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A5

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Title: Ad Alpēs. A Tale of Roman Life
Date of first publication: 1927
Author: Herbert Chester Nutting (1872-1934)
Date first posted: Aug. 28, 2021
Date last updated: Oct. 14, 2022
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The Lake Classical Series

AD ALPĒS
A TALE OF ROMAN LIFE

BY
H.C. NUTTING
University of California

SCOTT, FORESMAN AND COMPANY


CHICAGO ATLANTA NEW YORK
Photograph by R. S. Rogers
ALPĒS
Copyright, 1923, 1927, by
H. C. Nutting
To

THE BOYS AND GIRLS OF TODAY

WHO WOULD JOIN HANDS WITH

THE BOYS AND GIRLS

OF YESTERDAY
PREFACE

The conditions of Latin teaching have changed much in the last fifteen
or twenty years. Once the subject was rigidly required, and too often the
requirement was ruthlessly administered, without regard for the difficulties
encountered by the student, and without any particular care to enlist his
interest. Now the gradual shift to an elective basis necessitates certain
adjustments.
It has long been recognized that the transition from the conventional
beginners' book to Caesar is too abrupt; and there has been more or less
agitation for an extension of "beginning Latin" to the end of the third half-
year, thus making room for a considerable amount of graded reading before
the first Latin author is seriously taken up. Happily this reform seems at
length in a fair way to be realized, as indicated by the recent action of the
College Entrance Examination Board. It is hoped that the change will result
in a large decrease in the excessive mortality that used to mark the end of the
first year's work.
Long experience has led the writer to believe that, at the beginning of the
third year, there is need of a somewhat similar change of procedure; for it is
likely that Cicero will long continue to be the outstanding feature of the
reading of that year, and the transition from Caesar is by no means an easy
one.
The student who passes directly from one author to the other is
confronted simultaneously by three difficulties: (1) an unfamiliar
vocabulary, (2) long and complicated sentence structure, and (3) thought and
content rather remote from his own experience and very hard to grasp when
the reading progresses at the rate of a few lines a day.
In other fields victory has often been won by dividing the difficulties to
be overcome; and it is suggested that this successful policy be applied here
by concentrating upon a single problem at the start, leaving the others for
later treatment.
In pursuance of this plan, the present volume, which is designed
primarily for use in the first half of the third year, concerns itself chiefly
with the matter of vocabulary. Complexity of sentence structure is
everywhere avoided, the thought is simple and directly expressed, and the
units are so short that the pupil may hope to accomplish something definite
at one sitting.
Casual inspection will doubtless leave the impression that the
vocabulary of the book is rather extensive. This is a necessary consequence
of the variety of the selections; for the chaffing of slaves, the story of
Atalanta's race, and a description of the eruption of Vesuvius each calls for
different phraseology. However, about a third of the vocabulary of the
volume is made up of words that occur but once; and, with the exception of
proper names, these words are given in the footnotes on the page with the
text, and they do not appear in the general vocabulary. The latter will be
found to be of the same general range and character as in most third-year
books, and perhaps even more compact than some.
Here, too, as with other word lists, the student will be much helped by a
little previous drill on the meanings of the common prefixes. Indeed, such a
background virtually reduces the number of words to be learned; for
example, given the verb dūcō, a properly trained pupil should have little
need for recourse to the general vocabulary for addūcō, dēdūcō, indūcō,
prōdūcō, redūcō, and the like.
If the first semester of the third year is thus devoted chiefly to the task of
becoming familiar with the new vocabulary, the facility so gained will do
much to rob of their terrors the difficulties postponed to the following term.
The conventional practice of attempting everything at once is very
discouraging; and it may well be that this policy has helped to foster the
much-to-be-regretted tendency to drop Latin at the end of the second year.
In combating this tendency, no third-year book can afford to neglect the
element of interest. At this point, too, the conventional program labors under
a heavy handicap. Where classes are large and equipment adequate, some
enthusiasm may be aroused by such expedients as organizing a "Roman
Senate," or the like; but this at best is costly in time and effort, and it is
beyond the reach of most schools.
It is a real misfortune that no classical author has bequeathed to us a
volume written for the instruction and entertainment of a youthful audience;
but scattered here and there through Latin literature is an abundance of
material suited to such a purpose; and it has been the task of the writer to
bring some of this together and to adapt it to the end in view.
The use of such a compilation can hardly fail to open the eyes of the
pupil to the richness and variety of Latin literature. Incidentally, a wealth of
information is introduced on points of Roman history; and the thread of a
simple story, which gives unity to the whole, makes it possible to bring in
naturally frequent reference to Roman life and manners.
The narrative follows the fortunes of a family party traveling by sea
from Ephesus to Brundisium, thence northward by the Appian Way to
Rome, then onward to the Alps. As they journey, the elders narrate to the
children interesting facts and stories suggested by the places visited.
Such a narrative, dealing often with somewhat familiar subject-matter,
provides a context most favorable for quick apprehension of the meaning of
individual words; and the short sentences, as well as the simplicity of
thought and construction, cannot fail to encourage the habit of attacking
Latin as Latin, and of taking in the thought of a passage in the order in
which it stands. The confidence engendered by such practice is bound to
stand the pupil in good stead, whatever reading he next takes up.
The short selections of verse interspersed through the text are chosen for
their aptness and without regard to their difficulty. In a volume that aims to
give some idea of the extent and character of Latin literature, the
appropriateness of including brief specimens of verse is obvious. To forestall
a possible difficulty in handling these, and to help to an appreciation of the
spirit of the lines, a metrical version or paraphrase has in many cases been
provided in the Appendix.
For the most effective use of the book, the class should have access to
the works of reference naturally found in a high-school library, such as a
history of Rome, a Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, and Johnston's
Private Life of the Romans.
At this time, when the point is being pressed home that, if Latin is to
continue to hold an honored place in secondary education, the cultural
element in its study must be emphasized, there should be an abundant
welcome for a book like the present in the third year of the course;
especially as the matriculation requirements are now being so liberalized as
to give the teacher a very wide range of choice in reading matter.
If not adopted as a regular text, the book may be used for sight reading,
from the third year onward. For this purpose the notes at the foot of the page
will be found convenient. The difficulty of the Latin is about the same
throughout, making it possible to select such parts of the story as individual
taste may dictate.
It is no new idea, of course, to enrich the reading program of the third
year by including material lying outside the six orations of Cicero
conventionally read. For example, considerable use of the letters has been
made in this connection, a plan that has not always worked well, because the
search for extracts easy to read has led too often to the choice of the pitiable
and unmanly messages penned by Cicero during the time of his exile. At the
other extreme, it has recently been proposed to supplement Cicero's orations
by a random selection from a variety of sources, including such a work as
Dē Fīnibus, which is difficult reading even for college seniors.
The present text avoids these rocks and shoals. And the hope is
entertained that this new method of approach may bring help and
encouragement to many teachers, who are waging a hard fight to save third-
and fourth-year Latin, by opening up a vista of attractive reading that will
lure on more students into the work of the third year and give them some
conception of the richness and variety of Latin literature.
For assistance in bringing out this volume, special thanks are due
Professors Katherine Allen and Grant Showerman, of the University of
Wisconsin, Professor Charles E. Bennett, of Amherst College, Professor
Dwight N. Robinson, of Ohio Wesleyan University, Dr. Robert S. Rogers, of
Princeton University, and Professor Harry F. Scott, of Ohio University, all of
whom have contributed generously to the illustration of the text.
Other help has been given by Mr. Bernard M. Allen, Professor William
F. Badè, of the Pacific School of Religion, and Miss Florence H. Robinson,
of Berkeley; and the publishers have spared no pains to provide a suitable
and attractive dress for this new venture in the field of Latin bookmaking.

H. C. N.

University of California
March 15, 1927
CONTENTS
PAGE
P 3
L M I 13
E N 15
C
I. A S 17
..............................................................................................
Pirates in the Aegean 18
..............................................................................................
Experience of Julius Caesar 18
II. A S 20
..............................................................................................
Stasimus as an Interpreter 20
..............................................................................................
Hannibal against the Rhodians 22
..............................................................................................
Hannibal against Eumenes 22
III. A S 24
..............................................................................................
Crete 24
..............................................................................................
Story of Ariadne 24
..............................................................................................
Hannibal’s Visit to Crete 28
IV. A S 29
..............................................................................................
Isthmus of Corinth 29
..............................................................................................
The Boastful Host 31
..............................................................................................
Portents in the Behavior of Birds 33
V. A S 35
..............................................................................................
The Song of Anna 36
..............................................................................................
Samson 37
..............................................................................................
David and Goliath 38
..............................................................................................
Water from the Well at Bethlehem 39
VI. A S 40
..............................................................................................
Storm and Shipwreck 40
..............................................................................................
Lighthouse at Brundisium 43
VII. A A B 45
..............................................................................................
Daniel and the Lions 47
VIII. A A B 50
..............................................................................................
Stasimus and the Country Slave 50
..............................................................................................
Jonah 53
..............................................................................................
Lullaby of Drusilla 54
IX. L B 56
..............................................................................................
Crossing the Red Sea 57
..............................................................................................
Auction 58
X. A V B 60
..............................................................................................
Britain and the Far North 60
..............................................................................................
Androcles and the Lion 62
XI. T T 64
..............................................................................................
The Farmer and the Birds 66
..............................................................................................
Proserpina 68
XII. A T 70
..............................................................................................
Death of Archimedes 70
..............................................................................................
Fall of Amphitheater at Fidenae 71
..............................................................................................
Missiles Thrown from Proscenium 73
..............................................................................................
An Actor Who Fell Asleep 74
XIII. A T 75
..............................................................................................
Stasimus and the Crabs 75
..............................................................................................
Nero as an Artist 75
..............................................................................................
Caligula; His Name and Vagaries 77
XIV. T V 80
..............................................................................................
Pranks of Nero 81
..............................................................................................
Tossing in a Blanket 81
..............................................................................................
Cruelty of Domitian 81
..............................................................................................
Stories of Bald-headed Men 82
..............................................................................................
Babes in the Woods 85
XV. A V 86
..............................................................................................
Innkeeper and Doctor 86
..............................................................................................
Stasimus and the Peddler 88
XVI. A H 91
..............................................................................................
Ghost Stories 91
..............................................................................................
City Mouse and Country Mouse 94
XVII. T B 96
..............................................................................................
Story of Damocles 96
Philoxenus as a Literary Critic
.............................................................................................. 97
..............................................................................................
Diogenes and Aristippus 99
..............................................................................................
Lautumiae 99
..............................................................................................
Battle of Cannae 100
XVIII. T C 102
..............................................................................................
Pyrrhus and His Elephants 102
..............................................................................................
Duels with Elephants 102
..............................................................................................
Elephants Cross Rhone 103
..............................................................................................
Elephants against Serpents 104
..............................................................................................
Battle of the Caudine Forks 105
XIX. T C 108
..............................................................................................
Eruption of Vesuvius 108
XX. T S 113
..............................................................................................
Hannibal against Fabius 113
..............................................................................................
Death of Hannibal 114
..............................................................................................
Plan to Poison Pyrrhus 114
..............................................................................................
Boast of Antiochus 115
..............................................................................................
Milestones 115
..............................................................................................
Atalanta’s Race 116
XXI. T F 118
..............................................................................................
Cicero on Gladiatorial Combats 118
..............................................................................................
Contest between Prisoners of Hannibal 119
..............................................................................................
Rope-walking Elephants 120
..............................................................................................
Gladiators in Sea-Fights 120
..............................................................................................
Midas 121
XXII. T A F 123
..............................................................................................
Paul and the Christians 123
..............................................................................................
Regulus 126
..............................................................................................
Canal along the Appian Way 129
XXIII. T R 130
..............................................................................................
Albanus Mons 130
..............................................................................................
Priests of Diana 130
..............................................................................................
Mausoleum 132
Death of Vitellius
.............................................................................................. 133
XXIV. I C 136
..............................................................................................
Vespasian in the East 137
..............................................................................................
The Dead Sea 137
..............................................................................................
Forms of Worship in Palestine 139
..............................................................................................
Floating Islands 140
..............................................................................................
Stasimus and the One-eyed Soldier 141
XXV. R R 142
..............................................................................................
Letter from Cornelius 142
..............................................................................................
Sack and Rebuilding of Rome 144
..............................................................................................
Fire in Nero’s Time 145
XXVI. T F 147
..............................................................................................
The Mulvian Bridge 147
..............................................................................................
Cicero’s Verse 148
..............................................................................................
March of the Fabii 148
..............................................................................................
Arrival of the Magna Mater at Rome 149
..............................................................................................
Sacrifice of Fabius during the Siege of the Capitolium 150
XXVII. A F 153
..............................................................................................
Milo the Athlete 153
..............................................................................................
Polydamas Killed in a Cave 155
..............................................................................................
Sejanus Saves the Life of Tiberius 155
..............................................................................................
Gyges and the Ring 156
XXVIII. T N 158
..............................................................................................
An Alarming Omen 158
..............................................................................................
Omens Given a Favorable Turn 158
..............................................................................................
Adventure with Brigands 160
XXIX. T N 164
..............................................................................................
A Night Alarm 164
..............................................................................................
Stasimus and the Irate Farmer 165
XXX. T C V 169
..............................................................................................
Battle of Sentinum 169
..............................................................................................
Heroism of Marcus Curtius 171
..............................................................................................
The Water Supply of Alexandria 173
XXXI. T F F 175
..............................................................................................
Battle at the Metaurus 175
..............................................................................................
Moses in the Bulrushes 178
XXXII. T A 180
..............................................................................................
Crossing the Rubicon 180
..............................................................................................
Caesar at Corfinium 182
..............................................................................................
Britain Circumnavigated 183
XXXIII. T B 185
..............................................................................................
Orpheus and Eurydice 185
..............................................................................................
Charon and the Acheron 187
..............................................................................................
Dido’s Treasure 189
..............................................................................................
Red Beards of the Domitii 190
XXXIV. T P 191
..............................................................................................
Story of Absalom 191
..............................................................................................
The Old Soldier’s Raven 193
..............................................................................................
The Heroic Centurion 194
..............................................................................................
An Officer Who Believed in Flogging 195
XXXV. T P 196
..............................................................................................
Sack of Cremona 197
..............................................................................................
Fail of Jericho 199
..............................................................................................
Rahab and the Spies 200
..............................................................................................
Crastinus 201
XXXVI. A P 203
..............................................................................................
Story of Achan 203
..............................................................................................
Stasimus and the Crabbed Old Man 205
..............................................................................................
Battles of the Ticinus and the Trebia 207
XXXVII. T M 210
..............................................................................................
Pyramus and Thisbe 211
..............................................................................................
Sextus and the Farmer’s Apples 213
XXXVIII. A M 215
..............................................................................................
The Blind Soldier 215
..............................................................................................
Invasions of Britain 216
..............................................................................................
Straying Horse Causes Alarm 217
Galba’s Decision Regarding the Ass
.............................................................................................. 219
..............................................................................................
Solomon’s Judgment 220
XXXIX. T C 221
..............................................................................................
Stasimus and the One-armed Stranger 221
..............................................................................................
The Daughters of Danaus 222
..............................................................................................
Pliny as a Hunter 225
..............................................................................................
Pliny Contributes to the Endowment of a School 226
XL. P E 227
..............................................................................................
The Inexperienced Traveler 227
..............................................................................................
Significant Dreams 228
.............................................................................................. 231
A 233
L A 240
V 241
B S I 295
LIST OF MAPS AND ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
I..............................................................................................
(colored) Inside Front
Cover
A
.............................................................................................. Frontispiece
Q M V A Ī A 16
I..............................................................................................
F
..............................................................................................
A 23
..............................................................................................
A 25
I..............................................................................................
, N P E 30
..............................................................................................
F R 34
..............................................................................................
T 39
..............................................................................................
L G P 44
..............................................................................................
P P C 49
..............................................................................................
Q M R S C 51
..............................................................................................
“S ” 55
..............................................................................................
V A 65
..............................................................................................
V A 69
..............................................................................................
T 72
..............................................................................................
Ā ,H P 83
..............................................................................................
V R F 90
..............................................................................................
R 92
..............................................................................................
L 98
..............................................................................................
U P 101
..............................................................................................
P S R 107
..............................................................................................
V 109
..............................................................................................
Q M C R S S 127
..............................................................................................
E 129
..............................................................................................
V A S 131
..............................................................................................
M 135
..............................................................................................
U C 138
..............................................................................................
Ō 152
..............................................................................................
O V O 157
..............................................................................................
N 161
..............................................................................................
Ō T 168
Q M
..............................................................................................
R A U D 172
..............................................................................................
L V P H F 179
..............................................................................................
S 186
..............................................................................................
B 198
..............................................................................................
L A 202
..............................................................................................
V F 209
..............................................................................................
U 214
..............................................................................................
M H 218
..............................................................................................
L Q C P E 224
..............................................................................................
L B 231
EXPLANATORY NOTE

The party journeying from Ephesus to Brundisium, and thence to


northern Italy, is headed by a certain Publius Cornelius, a Roman official
stationed for some time in Asia Minor, but on the death of Hadrian (138
. .) recalled to Rome, not knowing to what field of activity he is to be
assigned under the new emperor, Antoninus Pius. Other members of the
party are:

D , wife of Cornelius
P , eldest son, aged sixteen
S , younger son, aged twelve
C , daughter, aged ten
L , infant son
O , a slave of mature years, steward and business manager
S , a young and pampered slave, who has recently joined
the family in Asia Minor
A , a maid from Palestine, special attendant upon Lucius
QUŌ MODŌ VIĀTŌRĒS EX ASIĀ IN ĪTALIAM ET AD ALPĒS ITER
FĒCĒRUNT
AD ALPĒS
CAPUT I

Nāvis iam per undās celeriter prōgrediēbātur, omnēsque ē puppī lītus


lēniter ē cōnspectū recēdēns[1] cōnspiciēbant. Ac postrēmō Drūsilla:
“Quīnque iam sunt annī,” inquit, “cum[2] in hanc terram barbaram iter
fēcimus. Quam[3] gaudeō nōbīs dēnique licēre[4] domum revertī, ut tandem
patriam et parentēs meōs vīsāmus!”
Tum Cornēlius: “Rēctē dīcis,” inquit. “Sed dum hīc morābāmur, multa
mīranda et iūcunda vīdimus, nec mē paenitet[5] hīs in locīs longinquīs
quīnquennium[6] trānsēgisse. Sed nunc domī esse maximē cupiō, ut Pūblius
noster et Sextus omnia discant, quae cīvibus Rōmānīs nōta esse dēbent. Et
ego ipse forum templaque deōrum libentissimē iterum aspiciam.”
“Urbem vix reminīscī possum,” inquit Cornēlia; “tam eram parvula, cum
hūc profectī sumus.” Tum subitō conversa ad Lūcium, quem in gremiō Anna
sagō contēctum tenēbat: “Et Lūcius noster eam omnīnō numquam aspexit.”
Quae cum dīxisset, frātrem parvum artē amplexa est.
“Suādeō, uxor,” inquit Cornēlius, “ut cum cēterīs tū nunc in cameram
redeās; nam ventus incrēbrēscit.[7] Sed ego et fīliī paulō diūtius in puppī
ambulābimus.”
Cum Drūsilla in cameram cum līberīs servīsque sē recēpisset, tum
Pūblius, dum ultrō citrōque ambulant, patrī: “Videor mihi recordārī,” inquit,
“quondam perīculōsum fuisse in marī Aegaeō nāvigāre propter pīrātās, quī
ubique castella[8] habērent, unde in nāvēs mercātōrum impetūs facerent
subitōs.”
“Per multōs annōs rēs ita sē habēbat,” inquit Cornēlius; “et mercātōrēs
hōc modō saepe periērunt, nāvēsque eōrum aut incēnsae sunt aut in marī
submersae. Quīn etiam pīrātae istī postrēmō impūnitāte[9] tam audācēs factī
sunt, ut nāvīs quoque adorīrentur, quibus[10] vehēbantur magistrātūs nostrī.”
“Papae!” inquit Sextus. “Nōnne nōmen magnum populī Rōmānī veritī
sunt? Cūr nōn nāvēs longae istōs scelestōs statim ē marī fugāvērunt?”[11]
“Saepe id temptātum est,” inquit pater; “sed, ut est[12] in vetere
prōverbiō,[13] ‘Incipere multō est quam[14] impetrāre[15] facilius.’ Quō modō
factum est ut, cum aliōs[16] nāvēs cōnsectārentur, aliī procul praedās agerent;
nec fīnis fuit, priusquam custōdia tōtīus ōrae maritimae Gnaeō Pompeiō
Magnō commissa est. Is tam ācriter pīrātās lacessīvit, ut omnēs sexāgintā
diēbus[17] aut fugerent aut lēgātōs pācis petendae causā ad eum mittere
cōgerentur.”
Tum Pūblius: “Nōnne Caesar dictātor[18] in potestātem istōrum pīrātārum
ōlim ipse pervēnit?”
“Rēctē quaeris,” inquit Cornēlius. “Nam ille adhūc iuvenis īnsulam
Rhodum adīre volēbat, ut Apollōnium Molōnem clārissimum dīcendī
magistrum ibi audīret.[19] Hūc cum hībernīs mēnsibus trānsīret, ā pīrātīs
captus, apud eōs mānsit diēs ferē quadrāgintā.
“Interim comitēs Rōmam dīmissī sunt pecūniam quaesītum,[20] quā
redimerētur. Ipse, inter hostēs relictus, cum pīrātīs cōmiter iocātus[21] saepe
adfirmāvit sē reversum dē eīs supplicium summum sūmptūrum.
“Illī scīlicet tum adrīsērunt. Sed Caesar, cum, pecūniā dēmum adlātā, in
lītore dēsertō expositus esset, Mīlētum statim perrēxit; ubi classe dēductā
pīrātās abeuntēs secūtus est, eōsque omnēs suppliciō eō adfēcit, quod anteā
quasi per iocum minātus erat.”
“Quam vellem,”[22] inquit Sextus, “pīrātae hodiē quoque in hōc marī
nāvigārent! Sī nostram nāvem adoriantur, ego eīs[23] capita prius abscīdam,
quam in puppim ēscendere possint.”
“Heia!” inquit Pūblius, cum sē horrēscere simulāret;[24] “quam bene
pīrātīs accidit Sextum nostrum illīs temporibus maria nōn nāvigāsse!”
Tum Sextus irā incensus: “Nōlī tē iactāre, Pūblī; nam etsī maior nātū[25]
es, ego tamen sum fortior.”
“Agite, fīliī meī,” inquit Cornēlius. “Inter vōs dēsinite altercārī. Tālēs
dissēnsiōnes indecōrae sunt; et exīstimō iam Onēsimum cūrāsse ut esset
quod ederēmus.[26] Eāmus intrō.” Quae cum dīxisset, ad cameram pedem
convertit; ac Pūblius et Sextus, quī male ēsuriēbant, libenter subsecūtī sunt.

