De Bello Civili 1.6

Pompey's preparations

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BC 1.6.1Proximīs diēbus habētur extrā urbem senātus.In the following days the senate meets outside the city.Note. extrā urbem: the senate met outside the city boundary so that Pompey, holding military command, could attend. BC 1.6.1Pompēius eadem illa, quae per Scīpiōnem ostenderat, agit, senātūs virtūtem cōnstantiamque collaudat, cōpiās suās expōnit: legiōnēs habēre sēsē parātās x;Pompey does the same things that he had indicated through Scipio; he praises the senate's courage and firmness and sets out his forces: he has ten legions ready;Note. legiōnēs … X: Pompey claimed ten legions, most of them in Spain or not yet raised. BC 1.6.2praetereā cognitum compertumque sibi aliēnō esse animō in Caesarem mīlitēs, neque iīs posse persuādērī, utī eum dēfendant aut sequantur.besides, he says, he has learned for certain that the soldiers are disaffected towards Caesar and cannot be persuaded to defend or follow him.Note. cognitum compertumque sibi: 'that it had been learned and established by him'. aliēnō esse animō in Caesarem: 'to be ill-disposed towards Caesar', ablative of description. BC 1.6.3dē reliquīs rēbus ad senātum refertur: tōtā Ītaliā dīlēctus habeātur;Motions are put to the senate on the other matters: that a levy be held throughout Italy;Note. From here the motions are in indirect command: habeātur, mittātur, dētur. BC 1.6.3Faustus Sulla prō praetōre in Mauretāniam mittātur;that Faustus Sulla be sent to Mauretania as propraetor;Note. Faustus Sulla: son of the dictator and Pompey's son-in-law. prō praetōre: 'as propraetor'. BC 1.6.3pecūnia utī ex aerāriō Pompēiō dētur.that money from the treasury be given to Pompey.Note. pecūnia utī ex aerāriō Pompeiō dētur: utī = ut. The treasury was to fund Pompey's war. BC 1.6.3refertur etiam dē rēge Iubā, ut socius sit atque amīcus.A motion is also put about King Juba, that he be an ally and friend.Note. rēx Iuba: King Juba I of Numidia, who later destroyed Curio's army in Africa (Book II). To be named 'ally and friend of the Roman people' was a formal title.

BC 1.6.4Mārcellus nōn passūrum in praesentiā negat;Marcellus says that for the present he will not allow it;Note. Mārcellus: here C. Claudius Marcellus, consul in 49 with Lentulus. in praesentiā: 'for the present'. BC 1.6.4dē Faustō impedit Philippus tribūnus plēbis.about Faustus, Philippus, tribune of the plebs, blocks the motion.Note. Philippus: L. Marcius Philippus, tribune, blocked the motion about Faustus. BC 1.6.5dē reliquīs rēbus senātūs cōnsulta perscrībuntur.On the other matters decrees of the senate are recorded.Note. senātūs cōnsulta perscrībuntur: decrees were written down formally after being passed. BC 1.6.5prōvinciae prīvātīs dēcernuntur, duae cōnsulārēs, reliquae praetōriae.Provinces are assigned to private citizens, two of consular rank, the rest of praetorian rank.Note. prīvātīs: provinces were given to private men (not current magistrates), which was irregular. cōnsulārēs … praetōriae: provinces for ex-consuls and ex-praetors. BC 1.6.5Scīpiōnī obvenit Syria, L. Domitiō Gallia.Syria falls to Scipio, Gaul to Lucius Domitius.Note. L. Domitius: L. Domitius Ahenobarbus, appointed to succeed Caesar in Gaul. BC 1.6.5Philippus et Cotta prīvātō cōnsiliō praetereuntur, neque eōrum sortēs dēiciuntur.Philippus and Cotta are passed over by private arrangement, and their lots are not cast.Note. Philippus et Cotta: senior consulars who were left out by private arrangement: their names were not even put into the lot. BC 1.6.6in reliquās prōvinciās praetōrēs mittuntur.Praetors are sent into the other provinces.Note. Normally the new governors would be appointed by lot and formally voted their command. BC 1.6.6neque exspectant, ut dē eōrum imperiō ad populum ferātur palūdātīque vōtīs nūncupātīs exeant.They do not wait for their command to be ratified by the people, nor for the vows to be pronounced before they leave in their generals' cloaks.Note. nec exspectant ut … ferātur: they did not wait for the law (lēx cūriāta) conferring command. palūdātī: dressed in the general's cloak; votīs nūncupātīs: after vows on the Capitol, the usual ceremony before a governor left. BC 1.6.7cōnsulēs,.The consuls … (a gap in the text).Note. The manuscripts have a gap here; something about the consuls has been lost.

