De Bello Civili 3.111

BC 3.111.1Hīs cōpiīs fīdēns Achillās paucitātemque mīlitum Caesaris dēspiciēns occupābat Alexandrīam praeter eam oppidī partem, quam Caesar cum mīlitibus tenēbat, prīmō impetū domum eius inrumpere cōnātus.

Trusting in these forces and despising the small number of Caesar's soldiers, Achillas began to take over Alexandria except the part of the town which Caesar held with his soldiers, trying at the first assault to break into his house.

Note. fīdēns: present participle of the semi-deponent fīdō, with the ablative. occupābat: conative imperfect, 'began to seize'. cōnātus: perfect participle of cōnor, 'having tried'.

BC 3.111.1sed Caesar dispositīs per viās cohortibus impetum eius sustinuit.

But Caesar posted cohorts along the streets and held off his attack.

Note. dispositīs … cohortibus: ablative absolute.

BC 3.111.2eōdemque tempore pugnātum est ad portum, ac longē maximam ea rēs adtulit dīmicātiōnem.

At the same time there was fighting at the harbour, and this action brought by far the greatest struggle.

Note. pugnātum est: impersonal passive, 'there was fighting'. longē maximam: 'by far the greatest'.

BC 3.111.3simul enim dīductīs cōpiīs plūribus viīs pugnābātur, et magnā multitūdine nāvīs longās occupāre hostēs cōnābantur.

For the forces were split up and there was fighting in several streets at once, and the enemy were trying with a great crowd to seize the warships.

Note. dīductīs cōpiīs: ablative absolute, 'the forces being split up'. pugnābātur: impersonal passive. nāvīs: accusative plural (= nāvēs). nāvēs longae: warships.

BC 3.111.3quārum erant l auxiliō missae ad Pompēium proeliōque in Thessaliā factō domum redierant, quadrirēmēs omnēs et quīnquerēmēs aptae īnstrūctaeque omnibus rēbus ad nāvigandum, praeter hās xxii, quae praesidiī causā Alexandrīae esse cōnsuēverant, cōnstrātae omnēs;

Of these, fifty had been sent to help Pompey and had come home after the battle in Thessaly, all quadriremes and quinqueremes, fitted and equipped with everything for sailing; besides these there were twenty-two, all decked, which had usually been stationed at Alexandria as a guard.

Note. quārum: 'of which', the warships. l: fifty. quadrirēmēs … quīnquerēmēs: ships with four and five banks of oars. ad nāvigandum: gerund of purpose. xxii: twenty-two.

BC 3.111.4quās sī occupāvissent, classe Caesarī ēreptā portum ac mare tōtum in suā potestāte habērent, commeātū auxiliīsque Caesarem prohibērent.

If they had seized these, they would have taken Caesar's fleet from him, held the harbour and the whole sea in their power, and cut Caesar off from supplies and reinforcements.

Note. A past unreal condition in the subjunctive: sī occupāvissent … habērent … prohibērent, 'if they had seized them, they would have held … would have cut off'. classe Caesarī ēreptā: ablative absolute; Caesarī is dative of separation.

BC 3.111.5itaque tantā est contentiōne āctum, quantā agī dēbuit, cum illī celerem in eā rē victōriam, hī salūtem suam cōnsistere vidērent.

So the fight was carried on with all the effort it called for, since the one side saw a quick victory, the other its own survival, depending on that action.

Note. tantā … contentiōne … quantā: 'with as much effort as'. āctum est: impersonal, 'the struggle was carried on'. illī … hī: 'the former … the latter', the Egyptians and the Romans. cōnsistere: 'depended'.

BC 3.111.6sed rem obtinuit Caesar omnēsque eās nāvēs et reliquās, quae erant in nāvālibus, incendit, quod tam lātē tuērī parvā manū nōn poterat, cōnfestimque ad Pharum nāvibus mīlitēs exposuit.

But Caesar won the day, and burned all those ships and the others that were in the dockyards, because he could not protect so wide an area with a small force, and at once landed soldiers from his ships at Pharos.

Note. rem obtinuit: 'won the day'. incendit: perfect. In this fire, later writers say, part of the great Library of Alexandria burned; Caesar does not mention it. Pharum: the island of Pharos.