[1]
recēdēns: neut.
[2] cum, freely, since.
[3] Quam: adv.
[4]
licēre: impers.
[5] paenitet: impers.
[6]
quīnquennium, -ī, n., five years.
[7] incrēbrēscō, -crēbrēscere, -crēbruī, intr., freshen.
[8] castellum, -ī, n., stronghold.
[9]
impūnitās, -ātis, f., lack of punishment; causal abl.
[10] quibus, freely, on which.
[11]
fugāvērunt: not from fugiō.
[12] ut est, as it is said.
[13]
prōverbium, -ī, n., proverb.
[14] quam: with the comp.
[15]
impetrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., accomplish.
[16]
aliōs: note that aliī follows.
[17] sexāgintā, indecl. num., sixty; with diēbus, time within which.
[18]
dictātor: distinguishing Julius Caesar from other Caesars.
[19] audīret, attend the lectures of. Cicero also went abroad in 79 . .
to study under Greek masters.
[20] quaesītum: supine.
[21]
iocor, -ārī, -ātus sum, intr., joke.
[22] Quam vellem: introducing a wish.
[23]
eīs: trans. as if gen.
[24]
cum . . . simulāret, pretending.
[25] maior nātū (supine), older.
[26]
quod ederēmus, something for us to eat.
CAPUT II

Illā nāve vehēbantur hominēs plūrimī; sed diēs complūrēs tam asperum[1]
erat mare, ut plērīque graviter nauseā[2] adficerentur, paucīque in puppī
ambulāre possent. Mīrus et molestissimus est hic morbus; quī enim eō
adficitur, prīmō timet nē moriātur, tum metuit nē in vītā retineātur.
Postrēmō autem omnibus melius est factum,[3] rārīque in puppim
prōdiērunt. In[4] eīs erat senex quīdam, quī linguā barbarā ūtēbātur, nec
quisquam plānē intellegere poterat quid ille dīcere vellet.
Dēnique mercātor dīves, quī frūstrā cum sene loquī cōnātus erat: “Nōnne
hīc adest quisquam,” inquit, “cui lingua huius peregrīnī nōta sit?”
Forte Stasimus haud procul stābat. Quī cum haec audīvisset, ut erat
vafer,[5] “Mihi,” inquit, “omnēs linguae nōtae sunt. Sī exposueris quid rogāre
velīs, ego libenter cum sene loquar.” Quō dictō, ad senem accessit, et sermō
huius modī īnstitūtus est:
Stasimus. Salvē multum, senex.
Senex. Avo. Dōnni.[6]
Mercātor. Quid dīcit, obsecrō?
Stasimus. Dīcit sē iubēre tē salvēre,[7] et tibi donum dare velle.
Mercātor. Benignē facit. Sed quaere, quis sit homō, aut[8] unde veniat.
Senex. Mē har bocca.
Stasimus. Dīcit buccam[9] dolōre.
Mercātor. Fortasse nōs esse medicōs putat. Quaere, sīs;[10] nam hospitem
sīc errāre nōlō.
Senex. Murph ursa mvulc.
Mercātor. Quid nunc dīcit?
Stasimus. Dīcit sē ursās vēndere velle.
Mercātor. Forsitan bēstiās comparet in amphitheātrō exhibendās.[11]
Senex. Pālu mer ged etha.
Stasimus. Dīcit sē pālās quoque vēndere.
Mercātor. Ad terram effodiendam, crēdō. Sed vix intellegere possum cūr
negōtia tam dīversa cōnfundat.
Senex. Murphonnium sucorhim.
Mercātor. Quid dīcit, obsecrō?
Stasimus. Tē iubet sub corbulam rēpere.
Mercātor. Papae! Dēlīrat profectō.
Cum hic sermō habērētur, Pūblius et Sextus prope stābant, vix sē
continentēs quōminus in cachinnōs ērumperent.[12] Sed iam ē camerā
prōcessit Cornēlius; et Stasimus celeriter in puppim extrēmam[13] sē recēpit.
Quō factō, Cornēliō mercātor: “Estne,” inquit, “ille Stasimus servus tuus?”
“Ita,” inquit Cornēlius; “nec usquam est puer scelestior.”
“Haud ita mihi vidētur,” inquit mercātor; “nam modo mihi operam
benignē dedit, cum hunc peregrīnum quaedam[14] rogāre vellem.”
“Quō modō, obsecrō, ille tē adiuvāre potuit?” inquit Cornēlius. “Multīs
linguīs ego ūtor; sed nē ego quidem paulō ante intellegere poteram quid hic
ignōtus dīcere vellet, cum mē appellāret. Stasimus autem nihil nisi Latīnē[15]
scit.”
“Suspicor igitur eum mē[16] lūdificāsse,” inquit mercātor rīdēns. “Sed
sine dubiō omnia per iocum fēcit; ac spērō dō eō supplicium tē nōn
sūmptūrum.”
Tum Cornēlius: “Dolīs eius interdum[17] īrā tantopere incendor, ut vix mē
continēre possim quōminus eum in crucem statim agam.[18] Cum[19] autem tū
tam clēmenter suādeās, poenās nōn dabit—dōnec aliam noxiam[20]
commeruerit.”[21]
Dum illī ita inter sē loquuntur, peregrīnus, ā[22] spē omnī dēstitūtus, caput
quassāns trīstis discessit; atque interim Pūblius et Sextus ad prōram
prōcesserant, ubi flūctūs magnōs admīrantēs diū stābant.
Tum Sextus: “Hīsne in regiōnibus,” inquit, “pugna nāvālis[23] umquam
commissa est?”
“Ōlim,” inquit Pūblius, “in marī Pamphȳliō Hannibal cum Rhodiōrum
classe cōnflīxit. Sed multō est mīrābilior pugna, quā Eumenem, rēgem
Pergamēnum, Poenus īdem fugāvit.”
“Dē hāc numquam audīvī,” inquit Sextus. “Quid factum est, obsecrō?”
Tum Pūblius: “Modo librum Cornēlī Nepōtis legēbam, quī rem gestam
ita trādit: Hannibal nāvium numerō[24] superābātur; itaque dolō eī[25]
pugnandum erat. Quārē suōs iussit venēnātās[26] serpentēs vīvās quam[27]
plūrimās colligere, eāsque in vāsa fictilia conicere. Cum diēs pugnae
vēnisset, imperāvit ut omnēs in Eumenis ipsīus concurrerent nāvem, cēterās
autem neglegerent.
“Quod ubi factum est, nāvis Eumenis fugā salūtem petere coācta est, sed
cēterae undique classem Hannibalis vehementer premēbant. Tum in eās
repente vāsa fictilia, dē quibus suprā mentiōnem fēcī, coniecta sunt. Quibus
in puppēs frāctīs, nāvēs
hostium brevī serpentium plēnae erant; atque illī, novā rē territī, terga
vertērunt rēgemque Eumenem intrā praesidia,[28] quae in proximo lītore
collocāta erant, celeriter subsecūtī sunt.”
“Hahahae!” inquit Sextus. “Hannibal certē dux callidus erat. Vix turpe
fuit ā tantō imperātōre vincī.”
Tum Pūblius, post sē respiciēns: “Putō,” inquit, “nōs nunc redīre posse.
Stasimus poenās effūgisse vidētur, neque usquam hospes in cōnspectū est.”
Itaque ā prōrā cum recessissent, sē patrī cēterīsque reddidērunt,[29] quī
iam passim in puppī sedēbant.

[1] asper, -era, -erum, adj., rough.


[2]
nauseā, -ae, f., seasickness.
[3] omnibus melius est factum: i.e., all felt better.
[4]
In, among.
[5]
ut erat vafer, rascal as he was.
[6]Avo. Dōnni: this gibberish suggests Latin words to S., i.e., avē
(‘greetings’) and dōnum.
[7] sē iubēre tē salvēre: i.e., that he wishes you ‘good day.’
[8]
aut: trans., ‘and.’
[9] bucca, -ae, f., cheek.
[10]
sīs: i.e., sī vīs.
[11] exhibendās: purpose.
[12]
quōminus . . . ērumperent, from bursting out.
[13] extrēmam, the farthest part of.
[14]
quaedam: note double acc. with rogō.
[15] nisi Latīnē, except Latin; Latīnē is adv.
[16] mē: obj. of infin.
[17]
interdum: not interim.
[18] in crucem . . . agam, crucify. Such punishment was often meted
out to slaves.
[19] Cum: causal.
[20]
noxia, -ae, f., wrong.
[21] commereō, -ēre, -uī, -itus, tr., commit.
[22]
ā, by.
[23] nāvālis, -e, adj., naval.
[24] numerō: abl. of specif.
[25] eī: agent.
[26]
venēnātus, -a, -um, adj., venomous.
[27] quam, with sup., as . . . as possible.
[28] praesidia, defenses.
[29] sē . . . reddidērunt, with dat., rejoined.
AMPHITHEĀTRUM
CAPUT III

Posterō diē nautae procul terram aspexērunt,[1] omnēsque cupidē ad latus


nāvis properāvērunt, quō[2] melius eam vidērent. Tum Cornēliō Sextus:
“Quam terram, pater,” inquit, “iam aspicimus?”
“Crētam eam esse crēdō, mī fīlī,” inquit Cornēlius. “Īnsula est magna,
ibique multae rēs mīrābilēs factae esse dīcuntur. Abī, sorōrī nūntiā[3] ut hūc
veniat. Fortasse ego quaedam reminīscī possum, quae vōs libenter audiātis.”
“Euax!” inquit Sextus. “Abeō.” Et celeriter in cameram sē recēpit, unde
brevī cum Cornēliā et quibusdam līberīs aliīs ēgressus est.
“Quantō plūrēs, tantō melius,”[4] inquit Cornēlius rīdēns. “Hūc accēdite,
līberī; in vēlī umbrā sedeāmus, dum vōbīs fābulam nārrō.” Tum, cum omnēs
ad audiendum compositī et intentī essent, ita loquī incipit:
“Multōs abhinc annōs Crētā[5] Athēnās vēnit Androgeōs,[6] Mīnōis[7]
fīlius, ut ibi dēscenderet in certāmina, quae Panathēnāica vocantur. Ubique
victor erat. Quārē Aegeus, rēx Athēniēnsium, invidiā commōtus, iuvenī
negōtium[8] dedit, ut taurum Marathōnium occīderet, hōc modō ratus sē
hospitem ingrātum facile sublātūrum. Neque haec rēs eum fefellit; nam
iuvenis ā mōnstrō ipse dīlaniātus est.
ATHĒNAE

“Ubi haec Crētam sunt dēlāta, Mīnōs dolēns et irā commōtus magnum
exercitum in fīnēs Athēniēnsium dūxit, eōrumque urbem obsēdit; ac paulō
post pestis[9] quoque tam dīra incidit in eōs, ut condiciōnēs pācis petere
cōgerentur. Quās acerbissimās accēpērunt; nam Mīnōs postulāvit ut
quotannīs[10] septem puerī nōbilēs totidemque puellae Crētam mitterentur,
ubi dīlaniārentur[11] ā mōnstrō quōdam, quod ipse domī alēbat.[12] Eī mōnstrō
erat nōmen Mīnōtaurus, quia taurī caput sed corpus hūmānum habēbat.”
“Horrēscō audiēns,” inquit Cornēlia, cum ad patrem propius accēderet;
“quam gaudeō tālia mōnstra hīs temporibus nusquam reperīrī!”
“Mihi autem,” inquit Sextus, “maximō dolōrī[13] est omnia ista iam
occīsa esse; complūra occīdere pervelim.”
At Cornēlius: “Nōnne oblītus es, mī fīlī, mē fābulam nārrāre?”
“Peccāvī, pater,” inquit Sextus. “Veniam dā, obsecrō. Posteā nihil[14]
interpellābō.”
Tum Cornēlius: “Mīnōtaurus in labyrinthō latēbat, ubi vorābat
adulēscentēs miserōs, quī multiplicibus[15] errōribus impedītī numquam
exitum invenīre poterant, cum semel eō[16] intrōductī erant.
“Per multōs annōs Athēniēnsēs illud tribūtum[17] horrendum solverant,
cum Thēseus, rēgis Athēniēnsis fīlius, postulāvit ut sibi licēret esse ē
numerō iuvenum, quī illō annō Crētam mitterentur. Pater scīlicet fīlium tantō
perīculō obicere nōluit. Thēseus autem obstinātā mente in sententiā
persevērāvit, rēxque postrēmō concēdere coāctus est.
“Vēla nāvis, quā adulēscentēs īnfēlīcēs vehēbantur, semper sordida
erant, quod illī miserī quasi ad fūnus abībant. Sed iam Aegeus imperāvit
candida[18] quoque comparārī, fīliōque praecēpit ut, sī omnia prōsperē
cessissent, domum rediēns sordida vēla illīs candidīs[19] mūtāret,[20] quō signō
procul omnibus nōtum foret[21] Mīnōtaurum occīsum esse.
“Lēnī ventō vectus Thēseus Crētam pervēnit; ubi Ariadna, Mīnōis fīlia,
amōre hospitis statim incēnsa est. Gladium igitur eī dedit et fīlum, quō
vēstīgia regeret, cum ē labyrinthō exīre cōnārētur. Quō modō Thēseus,
mōnstrō occīsō, incolumis ē locō horrendō sē recēpit. Tum cum Ariadnā
clam fūgit ex urbe, et eādem nāve domum profectus est.”
“Spērō,” inquit Cornēlia, “eōs salvōs Athēnās pervēnisse. Sine dubiō
cīvēs Ariadnae grātiam maximam rettulērunt, quod[22] Thēseum tam callidē
adiūverat.”
Tum Cornēlius: “Ariadna numquam Athēnās vīdit. Nam Thēseus eam
quādam in īnsulā relīquit, cum domum iter faceret.”
“Rem[23] quam foedam!” inquit Cornēlia. “Spērō eum prō perfidiā tantā
poenās maximās dedisse.”
“Ille vērō erat satis īnfēlīx,” inquit pater; “nam oblītus est signum dare,
quō patrī ostenderet omnia prōsperē cessisse. Itaque cum nāvis iuvenēs
gaudentēs in portum veheret, Aegeus, ē scopulīs prōspiciēns, sordida vēla
procul vīdit. Quārē ratus fīlium mortuum esse, ē vertice[24] scopulōrum sē
praecipitāvit ac corpus in saxa ēlīsum est. Ita accidit ut Thēseus tantum[25] ad
fūnus patris cūrandum domum pervenīret.”
Postquam haec dicta sunt, omnēs aliquamdiū tacitī sēdērunt, cum
aspicerent[26] terram, quae usque propius accēdere vidēbātur. Tum Pūblius ē
camerā prōdiit, et ille: “Gaudeō,” inquit, “nōs Crētam tam plānē vidēre
posse. Semper enim voluī aspicere hanc terram, quō[27] Hannibal exsul[28]
ōlim dēvertit.”
“Sed mihi nunc abeundum est,” inquit Cornēlius. “Tū autem, Pūblī, in
librō Cornēlī Nepōtis profectō lēgistī, quō modō Hannibal incolās istīus
īnsulae ēlūserit. Certō sciō hōs līberōs id audīre velle.”
Tum Cornēlia: “Nārrā, sīs, frāter. Nōs omnēs ad audiendum compositī
sumus.”
“Fābula haud longa est,” inquit Pūblius. “Postquam Poenī Zamae[29]
dēvictī sunt, aliquamdiū Hannibal in Āfricā mānsit, et multīs modīs patriam
suam adiūvit.[30] Postrēmō autem Rōmā lēgātī Carthāginem vēnērunt. Eōs suī
poscendī causā missōs ratus, Hannibal nāvem cōnscendit atque in Syriam ad
rēgem Antiochum sē contulit; cui persuāsit ut bellum Rōmānīs īnferret.
“Antiochō victō, veritus nē Rōmānīs dēderētur, Crētam Poenus fūgit.
Sēcum pecūniam grandem portābat; quam nē raperent Crētēnsēs, cōnsilium
tāle[31] iniit: Amphorās aliquot complēvit plumbō,[32] summās[33] autem aurō
et argentō operuit. Hās, praesentibus magistrātibus,[34] in templō Diānae
collocāvit, cum simulāret sē fortūnās suās ibi custōdiendās[35] relinquere.
Interim quāsdam statuās cavās pecūniā suā complēverat, eāsque domī
summā neglegentiā[36] servābat, quasi nihilī[37] essent.
“Crētēnsēs, sīc in errōrem inductī, templum magnā cūrā custōdiēbant, nē
Hannibal cum suā pecūniā clam abīret. Ille autem, occāsiōne oblātā, statuās
in nāvem imposuit, et, fortūnīs ita cōnservātīs, in Pontum incolumis
pervēnit.”
“Quantō plūra dē Hannibale audiō,” inquit Sextus, “tantō[38] magis eius
sollertiam admīror. Minimē mīrum est eum totiēns imperātōrēs nostrōs
superāsse. Sed nunc mē exercēre paulisper iussus sum.” Quae cum dīxisset,
surrēxit, omnēsque aliī in aliam[39] partem discessērunt.

[1] aspexērunt, sighted.


