Lectitō › Julius Caesar › The Alexandrian War (Bellum Alexandrinum)
Bellum Alexandrinum 39
Domitius offers battle
Hirtius, Bellum Alexandrinum. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōB. Alex. 39.1Domitius autem, cum Caesaris magis perīculō quam suō commovērētur, neque sē tūtō discessūrum arbitrārētur, sī condiciōnēs, quās rēiēcerat, rūrsus adpeteret aut sine causā discēderet, ex propinquīs castrīs in aciem exercitum ēdūxit;
Domitius, however, more troubled by Caesar's danger than by his own, thought he could not withdraw safely if he either sought again the terms he had rejected or left without cause, so he led his army out from his nearby camp into line of battle;
Note. magis … quam: 'more … than'. sē tūtō discessūrum: future infinitive, esse omitted. adpeteret: = appeteret, 'sought again'.
B. Alex. 39.2XXXVI legiōnem in dextrō cornū collocāvit, Ponticam in sinistrō, Dēiotarī legiōnēs in mediam aciem contulit, quibus tamen angustissimum intervallum frontis relīquit reliquīs cohortibus in subsidiīs collocātīs.
he placed the Thirty-sixth legion on the right wing, the Pontic legion on the left, and Deiotarus' legions in the centre, leaving them, however, a very narrow front, with the remaining cohorts posted in reserve.
Note. Ponticam: the Pontic legion, i.e. the one raised in Pontus (sentence 25). quibus … reliquit: 'to whom he left a very narrow front', placing them in close order.
B. Alex. 39.2Sīc utrimque aciē īnstrūctā prōcessum est ad dīmicandum.
With the lines drawn up on both sides in this way, they advanced to fight.
Note. processum est: impersonal passive, 'the advance was made'. ad dīmicandum: gerund of purpose.
Vocabulary
| autem, conj. | moreover; but, however; now |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| magis, comp. adv. | more, rather |
| perīculum, -ī, n. | danger, peril, risk |
| quam, adv. | how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| commoveō, -movēre, -mōvī, -mōtus | move, rouse; disturb |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| tūtō (adv.; comp. tūtius) | safely |
| discēdō, -cēdere, -cessī, -cessus | go apart, withdraw, depart |
| arbitror, -ārī, -ātus | consider, think, judge |
| sī, conj. | if |
| condiciō, -ōnis f. | terms; condition, status |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| rēiciō, -ere, rēiēcī, rēiectum | throw back, drive back |
| rūrsus, adv. | again |
| appetō, -petere, -petīvī, -petītus | draw near |
| aut, conj. | or; aut ... aut, either ... or |
| sine, prep. with abl. | without |
| causa, -ae, f. | cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| propinquus, -a, -um; as noun, -ī m./-a f. | near; (noun) relative |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| aciēs, -ēī, f. | line of battle |
| exercitus, -ūs, m. | army |
| ēdūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead out, draw |
| Roman numeral | a number written with letters: I 1, V 5, X 10, L 50, C 100, D 500, M 1000 |
| legiō, -ōnis f. | legion |
| dexter, -tra, -trum | right |
| cornū, -ūs, n. | horn |
| collocō (conlocō), -āre, -āvī, -ātum | place, station; give in marriage |
| Ponticus, -a, -um | of Pontus, from the Black Sea region |
| sinister, -tra, -trum | left |
| medius, -a, -um | mid, middle |
| cōnferō, cōnferre, contulī, conlātus | bring together; grant, confer; sē cōnferre, to betake oneself, make one's way |
| tamen, adv. | however, yet, nevertheless |
| angustus, -a, -um | narrow, cramped |
| intervallum, -ī, n. | interval, space, distance |
| frōns, frontis, f. | forehead |
| relinquō, -linquere, -līquī, -lictus | leave behind, leave |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| cohors, cohortis f. | cohort (a tenth of a legion); company |
| subsidium, -ī, n. | reserve, reinforcement, support, help |
| sīc, adv. | so, thus |
| utrimque, adv. | on either side or both sides |
| īnstruo, -struere, -strūxī, -strūctus | build in or into; draw up; equip, furnish, |
| prōcēdō, -ere, -cessī, -cessum | go forward, advance |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| dīmicō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | fight |