Lectitō › Julius Caesar › The Alexandrian War (Bellum Alexandrinum)
Bellum Alexandrinum 54
The legions rally to Cassius
Hirtius, Bellum Alexandrinum. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōB. Alex. 54.1Interim nūntiātur Laterēnsī vīvere Cassium.
Meanwhile word was brought to Laterensis that Cassius was alive.
Note. nūntiātur: impersonal, with the accusative and infinitive vīvere Cassium.
B. Alex. 54.1Quō nūntiō dolōre magis permōtus quam animō perturbātus reficit sē celeriter et ad Cassium vīsendum proficīscitur.
At this news, moved more by vexation than shaken in spirit, he quickly pulled himself together and set off to visit Cassius.
Note. Quō nūntiō: connecting relative, ablative of cause. dolōre magis permōtus quam animō perturbātus: 'moved more by vexation than shaken in his resolve'. reficit sē: 'pulled himself together'. ad Cassium vīsendum: gerundive of purpose; Laterensis hurries to pay a show of respect to the man he had tried to kill.
B. Alex. 54.2Rē cognitā XXX legiō signa Cordubam īnfert ad auxilium ferendum imperātōrī suō.
When the matter was known, the Thirtieth legion marched on Corduba to bring help to its commander.
Note. signa … īnfert: 'advanced its standards', i.e. marched. ad auxilium ferendum: gerundive of purpose.
B. Alex. 54.2Facit hoc idem XXI. Subsequitur hās V. Cum duae legiōnēs reliquae essent in castrīs, secundānī veritī, nē sōlī relinquerentur atque ex eō, quid sēnsissent, iūdicārētur, secūtī sunt factum superiōrum.
The Twenty-first did the same. The Fifth followed them. Since the two remaining legions were in the camp, the men of the Second, afraid that they would be left alone and that their feelings would be judged from this, followed what the others had done.
Note. The editor's text runs on here, as the numerals ending in a full stop (xxi., v.) did not end the sentence for the splitter: three short sentences follow one another. hās: 'these (legions)'. secundānī: 'the men of the Second'. veritī nē … relinquerentur: verbs of fearing take nē, 'that'. ex eō, quid sēnsissent, iūdicārētur: 'their feelings would be judged from this'. factum superiōrum: 'what the others had done'.
B. Alex. 54.3Permānsit in sententiā legiō vernācula nec ūllō timōre dē gradū dēiecta est.
The native legion held to its opinion and was not moved from its position by any fear.
Note. permānsit in sententiā: 'held to its view'. dē gradū dēiecta est: 'was moved from its position', a metaphor from the stance of a fighter.
Vocabulary
| interim (adv.) | meanwhile |
| nūntiō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | report, announce |
| vīvō, vīvere, vīxī, vīctus | live |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| nūntius, -ī, m. | messenger; message |
| dolor, -ōris, m. | pain, grief; anger |
| magis, comp. adv. | more, rather |
| permoveō, -ēre, -mōvī, -mōtum | move deeply, influence |
| quam, adv. | how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible |
| animus, -ī, m. | mind; heart; spirit, courage |
| perturbō, -turbāre, -turbāvi, -turbātus | greatly disturb, disturb, agitate, throw into confusion |
| reficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | make anew, renew, repair |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| celeriter, adv. | swiftly, quickly |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| vīsō, -ere, vīsī, vīsum | go to see, visit; look at |
| proficīscor, -ficīscī, -fectus sum | set out, depart, march |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| cognōscō, -gnōscere, -gnōvī, -gnitus | find out, learn; in tenses of completed action, have found out, know |
| Roman numeral | a number written with letters: I 1, V 5, X 10, L 50, C 100, D 500, M 1000 |
| legiō, -ōnis f. | legion |
| signum, -ī, n. | sign, signal |
| īnferō, īnferre, intulī, inlātus | bring in or against, wage against; inflict |
| auxilium, -ī, n. | help, aid |
| ferō, ferre, tulī, lātus | bear, bring |
| imperātor, -ōris, m. | commander, general |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron. | the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also |
| subsequor, -ī, -secūtus sum | follow closely |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| duo, -ae, -o, plur. adj. | two |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| secundānus, -a, -um | of the second legion; secundānī: soldiers of the second legion |
| vereor, -ērī, -itus | fear |
| nē, adv. | not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest |
| sōlus, -a, -um | alone |
| relinquō, -linquere, -līquī, -lictus | leave behind, leave |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| quis, quid, interrog. pron. | who? which? what? |
| sentiō, sentīre, sēnsī, sēnsus | perceive, feel |
| iūdicō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | judge, decide |
| sequor, sequī, secūtus | follow |
| factum, -ī n. | deed, act |
| superior, -ius, adj. | higher; former, previous, preceding |
| permaneō, -manēre, -mānsi, -mānsus | remain |
| sententia, -ae, f. | opinion; purpose |
| vernāculus, -a, -um | native, home-born; legiō vernācula: the 'native' legion, raised in Spain |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| ūllus, -a, -um | any |
| timor, -ōris, m. | fear |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| gradus, -ūs m. | step, stage; rank |
| dēiciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectus | throw down, cast, drive out of one's course |