Atque haec quā celeritāte gesta sint, quamquam vidētis, tamen ā mē in dīcendō praetereunda nōn sunt. Quis enim umquam aut obeundī negōtī aut cōnsequendī quaestūs studiō tam brevī tempore tot loca adīre, tantōs cursūs cōnficere potuit, quam celeriter Cn. Pompēiō duce tantī bellī impetus nāvigāvit? Quī nōndum tempestīvō ad nāvigandum marī Siciliam adiit, Āfricam explōrāvit, in Sardiniam cum classe vēnit atque haec tria frūmentāria subsidia reī pūblicae fīrmissimīs praesidiīs classibusque mūnīvit.

34: Pompey’s cruise control (I): ‘I have a fleet – and need for speed’

This and the next paragraph elaborate on Pompey’s campaign against the pirates, putting the emphasis on the speed with which he completed the task of sweeping the Mediterranean clean, thus securing the corn-supply for the capital (heavily dependent on overseas imports) and expanding Rome’s imperial control in the process...[full essay]

Study Questions:

  • What kind of clause does qua introduce?
  • What kind of ablative is a me? What is unusual about it?
  • Explain the construction Cn. Pompeio duce.
  • Explain the syntax of qui (in qui nondum...).
  • Explain the syntax of navigandum.
  • For most nouns in the fourth declension, the nominative singular, the genitive singular, the nominative plural, and the accusative plural all end in -us. Can you identify the three fourth-declension nouns in the paragraph and their respective cases? (One is in the nominative singular, one in the genitive singular, one in the accusative plural.)

Stylistic Appreciation:

How does Cicero convey Pompey’s extraordinary speed of operation in his prose?

Discussion Point:

What according to Cicero are Pompey’s priorities?

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Suggested Citation

Ingo Gildenhard, Louise Hodgson, et al., Cicero, On Pompey’s Command (De Imperio), 27–49. Cambridge: Open Book Publishers, 2014. ISBN: 978-1-78374-080-2. DCC edition, 2016.https://dcc.dickinson.edu/sv/cicero-de-imperio/34