Bellum Alexandrinum 1

B. Alex. 1.1Bellō Alexandrīnō cōnflātō Caesar Rhodō atque ex Syriā Ciliciāque omnem classem arcessit;

When the Alexandrian war had flared up, Caesar summoned his whole fleet from Rhodes and from Syria and Cilicia;

Note. The Bellum Alexandrinum continues Caesar's Civil War, which breaks off in the middle of the fighting at Alexandria (late 48 BC); it was probably written by Aulus Hirtius, one of Caesar's officers. bellō Alexandrīnō cōnflātō: ablative absolute, 'the war having flared up' (cōnflāre is 'to blow into flame'). Rhodō: ablative of place from which, without a preposition, as usual with names of towns and small islands. arcessit: historic present.

B. Alex. 1.1Crētā sagittāriōs, equitēs ab rēge Nabataeōrum Malchō ēvocat;

from Crete he called up archers, and cavalry from Malchus, king of the Nabataeans;

Note. Crētā: place from which again. The Nabataeans were an Arab kingdom with Petra as its capital; Malchus I was their king.

B. Alex. 1.1tormenta undique conquīrī et frūmentum mittī, auxilia addūcī iubet.

he ordered artillery to be gathered from every side, grain to be sent and auxiliary troops to be brought.

Note. iubet takes three accusative + passive infinitive phrases: tormenta conquīrī, frūmentum mittī, auxilia addūcī. undique: 'from all sides'.

B. Alex. 1.2Interim mūnītiōnēs cōtīdiē operibus augentur atque omnēs oppidī partēs, quae minus esse firmae videntur, testūdinibus ac mūsculīs aptantur;

Meanwhile the fortifications were increased every day with new works, and all the parts of the town which seemed not strong enough were fitted with tortoises and mantlets;

Note. cōtīdiē: Kübler's spelling of cottīdiē. testūdinēs and mūsculī were wheeled sheds that protected men working against walls. quae minus esse firmae videntur: minus here is almost 'not', 'which seem not strong enough'.

B. Alex. 1.2ex aedificiīs autem per forāmina in proxima aedificia arietēs immittuntur, quantumque aut ruīnīs dēicitur aut per vim recipitur locī, in tantum mūnītiōnēs prōferuntur.

from the buildings, moreover, battering-rams were sent through holes into the next buildings, and however much ground was gained, either by demolition or by force, the fortifications were carried forward that far.

Note. quantumque … locī, in tantum: 'and as much ground as …, so far'; quantum is subject of dēicitur and recipitur, with the partitive genitive locī. ruīnīs: 'by demolitions', i.e. knocking down houses.

B. Alex. 1.3Nam ab incendiō ferē tūta est Alexandrīa, quod sine contignātiōne ac māteriā sunt aedificia et strūctūrīs ac fornicibus continentur tēctaque sunt rūdere aut pavīmentīs.

For Alexandria is almost safe from fire, because its buildings are without wooden floors or timber, and are held together by masonry and vaults, and roofed with rubble-concrete or paving.

Note. nam explains why Caesar used rams and demolition rather than fire. sine contignātiōne ac māteriā: 'without wooden floors and timber'. rūdere: ablative of rūdus, a layer of rubble and mortar; pavīmentīs: tiled or stone pavement.

B. Alex. 1.4Caesar maximē studēbat, ut, quam angustissimam partem oppidī pālus ā merīdiē interiecta efficiēbat, hanc operibus vīneīsque agendīs ab reliquā parte urbis exclūderet, illud spectāns, prīmum, ut, cum in duās partēs esset urbs dīvīsa, aciēs ūnō cōnsiliō atque imperiō administrārētur, deinde, ut labōrantibus succurrī atque ex alterā oppidī parte auxilium ferrī posset, inprīmīs vērō, ut aquā pābulōque abundāret, quārum alterīus reī cōpiam exiguam, alterīus nūllam omnīnō facultātem habēbat;

Caesar was especially eager to cut off from the rest of the city, with siege-works and sheds, the narrowest part of the town, which the marsh lying to the south made; his aims were, first, that since the city was divided into two parts, the army should be directed by one plan and one command; next, that help could be brought to those in difficulty and support carried from the other part of the town; and above all, that he should have plenty of water and fodder, for of the one he had only a small supply, and of the other no means at all;

Note. A very long sentence. The main clause is Caesar maximē studēbat, ut … exclūderet. quam angustissimam partem … hanc: the relative clause comes first and is picked up by hanc; quam with a superlative is here the relative pronoun, 'the part, very narrow, which the marsh made'. operibus vīneīsque agendīs: gerundive, 'by pushing forward works and sheds'. illud spectāns introduces three purposes, each with ut: prīmum …, deinde …, inprīmīs vērō …. quārum alterius … alterius: 'of which (two things) of the one … of the other'.

B. Alex. 1.5quod utrumque lārgē pālus praebēre poterat.

and the marsh could supply both in abundance.

Note. quod: connecting relative, 'and this (both things)'. ūtrumque: neuter, 'both' (water and fodder).