Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Civil War, Book 3
De Bello Civili 3.107
Caesar offers to judge between Ptolemy and Cleopatra
Caesar, De Bello Civili III. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōBC 3.107.1Quibus rēbus animadversīs legiōnēs sibi aliās ex Asiā addūcī iussit, quās ex Pompēiānīs mīlitibus cōnfēcerat.
When he noticed these things, he ordered other legions, which he had formed from Pompey's soldiers, to be brought to him from Asia.
Note. quās ex Pompeiānīs mīlitibus cōnfēcerat: legions formed from Pompeian soldiers who had surrendered after Pharsalus.
BC 3.107.1ipse enim necessāriō etēsiīs tenēbātur, quī nāvigantibus Alexandrīā flant adversissimī ventī.
For he himself was held there of necessity by the etesian winds, which blow dead against those sailing from Alexandria.
Note. etēsiīs: the etesian winds, steady northerlies that blow in the eastern Mediterranean in summer, making it hard to sail north from Alexandria. adversissimī: superlative, 'most contrary'.
BC 3.107.2interim contrōversiās rēgum ad populum Rōmānum et ad sē, quod esset cōnsul, pertinēre exīstimāns, atque eō magis officiō suō convenīre, quod superiōre cōnsulātū cum patre Ptolomaeō ex lēge et senātūs cōnsultō societās erat facta, ostendit sibi placēre rēgem Ptolomaeum atque eius sorōrem Cleopatram exercitūs, quōs habērent, dīmittere et dē contrōversiīs iūre apud sē potius quam inter sē armīs disceptāre.
Meanwhile, thinking that the quarrels of the royal pair concerned the Roman people and himself, because he was consul, and fell all the more within his duty because in his previous consulship an alliance had been made with their father Ptolemy by a law and a decree of the senate, he declared that it was his wish that King Ptolemy and his sister Cleopatra should disband the armies they had and settle their quarrels by law before him rather than by arms between themselves.
Note. The main verb is ostendit; existimāns governs two indirect statements: contrōversiās … pertinēre and (eās) … convenīre. quod esset cōnsul: Caesar was consul for the second time in 48 BC. superiōre cōnsulātū: in 59 BC, when Ptolemy XII was recognized as 'friend and ally of the Roman people' by law and senatorial decree. sibi placēre: 'that it was his wish', with the infinitives dīmittere and disceptāre.
Vocabulary
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| animadvertō, -vertere, -vertī, -versus | turn the mind to, observe |
| legiō, -ōnis f. | legion |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| alius, -a, -ud | another, other; aliī ... aliī, some ... others |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| addūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead to, bring, take; induce, influence |
| iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussus | bid, order, command |
| Pompeiānus, -a, -um | of Pompey, Pompeian; Pompeiānī, -ōrum m. pl.: Pompey's men |
| mīles, mīlitis, m. | soldier |
| cōnficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | make or do completely, complete, finish, accomplish, make; wear out |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| enim, conj. | for |
| necessāriō (adv.) | of necessity, unavoidably |
| etēsiae, -ārum m. pl. | the etesian winds, the steady north winds of the eastern Mediterranean in summer |
| teneō, -ēre, -uī, -tus | hold, keep; hold back, restrain, stop |
| nāvigō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | sail |
| flō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | blow |
| adversus, -a, -um | facing; unfavourable, unsuccessful |
| ventus, -ī, m. | wind |
| interim (adv.) | meanwhile |
| contrōversia, -ae, f. | quarrel, dispute, debate |
| rēx, rēgis, m. | king |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| populus, -ī m. | people, nation |
| Rōmānus, -a, -um | Roman |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| quod, conj. | that, in that, because |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| cōnsul, -ulis m. | consul (one of Rome's two chief magistrates) |
| pertineō, -ēre, -uī | extend, reach; tend toward, concern |
| exīstimō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | consider, believe, think |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| magis, comp. adv. | more, rather |
| officium, -ī, n. | service; duty |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| conveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventus | come together, assemble |
| superior, -ius, adj. | higher; former, previous, preceding |
| cōnsulātus, -ūs m. | consulship |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| pater, patris, m. | father |
| lēx, lēgis f. | law |
| senātus, -ūs m. | senate |
| cōnsultum, -ī n. | decree (senātūs cōnsultum: a decree of the Senate) |
| societās, -ātis f. | alliance, partnership |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| ostendō, -tendere, -tendī, -tentus | stretch out before, show, explain |
| placeō, -ēre, placuī, placitum (+ dat.) | please (placuit eī: he decided) |
| soror, -ōris, f. | sister |
| exercitus, -ūs, m. | army |
| habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | have, hold; consider |
| dīmittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send different ways, send forth or away, despatch; let slip, lose |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| iūs, iūris, n. | right, justice, law; iūs dīcere, to pronounce judgment; iūs iūrandum, iūris iūrandī, oath |
| apud, prep, with acc. | among, with |
| potius (adv.) | rather |
| quam, adv. | how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible |
| inter, prep, with acc. | among, between |
| arma, -ōrum, n. plur. | arms, weapons |
| disceptō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | debate, dispute; settle a dispute |