De Bello Civili 3.108

BC 3.108.1Erat in prōcūrātiōne regnī propter aetātem puerī nūtrīcius eius, eunūchus nōmine Pothīnus.

In charge of the kingdom, because of the boy's age, was his guardian, a eunuch named Pothinus.

Note. nūtrīcius: 'guardian'. nōmine Pothīnus: 'Pothinus by name'.

BC 3.108.1is prīmum inter suōs querī atque indignārī coepit rēgem ad causam dīcendam ēvocārī;

He first began to complain and to protest among his own people that the king was being summoned to plead his case;

Note. queri atque indignārī: deponent infinitives with coepit. ad causam dīcendam: gerundive of purpose, 'to plead his case'.

BC 3.108.2deinde adiūtōrēs quōsdam cōnsiliī suī nānctus ex rēgis amīcīs exercitum ā Pēlūsiō clam Alexandrīam ēvocāvit atque eundem Achillam, cuius suprā meminimus, omnibus cōpiīs praefēcit.

then, finding some helpers in his plan among the king's friends, he secretly summoned the army from Pelusium to Alexandria and put that same Achillas whom we mentioned above in command of all the forces.

Note. nactus: 'having found'. cuius suprā meminimus: meminī takes the genitive, 'whom we mentioned above' (sentence 26). omnibus cōpiīs praefēcit: praeficiō takes the dative of what is commanded.

BC 3.108.3hunc incitātum suīs et rēgis īnflātum pollicitātiōnibus, quae fierī vellet, litterīs nūntiīsque ēdocuit.

Achillas, spurred on and puffed up by his own promises and the king's, he instructed by letters and messengers what he wanted done.

Note. hunc: Achillas. incitātum … īnflātum: participles describing him, 'spurred on and puffed up'. quae fierī vellet: indirect question, 'what he wanted done'.

BC 3.108.4in testāmentō Ptolomaeī patris hērēdēs erant scrīptī ex duōbus fīliīs maior et ex duābus fīliābus ea quae aetāte antecēdēbat.

In the will of Ptolemy the father the heirs written down were the elder of his two sons and the elder of his two daughters.

Note. Ptolemy XII left the throne jointly to his elder son (Ptolemy XIII) and his elder daughter (Cleopatra). maior: 'the elder'. ea quae aetāte antecēdēbat: 'the one who was older'.

BC 3.108.5haec utī fierent, per omnēs deōs perque foedera quae Rōmae fēcisset, eōdem testāmentō Ptolomaeus populum Rōmānum obtestābātur.

That these things should be done, Ptolemy in the same will called on the Roman people to see to it, by all the gods and by the treaties he had made at Rome.

Note. haec utī fierent: purpose clause placed first, 'that these things should be done'. obtestābātur: 'solemnly called on', from the deponent obtestor.

BC 3.108.6tabulae testāmentī ūnae per lēgātōs eius Rōmam erant allātae, ut in aerāriō pōnerentur— hae cum propter pūblicās occupātiōnēs pōnī nōn potuissent, apud Pompēium sunt dēpositae—, alterae eōdem exemplō relictae atque obsignātae Alexandrīae prōferēbantur.

One copy of the will had been brought to Rome by his envoys to be placed in the treasury (since it could not be deposited there because of public business, it was lodged with Pompey); a second copy, identical, was left sealed at Alexandria and was now being produced.

Note. tabulae: the tablets of the will. ūnae … alterae: 'one copy … the other', plural forms because tabulae is plural. in aerāriō: the state treasury in the temple of Saturn. eōdem exemplō: 'in the same wording'. The sentence in dashes is a parenthesis.