Lectitō › Julius Caesar › The Alexandrian War (Bellum Alexandrinum)
Bellum Alexandrinum 50
Hatred and a new legion
Hirtius, Bellum Alexandrinum. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōB. Alex. 50.1Quibus dē causīs accidit, ut, cum Longīnus imperātor eadem faceret, quae fēcerat quaestor, similia rūrsus dē morte eius prōvinciālēs cōnsilia inīrent.
For these reasons it happened that, since Longinus as governor was doing the same things he had done as quaestor, the provincials again formed similar plans for his death.
Note. Quibus dē causīs: connecting relative. accidit ut … inīrent: result clause after accidit. imperātor … quaestor: in apposition, 'as governor … as quaestor'. Years before, as quaestor in Spain, Cassius had been ambushed and wounded (ch. 48).
B. Alex. 50.2Hōrum odium cōnfirmābant nōnnūllī familiārēs eius;
Their hatred was strengthened by some of his own close friends;
Note. Hōrum: 'of these (provincials)'. familiārēs eius: his own close friends and staff.
B. Alex. 50.2quī cum in illā societāte versārentur rapīnārum, nihilō minus ōderant eum, cuius nōmine peccābant, sibique, quod rapuerant, acceptum referēbant, quod intercīderat aut erat interpellātum, Cassiō adsignābant.
although these were taking part with him in that partnership of plunder, they nonetheless hated the man in whose name they did wrong, and they credited to themselves what they had seized, while what had slipped away or been stopped they put down to Cassius.
Note. cum … versārentur: concessive, 'although they were taking part'. nihilō minus: 'none the less'. cuius nōmine peccābant: 'in whose name they did wrong'. sibi … acceptum referēbant: another book-keeping phrase, 'credited to their own account'. quod interciderat aut erat interpellātum: 'what had fallen through or been blocked'.
B. Alex. 50.3Quīntam legiōnem novam cōnscrībit.
He enrolled a new legion, the Fifth.
Note. Quīntam legiōnem: the Fifth, raised in Spain; its men would be locals. The historic present conscrībit marks a new step.
B. Alex. 50.3Augētur odium et ipsō dīlēctū et sūmptū additae legiōnis.
The hatred grew both from the levy itself and from the cost of the added legion.
Note. dīlēctū: 'levy'. sūmptū additae legiōnis: 'by the cost of the added legion'.
B. Alex. 50.3Complentur equitum III mīlia maximīsque ōrnantur impēnsīs: nec prōvinciae datur ūlla requiēs.
Three thousand cavalry were brought up to strength and fitted out at the greatest expense: and the province was given no rest at all.
Note. Complentur equitum iii mīlia: 'three thousand cavalry were brought up to strength'. maximīs … impēnsīs: 'at the greatest expense'.
Vocabulary
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| causa, -ae, f. | cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of |
| accidō, -cidere, -cidī | fall to or upon; befall, happen |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| imperātor, -ōris, m. | commander, general |
| īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron. | the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| quaestor, -ōris m. | quaestor, a Roman official in charge of an army's funds |
| similis, -e | like, similar (vērī similis: likely) |
| rūrsus, adv. | again |
| mors, mortīs, f. | death |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| prōvinciālis, -e | of the Province; as noun, a provincial |
| cōnsilium, -ī, n. | advice; plan, design, purpose; prudence |
| ineō, -īre, -iī, -itus | go into, enter; adopt |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| odium, -ī, n. | hatred |
| cōnfirmō, -firmāre, -firmāvī, -firmātus | strengthen, establish; declare, assert |
| nōnnūllus, -a, -um | not none, some, several |
| familiāris, -e; as noun, -is m. | of the household (rēs familiāris: private property); friend |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| societās, -ātis f. | alliance, partnership |
| versor, -ārī, -ātus | keep turning, be busy or employed, be |
| rapīna, -ae f. | plundering |
| nihilō (adv.) | by nothing; nihilō minus: none the less, nevertheless |
| minus, comp. adv. | less |
| ōdī, ōdisse, used only in tenses of completed action with the force of tenses of incomplete action | hate |
| nōmen, -minis, n. | name (that by which one is known) |
| peccō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | do wrong |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| rapiō, -ere, -uī, -tus | seize, snatch |
| accipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take to oneself, receive, accept; hear; suffer |
| referō, referre, rettulī, relātus | bring or carry back, return; pedem referre, to draw back, retire, retreat; grātiam referre, see grātia |
| intercīdō, -ere, -cīdī, -cīsus | cut through, cut apart |
| aut, conj. | or; aut ... aut, either ... or |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| interpellō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | interrupt, hinder |
| adsignō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | assign, allot; put down to, impute to |
| quīntus, -a, -um | fifth |
| legiō, -ōnis f. | legion |
| novus, -a, -um | new; novissimus, last |
| cōnscrībō, -ere, -scrīpsī, -scrīptum | enlist, enroll |
| augeō, -ēre, auxī, auctum | increase, enlarge |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| dīlēctus, -ūs m. | levy, recruitment of soldiers; dīlēctum habēre: hold a levy |
| sūmptus, -ūs m. | expense |
| addō, -ere, -didī, -ditus | add, put to |
| compleō, -plēre, -plēvī, -plētus | fill full, fill up |
| eques, equitis m. | horseman; (pl.) cavalry |
| Roman numeral | a number written with letters: I 1, V 5, X 10, L 50, C 100, D 500, M 1000 |
| mīlle, indecl. adj. | a thousand; mīlia, -ium, n. plur., thousands; |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| ōrnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | equip, adorn |
| impēnsa, -ae f. | expense, outlay |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| prōvincia, -ae f. | province; here, the Roman Province in southern Gaul |
| dō, dare, dedī, datus | give |
| ūllus, -a, -um | any |
| requiēs, -ētis f. | rest, repose |