[2] quō: replacing ut in purp. clause with comp.
[3]
nūntiā: imper.
[4] Quantō plūrēs, etc., the more the better. The abls. express degree
of difference.
[5] Crētā: island name; cf. the use of the acc., l. 23.
[6] Androgeōs: nom. sing., Greek decl.
[7] Mīnōis: gen. sing. of Mīnōs, Greek decl.
[8]
negōtium, commission.
[9]
pestis, -is, f., pestilence.
[10] quotannīs, adv., every year.
[11] dīlaniārentur: note mood.
[12] alō, alere, aluī, altus, tr., keep.
[13] maximō dolōrī: dat. of service.
[14]
nihil: adv. acc.
[15] multiplex, -icis, adj., complicated.
[16] eō, therein.
[17] tribūtum, -ī, n., tribute.
[18]
candida: sc. vēla.
[19] illīs candidīs: abl.
[20] mūtāret, exchange.
[21] foret, would be.
[22] quod: causal conj.
[23]
Rem, etc.: acc. of exclam.
[24] vertex, -icis, m., top.
[25] tantum, adv., only.
[26] cum aspicerent: cf. note on I, 61.
[27]
quō, lit., whither.
[28] exsul, -ulis, m., exile; trans., ‘(when) an exile.’
[29] Zamae: loc.
[30] adiūvit: e.g., in finance.
[31] tāle: i.e., the following.
[32]
plumbum, -ī, n., lead.
[33] summās: cf. extrēmam, II, 43.
[34] praesentibus magistrātibus: abl. absol.
[35] custōdiendās: cf. exhibendās, II, 30.
[36] neglegentia, -ae, f., carelessness.
[37] nihilī: gen. of value.
[38]
Quantō . . . tantō; cf. III, 12.
[39]
aliī in aliam: see Vocab.
CAPUT IV

Circiter merīdiem Cornēlius, cum quaedam Onēsimō dictāvisset,[1] in


puppī cum fīliīs ultrō citrōque ambulābat. Iam propter nebulās īnsula Crēta
vix cernī poterat, et Sextus: “Quō modō fit,[2] pater,” inquit, “ut tantō circuitū
in Ītaliam iter faciāmus? Nōnne est ūlla via brevior, quā ad fīnem dēstinātum
perveniāmus?”
“Aliquantō brevior est via,” inquit pater, “sī terrestrī[3] itinere per
Achaiam pergere velīs.[4] Et semel et iterum initum est cōnsilium Isthmī[5]
perfodiendī,[6] ut eā[7] ex Aegaeō[8] in Īōnium mare nāvēs trānsīre possent.
Dictātor Caesar hoc opus prīmus cōgitāvit. Deinde Caligula ad loca
dīmētienda centuriōnem mīsit. Postrēmō Nerō rē vērā initium fēcit; quīn
etiam ipse rāstrō[9] humum prīmus effōdit et corbulae congestam umerīs
extulit. Sed adhūc incohātum[10] modo[11] opus est.”
Dum Cornēlius ita loquitur, in puppim prōdiērunt et mercātor, dē quō
ante mentiōnem fēcimus, et[12] peregrīnus īnfēlīx, cuius lingua nēmini nōta
erat. Quōs cum aspexisset, mercātōrī Cornēlius: “Illīus īnfēlīcis mē
vehementer miseret,”[13] inquit.
“Mē quoque eius miseret,” inquit mercātor; “et libenter haec ā tē audiō.
Nam bene sciō plērōsque cīvēs nostrōs peregrīnōs paene omnēs nihilī
facere.”
ISTHMUS, UT NUNC PERFOSSUS EST

Tum Cornēlius rīdēns: “Fābulamne umquam audīvistī dē peregrīnīs, quī,


cum Rōmam pervēnissent, quaerēbant cīvem, quī pollicitus erat sē eōs
rēgiē[14] hospitiō acceptūrum, sī quandō in Ītaliam iter fēcissent?”
“Numquam, quod[15] sciam,” inquit mercātor. “Nōnne vīs eam nārrāre?”
“Hic cīvis,” inquit Cornēlius, “ōlim ōtiōsus in forō ambulābat, cum
subitō occurrērunt duo hospitēs, quōs splendidē invītāverat, cum ipse
peregrīnārētur.[16] Quā rē homō prīmō conturbātus est; nam vērō[17] eī erat
domus parva et rēs familiāris tenuis.
“Tum autem, callidē trepidātiōnem suam dissimulāns:[18] ‘Gaudeō,’
inquit, ‘vōs salvōs advēnisse; sed fēcissētis rēctius, sī statim ad mē
vēnissētis.’ ‘Id fēcissēmus,’ inquiunt illī, ‘sī domum tuam nōvissēmus.’
‘Hoc quidem perfacile est,’ inquit homō; ‘omnēs enim dēmōnstrāre possunt
aedēs, ubi habitō. Sed īte mēcum.’
“Sequuntur illī, cum intereā[19] eius sermō omnis in ostentātiōne
cōnsūmitur: in agrīs quaerit frūmenta[20] quō modō prōveniant, quasi omnia
sua sint; queritur quod vīlla sua nūper incēnsa sit.
“Interim, dum tālia loquitur, forte animadvertit aedēs[21] cuiusdam civis
locuplētis, ubi convīvae multī exspectābantur; cumque iānitōrī nōtus esset,
hospitēs intrōdūxit, quibus: ‘Hic,’ inquit, ‘habitō.’ Interim īnspicit argentum,
quod erat expositum, triclīnium vīsit, omnia probat.
“Brevī autem accessit servus, quī hominī clārē dīxit dominum iam
ventūrum, sī exīre vellent.[22] ‘Itane?’ inquit ille. Tum hospitibus: ‘Nunc
eāmus; frāter enim ex Siciliā vēnit. Ego eī obviam eō; vōs autem hūc decimā
hōrā redīte.’
“Hospitēs nihil suspicantēs discessērunt, homō vērō celeriter domum sē
contulit. Hōrā cōnstitūtā ad aedēs cīvis locuplētis rediērunt peregrīnī; unde
dērīsī in dēversōrium rūrsus sē recipere coāctī sunt.
“Postrīdiē in forō hominem vīdērunt, eumque incūsāvērunt. Ille autem
dīxit eōs similitūdine aedium dēceptōs esse, sēque domī multam ad
noctem[23] exspectāsse.
“Interim servō suō imperāverat ut ā vīcīnō vāsa, vestīmenta, et eius modī
alia ūtenda[24] rogāret. Quae cum comparāta esse putāret, hospitēs domum
dēdūxit, cum simulāret[25] sē maiōrēs aedēs suās amīcō cuidam ad nūptiās
commodāsse.
“Dum ibi cēnant, subitō puer[26] nūntiat argentum repetī; nam sollicitus
factus erat is, quī id commodāverat. ‘Apage!’ inquit cīvis noster ēgregius;
‘aedēs commodāvī, familiam[27] dedī. Argentum quoque vult? Etsī hospitēs
habeō, tamen id quoque commodābō; nōs interim Samiīs[28] dēlectābimur.’ ”
“Hahahae!” inquit mercātor. “Spērō hospitēs miserōs cēnam saltem
gustāsse, priusquam ea quoque auferrētur.”
“Nihil amplius adeptī sunt,” inquit Cornēlius; “et iūre exīstimāvērunt
sēcum male āctum esse.”
At alter:[29] “Hīs[30] audītīs etiam magis mē omnium peregrīnōrum
īnfēlīcium miseret. Et maximē doleō exīstimātiōnem[31] populī Rōmānī
pendēre cōgī tālibus ex cīvibus, quālem tū modo dīcēbās.”[32] Quae cum
dīxisset, in sōle cōnsēdit; Cornēlius autem cum fīliīs ambulāre persevērāvit,
dōnec accessit Cornēlia, quae: “Exīstimō,” inquit, “mē avēs quāsdam
volantēs procul cernere. Eāsne vidēs, Sexte?”
“Paucās cernere mihi videor,” inquit Sextus. “Ex altō[33] in īnsulam
refugere videntur. Fortasse tempestātem coorīrī sentiunt.”
“Quod[34] ōmen dī āvertant!” inquit Cornēlius. “Nam brevī in marī
maximō versābimur. Sī nūbēs ātrae in caelō tum cōgentur, nec sōlem nec
lūnam aut stellās vidēre poterimus, nec gubernātor sciet quō[35] nāvem
dīrigat.”
“Saepe dē avibus scrīptōrēs nostrī mentiōnem faciunt,” inquit Pūblius.
“Nōnne sunt quī[36] putent eārum volātū[37] rēs futūrās[38] portendī?”
“Maximē vērō,” inquit pater. “Et profectō tū saepe audīvistī dē pullīs,
quōs eī cōnsulunt, quī perīcula sunt aditūrī.”
“Haec mihi nārrā, sīs,” inquit Cornēlia; “ego enim numquam audīvī.”
“Pullī illī,” inquit Cornēlius, “in caveīs custōdiuntur. Cum perīculum
adest, ēdūcuntur, cibusque eīs obicitur. Sī edere nōlunt, trīste ōmen; sīn
autem vorant tam cupidē ut aliquid ē rōstrīs excutiātur, id est ōmen
optimum.”
At Cornēlia: “Estne vērō ēventus semper tālis, quālem pullī portendunt?”
“Vix id audeō dīcere,” inquit pater. “Etsī ōlim bellō Pūnicō prīmō[39]
populī Rōmānī dētrīmentō[40] magnō nōnnūllīs vidētur plānum factum esse
haud impūne tālia portenta[41] neglegī.
“Nam P. Claudius pullōs, quī caveā līberātī edere nōllent, in marī mergī
iussit, cum dīceret[42] eīs[43] bibendum saltem esse, etiam sī edere nōllent.
Cuius temeritātem[44] deī graviter ulcīscī vidēbantur, cum classis eius ad
pugnam profecta clāde maximā vincerētur.”
“Homō quam impius erat ille Claudius!” inquit Cornēlia. “Certē dignus
erat, quī[45] poenās maximās solveret.”
“Ille vērō,” inquit pater, “ā populō condemnātus[46] est; et eius collēga, L.
Iūnius, quī alibī nōn pāruerat auspiciīs classemque tempestāte āmīserat, sē
ipse interfēcit.”
Dum haec dīcuntur, Drūsilla et Anna cum Lūciō ē camerā prōdiērunt;
quō vīsō, gaudiō exsiluērunt līberī, quī cum frātre parvulō lūdere iam diū
cupiēbant[47].

[1] dictō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., dictate.


[2]
fit, does it happen.
[3] terrestris, -e, adj., land.
[4] velīs: subj. indef. second sing.
[5] Isthmī: the Isthmus of Corinth.
[6] perfodiō, -fodere, -fōdī, -fossus, tr., cut through.
[7] eā, by that route.
[8] Aegaeō: sc. marī.
[9] rāstrum, -ī, n., mattock.
[10]
incohō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., begin.
[11] modo, adv., only.
[12] et . . . et, both . . . and.
[13] miseret: impers.
[14]
rēgiē, adv., royally.
[15] quod, so far as.
[16] peregrīnor, -ārī, -ātus sum, intr., be abroad.
[17] vērō, in fact.
[18] dissimulō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., conceal.
[19]
intereā: i.e., interim.
[20] frūmenta, crops; trans, as subj. of ind. quest.
[21] aedēs, house. Contrast the meaning of the sing. of this word.
[22] sī exīre vellent, if they would please go out.
[23]
multam ad noctem, until far into the night; cf. extrēmam, II, 43.
[24]
ūtenda, as a loan; cf. exhibendās, II, 30.
[25] cum simulāret: cf. I, 61.
[26] puer: the slave.
[27] familiam, household slaves.
[28]
Samiīs: i.e., earthenware; sc. vāsīs; abl. case.
[29] alter: i.e., the trader.
[30] Hīs: sc. verbīs.
[31] exīstimātiō, -ōnis, f., reputation.
[32] dīcēbās, mentioned.
[33] altō: cf. English ‘the deep.’
[34]
Quod: mod. of ōmen.
[35]
quō: cf. III, 82.
[36] Nōnne sunt quī, Are there not those who?
[37] volātus, -ūs, m., flight.
[38] futūrus, -a, -um, adj., future.
[39]
bellō Pūnicō prīmō: abl. of time.
[40] dētrīmentum, -ī, n., disaster; abl. case in text.
[41] portentum, -ī, n., warning.
[42] cum dīceret: cf. cum . . . simulāret, I, 61.
[43] eīs: cf. eī, II, 73.
[44]
temeritās, -ātis, f., rashness, impiety.
[45] quī, etc.: trans. the rel. clause by infin.
[46] condemnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., condemn.
[47]iam diū cupiēbant, had long since been eager. Note the effect of
iam diū on the tense force.
FORUM RŌMĀNUM
CAPUT V

Lūcius autem iam patrem aspexerat, manūsque statim ad eum tendēbat.


Tum: “Quam bellus est ille parvulus,” inquit mercātor. “Quem cum videō,
admoneor dē versibus illīs lepidīs poētae Catullī:

“ ‘Torquātus volŏ[1] parvulus


Mātris ē gremiō suae
Porrigēns tenerās manus
Dulce[2] rīdeat[3] ad patrem
Sēmihiante[4] labellō.’ ”[5]

“Scīsne,” inquit Sextus, “Pūblium quoque nostrum esse poētam? Versūs


lepidōs paene cotīdiē facit.”
Quō audītō, Pūblius ērubuit, et: “Tacē, sīs, Sexte,” inquit. “Nōnne tē
pudet[6] tam stultē[7] loquī?”
“Quīn[8] herī,” inquit Sextus, “tē in umbrā vēlī sedentem vīdī, cum
aliquid summā cūrā cōnficerēs.”[9]
“Age, fīlī mī,” inquit Cornēlius rīdēns; “verēcundārī[10] nōn tē decet.[11]
Audiāmus quae scrīpserīs.”
Tālī cohortātiōne inductus, Pūblius chartam haud invītus prōtulit, et:
“Abhinc paucōs diēs,” inquit, “Annam audīvī, cum vesperī lēniter caneret,
quō[12] facilius Lūcius obdormīret.
“Canēbat dē labōribus[13] cīvium suōrum, quī domō expulsī Babylōnem
in exsilium dēductī sunt. Dulcissimus erat ille cantus, sed etiam
maestissimus; cum[14] autem Anna suā linguā ūterētur, vix intellegere potuī
quid esset, dē quō dīceret. Sed paulō post mē omnia docuit[15]; ac verbōrum
sententiam ego nostrīs modīs exprimere sīc cōnātus sum:
“Sedēmus amnīs ad[16] Babylōniōs,
Nostrōrum amārīs[17] fūnera lacrimīs,
Sīōne victā, conquerentēs[18]
Exsiliīque gravīs labōrēs.

“Iam victor atrōx increpitāns[19] iocō,


‘Sīōnis,’ inquit, ‘laetificīs[20] modīs
Cantāte laudēs. Cūr sedētis
Cōnsimilēs[21] ovibus[22] tacentēs?’

“ ‘Hīc ut canāmus[23] nōs patrium deum


Maestī exsulantēs, barbaricā[24] in domō[25]?
Sīōn[26], male hostēs sīc cadant[27] ut[28]
Tē cinerēsque tuōs verēbor.’ ”

“Euge” inquit mercātor; “mihi quidem hī versūs optimī esse videntur. Sī


fēlīciter fēceris prōgressum[29], aliquandō poēta vērus esse poteris.”
At nunc Drūsilla līberīs: “Fortasse vōbīs Anna quoque aliquid nārrābit.
Eam rogāte.” (Anna enim cum Lūciō interim discesserat, iamque haud
procul sedēbat.)
Illa, cum cognōvisset quid līberī vellent: “Multa,” inquit, “sunt clāra
facta virōrum gentis meae; diēsque me dēficiat, sī vōbīs omnia nārrāre cōner.
Audīvistisne umquam dē homine omnium validissimō?”
“Herculem, ut opīnor, dīcis,”[30] inquit Sextus. “Nam ferunt[31] eum
omnēs vīribus[32] superāsse.”
“Herculem nōn dīcō,” inquit Anna, “sed Samsōnem, quī manibus ipsīs[33]
leōnem dīlaniāvit.”
“Idem fēcit Herculēs quoque,” inquit Sextus; “nam cum[34] leōnem
Nemeaeum nec clāvā[35] nec sagittīs[36] vincere potuisset, manibus ipsīs
mōnstrum occīdit.”
“Sed omnia nōndum dīxī,” inquit Anna. “Samsōn, cum in quādam urbe
hostēs eum obsidērent, clam noctū ex oppidō ēgressus, postēs[37] portae
umerīs abstulit.”
“Eugepae!” inquit Sextus. “Vix crēdō Herculem ipsum id facere
potuisse.”
At Anna: “Postrēmō hostēs certiōrēs factī sunt vīrēs Samsōnis in capillō
sitās[38] esse; dolōque eum aggressī, capillō prīvāvērunt.[39] Tum ille facile in
eōrum potestātem pervēnit; quem, cum oculōs ēripuissent, in pīstrīnum[40]
dēdūxērunt, ubi in tenebrīs molam[41] versāre coāctus est.”
“Ēheu,” inquit Cornēlia; “quam mē istīus īnfēlīcis miseret!”
“Ipse sē pulchrē[42] ultus est,” inquit Anna. “Nam ōlim, cum quaedam
fēriae[43] habērentur et multitūdō maxima convēnisset, puerum ōrāvit ut
manūs suās in columnās[44] templī impōneret (nam ipse iam caecus erat).
Quō factō, Samsōn, cui[45] capillus interim rūrsus prōmittēbātur, omnibus
vīribus cōnīsus[46] columnās disiēcit,[47] et ruīnā templī hostēs plūrimōs
sēcum oppressit.”
“Haec est fābula adprīmē lepida,” inquit Sextus. “Potesne aliquid dē
bellātōribus clārīs nārrāre?”
Tum Anna: “Annālēs gentis nostrae exemplīs tālibus abundant. Longum
[48]
est etiam pauca nārrāre. Sed ōlim erat pāstor, quī vixdum[49] iuvenis
ingentem occīdit hostem, ā quō nostrī verbīs contumēliōsīs[50] ad proelium
prōvocātī[51] erant.”
“Dē istō nārrā, sīs,” inquit Sextus. “Audīre cupimus.”
At Anna: “Hostis erat gigās, quōcum congredī nēmō audēbat; quārē
omnēs crēdēbant hunc iuvenem dēlīrāre, quī certāmen tam impār[52] inīre
vellet.[53] Accēdēbat ut[54] armīs mīlitāribus ūtī nescīret; quam ob rem in
proelium prōdiit cum fundā tantum[55] et lapidibus quibusdam lēvibus.”[56]
“Āmēns profectō fuit,” inquit Sextus, “quī sīc armātus cum bellātōre
ingentī congrederētur.”
“Nūllō modō,” inquit Anna; “nam ā deō auxilium spērābat, neque rēs
eum fefellit; priusquam enim hostis propius accēdere posset, lapidem in eius
frontem tantā fēlīcitāte[57] impēgit,[58] ut bellātor ingēns subitō corruēns humī
prōnus iacēret. Tum adulēscēns, gladiō ipsīus arreptō, caput hostis abscīdit
sanguineque cruentum ad rēgem rettulit.”
“Vāh!” inquit Cornēlia. “Facta tālia audiēns horrēscō. Nōnne quidquam
laetius nārrāre potes?”
Tum Anna: “Multa laeta quoque commemorāre possum. Quīn etiam
recordor quaedam dē hōc ipsō pāstōre adulēscente, quī posteā rēx noster
factus est.
“Ōlim, cum bellum cum fīnitimīs gereret, illīque[59] praesidiō
occupāvissent urbem, quae erat ipsīus patria,[60] tum rēx, sitī obortā,[61]
mīlitibus audientibus: ‘Utinam,’ inquit, ‘nunc bibere possem ē fonte gelidō,
quī ad portam patriae est!’
“Quō cognitō, trēs mīlitēs virtūtis maximae, clam ex castrīs ēgressī, per
statiōnēs hostium viā gladiīs factā, ad fontem pervēnērunt illum; tum, aquā
inde celeriter haustā, ad rēgem incolumēs sē recēpērunt. Quī cum
cognōvisset quantō perīculō aqua illa adlāta esset, bibere nōluit eamque
lībāns[62] humī perfūdit.”
“Rēgem optimum!” inquit Cornēlia. “Huius modī fābulīs maximē
dēlector.”
Sed iam Lūcius, quī diū tacitus sēderat, querellās ēdere coepit, Annaque
eum in cameram ad mātrem dēdūxit. Līberī interim abiērunt, sī forte[63]
Stasimum invenīre possent.

[1] volo: final o here short in verse.


[2] dulce, adv., sweetly.
[3] rīdeat: dept. on volo, l. 5.
[4]
sēmihiāns, -antis, adj., half-opening.
[5] labellum, -ī, n., lip.
[6] pudet: impers.
[7] stultē, adv., foolishly.
[8] Quīn, Why.
[9]
cum . . . cōnficerēs: cf. I, 61.
[10] verēcundor, -ārī, intr., be bashful.
[11] decet: impers.
[12] quō: cf. III, 2.
[13]
labōribus, trials.
[14] cum: causal.
[15] docuit: with acc. of person and thing.
[16] ad, beside.
[17] amārus, -a, -um, adj., bitter.
[18] conqueror, -querī, -questus sum, tr., lament.
[19] increpitō, -āre, tr., challenge.
[20]
laetificus, -a, -um, adj., joyous.
[21] cōnsimilis, -e, adj., like.
[22] ovibus: dat.
[23] ut canāmus, we sing? (rejecting the suggestion).
[24]
barbaricus, -a, -um, adj., foreign, strange.
[25] domō, freely, land.
[26] Sīōn: voc.
[27] cadant: a wish.
[28] ut, as.
[29]
prōgressus, -ūs, m., progress.
[30] dīcis, mean.
[31] ferunt, they say.
[32] vīribus: abl. of spec.
[33]
ipsīs, freely, bare.
[34]
cum . . . potuisset: cf. I, 61.
[35] clāva, -ae, f., club.
[36] sagitta, -ae, f., arrow.
[37] postis, -is, m., post.
[38]
sitās: see sinō.
[39] prīvō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., deprive.
[40] pīstrīnum, -ī, n., grinding-mill.
[41] mola, -ae, f., millstone.
[42] pulchrē, adv., finely.
[43] fēriae, -ārum, f., festival.
[44]
columna, -ae, f., pillar.
[45]
cui: trans. as if gen.
[46] cōnītor, -nītī, -nīsus or nīxus sum, intr., strive, strain.
[47] disiciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectus, tr., push out.
[48] Longum est, ’Twould take long.
[49]
vixdum: adv. phrase, scarcely yet.
[50] contumēliōsus, -a, -um, adj., insulting.
[51] prōvocō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., challenge.
[52] impār, -aris, adj., unequal.
[53] vellet: note mood.
[54]
Accēdēbat ut, lit., It was added that; trans. freely.
[55] tantum: adv.
[56] lēvis, -e, adj., smooth.
[57] fēlīcitās, -ātis, f., luck, good aim.
[58]
impēgit: see impingō.
[59] illī: nom. pl.
[60] patria, birthplace.
[61] oborior, -īrī, -ortus sum, intr., arise, come on.
[62] lībāns, -antis: freely, as a libation (lībō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr.,
libate).
[63] forte, perchance.
TEMPLUM
CAPUT VI

