Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Civil War, Book 3
De Bello Civili 3.104
The murder of Pompey
Caesar, De Bello Civili III. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōBC 3.104.1Hīs tum cognitīs rēbus amīcī rēgis, quī propter aetātem eius in prōcūrātiōne erant regnī, sīve timōre adductī, ut posteā praedicābant, sollicitātō exercitū rēgiō, nē Pompēius Alexandrīam Aegyptumque occupāret, sīve dēspectā eius fortūnā, ut plērumque in calamitāte ex amīcīs inimīcī exsistunt, iīs quī erant ab eō missī, palam līberāliter respondērunt eumque ad rēgem venīre iussērunt;
When these things were known, the king's friends, who because of his age were acting as regents of the kingdom, either moved by fear, as they afterwards declared, that Pompey might win over the royal army and seize Alexandria and Egypt, or despising his fortune, as in misfortune enemies usually arise from friends, gave a generous answer in public to those whom he had sent, and told him to come to the king;
Note. sīve … sīve: 'either … or', giving two possible motives. nē … occupāret: fear that Pompey would win the army and take Egypt. ut plērumque … exsistunt: 'as generally in misfortune enemies arise from friends'. iīs quī erant ab eō missī: dative with respondērunt.
BC 3.104.2ipsī clam cōnsiliō initō Achillam, praefectum rēgium, singulārī hominem audāciā, et L. Septimium tribūnum mīlitum ad interficiendum Pompēium mīsērunt.
but they themselves, after forming a secret plan, sent Achillas, the king's prefect, a man of remarkable daring, and Lucius Septimius, a military tribune, to kill Pompey.
Note. cōnsiliō initō: ablative absolute, 'having formed a plan'. singulārī hominem audāciā: ablative of description, 'a man of remarkable daring'. ad interficiendum Pompeium: gerundive of purpose.
BC 3.104.3ab hīs līberāliter ipse appellātus et quādam nōtitiā Septimī perductus, quod bellō praedōnum apud eum ōrdinem dūxerat, nāviculam parvulam cōnscendit cum paucīs suīs;
Greeted courteously by them and drawn on by some acquaintance with Septimius, because Septimius had commanded a company under him in the war against the pirates, Pompey boarded a tiny boat with a few of his followers;
Note. ab hīs … appellātus: 'greeted by them'. quod … ōrdinem dūxerat: Septimius had been a centurion ('led a rank') under Pompey in the war against the pirates (67 BC). nāviculam parvulam: two diminutives, 'a tiny little boat'.
BC 3.104.3ibi ab Achillā et Septimiō interficitur.
there he is killed by Achillas and Septimius.
Note. interficitur: vivid present. Pompey was killed on 28 September 48 BC as he stepped ashore; Caesar tells it in five words.
BC 3.104.3item L. Lentulus comprehenditur ab rēge et in custōdiā necātur.
Lucius Lentulus likewise is arrested by the king and put to death in prison.
Note. Lentulus Crus, consul in 49, is the Lentulus of sentence 16.
Vocabulary
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| tum, adv. | then, at that time |
| cognōscō, -gnōscere, -gnōvī, -gnitus | find out, learn; in tenses of completed action, have found out, know |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| amīcus, -ī, m. | friend |
| rēx, rēgis, m. | king |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| propter, prep. with acc. | on account of, because of |
| aetās, -tātis, f. | age |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| prōcūrātiō, -ōnis f. | management, charge |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| regnum, -ī, n. | royal power, rule, throne; kingdom, realm |
| sīve or seu, conj. | or if; sīve ... sīve, whether ... or |
| timor, -ōris, m. | fear |
| addūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead to, bring, take; induce, influence |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| posteā, adv. | after this, afterwards |
| praedīcō, -dīcere, -dīxī, -dictus | say beforehand, foretell, predict |
| sollicitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | stir up, tempt |
| exercitus, -ūs, m. | army |
| rēgius, -a, -um | royal, kingly |
| nē, adv. | not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| occupō, -cupāre, -cupāvī, -cupātus | seize; fill |
| dēspiciō, -ere, -spexī, -spectum | look down on, despise |
| fortūna, -ae, f. | fortune |
| plērumque (adv.) | generally, mostly |
| calamitās, -tātis, f. | misfortune, calamity, disaster |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| inimīcus, -a, -um | unfriendly, hostile |
| exsistō, -ere, -stitī | come forth, arise; appear |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus | send |
| palam (adv.) | openly, publicly |
| līberāliter (adv.) | generously, kindly |
| respondeō, -spondēre, -spondī, -spōnsus | reply, answer |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus | come |
| iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussus | bid, order, command |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| clam (adv.) | secretly |
| cōnsilium, -ī, n. | advice; plan, design, purpose; prudence |
| ineō, -īre, -iī, -itus | go into, enter; adopt |
| praefectus, -ī m. | commander, officer |
| singulāris, -e | single; remarkable |
| homō, hominis, m. | man |
| audācia, -ae, f. | boldness, audacity |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| tribūnus, -ī m. | tribune (tribūnus mīlitum: senior officer of a legion) |
| mīles, mīlitis, m. | soldier |
| interficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | put out of the way, kill |
| appellō, -pellāre, -pellāvī, -pellātus | call, name |
| quīdam, quaedam, quoddam, indef. pron. | a certain, certain |
| nōtitia, -ae f. | knowledge, acquaintance |
| perdūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead or bring through, lead, bring |
| quod, conj. | that, in that, because |
| bellum, -ī, n. | war |
| praedō, -ōnis m. | robber, pirate |
| apud, prep, with acc. | among, with |
| ōrdō, ōrdinis, m. | arrangement, order, rank; ex ōrdine, in order |
| dūcō, dūcere, dūxī, ductus | lead; make, dig; with or without in mātrimōnium, marry |
| nāvicula, -ae f. | small boat |
| parvulus, -a, -um | very small, petty |
| cōnscendō, -scendere, -scendī, -scēnsus | climb; nāvem cōnscendere, to climb the ship, go on board, embark |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| paucī, -ae, -a, plur. adj. | few |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| ibi, adv. | in that place, there |
| item | likewise, also |
| comprehendō, -prehendere, -prehendī, -prehēnsus | seize, catch |
| custōdia, -ae f. | guard, protection |
| necō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | put to death, slay, kill |