De Bello Civili 3.42

BC 3.42.1Pompēius interclūsus Dyrrachiō, ubi prōpositum tenēre nōn potuit, secundō ūsus cōnsiliō ēditō locō, quī appellātur Petra aditumque habet nāvibus mediocrem atque eās ā quibusdam prōtegit ventīs, castra commūnit.

Pompey, cut off from Dyrrachium, when he could not carry out his intention, adopted a second plan and fortified a camp on a high place called Petra, which has a moderate approach for ships and shelters them from some winds.

Note. Petra ('the Rock') is a headland south of Dyrrachium; cut off from his base by land, Pompey can still be supplied by sea. secundō … cōnsiliō: 'his second plan'.

BC 3.42.2eō partem nāvium longārum convenīre, frūmentum commeātumque ab Asiā atque omnibus regiōnibus, quās tenēbat, conportārī imperat.

He ordered part of his warships to gather there, and grain and supplies to be brought from Asia and from all the regions he held.

Note. convenīre … conportārī: infinitives after imperat, an unusual construction for Caesar (normally ut + subjunctive).

BC 3.42.3Caesar longius bellum ductum īrī exīstimāns et dē Italicīs commeātibus dēspērāns, quod tantā dīligentiā omnia lītora ā Pompēiānīs tenēbantur classēsque ipsīus, quās hieme in Siciliā Galliā Ītaliā fēcerat, morābantur, in Ēpīrum reī frūmentāriae causā Q. Tillium et L. Canulēium lēgātōs mīsit, quodque hae regiōnēs aberant longius, locīs certīs horrea cōnstituit vectūrāsque frūmentī fīnitimīs cīvitātibus discrīpsit.

Caesar, thinking that the war would be drawn out longer and despairing of supplies from Italy, because all the coasts were held by the Pompeians with such care and his own fleets, which he had built in the winter in Sicily, Gaul and Italy, were delayed, sent his legates Quintus Tillius and Lucius Canuleius into Epirus for the sake of grain; and because these regions were rather far away, he set up granaries in fixed places and assigned the transport of grain to the neighbouring cities.

Note. ductum īrī: future passive infinitive (supine + īrī), 'that the war would be drawn out'. classēsque ipsīus … morābantur: Caesar's own fleets were delayed. quodque: = et quod, 'and because'. discrīpsit: 'assigned' (discrībō, 'divide up').

BC 3.42.4item Lissō Parthīnīsque et omnibus castellīs, quod esset frūmentī, conquīrī iussit.

He likewise ordered whatever grain there was to be sought out at Lissus, among the Parthini and in all the forts.

Note. quod esset frūmentī: 'whatever grain there was' (partitive genitive).

BC 3.42.5id erat perexiguum cum ipsīus agrī nātūrā, quod sunt loca aspera ac montuōsa ac plērumque frūmentō ūtuntur inportātō, tum quod Pompēius haec prōvīderat et superiōribus diēbus praedae locō Parthīnōs habuerat frūmentumque omne conquīsītum spoliātīs effossīsque eōrum domibus per equitēs in Petram comportārat.

That was very little, both because of the nature of the land itself (the country is rough and mountainous, and they mostly use imported grain), and because Pompey had foreseen this and in the preceding days had treated the Parthini as plunder, plundered and dug up their houses, sought out all the grain and carried it by his cavalry to Petra.

Note. cum … tum: 'both … and', here 'not only … but also'. praedae locō … habuerat: 'had treated as plunder'. comportārat: syncopated pluperfect for comportāverat.