BC 1.6.8tōtā Ītaliā dīlēctūs habentur, arma imperantur, pecūniae ā mūnicipiīs exiguntur, ē fānīs tolluntur, omnia dīvīna hūmānaque iūra permiscentur.Levies are held throughout Italy, arms are demanded, money is exacted from the towns and taken from the temples, and all laws of gods and men are thrown into confusion.Note. Caesar heaps up short clauses in the historic present to give the sense of a state in chaos. ē fānīs: from temples, a sacrilege.

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Grammar in this passage: indirect statement ×2, purpose clauses ×2, ablative absolute ×1

Latin vocabulary for this passage (101 words)

proximus, -a, -um	nearest, next
diēs, -ēī, m. and f.	day
habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus	have, hold; consider
extrā (prep. + acc.)	outside, beyond
urbs, urbis, f.	city
senātus, -ūs m.	senate
īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron.	the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also
ille, illa, illud, dem. pron.	that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.	who, which
per, prep, with ace.	through, by means of
ostendō, -tendere, -tendī, -tentus	stretch out before, show, explain
agō, agere, ēgī, āctus	drive; do; pass, lead; grātiās agere, see grātia
virtūs, -tūtis, f.	manliness, courage, bravery
cōnstantia, -ae f.	steadiness, firmness
que, enclitic conj.	and
collaudō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum	praise warmly
cōpia, -ae, f.	supply, abundance; plur., forces, troops
suus, -a, -um	his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their
expōnō, -pōnere, -posuī, -positus	put out, set forth; put on shore, land; explain
legiō, -ōnis f.	legion
suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron.	himself, herself, itself, themselves
parātus, -a, -um	prepared, equipped, ready
Roman numeral	a number written with letters: I 1, V 5, X 10, L 50, C 100, D 500, M 1000
praetereā, adv.	besides this, besides, moreover
cognōscō, -gnōscere, -gnōvī, -gnitus	find out, learn; in tenses of completed action, have found out, know
comperiō, -īre, comperī, compertum	find out, learn
aliēnus, -a, -um	belonging to another, out of place
sum, esse, fuī, futūrus	be
animus, -ī, m.	mind; heart; spirit, courage
in, prep. with acc. and abl.	with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
mīles, mīlitis, m.	soldier
neque or nec, conj.	and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not
is, ea, id, dem. pron.	this, that; he, she, it, they
possum, posse, potuī	be able, have power, can
persuādeō, -suādēre, -suāsi, -suāsus	persuade, prevail upon, induce
utī (conj.)	older form of ut: that, so that; as
dēfendō, -fendere, -fendī, -fēnsus	ward off; defend
aut, conj.	or; aut ... aut, either ... or
sequor, sequī, secūtus	follow
dē, prep, with abl.	down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of
reliquus, -a, -um	left, the remaining, the other, the rest of
rēs, reī, f.	thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really
ad, prep. with acc.	to, toward; at, near; for
referō, referre, rettulī, relātus	bring or carry back, return; pedem referre, to draw back, retire, retreat; grātiam referre, see grātia
tōtus, -a, -um	all the, the whole or entire
dīlēctus, -ūs m.	levy, recruitment of soldiers; dīlēctum habēre: hold a levy
prō, prep. with abl.	before, in front of; for, in behalf of; for, as; in return for, for
