Lectitō › Julius Caesar › The Alexandrian War (Bellum Alexandrinum)
Bellum Alexandrinum 71
Pharnaces plays for time
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. 71.1At Pharnacēs līberāliter omnia pollicitus, cum festīnantem ac praecurrentem Caesarem spērāret libentius etiam crēditūrum suīs prōmissīs, quam rēs paterētur, quō celerius honestiusque ad rēs magis necessāriās proficīscerētur— nēminī enim erat ignōtum plūrimīs dē causīs ad urbem Caesarem revocārī— lentius agere, dēcēdendī diem postulāre longiōrem, pactiōnēs interpōnere, in summā frūstrārī coepit.
But Pharnaces, after promising everything generously, hoped that Caesar, who was in a hurry and rushing ahead, would trust his promises more readily than the situation warranted, so that he could leave the more quickly and with honour for more pressing business (for everyone knew that Caesar was being called back to Rome for very many reasons); so he began to act more slowly, to ask for a later day for his departure, to bring in bargains, in short to cheat him.
Note. festīnantem ac praecurrentem Caesarem: 'Caesar, hurrying and racing ahead'. quō celerius: quō introduces a purpose clause containing a comparative. in summā: 'in short'. frūstrārī: 'to cheat, to put off'.
B. Alex. 71.2Caesar cognitā calliditāte hominis, quod aliīs temporibus nātūrā facere cōnsuēverat, tunc necessitāte fēcit adductus, ut celerius omnium opīniōne manum cōnsereret.
Caesar saw through the man's cunning, and what at other times he usually did by nature he now did because driven by necessity: he joined battle sooner than anyone expected.
Note. quod aliīs temporibus … tunc necessitāte fēcit: 'what at other times he did by nature, he now did from necessity'. celerius omnium opīniōne: 'sooner than anyone expected'; opīniōne is an ablative of comparison. manum cōnsereret: 'join battle'.
Vocabulary
| at, conj. | but |
| līberāliter (adv.) | generously, kindly |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| polliceor, -licērī, -licitus | promise |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| festīnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | hurry, make haste |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| praecurrō, -ere, -cucurrī, -cursum | run ahead, hurry on before |
| spērō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | hope |
| libenter, adv. | willingly, gladly |
| etiam, adv. | and now, also, too, even |
| crēdō, -dere, -didī, -ditus | believe |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| prōmissum, -ī n. | promise |
| quam, adv. | how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| patior, patī, passus, bear | suffer, allow |
| quō, adv. | to what place? whither? to which place, whither; for which reason, wherefore, therefore; quō ūsque, till when? how long? |
| celeriter, adv. | swiftly, quickly |
| honestē, adv. | honorably, decently |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| magis, comp. adv. | more, rather |
| necessārius, -a, -um; as noun, -ī m. | necessary, critical; (noun) close friend, relative |
| proficīscor, -ficīscī, -fectus sum | set out, depart, march |
| nēmō, nēminis, m. and f. | no one, nobody |
| enim, conj. | for |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| ignōtus, -a, -um | unknown |
| multus, -a, -um | much, great; plur., many |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| causa, -ae, f. | cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of |
| urbs, urbis, f. | city |
| revocō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | call back, recall |
| lentē (adv.; comp. lentius) | slowly |
| agō, agere, ēgī, āctus | drive; do; pass, lead; grātiās agere, see grātia |
| dēcēdō, -cēdere, -cessī, -cessus | go away, depart |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| postulō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | ask, request, demand |
| longus, -a, -um | long; tedious |
| pactiō, -ōnis f. | agreement, bargain |
| interpōnō, -ere, -posuī, -positum | put between; bring forward (an excuse) |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| summa, -ae f. | total, sum; supreme command |
| frūstror, -ārī, -ātus sum | deceive, disappoint; tē ipsum frūstrāberis: you will cheat yourself |
| coepī, coepisse, coeptus (used in tenses of completed action) | have begun, began |
| cognōscō, -gnōscere, -gnōvī, -gnitus | find out, learn; in tenses of completed action, have found out, know |
| calliditās, -ātis f. | shrewdness, cunning |
| homō, hominis, m. | man |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| alius, -a, -ud | another, other; aliī ... aliī, some ... others |
| tempus, temporis, n. | time, season |
| nātūra, -ae, f. | nature, character |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| cōnsuēscō, -suēscere, -suēvī, -suētus | become accustomed; in tenses of completed action, have become accustomed, be accustomed or wont |
| tunc (adv.) | then, at that time |
| necessitās, -ātis f. | necessity, compulsion |
| addūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead to, bring, take; induce, influence |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| opīniō, -ōnis, f. | opinion, expectation; reputation |
| manus, -ūs, f. | hand |
| cōnserō, -ere, -seruī, -sertus | join, fasten together; manum (manūs) cōnserere: come to blows, engage |