Lectitō › Julius Caesar › The Alexandrian War (Bellum Alexandrinum)
Bellum Alexandrinum 41
Pharnaces master of Pontus
Hirtius, Bellum Alexandrinum. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōB. Alex. 41.1Pharnacēs rēbus secundīs ēlātus cum dē Caesare ea, quae optābat, spērāret, Pontum omnibus cōpiīs occupāvit ibique et victor et crūdēlissimus rēx, cum sibi fortūnam paternam fēlīciōre ēventū dēstināret, multa oppida expugnāvit, bona cīvium Rōmānōrum Ponticōrumque dīripuit, supplicia cōnstituit in eōs, quī aliquam fōrmae atque aetātis commendātiōnem habēbant, ea, quae morte essent miseriōra, Pontumque nūllō dēfendente paternum regnum glōriāns sē recēpisse obtinēbat.
Elated by his success, and hoping that what he wished for would happen to Caesar, Pharnaces occupied Pontus with all his forces; there, as a conqueror and a most cruel king, promising himself his father's fortune with a happier outcome, he stormed many towns, plundered the property of Roman and Pontic citizens, and decreed for those who had any recommendation of good looks or youth punishments worse than death; and, with no one to defend it, he held Pontus, boasting that he had recovered his father's kingdom.
Note. One great sentence on Pharnaces' triumph. cum … spērāret: causal, 'since he hoped'. fortūnam paternam fēlīciōre ēventū: he hoped to repeat his father Mithridates' career with a happier end. supplicia … ea quae morte essent miseriōra: 'punishments worse than death'. glōriāns: present participle of the deponent glōrior. Caesar's answer came at Zela in August 47: 'vēnī, vīdī, vīcī'.
Vocabulary
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| secundus, -a, -um | following, favorable |
| efferō, -ferre, extulī, ēlātum | carry out, bring out |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| optō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | wish for, desire; pray for |
| spērō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | hope |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| cōpia, -ae, f. | supply, abundance; plur., forces, troops |
| occupō, -cupāre, -cupāvī, -cupātus | seize; fill |
| ibi, adv. | in that place, there |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| victor, -ōris m. | conqueror, victor |
| crūdēlis, -e | cruel |
| rēx, rēgis, m. | king |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| fortūna, -ae, f. | fortune |
| paternus, -a, -um | of a father, a father's |
| fēlīx, -īcis | fortunate, lucky, happy |
| ēventus, -ūs m. | outcome, result |
| dēstinō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | fasten, make fast |
| multus, -a, -um | much, great; plur., many |
| oppidum, -ī, n. | town |
| expugnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | take by storm, capture |
| bonum, -ī n. | a good thing, advantage; (pl.) goods |
| cīvis, -is, m. and f. | citizen, fellow-citizen, subject |
| Rōmānus, -a, -um | Roman |
| Ponticus, -a, -um | of Pontus, from the Black Sea region |
| dīripiō, -ere, -ripuī, -reptum | plunder |
| supplicium, -ī, n. | punishment, torture |
| cōnstituō, -stituere, -stituī, -stitūtus | set together or up; appoint; determine |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| aliquī, -qua, -quod, indef. pron. adj. | some, any |
| fōrma, -ae, f. | form, appearance; beauty |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| aetās, -tātis, f. | age |
| commendātiō, -ōnis f. | recommendation, backing |
| habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | have, hold; consider |
| mors, mortīs, f. | death |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| miser, misera, miserum | wretched, unhappy |
| nūllus, -a, -um | not any, none, no |
| dēfendō, -fendere, -fendī, -fēnsus | ward off; defend |
| regnum, -ī, n. | royal power, rule, throne; kingdom, realm |
| glōrior, -ārī, -ātus sum | boast |
| recipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take or get back, recover; sē recipere, to betake oneself, withdraw; to collect oneself, recover |
| obtineō, -tinēre, -tinuī, -tentus | hold |