Lectitō › Julius Caesar › The Alexandrian War (Bellum Alexandrinum)
Bellum Alexandrinum 59
Marcellus takes command
Hirtius, Bellum Alexandrinum. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
Tap any word for its meaning and grammar, save words to review, and track your reading.
Read in LectitōB. Alex. 59.1Tantae multitūdinis precibus et lacrimīs exercitus commōtus cum vidēret ad Cassium persequendum nihil opus esse Cn. Pompēī nōmine et memoriā tamque omnibus Caesariānīs quam Pompēiānīs Longīnum esse in odiō neque sē conventum neque M. Mārcellum contrā Caesaris causam posse perdūcere, nōmen Pompēī ex scūtīs dētrāxērunt, Mārcellum, quī sē Caesaris causam dēfēnsūrum profitēbātur, ducem adscīvērunt praetōremque appellārunt et conventum sibi adiūnxērunt castraque ad Cordubam posuērunt.
The army, moved by the prayers and tears of so great a crowd, since it saw that it had no need of the name and memory of Gnaeus Pompeius to pursue Cassius, and that Longinus was as hateful to all Caesar's men as to Pompey's, and that it could not bring either the community or Marcus Marcellus to act against Caesar's cause, removed Pompey's name from the shields, adopted as their leader Marcellus, who declared that he would defend Caesar's cause, hailed him as praetor, joined the community to their side and pitched camp near Corduba.
Note. Tantae multitūdinis precibus et lacrimīs: ablatives of cause with commōtus. The singular collective exercitus takes a plural verb in the main clause (dētrāxērunt, adscīvērunt, appellārunt). nihil opus esse … nōmine et memoriā: opus est takes the ablative of what is needed. tamque … quam: 'as much … as'. Longīnum esse in odiō: 'Longinus was hated by'. sē … dēfēnsūrum (esse): future infinitive. appellārunt = appellāvērunt.
B. Alex. 59.2Cassius eō bīduō circiter IV mīlia passuum ā Cordubā citrā flūmen Baetim in oppidī cōnspectū locō excelsō facit castra;
Within those two days Cassius pitched camp about four miles from Corduba, on this side of the river Baetis, on high ground in sight of the town;
Note. eō bīduō: 'within those two days'. circiter iv mīlia passuum: accusative of extent, about four Roman miles. citrā flūmen Baetim: 'on this side of the Baetis' (the Guadalquivir); Baetim is an -is accusative.
B. Alex. 59.2litterās ad rēgem Bogudem in Mauretāniam et ad M. Lepidum prōcōnsulem in Hispāniam citeriōrem mittit, subsidiō sibi prōvinciaeque Caesaris causā quam prīmum venīret.
he sent letters to King Bogud in Mauretania and to Marcus Lepidus, the proconsul in Nearer Spain, asking them to come as soon as possible to the help of himself and the province, for Caesar's sake.
Note. Bogud was king of western Mauretania and loyal to Caesar. M. Lepidum: M. Aemilius Lepidus, governor of Nearer Spain, later one of the triumvirs. subsidiō sibi prōvinciaeque: double dative, 'to the help of himself and the province'. quam prīmum: 'as soon as possible'. veniret: indirect command without ut.
B. Alex. 59.2Ipse hostīlī modō Cordubēnsium agrōs vāstat, aedificia incendit.
He himself, in the manner of an enemy, laid waste the lands of the people of Corduba and set fire to their buildings.
Note. hostīlī modō: 'in the manner of an enemy'. Cassius treats a Roman town in his own province as enemy territory.
Vocabulary
| tantus, -a, -um | so great or much |
| multitūdō, -tūdinis, f. | multitude |
| prex, precis f. (usu. pl.) | prayer, entreaty |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| lacrima, -ae, f. | tear |
| exercitus, -ūs, m. | army |
| commoveō, -movēre, -mōvī, -mōtus | move, rouse; disturb |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus | see; pass., seem |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| persequor, -sequī, -secūtus | follow up, pursue |
| nihil, n., indecl. | nothing |
| opus, operis, n. | work, task |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| nōmen, -minis, n. | name (that by which one is known) |
| memoria, -ae, f. | memory |
| tam, adv. | so |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| quam, adv. | how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| odium, -ī, n. | hatred |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| conventus, -ūs m. | meeting, assembly |
| contrā, prep, with acc. | against, contrary to |
| causa, -ae, f. | cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| perdūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead or bring through, lead, bring |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| scūtum, -ī, n. | shield |
| dētrahō, -trahere, -trāxī, -trāctus | draw or pull off |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| dēfendō, -fendere, -fendī, -fēnsus | ward off; defend |
| profiteor, -ērī, -fessus sum | declare openly; offer oneself as |
| dux, ducis, m. and f. | leader, commander |
| adscīscō, -ere, -scīvī, -scītus | take up, admit, attach to oneself (as an ally) |
| praetor, -ōris m. | praetor (legātus prō praetōre: officer with a praetor's powers) |
| appellō, -pellāre, -pellāvī, -pellātus | call, name |
| adiungo, -iungere, -iūnxī, -iūnctus | join to, join |
| castra, -ōrum, n. plur. | camp |
| pōnō, pōnere, posuī, positus | place, put; pōnī with in and abl., to be placed in, rest or depend on |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| bīduum, -ī n. | two days |
| circiter, prep. with acc. and adv. | about |
| 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; |
| passus, -ūs, m. | pace (mīlia passuum: miles) |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| citrā (prep. + acc.) | on this side of |
| flūmen, -minis, n. | river |
| oppidum, -ī, n. | town |
| cōnspectus, -ūs, m. | sight |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| excelsus, -a, -um | high, tall |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| littera, -ae f. | letter (of the alphabet); pl. letter, writing |
| rēx, rēgis, m. | king |
| prōcōnsul, -ulis m. | proconsul, governor |
| citerior, -ius, adj. | on this side, hither |
| mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus | send |
| subsidium, -ī, n. | reserve, reinforcement, support, help |
| prōvincia, -ae f. | province; here, the Roman Province in southern Gaul |
| prīmum, adv. | first, in the first place |
| veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus | come |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| hostīlis, -e | of the enemy, hostile |
| modus, -ī, m. | way, manner |
| ager, agri, m. | field, land |
| vāstō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | lay waste |
| aedificium, -ī n. | building |
| incendō, -ere, -cendī, -cēnsum | set on fire, burn |