Lectitō › Julius Caesar › The Alexandrian War (Bellum Alexandrinum)
Bellum Alexandrinum 77
Caesar settles Pontus
Hirtius, Bellum Alexandrinum. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōB. Alex. 77.1Tālī victōriā totiēns victor Caesar incrēdibilī est laetitiā affectus, quod maximum bellum tantā celeritāte cōnfēcerat, eōque subitī perīculī recordātiōne laetior, quod victōria facilis ex difficillimīs rēbus acciderat.
Caesar, so often victorious, was filled with incredible joy at such a victory, because he had finished a very great war with such speed, and he was the happier at the memory of the sudden danger, because an easy victory had come out of very difficult circumstances.
Note. Zela was fought on 2 August 47 BC. The famous message 'vēnī, vīdī, vīcī' ('I came, I saw, I conquered') does not appear in this text: it is reported by Suetonius (Divus Iulius 37), as a placard carried in Caesar's Pontic triumph, and by Plutarch (Caesar 50), as a letter to a friend at Rome. eō … laetior, quod: 'the happier for this, that'.
B. Alex. 77.2Pontō receptō praedā omnī rēgiā mīlitibus condōnātā posterō diē cum expedītīs equitibus ipse proficīscitur, legiōnem sextam dēcēdere ad praemia atque honōrēs accipiendōs in Ītaliam iubet, auxilia Dēiotarī domum remittit, duās legiōnēs cum Coeliō Viniciānō in Pontō relinquit.
Having recovered Pontus and given all the royal booty to the soldiers, on the next day he himself set out with lightly equipped cavalry; he ordered the Sixth legion to leave for Italy to receive its rewards and honours, sent Deiotarus' auxiliaries home, and left two legions in Pontus with Coelius Vinicianus.
Note. Pontō receptō … praedā … condōnātā: ablatives absolute. ad praemia atque honōrēs accipiendōs: gerundive of purpose.
Vocabulary
| tālis, -e | such |
| victōria, -ae, f. | victory |
| totiēns (adv.) | so often, so many times |
| victor, -ōris m. | conqueror, victor |
| incrēdibilis, e | incredible |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| laetitia, -ae, f. | joy |
| afficiō, -ere, -fēcī, -fectum | affect, afflict |
| quod, conj. | that, in that, because |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| bellum, -ī, n. | war |
| tantus, -a, -um | so great or much |
| celeritās, -tātis, f. | swiftness, quickness, speed |
| cōnficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | make or do completely, complete, finish, accomplish, make; wear out |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| subitus, -a, -um | sudden |
| perīculum, -ī, n. | danger, peril, risk |
| recordātiō, -ōnis f. | recollection, remembering |
| laetus, -a, -um | glad, joyful |
| facilis, -e (comp. facilior) | easy |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| difficilis, -e | not easy, difficult |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| accidō, -cidere, -cidī | fall to or upon; befall, happen |
| recipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take or get back, recover; sē recipere, to betake oneself, withdraw; to collect oneself, recover |
| praeda, -ae, f. | booty, spoil, plunder |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| rēgius, -a, -um | royal, kingly |
| mīles, mīlitis, m. | soldier |
| condōnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | forgive, overlook (for someone's sake) |
| posterus, -a, -um | following, next |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| expedītus, -a, -um | unobstructed, easy; lightly equipped |
| eques, equitis m. | horseman; (pl.) cavalry |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| proficīscor, -ficīscī, -fectus sum | set out, depart, march |
| legiō, -ōnis f. | legion |
| sextus, -a, -um | sixth |
| dēcēdō, -cēdere, -cessī, -cessus | go away, depart |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| praemium, -ī, n. | reward |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| honor, -ōris, m. | honor |
| accipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take to oneself, receive, accept; hear; suffer |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussus | bid, order, command |
| auxilium, -ī, n. | help, aid |
| domus, -ūs, f. | house, home |
| remittō, -ere, -mīsī, -missum | send back; give up, remit |
| duo, -ae, -o, plur. adj. | two |
| relinquō, -linquere, -līquī, -lictus | leave behind, leave |