Bellum Alexandrinum 46

B. Alex. 46.1Vatīnius cum animum adverteret neque nāvium sē magnitūdine neque numerō parem esse futūrae dīmicātiōnī, fortūnae tamen quam fugae rem committere māluit.

Vatinius, when he realized that he was a match for the coming fight neither in the size of his ships nor in their number, preferred to entrust the matter to fortune rather than to flight.

Note. animum adverteret: 'noticed', with an accusative and infinitive (sē … parem esse). futūrae dīmicātiōnī: dative with pār, 'a match for the coming fight'. fortūnae … quam fugae … mālēbat: 'preferred to entrust the matter to fortune rather than to flight'; quam completes the comparison in mālō (magis volō).

B. Alex. 46.1Itaque prīmus suā quīnquerēmī in quadrirēmem ipsīus Octāviī impetum fēcit.

So he was the first to make an attack, with his own quinquereme, on the quadrireme of Octavius himself.

Note. suā quīnquerēmī: ablative of means, 'with his quinquereme'. Note the ablative in -ī, normal in -is nouns like quīnquerēmis and quadrirēmis. ipsīus Octāviī: 'of Octavius himself', i.e. his flagship.

B. Alex. 46.2Celerrimē fortissimēque contrā illō rēmigante nāvēs adversae rōstrīs concurrērunt adeō vehementer, ut nāvis Octāviāna rōstrō discussō lignō continērētur.

Octavius, on the other side, rowed against him with great speed and great courage, and the ships met head-on, ram to ram, so violently that Octavius' ship had its ram shattered and was held fast by the timbers.

Note. Celerrimē fortissimēque: superlative adverbs. contrā illō rēmigante: ablative absolute, 'with him (Octavius) rowing against him'. adversae rōstrīs concurrērunt: the ships met head-on, ram against ram. ut … rōstrō discussō lignō continērētur: result clause; with its ram shattered, Octavius' ship was held fast in the timbers of Vatinius' ship.

B. Alex. 46.3Committitur ācriter reliquīs locīs proelium concurriturque ad ducēs maximē: nam cum suō quisque auxilium ferret, magnum comminus in angustō marī proelium factum est.

The battle was joined fiercely at the other points as well, and the fighting crowded most of all around the commanders: for as each man brought help to his own commander, a great battle at close quarters developed in a narrow stretch of sea.

Note. Committitur … concurriturque: impersonal and vivid historic presents. ad ducēs: 'around the commanders'. suō quisque auxilium ferret: 'each brought help to his own (commander)'. comminus: 'hand to hand'.

B. Alex. 46.4Quantōque coniūnctīs magis nāvibus cōnflīgendī potestās dabātur, tantō superiōrēs erant Vatīniānī;

And the more closely the ships were locked together and the chance of fighting hand to hand was given, the more Vatinius' men had the upper hand;

Note. Quantō … tantō: ablatives of measure of difference, 'the more … the more'. coniūnctīs magis nāvibus: ablative absolute, 'with the ships more closely locked'. cōnflīgendī: gerund, 'of fighting'.

B. Alex. 46.4quī admīrandā virtūte ex suīs nāvibus in hostium nāvēs trānsilīre nōn dubitābant et dīmicātiōne aequātā longē superiōrēs virtūte rem fēlīciter gerēbant.

with admirable courage they did not hesitate to leap from their own ships onto the enemy's, and once the fighting was put on equal terms, they carried the day with success, being far superior in courage.

Note. admīrandā virtūte: the gerundive used as an adjective, 'admirable'. dīmicātiōne aequātā: once ships were locked together, a sea fight became a land fight, and the better soldiers won. rem fēlīciter gerēbant: 'were successful'.

B. Alex. 46.5Dēprimitur ipsīus Octāviī quadrirēmis, multae praetereā capiuntur aut rōstrīs perforātae merguntur;

Octavius' own quadrireme was sunk; many besides were captured, or were rammed through and went down;

Note. Dēprimitur: 'was sunk'. perforātae: rammed through below the waterline. The historic presents give the rout at speed.

B. Alex. 46.5prōpugnātōrēs Octāviānī partim in nāvibus iugulantur, partim in mare praecipitantur.

Octavius' marines were partly cut down on the ships, partly hurled into the sea.

Note. propugnātōrēs: the marines who fought from the deck. partim … partim: 'some … others'. in mare: accusative of motion; mare has ablative marī (as in the previous chapter) but accusative mare.

B. Alex. 46.6Ipse Octāvius sē in scapham cōnfert;

Octavius himself took to a skiff;

Note. sē cōnfert: 'betook himself'. A scapha was a small boat or skiff carried by a larger ship.

B. Alex. 46.6in quam plūrēs cum cōnfugerent, dēpressā scaphā vulnerātus tamen adnatat ad suum myoparōnem.

when too many fled into it and the skiff was swamped, he swam, though wounded, to his own light galley.

Note. in quam = et in eam, a connecting relative. plūrēs: 'too many', the usual sense of the comparative here. adnatat: historic present of adnatō, 'swims to'. myoparō: a light, fast galley, a type of boat favoured by pirates.

B. Alex. 46.7Eō receptus, cum proelium nox dirimeret, tempestāte magnā vēlīs profūgit.

Taken aboard there, when night broke off the battle, he fled under sail in a great storm.

Note. Eō: adverb, 'there' (onto the galley). receptus: 'taken on board'. cum … nox dirimeret: 'when night broke off the battle'. vēlīs: ablative of means, 'under sail'.

B. Alex. 46.7Sequuntur hunc suae nāvēs nōnnūllae, quās cāsus ab illō perīculō vindicārat.

Some of his ships followed him, which chance had rescued from that danger.

Note. suae: 'his own'. vindicārat = vindicāverat, 'had rescued'. The subject of the relative clause is cāsus, 'chance'.