Bellum Alexandrinum 2

B. Alex. 2.1Neque vērō Alexandrīnīs in gerendīs negōtiīs cūnctātiō ūlla aut mora īnferēbātur.

Nor on the other hand was there any hesitation or delay on the part of the Alexandrians in carrying out their business.

Note. Neque vērō: 'nor on the other hand' — the narrative turns to the enemy. Alexandrīnīs: dative with īnferēbātur, 'was brought on the Alexandrians'. in gerendīs negōtiīs: gerundive phrase.

B. Alex. 2.1Nam in omnēs partēs, per quās fīnēs Aegyptī regnumque pertinet, lēgātōs conquīsītōrēsque dīlēctūs habendī causā mīserant magnumque numerum in oppidum tēlōrum atque tormentōrum convēxerant et innumerābilem multitūdinem armātōrum addūxerant.

For they had sent envoys and recruiting officers into all the regions over which the territory and kingdom of Egypt extend, to hold a levy, and had brought into the town a great quantity of missiles and artillery, and had gathered an innumerable host of armed men.

Note. per quās … pertinet: the verb is singular agreeing with the nearer subject, though both fīnēs and regnum are its subjects. dīlēctūs habendī causā: 'for the sake of holding a levy'; causā follows the genitive gerundive. armātōrum: substantive, 'of armed men'.

B. Alex. 2.2Nec minus in urbe maximae armōrum erant īnstitūtae officīnae.

No less were huge workshops for arms set up in the city.

Note. Nec minus: 'and no less'. erant īnstitūtae: pluperfect passive split by its subject.

B. Alex. 2.2Servōs praetereā pūberēs armāverant;

Besides that, they had armed the adult slaves;

Note. pūberēs: 'of military age', grown up.

B. Alex. 2.2quibus dominī locuplētiōrēs vīctum cōtīdiānum stīpendiumque praebēbant.

the richer masters supplied them with daily food and pay.

Note. quibus: dative with praebēbant. locuplētiōrēs: comparative, 'the richer masters'.

B. Alex. 2.3Hāc multitūdine dispositā mūnītiōnēs sēmōtārum partium tuēbantur;

With this host stationed about, they guarded the fortifications of the outlying districts;

Note. hāc multitūdine dispositā: ablative absolute. sēmōtārum: 'outlying', from sēmoveō.

B. Alex. 2.3veterānās cohortēs vacuās in celeberrimīs urbis locīs habēbant, ut, quācumque regiōne pugnārētur, integrīs vīribus ad auxilium ferendum oppōnī possent.

the veteran cohorts they kept free in the busiest places of the city, so that in whatever quarter there was fighting they could be sent in with fresh strength to bring help.

Note. vacuās: 'free', i.e. not tied to any post. quācumque regiōne pugnārētur: impersonal passive, 'in whatever quarter fighting took place'. ad auxilium ferendum: gerundive of purpose.

B. Alex. 2.4Omnibus viīs atque angiportīs triplicem vallum obdūxerant— erat autem quadrātō exstrūctus saxō neque minus XL pedēs altitūdinis habēbat—, quaeque partēs urbis īnferiōrēs erant, hās altissimīs turribus dēnōrum tabulātōrum mūnierant.

They had drawn a triple barricade across all the streets and alleys — it was built of squared stone and was not less than forty feet high —, and the parts of the city which lay lower they had fortified with very tall towers of ten storeys each.

Note. angiportīs: 'alleys'. Note exstrūctus, masculine, although vallum is neuter: the writer seems to think of a mūrus or vallus. xl pedēs altitūdinis: 'forty feet of height', the Roman numeral xl = 40. quaeque: quae + -que, 'and the parts which…'; the relative clause comes first and is picked up by hās. dēnōrum tabulātōrum: distributive numeral, 'of ten storeys each'.

B. Alex. 2.5Praetereā aliās ambulātōriās totidem tabulātōrum cōnfēcerant subiectīsque eās rotīs fūnibus iūmentīsque dērēctīs platēīs, in quamcumque erat vīsum partem, movēbant.

Besides these they had built other, movable towers of the same number of storeys, and putting wheels under them, with ropes and draught animals, they moved them along the straight streets into whatever quarter they thought fit.

Note. ambulātōriās: 'movable', on wheels. subiectīs eās rotīs: ablative absolute with eās as the object of the participle's verb, 'putting wheels under them'. in quamcumque erat vīsum partem: 'into whatever part seemed good'.