Paucōs diēs caelō serēnō[1] nāvigāverant, omnēsque gaudēbant, ratī sine


perīculō ūllō iter tōtum cōnficī posse, cum subitō nūbēs ātrae ē marī orīrī
vīsae sunt, quae brevī diem ē cōnspectū vectōrum ēripuērunt. Terra iam
procul aberat, ventīque turbidī per rudentēs strīdere[2] coepērunt.
Tum nautae vēla contrahere properāvērunt, et omnia quae ūsuī[3] essent
ad vim tempestātis lēniendam parāta sunt. Interim magister[4] mulierēs ūnā[5]
cum līberīs et servīs camerā sē continēre iussit. Virī autem plērīque in puppī
paulisper ambulāre persevērāvērunt, etsī mox ventōrum vī vestis eōrum
paene discerpēbātur.
Sed brevī illī quoque in locum tūtum libenter sē recēpērunt; nam in[6]
marī iam erat ātra nox, flūctūsque maximī nāvem feriēbant, omniaque
mortem minārī vidēbantur. In camerā sedēbant mulierēs et līberī pavidī;
interdum[7] enim flūctūs tantopere nāvem quatiēbant, ut vix locō sē tenēre
possent.
Pūblius autem, quī nōlēbat quemquam putāre sē esse sollicitum, librum
poētae cuiusdam adsiduē legēbat. Cui postrēmō pater: “Quem librum,”
inquit, “tam attentē legis, mī fīlī?”
“Hic est liber lepidus poētae Ovidī,” inquit Pūblius. “Dē naufragiō
quōdam optimē scrībit. Audīte quam pulchrī sint hī versūs.” Quō dictō,
recitāre coepit:

“ ‘Totidemque[8] videntur,
[9]
Quot veniant flūctūs, ruere atque inrumpere mortēs.
Nōn tenet hic[10] lacrimās; stupet[11] hic; vocat[12] ille beātōs,
Fūnera[13] quōs maneant; hic vōtīs nūmen adōrat
Bracchiaque ad caelum, quod nōn videt, irrita[14] tollēns
Poscit opem.’ ”

Sed iam Drūsilla, quae prae[15] terrōre diū sē vix continēre potuerat:
“Dēsine, obsecrō,” inquit, “librumque illum dīrum omitte. Nōnne vidēs nōs
quoque magnō in perīculō esse, et omnibus[16] fortasse brevī pereundum?”
“Tranquillō es[17] animō,” inquit Cornēlius. “Valida est nāvis nostra, et
nautae exercitātī[18]. In saxa latentia nisi in tenebrīs dēferēmur, omnia tūta
sunt.” Tum Pūbliō: “Sed, mī fīlī, cēnseō illud carmen omittendum dōnec
omnēs hilariōrēs sint.”
“Quam mox in Ītaliam perveniēmus?” inquit Sextus, quī sub subsellium
refūgerat, nē quis scīret sē flēre.
“Aliquamdiū per mare Īōnium iam vectī sumus,” inquit pater, “et spērō
haud procul abesse terram Ītalicam.”
Vix ea dicta erant, cum clāmor magnus in puppī exortus est. Quō audītō,
Cornēlius et virī aliī ē camerā celeriter prōdiērunt. Undique erant flūctūs
velut[19] aquae montēs, quī iam iam[20] nāvem submersūrī vidēbantur;
ventīque tantopere furēbant,[21] ut hominēs mālō[22] rudentibusque sē
sustinēre cōgerentur, nē vī tempestātis raperentur ē puppī in mortem
praesentem.
Nūbēs autem iam rāriōrēs erant, inter quās diēs[23] iterum lūcēbat;[24] et
haud procul in marī vāstō cōnspicī poterat nāvicula,[25] quae flūctibus in lītus
scopulōsum[26] īnsulae parvae rēctā[27] ferēbātur. Haec erat causa clāmōris,
quō vectōrēs ē camerā excitātī erant.
Tum Cornēlius magnā vōce magistrō, quī prope stābat: “Nihilne illīs
miserīs hominibus,” inquit, “opitulārī possumus?”
Ille autem maestus abnuit, et: “Vīs ventī nimia est,” inquit. “Eīs sī
opitulārī cōnābimur, nostra quoque nāvis in saxa ferētur.”
“Quam hoc est foedum vīsū!”[28] cum gemitū[29] inquit Cornēlius.
“Aspice, sīs; mālus iam frāctus est, et vectōrēs īnfēlīcēs vestīs prō vēlīs
tendunt; aliī mercēs in mare praecipitant, ut nāvis sublevētur. Omnibus
modīs mortem effugere cōnantur.”
Dum haec fīunt, Pūblius quoque ē camerā ēgressus pedetemptim[30] et
cautē[31] ad patrem adiit. Quō cum pervēnisset nāvemque vīdisset alteram,
“Ēheu!” inquit. “Male metuō nē hodiē vērum naufragium aspiciāmus.”
“Rēctē dīcis,” inquit Cornēlius. “Neque ūllō modō eīs miserīs opitulārī
posse vidēmur.”
“Aspice!” inquit Pūblius. “Iam paucī cymbā parvā effugere cōnātūrī
sunt. Vidē cymbam, quam effrēnātē[32] in flūctibus saltet! Modo in cōnspectū
est, modo[33] aspicī nusquam potest! Nunc in eā sunt trēs hominēs. Iam
rēmōs[34] agere incipiunt. Attāt! [35] Nunc venit aquae mōns! Cavēte, miserī,[36]
cavēte vōbīs!”
Vix haec verba dīxerat, cum flūctus ingēns cymbam parvam ēvertit.
Paulisper virī duo in gurgite[37] luctantēs[38] aspiciēbantur; tum in marī mersī
sunt.
“Ista diūtius vidēre nōn sustineō,”[39] inquit Cornēlius, et statim in
cameram sē contulit. Pūblius autem cupiditāte videndī in puppī morārī
persevērāvit; utque[40] pater cum Onēsimō et Stasimō iterum prōdiit, īnsula
parva ē cōnspectū recesserat, neque usquam cōnspicī poterat nāvis altera.
Sōl, quī iam coeperat fulgēre, undīs[41] sē condere properābat, cum
nautae procul montēs cernere potuērunt; tum omnēs hilarī vultū erant, cum
spērārent sē brevī in portum perventūrōs; ac Cornēlius Stasimō: “Abī,”
inquit; “dominae nūntiā, ut in puppim prōdeat; nam dēmum terram in
cōnspectū esse.”
Stasimus statim discessit, et patrī Pūblius: “Exīstimō nōs Brundisiī[42] ē
nāve ēgressūrōs,” inquit. “Nōnne rēs sē ita habet, pater?”
“Ita, mī fīlī,” inquit Cornēlius. “In hāc regiōne orbis terrārum nūllum
oppidum portum meliōrem habet. Hic est locus, ut[43] scīs, unde Pompeius
Magnus nāvēs solvit, cum Caesarem fugiēns exercitum in Graeciam
trādūceret. Et sīcut nōs montēs illōs nunc vidēmus appropinquāre, ita[44] ille
tum eōsdem nebulīs procul obscūrōs ē cōnspectū suō discēdere vīdit. Quā dē
rē poēta Lūcānus versūs aliquōs fēcit pulcherrimōs.”
Interim Drūsilla cum līberīs ē camerā prōdierat. Brevī tenebrae ē marī
surgere coepērunt; ac Cornēlia, quae iam cum patre et frātribus stābat:
“Vidēte,” inquit. “Aspicere videor lūmen parvum procul micāre. Quid est,
obsecrō?”
“Haec est pharus,”[45] inquit pater, “quae noctū viam nautīs mōnstrat,
quō[46] tūtius nāvēs in portum dēdūcere possint. Sine lūmine fortasse ē cursū
errārent, nāvēsque in lītus inīquum dēferrentur.”
“Euge!” inquit Cornēlia. “In portum igitur nōs profectō tūtō[47]
perveniēmus. Sed nunc mihi intrō eundum est, ut cum Annā sedeam, dum[48]
Lūcius obdormiat.”
Itaque illa discessit. Cēterī autem aliquamdiū in puppī ambulābant; nam
tempestās iam erat tam serēna ut nēmō intrō sē recipere vellet.

[1] caelō serēnō: attendant circumstance.


[2] strīdō, -ere, -dī, intr., howl.
[3]
ūsuī: dat. of service; freely, helpful.
[4] magister, captain.
[5]
ūnā: adv.
[6] in, on.
[7] interdum: cf. II, 56.
[8] Totidem: mod. of mortēs, l. 24.
[9]
Quot: indecl. adj., as.
[10] hic . . . hic . . . ille, one . . . another . . . another.
[11] stupeō, -ēre, -uī, intr., be stunned.
[12] vocat: sc. eōs.
[13] Fūnera, etc.: i.e., those who (on land) will be properly buried.
[14]
irrita: trans., ‘in vain’; mod. of Bracchia.
[15] prae, for.
[16] omnibus: dat.
[17] es: imper.
[18]
exercitātus, -a, -um, adj., (well) trained.
[19]
velut, like.
[20] iam iam, at any moment.
[21] furō, -ere, intr., rage.
[22] mālō: not adj.; note the ā.
[23]
diēs: i.e., daylight.
[24] lūceō, -ēre, lūxī, intr., shine.
[25] nāvicula, -ae, f., small ship.
[26] scopulōsus, -a, -um, adj., rocky.
[27] rēctā: sc. viā; cf. eā, IV, 9.
[28]
vīsū: cf. nātū, I, 65.
[29] gemitus, -ūs, m., groan.
[30]
pedetemptim, adv., slowly.
[31] cautē, adv., cautiously.
[32] effrēnātē, adv., wildly.
[33] Modo . . . modo, now . . . now.
[34]
rēmus, -ī, m., oar.
[35] Attāt! interj., take care!
[36] miserī: voc.
[37] gurges, -itis, m., flood.
[38] luctor, -ārī, -ātus sum, intr., struggle.
[39]
nōn sustineō, cannot bear.
[40] ut, when.
[41] undīs: abl.
[42] Brundisiī: loc. of Brundisium; gen., Brundisī.
[43]
ut, as.
[44] sīcut, adv.; sīcut . . . ita, just as . . . so.
[45] pharus, -ī, f., lighthouse.
[46] quō: cf. III, 2.
[47] tūtō: adv.
[48]
dum, until.
LĪTUS GALLIAE ET PHARUS
CAPUT VII

Posterō diē vectōrēs, maritimā iactātiōne[1] fessī, ē nāvī ēgredī cupiēbant;


ac Cornēlius Onēsimum cum Stasimō ad quendam Crassum, hospitem
suum, statim mīsit, ut eī nūntiāret ipsum[2] cum uxōre et līberīs in portū esse.
Interim omnēs tempus variē[3] trahēbant; dum enim servī redīrent,
Cornēlius incertus erat quō[4] dēverteret. Sed iam accessit mercātor, dē quō
suprā dīximus. Ille, ē nāvī ēgressūrus: “Gaudeō,” inquit, “nōs postrēmō ad
terram incolumēs pervēnisse. Erat tempus cum putārem nōs numquam vīvōs
patriam vīsūrōs esse.”
“Rēctē dīcis,” inquit Cornēlius. “Neptūnō certē grātia maxima habenda
est, quod omnia tam fēlīciter ēvēnērunt. Cum illōs naufragōs[5] miserōs in
marī mersōs vidērēmus, paulum āfuit quīn[6] īlicō tabulam pictam[7] vovērem,
[8]
sī ūllō modō vim tempestātis nōs effugere potuissēmus.”
Et mercātor: “Profectō vēra sunt verba eius, quī apud[9] Plautum ita
loquitur;

“ ‘Voluptās nūllast nāvitīs,[10] Messēniō,[11]


Maior meō animō,[12] quam quandō ex altō procul
Terram cōnspiciunt.’ ”

“Haec mē admonent,” inquit Pūblius, “dē carmine ā poētā Catullō


scrīptō, cum domum redīsset, postquam in Asiā annum āfuit. Verūs aliquōs
fortasse memoriā prōnūntiāre possum:

“ ‘Ō quid solūtīs[13] est beātius cūrīs,


Cum mēns onus repōnit,[14] ac peregrīnō
Labōre fessī vēnimus larem[15] ad nostrum
Dēsīderātōque[16] adquiēscimus[17] lectō!’ ”

“Tē laudō, Pūblī,” inquit Cornēlius, “quod tantam operam poētīs nostrīs
dās;[18] etsī satis sciō multōs cīvēs nostrōs parvī[19] poētās omnēs facere. Sed
nūlla est disciplīna, quā facilius ad hūmānitātem vēram perveniās.”[20]
“Sed mihi nunc abeundum est,” inquit mercātor. “Spērō aliquandō nōs
iterum in urbe Rōmā convenīre posse. Iam valēte.”
“Vīve et valē,” inquiunt omnēs, ut mercātor in cymbam dēscendēbat; quī
ad terram vectus brevī ē cōnspectū āmissus est inter hominēs quī
convēnerant, ut cognōscerent quae nāvēs in portum noctū pervēnissent.
Interim līberī quam[21] longissimē prōspiciēbant, sī forte[22] Onēsimum et
Stasimum redeuntēs aspicere possent. Cum autem diū frūstrā exspectāssent,
Annam quaerere coepērunt, ratī eī persuādērī posse ut fābulam aliquam
nārrāret, quō minus tardē hōrae discēdere vidērentur.
Anna, quae haud procul cum Lūciō cōnsēderat, cum līberōs vīdisset, rīsit
et: “Quid nunc, līberī?” inquit. “Nōnne Onēsimus iam rediit?”
“Eum nusquam videō,” inquit Cornēlia. “Nōnne tū vīs aliquid nōbīs
nārrāre, quō iūcundius tempus terere possīmus? Plūra dē virīs gentis vestrae
audīre cupimus.”
“Vix intellegō unde potissimum[23] incipiam,” inquit Anna; “tam multa
simul mihi in mentem veniunt; et ē multīs pauca ēligere haud facile est.”
“Dē bellātōribus aliquid dīc,” inquit Sextus. “Nihil eō[24] est iūcundius.”
At Cornēlia: “Nōlī ita facere, amābō,”[25] inquit. “Caedis et sanguinis mē
iam diū taedet.[26] Aliquid et laetum et notābile nārrā, sīs.”
“Difficile est,” inquit Anna, “haec duo cōnfundere; sed experiar quidem:
Ōlim erat vātēs, quī longē ā patriā in servitūtem dēductus erat. Diū apud[27]
rēgem peregrīnum maximō in honōre habēbātur. Sed prīncipēs eius cīvitātis,
invidiā commōtī, quod advena apud rēgem tantum[28] grātiā[29] valēbat,
īnsidiās eī[30] fēcērunt.
“Vātēs deum patrium cotīdiē adōrābat, deīs autem aliīs exīstimābat nefās
honōrem habērī.[31] Quārē inimīcī, quī haec omnia bene intellegēbant, rēgem
dolō adortī, ‘Semper vīvās,[32] ō rēx!’ inquiunt. ‘Quod[33] neque in terrīs
neque in caelō est quisquam tēcum cōnferendus, cēnsēmus ut ēdictum
prōpōnās, nē quis[34] hīs[35] trīgintā diēbus quemquam nisi[36] tē adōret; sī quis
aliter fēcerit, ad bēstiās damnātus estō.’[37]
“Rēx, quem dolus omnīnō fefellerat, honōre sibi habitō laetus, libenter id
pollicitus est, atque ēdictum prōposuit. Tum sērō[38] sēnsit sē ā prīncipibus
circumventum esse; ēdictum enim rēgis semel prōpositum nec rescindī[39]
nec mūtārī poterat.
“Omnia maerēns temptāvit, quō modō vātem cōnservāret, sed nihil
reperiēbat; cumque prīncipēs convēnissent hominisque mortem postulārent,
trīstis vātem ad bēstiās damnāre coāctus est.”
“Vāh!” inquit Cornēlia. “Haec mihi vehementer displicent.[40] Nōnne
modo dīxī mē[41] iam diū[42] caedis sanguinisque taedēre?”
At Anna: “Manēdum,”[43] inquit, “dum reliqua audiās. Vātēs interim
nihil[44] terrēbātur; sed in spēluncam leōnum plēnam dēmissus, cum saxum
magnum suprā collocātum esset nē quā[45] effugere posset, laudēs tamen
clārē deō suō cantāvit.
“Iam rēx, vigiliīs dispositīs, animō maximē conturbātō domum sē
contulerat, ubi nec cibum capere nec somnō quiēscere potuit; sed noctem
tōtam sollicitus vigilābat. Cum diēs dēmum illūxisset,[46] ē lectō surrēxit et
celeriter ad spēluncam pervēnit. Quō ubi ventum est, vōce lāmentābilī: ‘Vērī
deī vātēs,’ inquit, ‘adhūc vīvis?’
“Tum ē spēluncā audīta est vōx vātis: ‘Semper vīvās, ō rēx! Salvus sum;
nam deus patrius nūntium mīsit, quī faucēs[47] leōnum praeclūderet.’[48] Quō
audītō, rēx gaudiō ēlātus saxum āmovērī iussit; vātēsque incolumis ē
spēluncā in lūcem redditus est.”
“Euge!” inquit Cornēlia. “Quam gaudeō rem ēventum tam fēlīcem
habuisse!”
At Sextus: “Quid factum est,[49] obsecrō, illīs prīncipibus scelestīs, quī
tantum dolum frūstrā fabricātī[50] erant?”
“Omnēs,” inquit Anna, “in vincula celeriter coniectī ūnā[51] cum uxōribus
līberīsque ad bēstiās damnātī sunt. Quōs, ubi[52] in spēluncam sunt dēmissī,
leōnēs saeviter[53] dīlaniāvērunt.” Tum subitō: “Sed Stasimum mihi videor
procul aspicere. Nōnne is est?”
“Est profectō ipse,” inquit Sextus; līberīque celeriter abiērunt, ut
audīrent quid novī[54] adlātum esset.

[1] iactātiō, -ōnis, f., tossing.


[2] ipsum: i.e., Cornelius.
[3] variē, adv., in various ways.
[4] quō: cf. III, 82.
[5] naufragus, -ī, m., shipwrecked man.
[6] paulum āfuit quīn, it lacked little but that; trans. freely.
[7] pictus, -a, -um, adj., painted; tabula picta, a picture.
[8]
voveō, vovēre, vōvī, vōtus, tr., vow.
[9] apud, in.
[10] nāvita, -ae, m., sailor.
[11] Messēniō: voc.
[12] meō animō, in my judgment.
[13] solūtīs, relaxed; with cūrīs (abl. with comp.)
[14] repōnō, -pōnere, -posuī, -positus, tr., lay down.
[15] lār, laris, m., freely, rooftree.
[16]
dēsīderātus, -a, -um, adj., longed for; abl. of place where in text.
[17] adquiēscō, -quiēscere, -quiēvī, intr., rest.
[18] quod . . . dās, for giving.
[19] parvī: gen. of value.
[20] perveniās: subj. indef. sec. sing.
[21] quam: cf. II, 74.
[22] forte: cf. V, 112.
[23] potissimum, best, i.e., by preference.
[24] eō: neut. abl., with comp.
[25]
amābō: colloquial for obsecrō. It is an expression used mostly by
women.
[26] taedet: impers.
[27] apud, at the court of.
[28] tantum: adv., lit., so much.
[29] grātiā: abl. of specif.
[30] eī, against him.
[31]
honōrem habērī, that honor be paid. The clause is subject of esse
understood.
[32] vīvās: a wish.
[33] Quod, since, in that.
[34] nē quis, (to the effect) that no one.
[35] hīs, these (coming).
[36] nisi: adv.
[37] damnātus estō: fut. imper.
[38] sērō, too late.
[39] rescindō, -scindere, -scidī, -scissus, tr., revoke.
[40]
displiceō, -ēre, -uī, -itum, intr., be displeasing.
[41] mē: obj. of taedēre.
[42] iam diū: see note on IV, 114.
[43] -dum: intens. particle, just (wait).
[44] nihil: adv. acc.; cf. III, 40.
[45] quā: cf. eā, IV, 9.
[46] illūcēscō, -lūcēscere, -lūxī, intr., dawn.
[47] faux, faucis, f.; pl., jaws.
[48] praeclūdō, -clūdere, -clūsī, -clūsus, tr., shut, stop.
[49]
factum est, with abl., became (of).
[50] fabricor, -ārī, -ātus sum, tr. devise.
[51] ūnā: adv.
[52] ubi, when.
[53] saeviter, adv., savagely.
[54] novī: neut.; partit. gen.
Photograph by D. N. Robinson
PATRIA POĒTAE CATULLĪ
CAPUT VIII

Cum servī in nāvem cōnscendissent, Onēsimus ad Cornēlium accessit,


et: “Crassus ille, ere,”[1] inquit, “ad quem missī sumus, negōtiō cum
quibusdam colōnīs[2] haud procul habitantibus contractō, hodiē māne rūs
profectus est ut eōs convenīret, nec domum ante vesperum est reditūrus.”
“Male[3] hercle nūntiās,” inquit Cornēlius. “Iam hoc tantum[4] reliquum
est, ut[5] hīc eius reditum[6] exspectēmus. Quārē tū, Stasime, abī, et Drūsillae
nūntiā celeritāte iam nihil[7] opus esse.”
Postquam abiit Stasimus, līberī Onēsimum circumstābant, cupidissimē
rogantēs quantum aut[8] quā faciē esset oppidum. Ille autem rēctā ad Annam
profectus: “Quam vellem,” inquit, “Stasimum nostrum tū hodiē vidēre
potuissēs!”
“Quam ob rem, obsecrō?” inquit illa. “An[9] iste vafer dēnuō lūdōs
faciēbat?”
“Et lepidissimōs,” inquit Onēsimus. “Nam, ut ad hospitem vēnimus,
summā cōmitāte acceptī in ātriō[10] sedēbāmus, dum quaererētur[11] quam
mox dominus reditūrus esset.
“Cum ita morārēmur, subitō intrāvit servus rūsticus, quī nūper ē vīllā in
urbem arcessītus erat. Ille raucā vōce: ‘Quī hominēs estis?’ inquit. Ac,
priusquam ego respondēre possem, Stasimus, sē magnum ferēns:[12] ‘Ā rēge
Indōrum,’ inquit, ‘nōs lēgātī sumus.’ ”
Photograph by R. S. Rogers
QUŌ MODŌ RŌMĀNĪ SAXA COLLOCĀBANT

“Hahahae!” inquit Anna. “Quid tum fēcit iste rūsticus?”


