Lectitō › Julius Caesar › Civil War, Book 3
De Bello Civili 3.5
Pompey's fleet and its commanders
Caesar, De Bello Civili III. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōBC 3.5.1Frūmentī vim maximam ex Thessaliā Asiā Aegyptō Crētā Cȳrēnīs reliquīsque regiōnibus comparāverat.
He had gathered a very great quantity of grain from Thessaly, Asia, Egypt, Crete, Cyrene and the other regions.
Note. frūmentī vim maximam: 'a very great quantity of grain'; vīs often means 'quantity, amount'.
BC 3.5.2hiemāre Dyrrachiī Apollōniae omnibusque oppidīs maritimīs cōnstituerat, ut mare trānsīre Caesarem prohibēret, eiusque reī causā omnī ōrā maritimā classem disposuerat.
He had decided to winter at Dyrrachium, Apollonia and all the coastal towns, so as to prevent Caesar from crossing the sea, and for this purpose he had stationed his fleet along the whole coast.
Note. Dyrrachiī Apollōniae: locatives, 'at Dyrrachium, at Apollonia'. ut … prohibēret: purpose clause. ōrā maritimā: 'along the sea coast'.
BC 3.5.3praeerat Aegyptiīs nāvibus Pompēius fīlius, Asiāticīs D. Laelius et C. Triārius, Syriacīs C. Cassius, Rhodiīs C. Mārcellus cum C. Copōniō, Liburnicae atque Achāicae classī Scrībōnius Libō et M. Octāvius.
In command of the Egyptian ships was Pompey's son; of the Asian, Decimus Laelius and Gaius Triarius; of the Syrian, Gaius Cassius; of the Rhodian, Gaius Marcellus with Gaius Coponius; of the Liburnian and Achaean fleet, Scribonius Libo and Marcus Octavius.
Note. praeerat governs the datives Aegyptiīs nāvibus, Asiāticīs, Syriacīs, Rhodiīs, and Liburnicae atque Achāicae classī. C. Cassius here is Gaius Cassius Longinus, later one of Caesar's murderers.
BC 3.5.4tōtī tamen officiō maritimō M. Bibulus praepositus cūncta administrābat;
Over the whole naval command, however, Marcus Bibulus had been placed and directed everything;
Note. tōtī … officiō maritimō: dative with praepositus, 'put in charge of the whole naval command'. Bibulus had been Caesar's bitter opponent and colleague as consul in 59 BC.
BC 3.5.4ad hunc summa imperiī respiciēbat.
to him the supreme authority looked.
Note. summa imperiī: 'the supreme command'. ad hunc … respiciēbat: literally 'looked back to him', i.e. depended on him.
Vocabulary
| frūmentum, -ī, n. | grain |
| vīs, vīs, f. | violence, force; virtue, potency, efficacy; plur. vīrēs, -ium, strength; omnibus vīribus, with all one's strength, with might and main |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| regiō, -ōnis, f. | direction; country, region |
| comparō, -parāre, -parāvī, -parātus | prepare, collect |
| hiemō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | spend the winter |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| oppidum, -ī, n. | town |
| maritimus, -a, -um | of the sea, coastal |
| cōnstituō, -stituere, -stituī, -stitūtus | set together or up; appoint; determine |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| mare, maris, n. | sea |
| trānseō, -īre, -iī, -itus | go across or over, cross |
| prohibeō, -hibēre, -hibuī, -hibitus | hold back, prevent, hinder |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| causa, -ae, f. | cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of |
| ōra, -ae f. | coast, shore |
| classis, -is f. | fleet |
| dispōnō, -ere, -posuī, -positum | station here and there, post |
| praesum, -esse, -fuī | be before, preside over, have charge of, command |
| Aegyptius, -a, -um | Egyptian |
| nāvis, -is, f. | ship |
| fīlius, -ī, m. | son |
| Asiāticus, -a, -um | of Asia (the Roman province in western Asia Minor), Asiatic |
| decimus, -a, -um | tenth |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| Syriacus, -a, -um | Syrian |
| Rhodius, -a, -um | of Rhodes, Rhodian |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| Liburnicus, -a, -um | Liburnian, of the Liburni (a seafaring Illyrian people) |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| Achāicus, -a, -um | of Achaea, Achaean (Greek) |
| tōtus, -a, -um | all the, the whole or entire |
| tamen, adv. | however, yet, nevertheless |
| officium, -ī, n. | service; duty |
| praepōnō, -ere, -posuī, -positum | put in command of |
| cūnctus, -a, -um | all, the whole |
| administrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | manage, carry out |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| summa, -ae f. | total, sum; supreme command |
| imperium, -ī, n. | command; sway, rule |
| respiciō, -ere, -spexī, -spectum | look back |