Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Civil War, Book 3
De Bello Civili 3.3
Pompey's preparations at sea
Caesar, De Bello Civili III. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōBC 3.3.1Pompēius annuum spatium ad conparandās cōpiās nactus, quod vacuum ā bellō atque ab hoste ōtiōsum fuerat, magnam ex Asiā Cycladibusque īnsulīs Corcȳrā Athēnīs Pontō Bīthȳniā Syriā Ciliciā Phoenīcē Aegyptō classem coēgerat, magnam omnibus locīs aedificandam cūrāverat, magnam imperātam Asiae Syriae rēgibusque omnibus et dynastīs et tetrarchīs et līberīs Achāiae populīs pecūniam exēgerat, magnam societātēs eārum prōvinciārum, quās ipse obtinēbat, sibi numerāre coēgerat.
Pompey, having gained a whole year to prepare his forces, a year that had been free of war and undisturbed by any enemy, had gathered a large fleet from Asia and the Cyclades islands, Corcyra, Athens, Pontus, Bithynia, Syria, Cilicia, Phoenicia and Egypt; he had seen to the building of a large one in every place; he had exacted a large sum of money levied on Asia and Syria and on all the kings, princes and tetrarchs and the free peoples of Achaea; and he had forced the tax-collecting companies of the provinces which he himself held to pay him a large sum.
Note. Four parallel clauses each begin with magnam: magnam … classem coēgerat, magnam … aedificandam cūrāverat, magnam … pecūniam exēgerat, magnam [pecūniam] societātēs … numerāre coēgerat. cūrāre with a gerundive: 'have something done'. societātēs: the companies of tax-farmers (pūblicānī). dynastīs et tetrarchīs: the petty rulers of the East.
Vocabulary
| annuus, -a, -um | for a year, yearly |
| spatium, -ī, n. | space, interval; space of time, time |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| comparō, -parāre, -parāvī, -parātus | prepare, collect |
| cōpia, -ae, f. | supply, abundance; plur., forces, troops |
| nancīscor, nancīscī, nactus | get, obtain, find |
| quod, conj. | that, in that, because |
| vacuus, -a, -um | empty |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| bellum, -ī, n. | war |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| hostis, -is, m. and f. | enemy, foe |
| ōtiōsus, -a, -um | at leisure, quiet; as noun: a peaceful citizen |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| īnsula, -ae, f. | island |
| classis, -is f. | fleet |
| cōgō, cōgere, coēgī, coāctus | drive together, collect; compel |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| aedificō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | make a building, build |
| cūrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | take care of; (+ gerundive) have something done |
| imperō, -perāre, -perāvī, -perātus | command, order, enjoin |
| rēx, rēgis, m. | king |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| dynastēs, -ae m. | ruler, prince (of a small eastern state) |
| tetrarchēs, -ae m. | tetrarch, a petty prince in the East (ruler of a fourth part of a kingdom) |
| līber, lībera, līberum | free |
| populus, -ī m. | people, nation |
| pecūnia, -ae, f. | money (the possession of cattle constituting wealth in early times) |
| exigō, -ere, -ēgī, -āctum | drive out; finish, spend (a season) |
| societās, -ātis f. | alliance, partnership |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| prōvincia, -ae f. | province; here, the Roman Province in southern Gaul |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| obtineō, -tinēre, -tinuī, -tentus | hold |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| numerō (adv.) | in number (saepe numerō: very often) |