“Prīmō obstupefactus est,” inquit Onēsimus. “Tum autem alia quaerere
coepit, et sermō huius modī īnstitūtus est:
Servus. Dum hūc nāvigātis, multās terrās vōs vidēre oportuit.[13]
Stasimus. Ita vērō. Rēsque mīrandās ubique aspeximus.
Servus. Cum[14] hīc tempus terās, dē hīs rēbus mihi nārrā, sīs.
Stasimus. In Syriā ārdor sōlis maximus est. Sōlstitiālī[15] morbō ibi
hominēs ut[16] muscae pereunt.
Servus. Papae! Saepe nostrō in fundō sōl satis fervidus[17] est, sed
numquam tam exitiālis.[18]
Stasimus. Alternae arborēs sunt fulgurītae,[19] bovēsque alternīs in
sulcīs[20] moriuntur.
Servus. Haec vix crēdere possum!
Stasimus. Quīn etiam multa sunt mīrābiliōra, quae nōndum dīxī.
Quōdam locō cymbā vectī sumus ad caput amnis, quī dē caelō exorītur sub
soliō Iovis.
Servus. Abī, mē lūdis. Etsī rūsticus sum, mē ita fallere nūllō modō potes.
Pater meus in Syriā nātus est; eō praesente[21] tanta mendācia dīcere nōn
audērēs.
Stasimus. Quīn etiam idem dīcam, sī avum[22] tuum addūcere velīs.
Nōnne vīs reliqua audīre?
Servus. Audiam vērō; sed nihil mē crēditūrum polliceor.[23]
Stasimus. Dum mediō marī iter facimus, saepe sub flūctibus mōnstra
mīranda nantia vidimus.
Servus. Sine dubiō multa tālia cēpistis, quae nunc vōbīscum in nāvī
habētis.
Stasimus. Nihil cēpimus. Sed diēs complūrēs plānē vidēre poterāmus
serpentem maximum oculīs ārdentibus, quī nāvem sescenta[24] mīlia passuum
sequēbātur.
Servus. Exspectābat, crēdō, dum aliquis ē nāvī in aquam excideret, ut
eius membrīs[25] vēscerētur.
Stasimus. Ōlim bovem, quae forte mortua est, in mare iēcimus, eamque
tōtam mōnstrum illud ūnō morsū vorāvit.
Servus. Apage tē! Tālia nōn diūtius audiam.
“Sed iam redierant servī cēterī, quī nōs dē dominī negōtiō certiōrēs
fēcērunt. Itaque statim ad nāvem discessimus.”
Tum Anna, cum satis rīsisset: “Male metuō,” inquit, “nē impudentiā suā
Stasimus noster in maximum malum aliquandō incidat. Sed certē est puer
admodum rīdiculus.”
“Rēctē dīcis,” inquit Onēsimus. “At nunc mihi abeundum est, ut ratiōnēs
quāsdam cōnficiam”; quō dictō, lēniter ad cameram ambulāvit. Līberī
autem, quī cupidissimē eius verba audierant, adhūc prope Annam
morābantur; quam mox rogāvērunt ut sibi aliquid nārrāret.
At illa: “Vōbīs līberīs,” inquit, “nihil umquam satis erit. Quid nunc
audīre vultis?”
Tum Cornēlia: “Fābulīs dē virīs vestrae gentis maximē dēlector. Nōnne
est aliud eius modī, quod nōbīs nārrāre velīs?”
“Dum verba Onēsimī audiō,” inquit Anna, “mihi in mentem vēnit
cuiusdam vātis,[26] quī Iōnās appellābātur. Is quoque multa mīranda in marī
passus est.”
“Dē hōc nārrā nōbīs, sīs,” inquit Sextus.
“Ōrāculō quōdam,” inquit Anna, “Iōnās iussus erat Nīnivēn[27] proficīscī,
ut oppidānōs dē īrā deī monēret. Cum autem eō[28] iter facere nōllet, nāvem
cōnscendit, quae aliās in partēs proficīscēbātur.
“Mox ventō maximō mare turbātum est, ac brevī omnia hominibus
mortem praesentem minārī vidēbantur. Iōnās autem somnō cōnsōpītus nihil
audīvit, priusquam ā vectōribus cēterīs excitātus est.
“Tum omnēs, ad vōta conversī, suum quisque deum[29] precātī sunt ut ē
perīculō tantō ēriperentur. Postrēmō autem ūnus: ‘Nihil hoc prōficit,’ inquit.
‘Sortēs, sociī, coniciāmus, sī forte ita cognōscere possīmus, cuius culpā in
hoc tantum[30] malum inciderīmus.’
“Sortibus coniectīs, Iōnās est dēsignātus. Quem igitur in mare ēiēcērunt,
ac tempestās serēna statim cōnsecūta est. Iōnam piscis immānis vorāvit, sed
tribus post diēbus in lītus incolumem ēiēcit.”
“Hui!” inquit Sextus. “Mihi quidem etiam Stasimō[31] maiōra tū fingere
posse vidēris.”
“Haec autem vēra sunt,” inquit Anna īrā incēnsa. “Nihil amplius ā mē
hodiē audiētis.” Quae cum dīxisset, sē cum Lūciō in cameram recēpit.
Līberī igitur, ut potuērunt, hōrās diēī longās trahēbant. Sub noctem, cum
iam advesperāsceret, vōx canentis[32] ē camerā ad eōrum aurīs adlāta est.
“Audīte,” inquit Cornēlia; “māter Lūcium iam cōnsōpīre cōnātur.” Tum, ut
omnēs tacentēs sedēbant, vōx Drūsillae plānē audīrī poterat:

“Nunc hominēsque[33] labōre gravātōs,[34][35]


Nunc requiēs[36] pecudemque vocat;
Omnia lēniter arva[37] nigrēscunt,[38]
Silva simul sine murmure[39] stat.
Sīdera,[40] parve,[41] micantia somnum
Iam puerīs avibusque cient;[42]
Nunc oculōs, placidissime,[43] conde,
Somnia dulcia tē maneant![44]
Lal-la-la, lal-la-la, cāre,[45] quiēsce,
Mēter enim in tenebrīs vigilat.”

[1] ere: voc.


[2] colōnus, -ī, m., tenant farmer.
[3] Male, etc., I’m very sorry to hear it.
[4] tantum: adv.
[5] ut . . . exspectēmus: substantive clause explaining hoc, line 6.
[6] reditus, -ūs, m., return.
[7] nihil: adv. acc.; trans., ‘no.’
[8]
aut: cf. II, 21.
[9] An: sign of a question.
[10] ātrium, -ī, n., hall.
[11] quaererētur: impers.
[12] sē magnum ferēns: i.e., putting on a lordly air.
[13] vōs vidēre oportuit, you must have seen; oportet is impers.
[14] Cum: causal; trans., ‘as.’
[15] sōlstitiālis, -e, adj., of the summer solstice; sunstroke or fever is
referred to.
[16] ut, like.
[17]
fervidus, -a, -um, adj., hot.
[18] exitiālis, -e, adj., deadly.
[19] fulgurītus, -a, -um, adj., struck by lighting.
[20] sulcus, -ī, m., furrow.
[21] eō praesente: abl. absol.
[22] avus, -ī, m., grandfather.
[23] nihil . . . polliceor, I do not promise that . . . anything.
[24]sescentī, -ae, -a, num. adj., six hundred, an indefinitely large
number.
[25] membrum, -ī, n., limb; pl., body.
[26] cuiusdam vātis: gen., as often with verbs of remembering.
[27] Nīnivēn: acc. sing., Greek decl.
[28] eō, thither; cf. quō, whither.
[29] suum quisque deum, each his own god; a sort of parenthesis.
[30] hoc tantum (not adv.): trans. freely.
[31] Stasimō: abl. with comp.
[32]
canentis, lit., of one singing.
[33] -que . . . -que: like et . . . et.
[34] gravātus, -a, -um, adj., weary.
[35] Music for this song will be found on page 239.
[36] requiēs, -ētis, f., rest.
[37] arvum, -ī, n., field.
[38] nigrēscō, nigrēscere, intr., grow dark.
[39] murmur, -uris, n., rustling.
[40] sīdus, -eris, n., star.
[41] parve: voc.
[42] cieō, ciēre, cīvī, citus, tr., summon, invite.
[43] placidissime: voc.; trans, as if adv.
[44]
maneant, await; a wish.
[45]
cāre: voc., darling.

“SILVA SIMUL SINE MURMURE STAT”


CAPUT IX

Posterō diē hospes ad lītus māne praestō erat; ubi cymbam condūxit, et
ad nāvem celeriter vectus est. Quī cum prīmum Cornēlium vīdit: “Salvē,
Cornēlī,” inquit. “Gaudeō tē hūc incolumem pervēnisse. Dum Brundisiī
morāberis, spērō tē apud mē in hospitiō futūrum; immō[1] fēcissēs melius, sī
statim ad mē vēnissēs.”
Cui Cornēlius: “Benignē facis, Crasse, quī[2] nōs tam cōmiter hospitiō
accipere velīs. Ac libenter apud tē paulisper morābimur; sed mox Rōmam
prōgrediendum erit.”
Quae cum dicta essent, Cornēlius, portōriō[3] iam solūtō, Onēsimō
imperāvit ut Drūsillae nūntiāret omnia iam parāta esse. Quae, nōn multum
morāta, cum Annā līberīsque ē camerā ēgressa est; omnēsque cymbīs vectī
harēnā optātā brevī potītī sunt.
Līberī, sī licuisset, libentissimē in harēnā lūsissent. Sed pater properāre
iussit, nē quid morae[4] esset hospitī optimō, quī iam praeierat ad rēdās, quās
ad lītus prōdūxerat, quō celerius Cornēlius cēterīque veherentur ad vīllam
suam, quae satis longē ab urbe aberat.
Quō cum ventum esset, līberī gaudiō ēlātī discurrērunt, ut bovēs, ovīs,
cēteraque omnia vidērent, quae in fundō habēbantur. Brevī autem revocātī
sunt, ut cibum caperent; nam imprānsī[5] ē nāvī ēgressī erant.
Post prandium[6] Cornēlius ad urbem redīre coāctus est, ut quaedam
cūrāret, priusquam Rōmam iter tendere inciperet. Līberī interim omnēs in
partēs per fundum dēnuō errābant; sed postrēmō dēfessī sē recēpērunt in
umbram arborum, ubi Anna servābat Lūcium, quī sēcum[7] in herbā lūdēbat.
Tum Sextus: “Spērō, Anna cāra,” inquit, “tē nōn adhūc nōbīs īrātam esse
propter ea quae ego herī imprūdēns dīxī. Lūdendō nōs iam dēfessī sumus.
Nōnne vīs aliquid nārrāre dē bellātōribus aut dē rē quāvīs[8] aliā?”
At Anna: “Herī īrā incēnsa sum,” inquit, “quod ea, quae nārrāveram, in
sacrīs librīs nostrīs scrīpta sunt. Sī eōs lūdibriō[9] habitūrus es, nihil posthāc
vōbīs nārrābō.”
“Nōlī timēre,” inquit Sextus. “Omnīnō nihil ita habēbimus.”
“Tum,” inquit Anna, “aliquid nārrāre cōnābor: Prīscīs temporibus gēns
nostra in Aegyptō retinēbātur sub dūrō imperiō rēgis illīus regiōnis,
cīvibusque meīs labōrēs multī et gravēs impositī sunt. Cotīdiē laterum[10]
numerum certum coquere[11] coāctī, postrēmō sunt iussī laterēs etiam sine
stipulā[12] cōnficere.”
“Rēgem quam inhūmānum!” inquit Cornēlia. “Quō modō hominēs
miserrimī tantam crūdēlitātem ferre poterant?”
At Anna: “Diū nōn habēbant[13] quid facerent. Sed postrēmō inter eōs
exortus est dux, Moysēs appellātus, quī eīs persuāsit ut clam fugerent, et in
terram longinquam migrārent.”
“Quid fēcit rēx,” inquit Cornēlia, “cum haec audīvisset?”
“Ille,” inquit Anna, “ut prīmum[14] cognōvit nostrōs effūgisse, exercitum
in ūnum locum cōgī iussit, et quam celerrimē cum equitibus profectus est ut
fugientēs exciperet.”
At Cornēlia: “Spērō eum cōnsequī nōn potuisse.”
“Mox audiēs,” inquit Anna. “Dum exercitus rēgius cōgitur,[15] nostrī
advēnērunt ad mare angustum, quod iter plānē occlūdēbat.[16] Sed forte tum
ventus maximus, subitō coortus, aquam tantā vī reppulit,[17] ut via lāta per
undās patēret; quā omnēs incolumēs ad lītus ulterius pervēnērunt.”
“Optimē factum!” inquit Sextus. “Interim quid faciēbat rēx?”
Tum Anna: “Rēx, cum eōdem[18] pervēnisset, viam per mare patefactam
attonitus[19] vīdit. Quā autem ut ipse cum suīs trānsīre cōnātus est, ventō
subitō dēficiente, aqua in locum rediit, rēxque ūnā cum equitibus suīs marī
submersus est.”
“Omnēsne periērunt?” inquit Cornēlia.
“Ad ūnum[20] omnēs,” inquit Anna. “Nostrī autem interim ad loca dēserta
properābant; ubi multōs annōs errāvērunt, dōnec pervēnērunt in regiōnem,
ubi ego nāta sum.”
“Ibi tandem spērō omnia eīs ēvēnisse fēlīciter,” inquit Cornēlia, “et post
tantōs labōrēs eōs placidā pāce quiēvisse.”
Sed Anna: “Longē aliter rēs ēvēnit. Nam Palaestīnī, gēns bellicōsissima,
[21]
tum eam terram incolēbant; quibuscum multōs annōs bella atrōciter[22]
sunt gesta. Postrēmō autem hāc regiōne tōtā nostrī potītī sunt.”
Dum haec nārrantur, accessit Pūblius. Quem cum rīdentem
animadvertisset, Sextus: “Quid est, frāter?” inquit. “Sī quid novī[23] factum
est, nōbīs dīc, obsecrō.”
Tum Pūblius: “Modo in viā obvius fuī cuidam hominī, quī tantō aere
aliēnō[24] opprimēbātur, ut omnia bona sua vēndere vellet. Itaque auctiōnem
ubique conclāmābat.”
“Quō modō auctiō conclāmābātur?” inquit Cornēlia.
“Hōc modō,” inquit Pūblius: ‘Auctiō fīet māne diē tertiō. Vēnībunt[25]
servī, supellex, fundī, aedēs; omnia vēnībunt praesentī pecūniā.[26] Vēnībit—
uxor quoque, sī quis ēmptor vēnerit.’ ”
“Hominem īnfēlīcem!” inquit Anna. “Vērī simile est[27] eī esse uxōrem
procācem. Sī ita rēs sē habet, crēdō eum omnia vēndere velle, ut aliquō[28]
exsulātum[29] abeat.”
Iam autem tempus cēnae erat. Itaque omnēs libenter ad tēcta sē
recēpērunt, cum interim Pūblius saepius sēcum:[30] “Ab ōvō usque ad
māla.”[31]
“Quid tēcum totiēns loqueris, Pūblī?” inquit Sextus.
“Dīcō mē tam male ēsurīre,” inquit Pūblius, “ut etiam serpentium ōva
edere possim.”
“Vāh!” inquit Cornēlia. “Cūr puerī tam foeda semper comminīscuntur?
[32]
Tālia non diūtius audiam.” Quae cum dīxisset, celeriter intrō praecucurrit.
[33]

Interim pater, Brundisiō reversus, sēcum addūxerat quendam L.


Torquātum, familiārem veterem, quī forte in oppidō se obtulerat; cui, etsī in
Siciliam properābat, Cornēlius facile persuāserat ut ūnam noctem morārī
vellet, quō melius amīcitia[34] prīstina renovārētur.

[1] immō, adv., in fact.


[2] quī, freely, in that; but note mood.
[3] portōrium, -ī, n., duty, tax.
[4]
morae: partit. gen.
[5] imprānsus, -a, -um, adj., without eating.
[6] prandium, -ī, n., lunch.
[7] sēcum, by himself.
[8] quāvīs, any . . . you please.
[9] lūdibriō: dat. of service; cf. III, 35.
[10] laterum: nom., later.
[11] coquō, coquere, coxī, coctus, tr., make (bricks).
[12] stipula, -ae, f., straw.
[13] nōn habēbant, etc., did not know what to do, i.e., had no redress.
[14]
ut prīmum, as soon as.
[15] cōgitur, was being mobilized; note the tense with dum.
[16] occlūdō, -clūdere, -clūsī, -clūsus, tr., block.
[17] repellō, repellere, reppulī, repulsus, tr., drive back.
[18] eōdem: cf. eō and quō.
[19] attonitus, -a, -um, adj., astounded.
[20] Ad ūnum, to a man.
[21] bellicōsus, -a, -um, adj., warlike.
[22] atrōciter, adv., savagely, fiercely.
[23]
novī: cf. VII, 105.
[24] aliēnus, -a, -um, adj., of another, another’s; aes aliēnum, debt.
[25] Vēnībunt: see vēneō.
[26] praesentī pecūniā, for cash.
[27] Vērī simile est, impers. phrase, It is probable.
[28] aliquō: cf. quō, eō, and eōdem.
[29] exsulātum: supine.
[30] saepius sēcum: supply a verb of saying; saepius, again and
again, very often (absolute use of the comparative, to indicate a high
degree).
[31] Ab ōvō, etc.: i.e., from the first course to the last. Note the ā of
māla.
[32] comminīscor, -minīscī, -mentus sum, tr., think up, imagine.
[33] praecurrō, -currere, -cucurrī, -cursus, tr. and intr., run ahead.
[34] amīcitia, -ae, f., friendship.
CAPUT X

