
Aeduan, of whom we have made previous mention. Him, in
particular, he had resolved to have with him, because he had discovered him to
be fond of change, fond of power, possessing great resolution, and great
influence among the Gauls. To this was added, that
Dumnorix had before said in an assembly of
Aeduans, that the sovereignty of the state had been made over to
him by Caesar; which speech the Aedui bore
with impatience and yet dared not send embassadors to Caesar for the purpose of either rejecting or deprecating [that
appointment]. That fact Caesar had learned from his own
personal friends. He at first strove to obtain by every entreaty that he should
be left in Gaul; partly, because, being
unaccustomed to sailing, he feared the sea; partly because he said he was
prevented by divine admonitions. After he saw that this request was firmly
refused him, all hope of success being lost, he began to tamper with the chief
persons of the Gauls, to call them apart singly and
exhort them to remain on the continent; to agitate them with the fear that it
was not without reason that Gaul should be stripped of all
her nobility; that it was Caesar's design, to bring
over to Britain and put
to death all those whom he feared to slay in the sight of Gaul, to pledge his honor to the rest, to ask for their oath that
they would by common deliberation execute what they should perceive to be
necessary for Gaul. These things were reported
to Caesar by several persons.
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