Lectitō › Julius Caesar › The Alexandrian War (Bellum Alexandrinum)
Bellum Alexandrinum 75
The battle begins
Hirtius, Bellum Alexandrinum. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōB. Alex. 75.1Caesar incrēdibilī eius vel temeritāte vel fīdūciā commōtus neque opīnāns imparātusque oppressus eōdem tempore mīlitēs ab opere revocat, arma capere iubet, legiōnēs oppōnit aciemque īnstruit;
Caesar, astonished by his incredible rashness or confidence, and caught off guard and unprepared, at the same moment called his soldiers back from the work, ordered them to take up arms, set the legions against the enemy and drew up his battle line;
Note. neque opīnāns: 'not expecting it'. A run of short main clauses (revocat, iubet, oppōnit, īnstruit) shows Caesar's speed.
B. Alex. 75.1cuius reī subita trepidātiō magnum terrōrem attulit nostrīs.
and the sudden alarm caused by this struck great terror into our men.
Note. cuius reī: connecting relative, 'of this situation'. nostrīs: dative, 'to our men'.
B. Alex. 75.2Nōndum ōrdinibus īnstrūctīs falcātae rēgiae quadrīgae permixtōs mīlitēs perturbant;
While the ranks were not yet formed, the king's scythed four-horse chariots threw the soldiers, who were mixed together, into confusion;
Note. falcātae rēgiae quadrīgae: chariots with scythe blades on the wheels, an eastern weapon.
B. Alex. 75.2quae tamen celeriter multitūdine tēlōrum opprimuntur.
but these were quickly overwhelmed by a mass of missiles.
Note. multitūdine tēlōrum: ablative of means.
B. Alex. 75.3Īnsequitur hās aciēs hostium, et clāmōre sublātō cōnflīgitur multum adiuvante nātūrā locī, plūrimum deōrum immortālium benignitāte;
The enemy's battle line followed them, and with a shout raised the fighting began, much helped by the nature of the ground, but most of all by the kindness of the immortal gods;
Note. cōnfligitur: impersonal passive, 'the battle is joined'. multum … plūrimum: adverbs, 'much … most of all'.
B. Alex. 75.3quī cum omnibus cāsibus bellicīs intersunt, tum praecipuē eīs, quibus nihil ratiōne potuit administrārī.
who, as they take part in all the chances of war, so especially in those where nothing could be managed by reason.
Note. quī: the gods. cum … tum: 'both … and especially'. quibus nihil ratiōne potuit administrārī: 'where nothing could be managed by reason'.
Vocabulary
| incrēdibilis, e | incredible |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| vel | or; vel … vel: either … or |
| temeritās, -ātis f. | rashness, recklessness |
| fīdūcia, -ae f. | confidence, trust, reliance |
| commoveō, -movēre, -mōvī, -mōtus | move, rouse; disturb |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| opīnor, -ārī, -ātus sum | think, suppose; ut opīnor: I imagine |
| imparātus, -a, -um | unprepared |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| opprimō, -primere, -pressī, -pressus | press against, overpower, crush |
| īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron. | the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also |
| tempus, temporis, n. | time, season |
| mīles, mīlitis, m. | soldier |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| opus, operis, n. | work, task |
| revocō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | call back, recall |
| arma, -ōrum, n. plur. | arms, weapons |
| capiō, capere, cēpī, captus | take, catch, seize; receive, suffer; adopt |
| iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussus | bid, order, command |
| legiō, -ōnis f. | legion |
| oppōnō, -ere, -posuī, -positus | set against, place opposite |
| aciēs, -ēī, f. | line of battle |
| īnstruo, -struere, -strūxī, -strūctus | build in or into; draw up; equip, furnish, |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| subitus, -a, -um | sudden |
| trepidātiō, -ōnis f. | alarm, agitation |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| terror, -ōris, m. | terror, fright |
| afferō, afferre, attulī, allātum | bring, bring to; cause |
| noster, -tra, -trum | our |
| nōndum, adv. | not yet |
| ōrdō, ōrdinis, m. | arrangement, order, rank; ex ōrdine, in order |
| falcātus, -a, -um | armed with scythes, scythed (of chariots) |
| rēgius, -a, -um | royal, kingly |
| quadrīga, -ae f. (usu. pl. quadrīgae) | a team of four horses; a four-horse chariot |
| permisceō, -miscēre, -miscuī, -mixtus | mix together, mingle |
| perturbō, -turbāre, -turbāvi, -turbātus | greatly disturb, disturb, agitate, throw into confusion |
| tamen, adv. | however, yet, nevertheless |
| celeriter, adv. | swiftly, quickly |
| multitūdō, -tūdinis, f. | multitude |
| tēlum, -ī, n. | missile, spear, weapon |
| īnsequor, -sequī, -secūtus | follow upon or up, pursue |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| hostis, -is, m. and f. | enemy, foe |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| clāmor, -ōris, m. | shout, cry |
| tollō, tollere, sustulī, sublātus | lift, raise; take away, remove; ancorās tollere, to weigh anchor |
| cōnflīgō, -flīgere, -flīxī, -flīctus | dash together |
| multum, -ī, n. | much |
| adiuvō, -āre, adiūvī, adiūtum | help, assist |
| nātūra, -ae, f. | nature, character |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| plūrimum (adv.) | most, very much (plūrimum posse: be most powerful) |
| deus, -ī, m. | god |
| immortālis, -e | immortal |
| benignitās, -tātis, f. | kindness |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| cāsus, -ūs, m. | fall; chance, accident |
| bellicus, -a, -um | of war, military |
| intersum, -esse, -fuī, -futūrus | be or lie between |
| tum, adv. | then, at that time |
| praecipuē, adv. | especially |
| nihil, n., indecl. | nothing |
| ratiō, -ōnis, f. | plan, means, method, manner; reason; account |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| administrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | manage, carry out |