Posteā, mēnsīs remōtīs, cum lūmina accēnsa essent, Torquātus, quī iam
sermōnī vacābat,[1] ab omnibus interrogātus est dē itineribus suīs; nam longē
et lātē terrā marīque iter solēbat facere, ac multa iūcunda et mīrābilia nārrāre
poterat.
Ac Pūblius: “Sī nūper,” inquit, “per mare septentriōnāle[2] nāvigāstī, nōs
docē, sīs, num[3] ea vēra sint, quae apud Tacitum leguntur dē illō latere
mundī.”
“Ego vērō,” inquit Torquātus, “nūper iter maximum sub septentriōnēs[4]
fēcī; ac magnā ex parte vēra esse ea repperī, quae apud[5] Tacitum sunt.”
“Vērēne[6] igitur dīcuntur diērum spatia ibi maiōra esse quam in Ītaliā?”
inquit Pūblius.
“Ita vērō,” inquit Torquātus. “Quīn etiam in Britanniā noctēs interdum
tam sunt brevēs, ut in extrēmā parte īnsulae vix fīnem et initium diēī
internōscere[7] possīs.[8] Ac sī nūbēs nōn officiant, quīdam adfirmant sōlis
fulgōrem per noctem tōtam aspicī posse, neque eum occidere et surgere, sed
velut[9] trānsīre.”
“Papae!” inquit Sextus. “Nōlim[10] diēs tam longōs esse. Puerīne ibi ad
sōlis occāsum in lūdō retinentur?”
“Apud Britannōs,” inquit Torquātus rīdēns, “puerī equitant,[11] et armīs
mīlitāribus exercentur. Ibi haec studia maximō in honōre sunt.”
“Puerōs fēlīcēs!” inquit Sextus. “Exīstimō mē aliquandō in illam īnsulam
beātam migrātūrum.”
“Ego vellem[12] adfuissem,” inquit Pūblius, “cum Caesar prīmum
Britanniam attigit. Quantā fuit virtūte ille signifer, quī in flūctūs dēsiluit
suōsque in hostēs[13] dūxit!”
“Rēs ibi hodiē longē aliter sē habent,” inquit Torquātus. “Nūllī bellātōrēs
barbarī, in lītore congregātī,[14] advenās harēnā prohibent. Sed ubique tūtō
mercātōrēs commeant[15] ultrō citrōque.”
“Aliāsne quoque in partēs iter nūper fēcistī?” inquit Cornēlius.
“Maximē vērō,” inquit Torquātus. “Ē Britanniā profectus, usque ad
Suionēs pervēnī. Ibi quoque noctēs tam brevēs sunt ut sōlis fulgor stellās
obscūret. Quīn etiam aliquōs audīvī, cum dīcerent[16] sē sōlis currum ē marī
ēmergentem audīsse, atque fōrmās quoque equōrum vīdisse et capitis
radiōs.”
“Illud est maius quam ut ego crēdam,”[17] inquit Sextus. “Tūne,[18] pater,
tālia crēdis?”
“Illud quidem vix crēdibile est,” inquit Cornēlius. “Sed, Torquāte, cum
loca tam multa adierīs, age nunc, itinera tua ōrdine audiāmus.” Quā
cohortātiōne inductus, Torquātus ōrdinem exposuit itinerum suōrum, ab eō
tempore exōrsus, quō[19] eum novissimē[20] vīderant.
Iam autem līberīs erat tempus cubitum[21] eundī; ac Sextus et Cornēlia
perinvītī cum mātre in conclāvia proxima sē recēpērunt. Tum Sextus:
“Perrārō, māter, tū aliquid nōbīs nārrās. Minimē somnīculōsī[22] sumus, et
libentissimē ā tē fābulam audiāmus.”
“Sī paucīs verbīs contentī eritis,” inquit Drūsilla, “dē leōne fābulam
vōbīs nārrābō.”
“Euax!” inquit Sextus. “Spērō rem fore cruentam, ut Cornēlia artē
dormiat.”
“Nōlī timēre, Cornēlia,” inquit māter. “Nihil sanguinis[23] effundētur.”
“Sanguinis iactūram ego doleō,” inquit Sextus; “sed audiāmus.”
Tum Drūsilla: “Ōlim, cum Rōmae spectācula ēderentur magna, et multae
bēstiae immānēs in harēnam immitterentur, quīdam hominēs miserī,
capitis[24] damnātī, ēlēctī erant, quī cum hīs mōnstrīs dēpugnārent;[25] in[26]
quibus erat servus, quī Androclēs appellābātur.
“Maximē cōnspicuus[27] in harēnā erat leō eximius, quī aliās bēstiās
omnēs vīribus et magnitūdine corporis longē superābat, quīque terrificō[28]
fremitū oculōs omnium spectātōrum in sē saepe convertit. Is leō, cum
Androclem aspexisset, prīmō quasi admīrāns paulisper stetit, tum lēniter et
placidē ad eum accessit; deinde caudam[29] mōre canum clēmenter et blandē
movēre coepit, ac postrēmō manūs hominis perterritī linguā suā
permulcēbat.
“Hāc rē novā commōtus, imperātor iussit Androclem arcessī; ā quō
quaesīvit cūr leō tam mīrābiliter eī pepercisset. Tum Androclēs rem
mīrandam nārrāvit.
“Nam, ut dīcēbat, multō ante in Āfricā fuerat, cum dominus eam
prōvinciam prōcōnsulārī[30] imperiō obtinēret;[31] cuius crūdēlitāte coāctus in
loca dēserta postrēmō refūgit, ubi spēluncam latebrōsam[32] nactus[33]
dēfessus quiēvit.
“Brevī autem, subitō experrēctus, sēnsit leōnem ingentem in spēluncam
intrāsse. Prīmō perterritus spem omnem salūtis dīmīsit; tum autem
animadvertit leōnem claudum esse ex[34] spīnā magnā, quae in pede dēfīxa
erat.
“Interim bēlua lēniter accessit et sublātum pedem ostendit, quasi hominis
opem ita peteret. Tum Androclēs, quamvīs[35] perturbātus, spīnam dētrāxit; et
deinde per triennium[36] et homō et leō in spēluncā habitāvērunt, cum interim
leō cotīdiē vēnātum[37] abīret, et homō, quī ignis cōpiam habēret nūllam,
carnem merīdiānō[38] torrēret sōle.
“Sed ōlim Androclēs, quī forte ē spēluncā exierat, ā mīlitibus
comprehēnsus ad dominum Rōmam missus est; ubi, ut[39] fugitīvus, ad
bēstiās est damnātus. Quō modō factum est ut leō, quī quoque interim captus
erat, in harēnā amīcum prīstinum laetus agnōsceret.”
Dum haec nārrantur, Pūblius, quī librum quendam quaerēbat, in conclāve
intrāverat, et ille: “Cum tālia de bēstiīs audiō,” inquit, “admoneor dē verbīs
poētae Vergilī, quī cecinit[40] quam mīrandae rēs futūrae essent, cum iterum
aetās aurea in terrās rediisset:

“ ‘Ipsae[41] lacte[42] domum referent distenta capellae


Ūbera, nec magnōs metuent armenta[43] leōnēs.’ ”

Ac Cornēlia: “Et ego admoneor,” inquit, “dē fābulā, quam Anna nūper
dē vāte nārrāvit, quī incolumis in spēluncā leōnum plēnā noctem perēgit.”
Tum, cum grātiae mātrī āctae essent, līberī cubitum iērunt.

[1] vacō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum, intr., be at leisure (for).


[2] septentriōnālis, -e, adj., northern.
[3] num, whether.
[4] septentriōnēs, -um, m., (constellation of the) Great Bear.
[5] apud: cf. VII, 16.
[6]
Vērēne: i.e., Vērē + ne.
[7] internōscō, -nōscere, -nōvī, -nōtus, tr., distinguish.
[8] possīs: subj. indef. second sing.
[9] velut, as it were.
[10] Nōlim: potential subjv.
[11] equitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum, intr., ride.
[12] vellem: cf. I, 58.
[13]
hostēs: drawn up on the shore to prevent a landing.
[14] congregō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., gather.
[15] commeō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum, intr., travel.
[16] cum dīcerent: i.e., dīcentēs.
[17] maius quam ut . . . crēdam, too much for me to believe.
[18] Tūne: i.e., Tū + ne.
[19] quō: i.e., when.
[20] novissimē, adv., last.
[21] cubitum: supine.
[22]
somnīculōsus, -a, -um, adj., sleepy.
[23] sanguinis: partit. gen.
[24] capitis, to death; gen. of penalty.
[25] dēpugnārent: note mood.
[26] in, among.
[27] cōnspicuus, -a, -um, adj., conspicuous.
[28] terrificus, -a, -um, adj., terrible.
[29] cauda, -ae, f., tail.
[30] prōcōnsulāris, -e, adj., proconsular, indicating that the governor
was of the rank of ex-consul.
[31] obtineō, -tinēre, -tinuī, -tentus, tr., govern.
[32] latebrōsus, -a, -um, adj., hidden.
[33] nancīscor, nancīscī, nactus or nānctus, tr., light upon, find.
[34] ex, from the effect of.
[35] quamvīs, though.
[36] triennium, -ī, n., three years.
[37] vēnātum: supine.
[38]
merīdiānus, -a, -um, adj., midday.
[39] ut, as (being).
[40] cecinit, predicted; see canō.
[41] Ipsae: i.e., of their own accord.
[42] lāc, lactis, n., milk.
[43] armentum, -ī, n., herd.
CAPUT XI

Prīmā lūce, cum Crassō bonō et Torquātō “valē” dīxissent, viātōrēs


Appiā viā[1] Tarentum versus profectī sunt; atque ante sōlis occāsum iter
vīgintī mīlium passuum cōnfēcerant.
Posterō diē longē prōgressī erant ā vīcō, ubi noctem proximam ēgerant,
cum subitō rota solūta est. Quārē Stasimus ad vīllam haud procul est
remissus, ut inde opem peteret.
Ubi omnēs ē rēdīs dēscendērunt, līberī per prāta lūdēbant laetī, cum
interim Drūsilla et Anna cum Lūciō sub arboribus prope viam sedēbant.
Tum Cornēlia: “Sine,[2] sīs, māter,” inquit, “Annam nōs comitārī, dum paulō
līberius vagāmur. Nam prāta undique flōrum pulcherrimōrum plēna sunt,
quōs carpere volō.”
“Fīat,”[3] inquit Drūsilla. “Sed cavēte nē longius[4] abeātis. Nam latrōnēs
hīc vagārī dīcuntur; neque vōs vī auferrī volō. Interim ego hīc in umbrā cum
Lūciō morābor.”
Sextus autem, quī flōrēs minimī faciēbat,[5] circumspicere coepit, quō
modō tempus commodius tereret, ac subitō aspexit Onēsimum, quī prope
segetem cōnsōpītus humī iacēbat supīnus.
Quārē fūrtim aggressus, repente magnā vī lapidem in segetem iēcit. Quō
sonō audītō, Onēsimus exsiluit et: “Quid factum est, Sexte?” inquit.
“Stasimusne iam ē vīllā rediit?”
VIA ANTĪQUA

“Brevi aderit,” inquit Sextus. “Sed ego, cum forte tē hīc cōnsōpītum
iacēre aspexissem, anguem ingentem per segetem hūc rēpentem vīdī, cuius
oculī sanguine et ignī suffūsī[6] erant, linguaque vibrāns[7] ex ōre ēmicuit.
Lapidibus mōnstrum hinc dēterruī. Profectō dīs grātia maxima habenda est,
quod[8] ego tam opportūnē adfuī.”
“Anguis vēstīgium nūllum inveniō,” inquit Onēsimus, quī iam fūstī[9]
segetem magnā cum cūrā scrūtābātur;[10] “neque vērō ego dormiēbam, cum
tū lapidēs iēcistī. Oculōs tantum[11] condideram, quia clārior[12] erat lūx.”
“Quō modō igitur accidit,” inquit Sextus, “ut tē tam quiētum tenērēs?”
At ille: “Audiēbam,” inquit, “quid in segete avēs loquerentur.”
“Quid est hoc quod ā tē audiō?” inquit Sextus. “Num[13] avēs loquī
possunt?”
Et Onēsimus: “Sīc trāditum est,” inquit. “Id saltem quōdam in librō
lēgī.”
Tum: “Oho,”[14] inquit Sextus. “Numquam suspicābar tē quoque fābulās
nārrāre posse. Dīc mihi, sīs, dē avibus, quae loquī possunt.”
“Ōlim,” inquit Onēsimus, “erat avis, quae in segetibus nīdum suum
habēbat. Pullī nōndum volāre potuērunt; quārē māter cotīdiē ībat cibum
quaesītum. Quae cum abīret, semper pullōs iubēbat, sī quid novī fieret, id
animadvertere, ut sibi, cum redīsset, nūntiārent.
“Diū nihil novī accidit; sed postrēmō dominus segetum ad locum
accessit, ubi nīdus latēbat, et fīliō vocātō:[15] ‘Vidēsne,’ inquit, ‘frūmentum
iam esse mātūrum?[16] Quārē abī statim, amīcōsque nostrōs rogā ut ad
frūmentum metendum nōs crās adiuvent.’ Haec ubi dīxit, discessit.
“Mātrī, cum redīsset, pullī perterritī omnia nārrāvērunt, ac vehementer
eam ōrābant ut statim tūtum in locum dēdūcerentur. Illa autem eōs ōtiōsō
animō esse iussit: ‘nam,’ inquit, ‘sī amīcōrum operam dominus exspectat,
nec[17] crās frūmentum metētur, neque hodiē necesse est ut vōs in alium
locum dēdūcam.’
“Posterō diē dominus māne in agrīs praestō erat. Sōl fervet,[18] it diēs,[19]
amīcī autem nūllī[20] veniunt. Tum ille rūrsus fīliō: ‘Abī,’ inquit; ‘cognātōs et
adfīnēs[21] rogā, ut crās prīmā lūce ad metendum adsint.’
“Haec quoque mātrī pullī nūntiant; illa autem eōs hortātur ut sine metū
sint. Nec rēs eam fefellit; nam cognātī et adfīnēs nihilō[22] alacrius ad
metendum vēnērunt.
“Quārē fīliō dominus īrātus: ‘Valeant,’[23] inquit, ‘amīcī et propinquī. Tū
autem crās prīmā lūce falcēs[24] duās dēprōme. Nōs ipsī frūmentum nostrīs
manibus metēmus.’
“Haec ubi ex pullīs māter audīvit: ‘Tempus est abeundī,’[25] inquit; ‘nam
sine dubiō id nunc fīet, quod ille dīxit.’ ”
“Ista certē est fābula īnsolita,” inquit Sextus; “nec satis intellegō, quō
illa[26] pertineat. Quid significat, obsecrō?”
“Tribus verbīs,” inquit Onēsimus, “fābula haec docet: ‘Suam[27] quisque
rem optimē cūrat’; nam neque amīcī nec propinquī dominum segetum
tantī[28] faciēbant, ut frūmentum eius metere vellent. Sed nunc eāmus; nam
rēda, ut vidētur, paene refecta est.”
Quōs cum appropinquantēs animadverteret, Drūsilla omnīs in partēs
sollicita prōspicere coepit, sī forte vidēret Cornēliam et Annam, quae iam
diū[29] aberant. Illae autem arboribus tum contēctae sunt; sed brevī manibus
plēnīs rediērunt.
Drūsilla, cum violās[30] līliaque[31] candida vīdīsset, rīdēns: “Metuēbam,”
inquit, “nē vōs in eundem cāsum incidissētis, quō Prōserpina ablāta est.”
“Numquid[32] malī eī accidit?” inquit Cornēlia.
At Drūsilla: “Mātrī eius saltem satis malī ēvēnit. Nam ōlim, cum
Prōserpina, ut flōrēs carperet, ūnā cum puellīs aliīs per prāta vagārētur
sinumque complēvisset, subitō ē terrā ēmersit Plūtō, rēx īnferōrum, quī eam
in currum suum sustulit.
“Illa perterrita prīmō comitēs mātremque semel atque iterum vocāvit.
Sed frūstrā; nam deus in colla[33] equōrum, nōmine quemque hortātus,
habēnās excussit, rapidēque cum puellā āvectus[34] est.”
“Rem quam indignam!” inquit Cornēlia. “Ad īnferōsne puella īnfēlīx
dēscendere coācta est?”
“Ita vērō,” inquit Drūsilla; “nam etsī nympha Cyanē[35] raptōris[36] curruī
obstāre est cōnāta, Plūtō scēptrō[37] terram maximā vī percussit, ictūque viam
in Tartara fēcit, quā statim equī et currus ē cōnspectū ablātī sunt.
“Tum per orbem terrārum longē et lātē māter maestissima vagāta est,
neque usquam vēstīgium fīliae āmissae reperiēbat, priusquam in fonte
Cyanēs[38] zōnam puellae forte animadvertit. Atque haud multō post ā
nymphā Arethūsā certior facta est fīliam iam Plūtōnis uxōrem esse et
rēgīnam īnferōrum.”
“Ego quidem,” inquit Cornēlia, “istī puellae nōn invideo; nec montēs
aureōs merear, ut[39] in loca tam taetra ac terribilia dēscendam.”
Dum haec aguntur, omnia ad iter faciendum parāta sunt. Celeritāte iam
erat opus; nam nox suberat, viaeque omnēs latrōnibus[40] īnfestae. Equī
autem, morae impatientēs, libenter rēdās dūcēbant; ac viātōrēs, etsī mox
tenebrae incēdere coepērunt, tamen longē et lātē prospicere poterant; nam, ut
est[41] apud Horātium Flaccum:

“Nox erat et caelō[42] fulgēbat lūna serēnō.”

Sed omnēs cūrā magnā sunt levātī, ubi dēnique moenia Tarentīna[43] vīdērunt
et in urbem receptī sunt.

[1] Appiā viā: built about 300 . .; paved with stone blocks.
[2] Sine: imper.
[3] Fīat, freely, very well.
[4] longius, too far; cf. saepius, IX, 88.
[5] minimī faciēbat, despised; minimī: gen. of value.
[6] suffundō, -fundere, -fūdī, -fūsus, tr., fill.
[7] vibrāns, -antis, part. as adj., quivering.
[8]
quod, conj., that.
[9] fūstī: abl.
[10] scrūtor, -ārī, -ātus sum, tr., prod.
[11] tantum: adv.
[12] clārior: cf. longius, line 15.
[13] Num: marking an incredulous question.
[14] oho, interj., hello!
[15] fīliō vocātō: dat.
[16] mātūrus, -a, -um, adj., ripe.
[17]
nec . . . neque, neither . . . nor.
[18] ferveō, -ēre, intr., glow.
[19] it diēs, time passes.
[20] nūllī: i.e., not at all.
[21]cognātōs et adfīnēs, (blood) relations and connections (by
marriage).
[22] nihilō: strictly, abl. of degree of difference.
[23]
Valeant, freely, a fig for; (represents valēte shifted to third
person).
[24] falx, falcis, f., scythe.
[25] abeundī: i.e., to move.
[26] quō illa, etc., what its bearing is; cf. quō, III, 82.
[27] Suam, his own.
[28] tantī: cf. minimī, l. 18.
[29] iam diū: cf. note on IV, 114.
[30] viola, -ae, f., violet.
[31] līlium, -ī, n., lily.
[32]
Numquid: Num here merely marks a question, and quid is indef.
[33] in colla, freely, over the backs.
[34] āvehō, -vehere, -vexī, -vectus, tr.; pass., ride away.
[35] Cyanē: nom. sing., Greek decl.
[36] raptor, -ōris, m., abductor.
[37] scēptrum, -ī, n., scepter.
[38] Cyanēs: gen. sing.; cf. line 97.
[39] ut, on condition that.
[40] latrōnibus: causal abl.
[41]
est, freely, it reads.
[42] caelō: place where.
[43] Tarentīna, of Tarentum; adj. for gen., as often in Latin.
Photograph by Katherine Allen
VIA APPIA
CAPUT XII

Multō māne Onēsimus ad portum missus est, ut quaereret, num quae[1]


nāvēs Syrācūsānae nūper eō appulsae essent; nam Cornēlius litterās inde
missās spērābat.
Sextus, cum haec mandāta audīret, patrī: “Mihi videor,” inquit, “dē
Syrācūsīs[2] ōlim audīvisse. Nōnne est oppidum Siciliēnse?”
“Rēctē dīcis,” inquit pater. “Maxima est urbs, ubi tyrannus Dionȳsius
multōs annōs rēgnāvit.[3] Ibi Archimēdēs quoque aetātem ēgit.”
“Nōndum dē Archimēde audīvī,” inquit Sextus. “Eratne ille bellātor
clārissimus?”
At pater: “Minimē vērō,” inquit. “Sed artis geōmetricae[4] et numerōrum
perītissimus erat; quīn etiam vix aliud cūrābat. Cumque Syrācūsae ā
Rōmānīs expugnārentur, adeō erat ille studiīs[5] suīs intentus, ut fremitum et
clāmōrēs mīlitum dissonōs[6] nōn audīret, sed interim in terrā līneās[7] radiō
scrīberet sēcūrus.”
“Bene certē eī erat, quī ita mala bellī oblīvīscī posset,” inquit Sextus.
“Rēs autem haud fēlīciter ēvēnit,” inquit Cornēlius. “Nam mīles vagus,
quī praedandī[8] causā in aedēs inrūperat, strictō gladiō eum interrogāvit,
quisnam[9] esset. Ille autem nihil respondit, sed prōtēctō manibus pulvere:
‘Nōlī,’ inquit, ‘circulōs[10] meōs turbāre.’ Quō audītō, mīles, cum sē dērīdērī
putāret, Archimēdem gladiō percussit.”
“Cāsum quam atrōcem!” inquit Sextus.
“Sīc omnibus vīsum est,” inquit pater; “et dux Rōmānus suīs dīligenter
praecēperat, nē quis hominī tam doctō[11] nocēret, etsī ille māchinīs maximā
sollertiā perfectīs[12] victōriae Rōmānōrum multum obstiterat. Sed iam ego et
Pūblius abitūrī sumus, ut theātrum īnspiciāmus. Vīsne tū nōbīscum īre?”
“Maximē vērō,” inquit Sextus. “Quam mox proficīscēmur?”
“Pūblium iam diū exspectō,” inquit Cornēlius; “atque opportūnē nunc
accēdit. Adde gradum, Pūblī; abīre volō.”
“Invītus tibi in morā fuī,”[13] inquit Pūblius; “sed Stasimus iste scelestus
coquum lūdificābat, et paulum āfuit[14] quīn sēriō[15] inter sē pugnārent. Abīre
nōluī priusquam omnia componerentur.”
“Rēctē fēcistī, mī fīlī,” inquit Cornēlius, “atque tē laudō. Sed nunc
properandum est, ut hīc adsīmus, cum Onēsimus ē portū redībit.” Quae cum
dicta essent, alacrēs profectī sunt.
Ad theātrum ubi perventum est, Pūblius et Sextus fundāmenta maxima et
spectāculōrum amplitūdinem[16] satis mīrārī nōn potuērunt, et Sextus: “Vix
mōtū terrae,” inquit, “mōlem tantam cēnseō commovērī posse.”
At pater: “Rēs certē ita sē habet. Sed alibī interdum subsellia tam temere
īnstitūta sunt, ut magnā cum clāde spectātōrum corruerent. Velut[17]
Fīdēnīs[18] amphitheātrum ligneum[19] īnstrūxit quīdam Atīlius, quī neque
fundāmenta solida subdidit,[20] neque firmīs[21] nexibus[22] trabēs[23] coniūnxit;
cumque multitūdō omnis generis eō convēnisset spectāculōque gladiātōrum
intenta esset, subitō subsellia concidērunt; quō cāsū quīnquāgintā mīlia
hominum aut vulnerāta aut interfecta sunt.”

THEĀTRUM

“Papae!” inquit Pūblius. “Proelium atrōx vix plūs malī intulisset.”


