Bellum Alexandrinum 21

B. Alex. 21.1Caesar quoad potuit cohortandō suōs ad pontem ac mūnītiōnēs continēre, eōdem in perīculō versātus est;

As long as Caesar could keep his men at the bridge and the fortifications by encouraging them, he shared the same danger;

Note. quoad: 'as long as'. cohortandō: ablative gerund, 'by encouraging'.

B. Alex. 21.1postquam ūniversōs cēdere animadvertit, in suum nāvigium sē recēpit.

when he saw that they were all giving way, he withdrew to his own vessel.

Note. This sentence begins Caesar's famous escape by swimming (Plutarch adds that he held papers above the water).

B. Alex. 21.2Quō multitūdō hominum īnsecūta cum inrumperet, neque administrandī neque repellendī ā terrā facultās darētur, fore, quod accidit, suspicātus sēsē ex nāvigiō ēiēcit atque ad eās, quae longius cōnstiterant, nāvēs adnatāvit.

When a crowd of men followed him and burst in, so that there was no chance either to steer it or to push it off from the land, he guessed what would happen, threw himself out of the vessel and swam to the ships which were standing further off.

Note. fore, quod accidit: 'that what did happen would happen'. administrandī … repellendī: genitive gerunds with facultās. sēsē: emphatic sē.

B. Alex. 21.3Hinc suīs labōrantibus subsidiō scaphās mittēns nōnnūllōs cōnservāvit.

From there he sent skiffs to help his men in difficulty and saved a number of them.

Note. suīs labōrantibus subsidiō: double dative, 'as help for his men in trouble'.

B. Alex. 21.3Nāvigium quidem eius multitūdine dēpressum mīlitum ūnā cum hominibus interiit.

His own vessel was sunk by the number of soldiers and went down together with the men.

Note. ūnā cum hominibus: 'together with the men'.

B. Alex. 21.4Hōc proeliō dēsīderātī sunt ex numerō legiōnāriōrum mīlitum circiter CCCC et paulō ultrā eum numerum classiāriī et rēmigēs.

In this battle about four hundred of the legionary soldiers were lost, and a little more than that number of marines and rowers.

Note. dēsīderātī sunt: 'were lost' (missed at the count). cccc: 400.

B. Alex. 21.5Alexandrīnī eō locō castellum magnīs mūnītiōnibus multīsque tormentīs cōnfirmārunt atque ēgestīs ex marī lapidibus līberē sunt ūsī posteā ad mittenda nāvigia.

The Alexandrians strengthened the redoubt at that spot with great fortifications and many pieces of artillery, and after clearing the stones out of the sea they afterwards used the passage freely to send out their vessels.

Note. ēgestīs ex marī lapidibus: they cleared the stones Caesar had used to block the arch (ch. 19).