Bellum Alexandrinum 53

B. Alex. 53.1Concurritur ad Cassium dēfendendum: semper enim Berōnēs complūrēsque ēvocātōs cum tēlīs sēcum habēre cōnsuērat.

Men ran together to defend Cassius: for he was always in the habit of keeping Berones and a number of recalled veterans with him under arms.

Note. Concurritur: impersonal passive, 'there was a rush'. ad Cassium dēfendendum: gerundive of purpose. Bērōnēs: Celtiberians from the upper Ebro serving as his bodyguard. ēvocātōs: veterans recalled to service. cōnsuērat = cōnsuēverat, 'he had been in the habit'.

B. Alex. 53.2Ā quibus cēterī interclūduntur, quī ad caedem faciendam subsequēbantur;

By them the rest who were following to do the killing were cut off;

Note. Ā quibus: 'by these (the bodyguards)'. ad caedem faciendam: gerundive of purpose.

B. Alex. 53.2quō in numerō fuit Calpurnius Salviānus et Mānīlius Tusculus.

among these were Calpurnius Salvianus and Manilius Tusculus.

Note. quō in numerō: 'among these'. fuit … Calpurnius Salviānus et Mānīlius Tusculus: a singular verb with two subjects, agreeing with the nearer.

B. Alex. 53.3Minucius inter saxa, quae iacēbant in itinere, fugiēns opprimitur et relātō domum Cassiō ad eum dēdūcitur.

Minucius was caught as he fled among the stones that lay in the street, and when Cassius had been carried home, he was brought before him.

Note. inter saxa … fugiēns: 'as he fled among the stones'. relātō domum Cassiō: ablative absolute; domum is an accusative of motion without a preposition.

B. Alex. 53.3Racilius in proximam sē domum familiāris suī cōnfert, dum certum cognōsceret, cōnfectusne Cassius esset.

Racilius took refuge in the nearest house, belonging to a friend of his, until he could find out for certain whether Cassius had been killed.

Note. in proximam … domum familiāris suī: 'into the nearest house, belonging to a friend of his'. dum … cognōsceret: dum with the subjunctive, 'until he could learn'. cōnfectusne … esset: an indirect question introduced by the enclitic -ne.

B. Alex. 53.4L. Laterēnsis cum id nōn dubitāret, adcurrit laetus in castra mīlitibusque vernāculīs et secundae legiōnis, quibus odiō sciēbat praecipuē Cassium esse, grātulātur;

Lucius Laterensis, having no doubt of it, ran joyfully into the camp and congratulated the soldiers of the native legion and of the Second, who he knew particularly hated Cassius;

Note. cum id nōn dubitāret: 'having no doubt of it' (that Cassius was dead). vernāculīs: the 'native' legion, raised in Spain from local men. quibus odiō … esse: a double dative, 'to be an object of hatred to whom'; odiō is a predicative dative.

B. Alex. 53.4tollitur ā multitūdine in tribūnal, praetor appellātur.

he was lifted onto the tribunal by the crowd and hailed as praetor.

Note. tollitur … in tribūnal: 'he was lifted onto the tribunal'. praetor appellātur: they hailed him as their governor.

B. Alex. 53.5Nēmō enim aut in prōvinciā nātus, ut vernāculae legiōnis mīlitēs, aut diūturnitāte iam factus prōvinciālis, quō in numerō erat secunda legiō, nōn cum omnī prōvinciā cōnsēnserat in odiō Cassiī: nam legiōnem XXX et XXI paucīs mēnsibus in Ītaliā scrīptās Caesar attribuerat Longīnō, quīnta legiō nūper erat ibi cōnfecta.

For there was no one, either born in the province, like the soldiers of the native legion, or by long residence now made a provincial, as the Second legion was, who had not agreed with the whole province in hating Cassius: for the Thirtieth and Twenty-first legions, enrolled in Italy a few months before, Caesar had assigned to Longinus, and the Fifth had only recently been raised there.

Note. Nēmō … nōn … cōnsēnserat: a double negative, 'everyone … had agreed'. ut … mīlitēs: 'as, for example, the soldiers'. diūturnitāte iam factus prōvinciālis: the Second legion had served so long in Spain that its men counted as locals. legiōnem xxx et xxi: a singular noun with two numerals, 'the Thirtieth and Twenty-first legions'. scrīptās: 'enrolled'. cōnfecta: 'raised'.