“Nōn sine causā hoc dīcis,” inquit Cornēlius. “Faciēs enim urbis tōtīus
mūtāta est, atque, ut[24] antīquitus post proelia fierī solēbat, sīc tum domūs
cīvium nōbilium patuērunt et fōmenta ac medicī passim praebitī sunt.
Interim hominēs metū pallidī inter acervōs cadāverum[25] dēmenter uxōrēs,
līberōs, cognātōsque quaerēbant.”
At iam Sextus: “Quid, obsecrō,” inquit, “est nomen illī mūrō, quī tam
altē ēminet?”[26]
“Proscaenium[27] vocātur,” inquit pater. “Cuius ē fastīgiō[28] Rōmae Nerō
imperātor saepe lūdōs spectāvit. Cumque pantomīmī[29] aemulī[30] inter sē
pugnārent, ille signifer simul et spectātor proeliō[31] aderat; atque ad
manūs[32] ubi ventum erat[33] lapidibusque et subselliōrum frāgmentīs[34]
contendēbant, tum et ipse multa iaciēbat in populum,[35] atque ōlim etiam
praetōris[36] caput graviter vulnerāvit.”
“Lūdum lepidum!” inquit Sextus. “Vellem adfuissem, ut hominēs
discurrentēs vidērem!”
“Immō rem foedam, mī fīlī, et imperiō Rōmānō indignam,” inquit
Cornēlius.
“At,” inquit Pūblius rīdēns, “imperātor ille, nisi fallor, nōn numquam ea
sparsit in populum, quae[37] nēmō invītus reciperet, etsī iniecta erant.”
“Vērum dīcis,” inquit Cornēlius; “nam Lūdīs Maximīs[38] populō dōna
grātissima sparsit—avēs cuiusque generis, vestēs, gemmās, aliaque eius
modī.”
“Multī hominēs, crēdō,” inquit Pūblius, “capita sua libenter praebeant
vulneranda, dummodo aurum et gemmae prō tēlīs sint.”[39]
“Lūdōs aliquōs spectāre pervelim,” inquit Sextus. “Nē histriōnēs[40]
quidem in scaenā umquam vīdī. Nōnne spectācula lepida et iūcunda sunt?”
“Interdum et[41] rīdicula,” inquit pater. “Velut erat Fūfius quīdam, quī
ōlim partēs[42] mātris dormientis agēbat. Brevī in scaenam prōcessit umbra[43]
fīlī inhumātī[44], qui mātrem ōrābat ut corpus sepelīret[45]. Sed Fūfius, quī
forte ēbrius erat, iam rē vērā dormiēbat; quārē neque umbram audīre poterat
nec quidquam respondit. Quō animadversō, spectātōrēs omnēs ūnā vōce prō
umbrā vōciferātī sunt: ‘Māter, tē appellō.’ ”[46]
“Hahahae!” inquit Sextus. “Hoc certē lūculentum fuit.”
“Sed,” inquit Cornēlius, “it diēs. Abeāmus[47] igitur, sī forte Onēsimus
iam ē portū redeat.”
Ubi ad dēversōrium ventum est, ā Drūsillā certiōrēs factī sunt Onēsimum
nōndum rediisse, et Cornēlius: “Multae nāvēs, ut opīnor,” inquit, “nūper hūc
appulsae sunt; et vērī simile[48] est Onēsimum aliquantō diūtius āfutūrum.
Quārē omnibus, ut cuique libet[49], sē interim licet oblectāre.” Quae cum
dicta essent, aliī in aliam[50] partem discessērunt omnēs.

[1] num quae, whether any.


[2] Syrācūsīs: pl. town name; nom., Syrācūsae.
[3]
rēgnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum, intr., rule.
[4]
geōmetricus, -a, -um, adj., geometric.
[5] studiīs: dat.
[6] dissonus, -a, -um, adj., discordant.
[7] līnea, -ae, f., line.
[8] praedor, -ārī, -ātus sum, tr. and intr., plunder.
[9] quisnam, who, pray? -nam is intensive.
[10] circulus, -ī, m., circle.
[11] doctus, -a, -um, adj., learned.
[12] perfectīs: modifier of māchinīs.
[13]
tibi in morā fuī: i.e., caused you delay.
[14] paulum āfuit: cf. VII, 13.
[15] sēriō, adv., in earnest.
[16] amplitūdō, -inis, f., extent.
[17] Velut, For example.
[18] Fīdēnīs: loc. of Fīdēnae.
[19] ligneus, -a, -um, adj., (made) of wood.
[20] subdō, -dere, -didī, -ditus, tr., put underneath.
[21] firmus, -a, -um, adj., strong.
[22]
(nexus, -ūs), m., fastening, clamp.
[23] trabs, -bis, f., beam.
[24] ut, as.
[25] cadāver, -eris, n., dead body.
[26]
ēmineō, -ēre, -uī, intr., tower.
[27] proscaenium, -ī, n., proscenium.
[28] fastīgium, -ī, n., top.
[29] pantomīmus, -ī, m., pantomime; a performer who carried on the
action by gesture.
[30] aemulus, -a, -um, adj., rival.
[31] proeliō: dat.
[32]
ad manūs: i.e., to fisticuffs.
[33] ventum erat: impers.
[34] frāgmentum, -ī, n., piece.
[35] populum: who supported the rival actors.
[36] praetor, -ōris, m., praetor.
[37] ea . . . quae, such things as.
[38] Lūdīs Maximīs: time when.
[39] prō . . . sint, take the place of.
[40] histriō, -ōnis, m., actor.
[41]
et, also.
[42] partēs, rôle.
[43] umbra, ghost.
[44] inhumātus, -a, -um, adj., unburied.
[45] corpus sepelīret: cf. the note on VI, 26.
[46] Māter, etc.: the words of the play.
[47] Abeāmus: hortatory.
[48] vērī simile: cf. IX, 84.
[49] libet: impers.
[50] aliī in aliam: cf. III, 111.
CAPUT XIII

Paulō post, cum iterum eōdem convēnissent, Pūbliō Cornēlius: “Modo


dīcēbās,” inquit, “Stasimum nostrum coquum lūdificāsse. Quid, obsecrō,
factum est?”
“Coquus,” inquit Pūblius, “piscēs in aquā condiderat, ut eōs
refrīgerāret[1]. Stasimus autem, coquō nesciō[2], piscēs dētrāxit, et quōsdam
cancrōs vivōs intrōdūxit. Cumque coquus imprūdēns manūs in aquam
iniēcisset, cancer subitō eius digitum arripuit. Quō vīsō, Stasimus in
cachinnōs maximōs effūsus est, coquus autem īrā commōtus cultrum[3]
manūi rapuit; ac vērō paulum āfuit quīn hominem occīderet. Sed ego
opportūnē proelium dirēmi[4].”
“Aliquandō istum scelestum impudentiae suae paenitēbit,” inquit
Cornēlius. “Sed iam adest Onēsimus. Quid novī, Onēsime?”
“Per portum tōtum ambulāvī nāvēsque adiī omnēs,” inquit Onēsimus,
“neque ūllam invenīre potuī, quae nūper Syrācūsīs solūta erat. Sed
dīcēbant[5] crās duās inde exspectārī.”
Tum Cornēlius: “Etsī multō māne hinc abīre in animō habuī,” inquit,
“manendum est, cēnseō; nam iam diū est factum[6], cum litterae nūllae
Syrācūsīs mihi adlātae sunt.”
Itaque omnēs, usque ad cēnae tempus modīs dīversīs sē oblectāvērunt.
Cum autem mēnsae remōtae essent, patrī Sextus: “Modo maximē dēlectātus
sum eīs[7],” inquit, “quae dē imperātōre Nerōne dīxistū. Nōnne vīs alia
similia nunc nōbīs nārrāre?”
Ac pater: “Nerō imperātor puer[8] arte mūsicā imbūtus[9] est; cumque sē
satis exercuisse exīstīmāret, in scaenam prōdīre cupiit, etsī nōn modo
imperātōrī sed etiam senātōrī hoc indecōrum habēbātur. Et prōdiit vērō,
Neāpolī[10] prīmum; ubi nē concussō quidem mōtū terrae theātrō[11] prius
cantāre dēstitit, quam omnia rīte cōnfecta sunt.
“Posteā, cum magnī[12] putāret sē ostentāre etiam inter peregrīnōs, in
Achaiam iter fēcit; ubi mūsica certāmina omnia obiit[13]. Comitātī eunt eum
prīncipēs cīvitātis, in quibus erat Vespasiānus, is quī posteā imperātor factus
est.”
“Cum imperātor[14] Nerō fuerit,” inquit Cornēlia, “crēdō eum optimē
omnium cantāsse.”
“Errās, fīlia mea, cum ita exīstimās[15],” inquit Cornēlius. “Corōnae
scīlicet omnēs eī dēlātae sunt. Sed vōx eius parva erat et fusca[16], nec
quisquam eam cum voluptāte audiēbat; atque etiam dīcitur Vespasiānus, quī
perinvītus imperātōrem comitābātur, saepe eō canente obdormīvisse; unde
offēnsam[17] gravissimam contrāxit.
“Quīn etiam, cum canēbat imperātor, nē necessāriā[18] quidem causā
cuiquam theātrō excēdere licuit. Quārē, clausīs portīs, multī audiendī
taediō[19] fūrtim dē mūrō dēsiluērunt aut morte simulātā fūnere[20] ēlātī sunt.”
“Vix crēdibilia haec videntur,” inquit Drūsilla. “Sed nōnne sunt alia
aequē mīranda, quae dē Caligulā imperātōre nārrantur?”
“Sunt vērō,” inquit Cornēlius. “Sed, Sexte, hoc prīmum mihi respondē.
Scīsne unde imperātor illud cognōmen[21] trāxerit? Nam prīmō Gāius Caesar
appellātus est.”
“Cognōmen Caligulae, crēdō, ē ‘caliga’[22] ductum[23] est,” inquit Sextus;
“nesciō autem quō modō factum sit, ut imperātōrī inderētur.”
Tum Cornēlius: “Cognōmen Caligulae ē castrēnsī[24] iocō ille trāxit. Nam
in paternīs castrīs ēducātus[25] est, eumque adhūc parvulum māter
manipulārī[26] habitū vestiēbat; et, ut scīs, mīlitibus gregāriīs[27]
calceāmentum[28] est caliga.”
“Facile conicere possum,” inquit Cornēlia, “quantā fuerit fēstīvitāte[29]
puer, cum ita vestītus esset. Nōnne mīlitēs eum maximō studiō colēbant[30]?”
“Ita profectō,” inquit pater; ac ōlim, cum inter Germānicās[31] legiōnēs
sēditiō maxima coorta esset, ac māter trīstis cum fīliō parvulō ē castrīs in
proximam cīvitātem abīret, quō[32] mūnītiōre locō puer habērētur, tum
mīlitēs, subitō ad paenitentiam[33] versī, vehiculum manibus retinuērunt,
ōrantēs nē sibi tanta invidia impōnerētur, ut ducis fīlius alibī quam[34] in
castrīs suīs vidērētur tūtior.”
“Crēdō,” inquit Cornēlia, “illum saltem optimum fuisse imperātōrem,
quī puer tam amābilis fuisset.”
At pater: “Haec opīniō tē multum fallit, fīlia mea. Nam postquam
imperātor factus est, multa ille commīsit tam absurda et mīranda, ut
plērīsque plānē furiōsus[35] vidērētur.
“Velut cum, maximīs cōpiīs coāctīs, expedītiōnem in Britanniam
simulāsset, in lītore Ōceanī[36] mīlitēs īnstrūxit ballistāsque disposuit. Nēmō
quid tum āctūrus esset conicere poterat; at repente mīlitibus imperāvit ut
conchās legerent galeāsque[37] complērent, cum glōriārētur haec[38] esse
‘spolia[39] Ōceanī’ et ‘Capitōliō[40] dēbita.’
“Quīn etiam in indicium[41] huius ‘victōriae’ altissimam turrim exstrūxit,
unde (ut fit Brundisiī) noctū ad regendōs nāvium cursūs ignēs ēmicārent.”
Tum Pūblius: “Haud mihi mīrandum vidētur eum in Britanniam nōn
trānsīsse. Nam trāditur, ut meminī, tam ignāvus[42] fuisse, ut ad[43] minima
fulgura[44] caput tegere atque etiam sub lectum sē condere solēret.”
“Papae!” inquit Sextus. “Mē pudet tālī imperātōrī populum Rōmānum
umquam pāruisse.”
“Dē eius equō quoque quaedam dīcenda sunt,” inquit Cornēlius. “Nam
lūdīs circēnsibus[45] maximē studēbat imperātor ac prasinae factiōnī[46] tam
erat dēditus, ut saepe in stabulō cēnāret.
“Equō illī erat nōmen ‘Incitātus’;[47] quī nē inquiētārētur, prīdiē lūdōs
vīcīniae[48] silentium per mīlitēs imperātor indīcere[49] solēbat.
“Praetereā stabulum marmoreum[50] exstrūxit, equōque familiam et
supellectilem dedit, quō lautius[51] eius nōmine ad cēnam invītātī
acciperentur. Et vērō eī cōnsulātum quoque trādere dīcitur dēstināsse.”
“Hui!” inquit Sextus. “Ērubēscō audiēns. Spērō illum hōc[52] nihil peius
commīsisse.”
“Pecūniae cupiditāte maximē incēnsus,” inquit pater, “cum immēnsōs
aureōrum acervōs congessisset, per eōs nūdīs pedibus ambulāre solēbat, et
nōn numquam tōtō corpore volūtātus[53] est.”
At iam māter: “Duae hōrae sunt, cum[54] Anna et Lūcius discessērunt; et
tempus est, līberī, vōs quoque cubitum īre. Nam crās iter rūrsus est
ingrediendum.”
Cornēlia autem: “Sine[55] maneāmus, sīs,” inquit, “dum pater aliquid
amplius nārret. Nam haec omnia libentissimē audīvimus.”
“Ūnum modo addam,” inquit Cornēlius. “Tum vōbīs discēdendum erit;
nam ego ratiōnēs quāsdam cum Onēsimō cōnficere volō:
“Quaestūs[56] cuiusvīs avidus, Caligula reliquiās omnium spectāculōrum
per praecōnem[57] vēndidit; ac vērō usque eō[58] extendēbat[59] pretium, ut
nōnnūllī, nūgās[60] immēnsō[61] emere coāctī, bonīs suīs[62] exuerentur[63]
vēnāsque sibi aperīrent.
“Ōlim, cum auctiō tālis habērētur, quīdam Apōnius Sāturnīnus in
subselliīs obdormīvit. Quō animadversō, imperātor praecōnem monuit nē
virum crēbrō capitis mōtū sibi nūtantem praeterīret; nec licendī[64] fīnis
factus est, priusquam Apōniō ignōrantī tredecim[65] gladiātōrēs vīlissimī
sēstertium[66] nōnāgiēs[67] addictī[68] sunt.”
“Hahahae!” inquiunt līberī, quī iam aequō animō cubitum iērunt.

[1] refrīgerō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., cool.


[2] coquō nesciō: abl. absol.
[3]
culter, -trī, m., butcher-knife.
[4] dirimdō, -imere, -ēmī, -ēmptus, tr., stop.
[5] dīcēbant, they said.
[6] est factum: from fīō. Trans. the phrase, ‘a long time has elapsed
(in which).’
[7] eīs (abl.), the things.
[8] puer, (as) a lad.
[9]
imbuō, -buere, -buī, -būtus, tr., train.
[10] Neāpolī: loc. of Neāpolis.
[11] concussō . . . theātrō: abl. absol.
[12] magnī: gen. of value.
[13] obeō, -īre, -iī, -itus, tr. and intr., enter.
[14] imperātor: pred. nom.
[15] cum ita exīstimās, in thinking so.
[16] fuscus, -a, -um, adj., husky.
[17] offēnsa, -ae, f., displeasure.
[18]
necessārius, -a, -um, adj., pressing.
[19] taedium, -ī, n., weariness.
[20] fūnere, in a funeral train.
[21] cognōmen, -inis, n., nickname.
[22] caliga, -ae, f., half-boot.
[23]
ductum, derived.
[24] castrēnsis, -e, adj., of the camp.
[25] ēducō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., bring up.
[26] manipulāris, -e, adj., of the rank and file.
[27] gregārius, -a, -um, adj., common.
[28] calceāmentum, -ī, n., footwear.
[29] fēstīvitās, -ātis, f., charm.
[30] colō, -ere, coluī, cultus, tr., regard.
[31] Germānicās, in Germany.
[32]
quō: purpose.
[33]
paenitentia, -ae, f., repentance.
[34] quam, than.
[35] furiōsus, -a, -um, adj., insane.
[36] Ōceanī: the English Channel.
[37] galea, -ae, f., helmet.
[38] haec: agreeing with pred. noun.
[39] spolium, -ī, n.; pl., spoils.
[40] Capitōliō: to which triumphal processions led.
[41] in indicium, freely, as a token.
[42]
ignāvus, -a, -um, adj., timid.
[43] ad, at.
[44] fulgur, -uris, n., lightning.
[45] circēnsis, -e, adj., in the circus; dat. case in text.
[46] prasinae factiōnī, the green.
[47] Incitātus, Flyer.
[48]
vīcīnia, -ae, f., neighborhood; dat. case in text.
[49] indīcō, -dīcere, -dīxī, -dictus, tr., order, enjoin.
[50] marmoreus, -a, -um, adj., of marble.
[51] lautē, adv., stylishly.
[52] hōc: abl. with comp.
[53] volūtō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr. and intr.; pass., wallow.
[54] cum, freely, since; but cf. note on XIII, 19.
[55] Sine: imper., governing the following verb.
[56] quaestus, -ūs, m., income, profit.
[57]
praecō, -ōnis, m., auctioneer; per praecōnem, at auction.
[58] usque eō, to such a point.
[59] extendō, -tendere, -tendī, -tentus, tr., advance.
[60] nūgae, -ārum, f., trumpery, trifles.
[61] immēnsō: abl. of price.
[62] bonīs suīs: abl. of separ.
[63] exuō, -uere, -uī, -ūtus, tr., strip.
[64]liceor, -ērī, -itus sum, tr. and intr., bid; do not confuse with the
impers. licet.
[65] tredecim, indecl. num., thirteen.
[66] sēstertius, -ī, m., sesterce (value about four cents); gen. pl. in text.
[67] nōnāgiēs, adv., ninety times; with sēstertium, centēnīs mīlibus
(‘hundreds of thousands’) is understood. The amount then is 9,000,000
sesterces, or nearly $400,000.
[68] addīcō, -dīcere, -dīxī, -dictus, tr., knock down (at auction).
CAPUT XIV

Posterō diē multō māne Onēsimus iterum ad portum profectus est, sī


forte nāvis Syrācūsāna noctū appulsa esset. Līberī interim forīs ambulābant,
dum quaerunt, quō modō optimē tempus tererent. Ac Sextus: “Pūblium
legentem modo animadvertī,” inquit. “Adeāmus. Fortasse ille hodiē nōbīs
aliquid nārrāre volet.”
Quae cum dīxisset, ad Pūblium accessit, et: “Quid legēbās, frāter?”
inquit. “Nōnne vīs ea nōbīs nārrāre, quae tū modo lēgistī?”
“Librōs Suētōnī Tranquillī legēbam,” inquit Pūblius; “quibus admoneor
dē eīs, quae pater nocte proximā dīxit; nam ex hīs librīs sūmpta sunt multa,
quae tum audīvistis.”
“Plūra audīre volumus,” inquit Cornēlia. “Dē imperātōre Nerōne amplius
lēgistī?”
“Multa vērō,” inquit Pūblius. “Ille, aequē ac[1] Caligula equōrum
studiōsus, ab ineunte aetāte factiōni prasinae dēditus erat. Quīn etiam initiō[2]
imperiī eburneīs quadrīgīs[3] in abacō[4] cotīdiē lūsisse dīcitur.
“Ōlim adhūc puer inter condiscipulōs[5] querēbātur quendam
agitātōrem[6] factiōnis prasinae tractum esse[7]; ob eamque[8] causam cum ā
paedagōgō[9] obiūrgātus[10] esset, dē Hectore[11] sē loquī audācter ēmentītus[12]
est.”
“Ille igitur nōn modo crūdēlis sed etiam mendāx fuit,” inquit Cornēlia.
“Crūdēlissimus profectō erat,” inquit frāter; “nam nē lūdificāre quidem
sine alicuius damnō aut perīculō voluit. Prīmā nocte, galērō capitī
adaptātō[13], per viās tabernāsque vagābātur; cumque tabernās effrāctās[14]
expīlāvisset, cīvēs ē cēnā domum redeuntēs verberāre solēbat, ac, sī
repugnāverant, vulnerāre aut in cloācīs mergere.”
“Vāh!” inquit Sextus. “Facinus imperātōre Rōmānō quam indignum!
Cum autem propter galērum ignōtus[15] esset, vix intellegō ex istīs rīxīs quō
modō incolumis ēvāserit.”
At frāter: “Oculōrum[16] vērō atque etiam vītae perīculum interdum adiit.
Velut ōlim ā quōdam senātōre paene ad mortem verberātus est, quod eius
uxōrem in viā appellāverat.”
“Euge!” inquit Cornēlia. “Spērō eum sīc admonitum esse cīvēs Rōmānōs
haud impūne lacessī posse.”
“Nūllō modō,” inquit Pūblius. “Sed posteā vesperī numquam prōdiit sine
tribūnīs, quī occultē subsequēbantur, ut praestō essent, sī quod[17] in
perīculum incidisset.”
“Imperātōrem tam impudīcum ōdī,” inquit Cornēlia. “Dē eō satis
audīvimus. An aliī, obsecrō, sē tam turpiter[18] gessērunt?”
“Dē quibusdam,” inquit frāter, “similia nārrantur. Sīc dīcitur imperātor
Othō, cum iuvenis esset, per viās noctū vagārī solitus esse; ac sī quis
imbēcillus aut ēbrius eī obviam vēnerat, hominem in sagō[19] impositum altē
iactābat.”
“Hahahae!” inquit Sextus. “Illud quidem aliquō modō excūsārī[20] potest;
nam crēdō hominēs sīc rārō laesōs esse.”
At frāter: “Domitiānus vērō crūdēlitāte ipsā[21] gaudēbat. Quīn etiam
trāditum est eum cotīdiē tōtās hōrās in sēcrētō ēgisse, cum interim nihil aliud
agere quam ut muscās captāret[22] ac stilō trānsfīgeret acūtō. Ōlim, cum
quīdam rogāsset, num quis cum imperātōre intus esset, haud absurdē[23]
respōnsum est: ‘Nē musca quidem.’ ”
“Quāle mōnstrum hominis!” inquit Cornēlia. “Tālia perinvīta audiō.
Dēsine, obsecrō, plūra eius modī dīcere.”
“Ūnum modo addam,” inquit Pūblius: “Quīdam poēta adeō Domitiānum
ōderat[24], ut eum ‘calvum Nerōnem’ appellaret.˝
At Sextus: “Quid est[25], obsecrō, cūr plērīque calvitiem tantopere
ōderint? Nam animadvertī paene omnēs calvōs rāritātis capillī suī pudēre.”
“Poēta Aeschylus saltem,” inquit Pūblius, “causam iūstam[26] habuit, cūr
eum calvitiēī suae paenitēret[27].”
“Quō modō?” inquit Sextus. “Haec, sīs, nōbīs nārrā.”
“Memoriae[28] trāditum est,” inquit frāter, “illum ōlim, in Siciliā
morantem, exīsse ex moenibus urbis et in locō aprīcō[29] sēdisse. Tum aquila,
testūdinem rōstrō[30] ferēns, dēcepta splendōre[31] poētae capitis (nam erat
capillō vacuum), lapidem esse rata, in id testūdinem immīsit, ut, testā[32]
frāctā, carne vēscerētur. Quō cāsū poēta ēgregius occīsus est.”
“Vāh!” inquit Sextus. “Exitum quam mīrandum! Sed haec mē admonent
dē fābulā, quam Anna nūper nōbīs nārrāvit.”
“Quid locūta est?” inquit Pūblius.
At Sextus: “Dīxit quondam gentis suae vātem calvum fuisse, quem puerī
in viā cōnsectārī solitī essent, cum cantārent: ‘Abī in malam rem[33], calve;
abī in malam rem, calve.’ Postrēmō vātēs, īrā incēnsus, ad līberōs conversus
eōs exsecrātus[34] est; et statim ē silvā vēnērunt ursae ingentēs, quae eōs
līberōs procācēs dīlaniāvērunt.”