praetor, -ōris m.	praetor (legātus prō praetōre: officer with a praetor's powers)
mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus	send
pecūnia, -ae, f.	money (the possession of cattle constituting wealth in early times)
ex, ē (prep. + abl.)	out of, from; of (ē only before consonants)
aerārium, -ī n.	treasury (the state treasury in the temple of Saturn)
dō, dare, dedī, datus	give
etiam, adv.	and now, also, too, even
rēx, rēgis, m.	king
ut, conj.	as; when; that; ita ut, as
socius, -ī, m.	companion, comrade, ally
atque, ac (conj.)	and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants)
amīcus, -ī, m.	friend
nōn, adv.	not
patior, patī, passus, bear	suffer, allow
praesentia, -ae, f.	the present
negō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	say no or not, deny, refuse
impediō, -pedīre, -pedīvī, -pedītus	hinder, prevent, impede
tribūnus, -ī m.	tribune (tribūnus mīlitum: senior officer of a legion)
plēbs, plēbis f.	the common people
cōnsultum, -ī n.	decree (senātūs cōnsultum: a decree of the Senate)
perscrībō, -scrībere, -scrīpsī, scrīptus	write through or in full, describe fully, recount
prōvincia, -ae f.	province; here, the Roman Province in southern Gaul
prīvātus, -a, -um	private
dēcernō, -ere, dēcrēvī, dēcrētum	decide, decree
duo, -ae, -o, plur. adj.	two
cōnsulāris, -e	of a consul, consular; as noun: ex-consul; comitia cōnsulāria: the consular elections
praetōrius, -a, -um	of the commander (praetōria cohors: bodyguard)
obveniō, -īre, -vēnī, -ventum (+ dat.)	fall to, be assigned to
et, conj.	and; et ... et, both ... and
cōnsilium, -ī, n.	advice; plan, design, purpose; prudence
praetereō, -īre, -iī, -itus	pass by
sors, sortis, f.	lot
dēiciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectus	throw down, cast, drive out of one's course
exspectō, -spectāre, -spectāvī, -spectātus	look out for, wait for, await, expect; wait
imperium, -ī, n.	command; sway, rule
populus, -ī m.	people, nation
ferō, ferre, tulī, lātus	bear, bring
palūdātus, -a, -um	wearing the general's cloak (palūdāmentum): in uniform, as a magistrate setting out for his province
vōtum, -ī n.	vow; wish, prayer
nūncupō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	name, call; declare publicly
exeō, -īre, -iī, -itus	go out
cōnsul, -ulis m.	consul (one of Rome's two chief magistrates)
arma, -ōrum, n. plur.	arms, weapons
imperō, -perāre, -perāvī, -perātus	command, order, enjoin
ā, ab (prep. + abl.)	away from, from; by (ā only before consonants)
mūnicipium, -ī n.	municipium, a self-governing Italian town with Roman citizenship
exigō, -ere, -ēgī, -āctum	drive out; finish, spend (a season)
fānum, -ī n.	shrine, sanctuary
tollō, tollere, sustulī, sublātus	lift, raise; take away, remove; ancorās tollere, to weigh anchor
omnis, -e	all, every
dīvīnus, -a, -um	divine, of the gods
hūmānus, -a, -um	of man, human
iūs, iūris, n.	right, justice, law; iūs dīcere, to pronounce judgment; iūs iūrandum, iūris iūrandī, oath
permisceō, -miscēre, -miscuī, -mixtus	mix together, mingle

Caesar, De Bello Civili I. Latin text: R. du Pontet, C. Iuli Caesaris Commentariorum pars posterior (Oxford, 1901), public domain; digital text from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA. Word analysis: LatinCy, then every word checked and corrected by hand. English translation, notes and grammar hints: written for this app.