Lectitō › Julius Caesar › The Alexandrian War (Bellum Alexandrinum)
Bellum Alexandrinum 4
Arsinoë kills Achillas
Hirtius, Bellum Alexandrinum. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōB. Alex. 4.1Interim dissēnsiōne ortā inter Achillān, quī veterānō exercituī praeerat, et Arsinoēn, rēgis Ptolomaeī minōrem fīliam, ut suprā dēmōnstrātum est, cum uterque utrīque īnsidiārētur et summam imperiī ipse obtinēre vellet, praeoccupat Arsinoë per Ganymēdēn eunūchum, nūtrīcium suum, atque Achillān interficit.
Meanwhile a quarrel arose between Achillas, who commanded the veteran army, and Arsinoë, the younger daughter of King Ptolemy, as was shown above, since each was plotting against the other and each wanted to hold supreme power himself; Arsinoë struck first, through her tutor, the eunuch Ganymedes, and killed Achillas.
Note. This sentence picks up Civil War III.112, where Arsinoë escaped to Achillas. Achillan, Arsinoēn, Ganymēdēn are Greek accusatives. ut suprā dēmōnstrātum est: the writer refers back to Caesar's book as if his own work were its continuation. uterque utrīque: 'each … against the other'. praeoccupat: 'gets in first'. nūtrīcium: 'tutor', the man who brought her up.
B. Alex. 4.2Hōc occīsō sine ūllō sociō et custōde ipsa omne imperium obtinēbat;
With him killed, she held all the power herself, without any partner or guardian;
Note. Hōc occīsō: ablative absolute, 'with him killed'. ipsa: Arsinoë.
B. Alex. 4.2exercitus Ganymēdī trāditur.
the army was handed over to Ganymedes.
B. Alex. 4.2Is susceptō officiō largītiōnem in mīlitem auget;
Having taken up this office, he increased the largesse to the soldiers;
Note. largītiōnem in mīlitem: 'largesse to the soldiery'; mīles in the singular is collective.
B. Alex. 4.2reliqua parī dīligentiā administrat.
the rest he managed with equal care.
Note. reliqua: neuter plural substantive, 'the rest (of his duties)'.
Vocabulary
| interim (adv.) | meanwhile |
| dissēnsiō, -ōnis f. | disagreement, quarrel |
| orior, -īrī, -tus | arise, come forth, spring up; ortā lūce, at dawn |
| inter, prep, with acc. | among, between |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| veterānus, -a, -um | veteran |
| exercitus, -ūs, m. | army |
| praesum, -esse, -fuī | be before, preside over, have charge of, command |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| rēx, rēgis, m. | king |
| parvus, -a, -um | little, small |
| fīlia, -ae, f. | daughter |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| suprā, adv. and prep. with acc. | above, before |
| dēmōnstrō, -mōnstrāre, -mōnstrāvī, -mōnstrātus | point out, show; make known |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| uterque, utraque, utrumque | each, either, both |
| īnsidior, -ārī, -ātus sum | lie in wait, lay an ambush |
| summa, -ae f. | total, sum; supreme command |
| imperium, -ī, n. | command; sway, rule |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| obtineō, -tinēre, -tinuī, -tentus | hold |
| volō, velle, voluī | wish |
| praeoccupō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | seize beforehand, take hold of first |
| per, prep, with ace. | through, by means of |
| eunūchus, -ī m. | eunuch |
| nūtrīcius, -ī m. | guardian, tutor (of a child) |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| interficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | put out of the way, kill |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| occīdō, -cīdere, -cīdī, -cīsus | cut down, kill |
| sine, prep. with abl. | without |
| ūllus, -a, -um | any |
| socius, -ī, m. | companion, comrade, ally |
| custōs, -ōdis m. | guard |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| trādō, -dere, -didī, -ditus | give across, over, or up, deliver; hand down, relate, report |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| suscipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | undertake |
| officium, -ī, n. | service; duty |
| largītiō, -ōnis f. | lavish giving, bribery |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| mīles, mīlitis, m. | soldier |
| augeō, -ēre, auxī, auctum | increase, enlarge |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| pār, paris | equal |
| dīligentia, -ae, f. | care, diligence, industry |
| administrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | manage, carry out |