Ambiorix Essay

Essay: Caesar’s account of Ambiorix’s speech shows this leader of the Ebornes to be a deceitful and manipulative leader, whoseconsilium  ultimately leads the Romans into an ambush with disaster consequences.  Remember that rhetoric is the art of persuasion, which may be achieved in a number of ways and which the Romans studied and practiced extensively.   How does Ambiorix persuade the Romans? What arguments does Ambiorix make?  How does he construct these arguments and manipulate the language to win over the Romans to his views?  Analyze the following speech of Ambiorix as a piece of rhetoric with awareness ofboth the content of his arguments and also his style of presentation (figures of speech, rhetorical devices, diction, phonetics, etc.).   Make sure that your essay is well organized and that each point you make is supported by a close reading and careful analysis of Caesar’s Latin.   Late papers will not be accepted.  Value 100 Rabbit Points. 

Apud quōs Ambiorix ad hunc modum locūtus est: sēsē prō Caesaris in sē beneficiīs plūrimum eī cōnfitērī dēbēre, quod ēius operā stīpendiō līberātus esset quod Aduātucīs fīnitimīs suīs pendere cōnsuēsset, quodque eī et fīlius et frātris fīlius ab Caesare remīssī essent, quōs Aduātucī obsidum numerō mīssōs apud sē in servitūte et catēnīs tenuissent; neque id quod fēcerit dē oppūgnātiōne castrōrum aut iūdiciō aut voluntāte suā fēcisse sed coāctū cīvitātis, suaque esse ēiusmodī imperia ut nōn minus habēret iūris in sē multitūdō quam ipse in multitūdinem. Cīvitātī porrō hanc fuisse bellī causam, quod repentīnae Gallōrum coniūrātiōnī resistere nōn potuerit. Id sē facile ex humilitāte suā probāre posse, quod nōn adeō sit imperītus rērum ut suīs copiīs populum Rōmānum superārī posse cōnfīdat. Sed esse Galliae commūne cōnsilium: omnibus hībernīs Caesaris oppūgnandīs hunc esse dictum diem, nē qua legiō alterae legiōnī subsidiō venīre posset. Nōn facile Gallōs Gallīs negāre potuisse, praesertim cum dē recuperandā commūnī lībertāte cōnsilium initum vidērētur. Quibus quoniam prō pietāte satisfēcerit, habēre nunc sē ratiōnem officī prō beneficiīs Caesaris: monēre, ōrāre Titūrium prō hospitiō ut suae āc mīlitum salūtī cōnsulat. Māgnam manum Germānōrum conductam Rhēnum trānsīsse; hanc adfore bīduō. Ipsōrum esse cōnsilium, velintne priusquam fīnitimī sentiant ēdūctōs ex hībernīs mīlitēs aut ad Cicerōnem aut ad Labiēnum dēdūcere, quōrum alter mīlia passuum circiter quīnquāgintā, alter paulō amplius ab eīs absit. Illud sē pollicērī et iūre iūrandō cōnfīrmāre, tūtum iter per fīnēs datūrum. Quod cum faciat, et cīvitātī sēsē cōnsulere, quod hībernīs levētur, et Caesarī prō ēius meritīs grātiam referre.