Lectitō › Julius Caesar › The Alexandrian War (Bellum Alexandrinum)
Bellum Alexandrinum 37
Pharnaces draws up his line
Hirtius, Bellum Alexandrinum. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōB. Alex. 37.1Haec cum administrāret, numquam tamen intermittēbat lēgātōs dē pāce atque amīcitiā mittere ad Domitium, cum hōc ipsō crēderet facilius eum dēcipī posse.
While he was arranging this, he never stopped sending envoys to Domitius about peace and friendship, believing that by this very means Domitius could be more easily deceived.
Note. Haec cum administrāret: 'while he was arranging this'. hōc ipsō: 'by this very means'. facilius eum dēcipī posse: indirect statement after crēderet.
B. Alex. 37.2At contrā spēs pācis Domitiō in eīsdem castrīs morandī attulit causam.
But the hope of peace, on the contrary, gave Domitius a reason to linger in the same camp.
Note. morandī … causam: genitive of the gerund, 'a reason for delaying'.
B. Alex. 37.2Ita Pharnacēs āmissā proximī temporis occāsiōne veritus, nē cognōscerentur īnsidiae, suōs in castra revocāvit.
So Pharnaces, having lost the opportunity of the moment and fearing that the ambush would be discovered, recalled his men to camp.
Note. amissā … occāsiōne: ablative absolute. veritus: perfect participle of the deponent vereor, with present sense. nē cognōscerentur: fear clause, 'that … might be discovered'.
B. Alex. 37.3Domitius posterō diē propius Nīcopolim accessit castraque oppidō contulit.
The next day Domitius came closer to Nicopolis and moved his camp up to the town.
Note. postero diē: 'on the next day'. castra oppidō contulit: 'brought his camp up to the town'; the dative oppidō expresses direction.
B. Alex. 37.3Quae dum mūniunt nostrī, Pharnacēs aciem īnstrūxit suō mōre atque īnstitūtō.
While our men were fortifying it, Pharnaces drew up his battle line in his usual fashion.
Note. Quae dum mūniunt: dum with the present indicative, 'while', even in past narrative. suō mōre atque īnstitūtō: 'in his own fashion and custom'.
B. Alex. 37.4In fronte enim simplicī dērēctā aciē cornua trīnīs firmābantur subsidiīs;
His front was formed in a single straight line, and the wings were strengthened with three lines of reserves;
Note. simplicī dērēctā aciē: ablative absolute, 'the line being drawn up straight and single'. trīnīs … subsidiīs: distributive numeral, 'with triple reserves'.
B. Alex. 37.4eādem ratiōne haec mediā collocābantur aciē duōbus dextrā sinistrāque intervallīs simplicibus ōrdinibus īnstrūctīs.
in the same way the centre was arranged, with single ranks drawn up in two intervals to right and left.
Note. eādem ratiōne: 'in the same way'. haec media: 'the centre'. dextrā sinistrāque: 'on right and left'. The exact formation is not wholly clear.
B. Alex. 37.5Perfēcit inceptum castrōrum opus Domitius parte cōpiārum prō vallō cōnstitūta.
Domitius finished the work on the camp he had begun, with part of his forces posted in front of the rampart.
Note. inceptum … opus: 'the work he had begun'. parte cōpiārum … cōnstitūtā: ablative absolute.
Vocabulary
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| administrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | manage, carry out |
| numquam, adv. | never |
| tamen, adv. | however, yet, nevertheless |
| intermittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | leave off, interrupt; let pass; pass., be left between, intervene, elapse |
| lēgātus, -ī, m. | ambassador |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| pāx, pācis f. | peace |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| amīcitia, -ae f. | friendship, alliance |
| mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus | send |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| crēdō, -dere, -didī, -ditus | believe |
| facile, adv. | easily |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| dēcipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | catch, deceive |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| at, conj. | but |
| contrā, prep, with acc. | against, contrary to |
| spēs, speī, f. | hope |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron. | the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| moror, -ārī, -ātus | delay, linger, stay |
| afferō, afferre, attulī, allātum | bring, bring to; cause |
| causa, -ae, f. | cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of |
| ita, adv. | in this manner, thus, so; ita ut, as |
| āmittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send away, lose |
| proximus, -a, -um | nearest, next |
| tempus, temporis, n. | time, season |
| occāsiō, -ōnis, f. | chance, opportunity |
| vereor, -ērī, -itus | fear |
| nē, adv. | not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest |
| cognōscō, -gnōscere, -gnōvī, -gnitus | find out, learn; in tenses of completed action, have found out, know |
| īnsidiae, -ārum, f. plur. | ambush; plot, stratagem |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| revocō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | call back, recall |
| posterus, -a, -um | following, next |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| propius (comp. adv. and prep. + acc.) | nearer, closer (to) |
| accēdō, -ere, accessī, accessum | come near, approach; be added |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| oppidum, -ī, n. | town |
| cōnferō, cōnferre, contulī, conlātus | bring together; grant, confer; sē cōnferre, to betake oneself, make one's way |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| dum, conj. | while, as; as long as; until |
| mūniō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus | fortify |
| noster, -tra, -trum | our |
| aciēs, -ēī, f. | line of battle |
| īnstruo, -struere, -strūxī, -strūctus | build in or into; draw up; equip, furnish, |
| mōs, mōris, m. | way, manner, habit, custom |
| īnstitūtum, -ī n. | custom, institution |
| frōns, frontis, f. | forehead |
| enim, conj. | for |
| simplex, -icis | simple, unmixed, pure |
| dīrigō (dērigō), -ere, -rēxī, -rēctus | set straight, arrange in line; dērēctus: straight |
| cornū, -ūs, n. | horn |
| trīnī, -ae, -a (distrib. num.) | three each; three (with nouns used only in the plural) |
| firmō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | strengthen, secure |
| subsidium, -ī, n. | reserve, reinforcement, support, help |
| ratiō, -ōnis, f. | plan, means, method, manner; reason; account |
| medius, -a, -um | mid, middle |
| collocō (conlocō), -āre, -āvī, -ātum | place, station; give in marriage |
| duo, -ae, -o, plur. adj. | two |
| dextra, -ae, f. | right hand (manus understood) |
| sinistra, -ae, f. | left hand (manus understood) |
| intervallum, -ī, n. | interval, space, distance |
| ōrdō, ōrdinis, m. | arrangement, order, rank; ex ōrdine, in order |
| perficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | do or make through, accomplish |
| incipiō, -ere, incēpī, inceptum | begin |
| opus, operis, n. | work, task |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| cōpia, -ae, f. | supply, abundance; plur., forces, troops |
| prō, prep. with abl. | before, in front of; for, in behalf of; for, as; in return for, for |
| vallum, -ī n. | rampart, palisade |
| cōnstituō, -stituere, -stituī, -stitūtus | set together or up; appoint; determine |