ĀFRICA, HANNIBALIS PATRIA

“Anna certē rēs mīrandās nārrat,” inquit Pūblius. “Sed tū rēctē dīcis
Rōmānōs paene omnēs calvitiem ōdisse. Quīn etiam trādunt[35] dīvum[36]
Iūlium libentissimē recēpisse dēcrētum[37], quō eī licēret semper lauream[38]
corōnam gestāre[39], quod ita nēmō rāritātem capillī animadverteret[40].”
“Imperātōrēsne omnēs aequē calvitiem ōderant?” inquit Sextus.
“Domitiānus vērō, dē quō modo dīxī,” inquit frāter, “librum dē cūrā
capillī scrīpsit; et Caligula imperātor etiam morte multāvit[41] omnēs, quī ex
superiōre parte aedium[42] in viam dēspexerant, cum ipse trānsīret.”
Quō dictō, ad tēcta reversī cognōvērunt modo redīsse Onēsimum,
omniaque ad iter faciendum iam paene parāta esse.
Mox viātōrēs in rēdās ēscendērunt, brevīque viā strātā rapidē
prōgrediēbantur. Sub noctem in vīcum parvum pervēnērunt, ubi cēnātī sine
morā cubitum iērunt; nam iter longissimum adhūc erat faciendum.
Māne, cum celeriter gustāvissent, rēdīs per loca prātīs rīvīsque amoena
vectī sunt. Ac Pūblius patrī: “Nōnne haec est regiō Ītaliae,” inquit, “ubi
Horātius Flaccus nātus est?”
“Rēctē dīcis,” inquit Cornēlius; “nam eius patria erat oppidum Venusia,
quō spērō nōs crās perventūrōs.”
“Rūra, ut opīnor,” inquit Pūblius, “ille semper amābat. Ego quidem
libenter mēcum saepe meditor[43] quōsdam eius versūs, quī mihi
iūcundissimī videntur:

“ ‘Beātus ille[44] quā procul[45] negōtiīs,


Ut prīsca gēns mortālium,
Paterna rūra[46] bōbus[47] exercet suīs,
Solūtus omnī faenore[48].
Libet[49] iacēre modo sub antīquā īlice
Modo[50] in tenācī[51] grāmine[52];
Lābuntur altīs[53] interim rīpīs aquae,
Queruntur in silvīs avēs,
Frondēsque[54] lymphīs obstrepunt[55] mānantibus,
Somnōs quod[56] invītet levīs.’ ”

“Lepidissimī profectō sunt hī versūs,” inquit Cornēlius. “Sed umquam


audīvistis quid poētae ipsī acciderit, cum adhūc parvulus in silvīs sōlus
obdormīvisset?”
“Hoc ego quidem nōn audīvī,” inquit Cornēlia. “Nārrā, sīs, pater.”
“Ōlim,” inquit ille, “puerum amābilem, cum lūdō somnōque fatīgātus
humī in silvīs sōpītus[57] iacēret, columbae foliīs ex arboribus dēcerptīs
tēxērunt, nē quid malī eī dormientī accideret.”
“Rem quam bellam!” inquit Cornēlia. “Spērō nōs quoque columbās
vīsūrōs, cum iter per eam regiōnem faciēmus.”
Sīc hōrās longās sermōnibus variīs terēbant; cumque sub noctem ab
amīcō quōdam hospitiō acceptī essent, posterō diē post cēnae tempus
Venusiam laetī pervēnērunt. Ubi statim sē contulērunt ad caupōnem; nam
Stasimus citō equō praemissus erat quaesītum quō commodissimē dēvertere
possent.

[1]
aequē ac, equally with.
[2]
initiō: abl.
[3]
quadrīgae, -ārum, f., four-horse chariot.
[4] abacus, -ī, m., side table.
[5] condiscipulus, -ī, m., fellow pupil.
[6] agitātor, -ōris, m., driver.
[7] tractum esse: i.e., by his horses in an accident.
[8] eamque: -que cannot be attached to ob.
[9] paedagōgus, -ī, m., attendant.
[10] obiūrgō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., reprove.
[11] Hectore: who was dragged around Troy behind the chariot of
Achilles.
[12] ēmentior, -mentīrī, -mentītus sum, tr., make up a story.
[13] adaptātus, -a, -um, adj., fitted.
[14] effringō, -fringere, -frēgī, -fractus, tr., break open.
[15] ignōtus, -a, -um, adj., unrecognized.
[16] Oculōrum: eyes were often gouged out in street fights.
[17]
quod: modifier of perīculum.
[18] turpiter: adv., disgracefully.
[19] in sagō, etc.: cf. ‘tossing in a blanket.’
[20] excūsō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., excuse.
[21] ipsā, unadulterated.
[22] quam ut . . . captāret, than catch.
[23] absurdē, adv., without point.
[24] ōderat: plup. of this verb stands for any past tense.
[25] Quid est, What is the reason?
[26]
iūstus, -a, -um, adj., good.
[27]
paenitēret: impers.; (with eum) trans., ‘regret.’
[28] Memoriae: dat.
[29] aprīcus, -a, -um, adj., sunny.
[30] rōstrō: abl. of means; trans., ‘in.’
[31] splendor, -ōris, m., resplendence.
[32] testa, -ae, f., shell.
[33] Abī in malam rem: a common form of malediction.
[34] exsecror, -ārī, -ātus sum, tr., curse.
[35] trādunt: i.e., dīcunt.
[36]
dīvus, -a, -um, adj., deified (by action of the senate). Julius Caesar
was the first to be so honored.
[37] dēcrētum, -ī, n., decree.
[38] laureus, -a, -um, adj., of laurel.
[39] gestō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., wear.
[40] animadverteret, would notice.
[41] multō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., punish; morte multō, put to death.
[42]
aedium, houses.
[43] meditor, -ārī, -ātus sum, tr., con over.
[44] ille, the man.
[45] procul: sc. ā.
[46] rūra, freely, acres.
[47] bōbus: see bōs.
[48] faenus, -oris, n., interest, money cares.
[49] Libet, impers., it is pleasant.
[50] modo . . . Modo: cf. VI, 69.
[51]
tenāx, -ācis, adj., clinging, thick, luxuriant.
[52]
grāmen, -inis, n., grass.
[53] altīs: the water being low.
[54] frōns, frondis, f., leaf.
[55] obstrepō, -ere, -uī, intr., rustle over.
[56] quod, (in a sound) such as to; the rel. gathers up the general
thought of the preceding line.
[57] sōpītus, -a, -um, adj., fast asleep.
CAPUT XV

Māne abīre dēstināverant; cum autem gustāssent, Anna maesta nūntiāvit


Lūcium tam adsiduē flēre, ut plānē morbō labōrāre vidērētur. Quō audītō,
Drūsilla: “Heu,” inquit; “semper metuēbam nē quid malī illī parvulō miserō
accideret, cum tam raptim terrā marīque iter facerēmus. Quid nunc
faciendum est?”
Interim accesserat caupō avārus; quī, ubi haec audīvit, cum hospitēs tam
locuplētēs quam diūtissimē apud sē retinēre vellet: “Etiam dī significāre
videntur,” inquit, “hodiē vōbīs nōn abeundum esse. Nam modo in viā
aliquem fīcōs[1] vēndentem audīvī, quī identidem ‘cauneās’[2] clāmāret.”
“Quō modō istud ad rem pertinet?” inquit Cornēlius.
“Ōmen manifestum est,” inquit caupō. “Nam etsī homō haud distīnctē[3]
prōnūntiābat, idem fit quasi[4] ‘cavē nē eās’[5] dīxisset. Melius erit igitur, sī
hinc hodiē nōn proficīscēminī.”
“Istīus modī rēs minimī faciō,” inquit Cornēlius; “et properāmus.”
At Drūsilla: “Paulisper, obsecrō, hīc morēmur. Medicum saltem
adhibērī[6] volō, priusquam abeāmus.”
“Fīat,” inquit Cornēlius. Tum caupōnī: “Medicus statim arcessātur;[7] et
cūrā[8] ut optimus ille sit.”
“Licet,”[9] inquit caupō; “nam haud procul habitat medicus, quō[10] melior
etiam Rōmae vix invenīrī potest.”
“Bene[11] hercle nūntiās,” inquit Cornēlius. “Perge modo[12].”
Interim Anna ad Lūcium redierat, ac cēterī, morae impatientēs, in
triclīniō sedēbant medicum exspectantēs, quī brevī advēnit. Et Cornēlius:
“Salvē, medice,” inquit. “Fīlius meus parvulus minus bene[13] sē habet.
Rōmam iter facimus. Celeriter eum sānārī volō.”
“Id quidem perfacile est,” inquit medicus. “Omnia ego facere possum.
Modo crūs frāctum Aesculāpiō[14] obligāvī, et bracchium Apollinī. Quīn
etiam mortuōs ex īnferīs excitāre soleō.”
At Cornēlius: “Crēdō[15]. Sed nunc expōne quid nōbīs faciendum sit.”
Dum haec fīunt, Anna arcessīta adiit, in gremiō Lūcium fovēns[16]. Quō
vīsō, medicus: “Fac ut eius pedēs appāreant,” inquit. Quōs cum
pertractāsset[17], “Aquā gelidā,” inquit, “pedēs lavātō[18].”
“Tē obsecrō, medice,” inquit Drūsilla. “Febris[19] modo in eum incidit.
Male metuō nē gravēdō[20] sequātur, sī aquā gelidā pedēs perfūsī erunt.”
“Sīc faciendum est,” inquit medicus, “sī fīlium salvum optās. Ac interim
fac ut hoc medicāmentum tertiā quāque hōrā abundē[21] hauriat.”
Quae cum dīceret, ex amphorā medicāmentum ātrum, picī[22] simile, in
pateram[23] effundēbat. “Haec omnia,” inquit, “sī ad[24] praescrīptum[25] fīent,
crās puer aut sānātus aut mortuus erit. Tum redībō. Iam valēte.” Quō dictō,
domum sē recēpit.
Tum Cornēlius īrātus caupōnī: “Quid vīs[26], sceleste?” inquit. “Audēsne
hominem tam stultum et ineptum prō medicō arcessere? Crēdisne mē hōc
venēnō meum fīlium interfectūrum esse?” Quae cum dīxisset,
medicāmentum per fenestram apertam abiēcit, Annamque iussit Lūcium
abdūcere, sī forte quiētō somnō eī melius foret[27].
Caupō vultū maestō discessit, etsī vērō gaudēbat hospitēs abīre nōndum
audēre. Cum illī intus sollicitī exspectārent, subitō per fenestrās apertās
audīta est vōx Stasimī, quī in āreā īnstitōrī vagō occurrerat. Inter quōs
altercātiō[28] eius modī orta est:
Stasimus. Quis tū es homō, quī tam audācter hās aedēs adīs?
Īnst. Multās mercēs lepidās et mīrandās ego hīc in saccō ferō. Cīvem
nōbilem hūc herī advēnisse audiō. Esne tū eius servus?
Stasimus. Ita vērō. Cuius tū servus es?
Īnst. Apage tē, nūgātor. Mēne[29] prō servō habēre[30] audēs? Quīn[31] ego
rēgibus antīquīs[32] ortus sum.
Stasimus. Facile crēdō tē ortum rēge—fūrum.
Īnst. Quid ais, furcifer? Mēne fūrem esse īnsimulās?
Stasimus. Haud īnsimulō, quod[33] certō sciō.
Īnst. Cavē malum[34]. Huius modī verba ā servīs ego nūllō modō audīre
soleō.
Stasimus. At verbera[35] sentīre solēs, cum dominus tē pendentem[36]
paene ad necem[37] caedit[38].
Īnst. Aisne[39], carnifex[40]? Hōsne pugnōs[41] vidēs? Tē in somnum
longissimum collocābunt, nisi tibi cavēs.
Stasimus. Amīcē[42] pollicēris; nam hās[43] noctēs trēs pervigilāvī[44], atque
aliquem quaerō, quī faciat ut dormiam.
Īnst. Verbum adde ūnum, mastīgia[45], et tē ad terram colaphīs[46]
adflīgam.
Stasimus. Tange[47] modo[48], custōs carceris. Oculōs[49] tibi effodiam, sī
propius accesseris. Vīsne pugnāre?
Īnst. Caupōnem forās ēvocābō. Heus, caupō, exī et istum nūgātōrem hinc
abige[50].
Stasimus. Abī, dormītātor[51]. Fue[52]! ālium[53] olēs[54]. Tē āmovē; discēde
in maximam malam crucem[55]!
Tum autem ex aedibus celeriter ēgressus Pūblius: “Quid fit, Stasime?”
inquit. “Nōnne scīs Lūcium dormīre, et omnia hīc tranquilla esse oportēre?
Cūr audēs tantās turbās concitāre?”
“Hoc omnīnō oblītus sum,” inquit Stasimus, “propter hunc scelestum,
quī modo parentēs suōs interfēcit domumque expīlāvit, atque hūc quoque
fūrātum[56] venīre ausus est. Abī, nūgātor, discēde.”
At Pūblius: “Tacē, inquam. Sī hodiē clāmōrem iterum tollēs, maximō
malō tuō[57] id faciēs.”
Tum īnstitor Pūbliō: “Tē ōrō, adulēscēns,” inquit, “ut mihi liceat mercēs
meās mulieribus ostendere. Certō sciō, sī semel aspexerint, eās multa emere
parātās fore.”
“Māter mea iam haud occupāta est,” inquit Pūblius. “Quārē mē sequere,
ac mercēs ostende. Tū interim, Stasime, intempestīvās [58] facētiās[59] tuās alia
in loca aufer.” Quō dictō, aedēs intrāvit, ubi Drūsilla et Cornēlia libentissimē
īnspexērunt rēs mīrandās, quās īnstitor ē saccō suō prōmēbat[60].
Vix erat ille dīmissus, cum Anna nūutiāvit Lūcium placidē quiēvisse, ac
eī iam[61] multō melius esse. Quod cum cognitum esset, omnēs gaudēbant; ac
Cornēlius Onēsimum statim mīsit, ut caupōnem vocāret.
Iste scīlicet haud libenter audīvit Lūciō melius factum esse. Sed
ratiōnem cōnficere[62] coāctus est; ac paulō post, pecūniā solūtā, viātōrēs
iterum in rēdīs sedēbant, atque equī alacrēs viā strātā vehicula celeriter
rapuērunt.

[1] fīcus, -ī, f., fig.


[2]
caunea, -ae, f.; pl., dried figs (from Caunos in Caria).
[3] distīnctē, adv., exactly; cf. Dickens’s ‘fypunnote’ for ‘five-pound
note.’
[4] idem fit quasi, it amounts to the same thing as if.
[5] cavē nē eās: a form of prohibition.
[6] adhibeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus, tr., call in.
[7]
arcessātur, have . . . summoned.
[8] cūrā, see to it.
[9] Licet, freely, surely.
[10] quō: abl. with comp.
[11] Bene, etc.: cf. VIII, 6.
[12] modo, only.
[13] minus bene, etc., is not very well.
[14]Aesculāpiō: the god of physicians. Being a quack, the doctor
makes up in boasting what he lacks in skill.
[15] Crēdō, ironical, very good.
[16] foveō, fovēre, fōvī, fōtus, tr., nurse.
[17] pertractō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., feel of.
[18] lavātō: fut. imper.
[19] febris, -is, f., fever.
[20] gravēdō, -inis, f., cold.
[21] abundē, adv., copiously.
[22]
pix, picis, f., pitch.
[23] patera, -ae, f., dish.
[24] ad, according to.
[25] praescrīptum, -ī, n., orders.
[26] vīs, mean.
[27] foret: i.e., esset.
[28] altercātiō, -ōnis, f., dispute.
[29] Mēne: i.e., Mē + ne.
[30] habēre, take.
[31] Quīn, Why.
[32] rēgibus antīquīs: abl.
[33] quod: rel.
[34]
malum: i.e., a beating.
[35]
verber, -eris, n.; pl., blows; pun on verba, line 71.
[36] pendentem, triced up.
[37] nex, necis, f., death.
[38] caedit: i.e., with the whip.
[39] Aisne, freely. What’s that?
[40] carnifex, -icis, m., wretch (lit., executioner).
[41] pugnus, -ī, m., fist.
[42] amīcē, adv., kindly.
[43] hās, these (past).
[44]
pervigilō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum, intr., keep awake.
[45] mastīgia, whipping-post, scoundrel.
[46] colaphus, -ī, m., buffet.
[47] Tange: sc. mē.
[48] modo, just.
[49] Oculōs, etc.: see the note on XIV, 34.
[50] abigō, -igere, -ēgī, -āctus, tr., drive off.
[51] dormītātor, ōris, m., loafer.
[52] fue, interj., phew!
[53] ālium, -ī, n., garlic.
[54] oleō, -ēre, -uī, tr., smell of.
[55] in . . . crucem: cf. Abī, etc., XIV, 77.
[56] fūror, -ārī, -ātus sum, tr., steal.
[57] maximō malō tuō: abl.
[58] intempestīvus, -a, -um, adj., untimely.
[59]
facētiae, -ārum, f., levity.
[60]
prōmō, prōmere, prōmpsī, prōmptus, tr., bring forth.
[61] eī iam, etc.; i.e., he was feeling much better.
[62] ratiōnem cōnficere, make out his bill.

Photograph by Grant Showerman


VIA PER RŪRA FERĒNS
CAPUT XVI

Iam per montēs via ferēbat[1], ac rēdae tardius prōgrediēbantur. Quō


factum est ut sōlis occāsū viātōrēs nōndum Trivīcum pervenīrent, ubi eam
noctem morārī cōnstituerant.
Caelum tamen erat serēnum, lūnaque lūcem modicam praebēbat; et equī
fessī, quasi praesentīrent[2] pābulum haud procul abesse, ipsī[3] gradum
accelerāvērunt. Sīc secundā hōrā noctis in vīcum perventum est.
Cum omnēs cēnātī sedērent ōtiōsī, “Animadvertistisne,” inquit Pūblius,
“dum vīcō appropinquāmus, quandam domum magnam, ā viā haud procul
collocātam, cuius pars ruīnā concidisse vidēbātur?”
“Ego vīdī,” inquit Cornēlia; “et nocte obscūrā terribilis erat eius faciēs.
Nūllā condiciōne mihi persuādērī possit ut ibi noctū vager.”
“Quid timēs?” inquit Sextus. “Ego quidem ubique vel interdiū vel[4]
noctū perlibenter vagārī soleō. Nē umbrās quidem mortuōrum timeō, quae
noctū prope aedēs dēsertās volitāre dicuntur.”
“Āh[5], nōlī dē mōnstrīs tālibus dīcere,” inquit Cornēlia horrēscēns. Tum
patrī: “Rē vērā, obsecrō, imāginēsne mortuōrum per tenebrās volitant et ā
mortālibus aspicī possunt?”
“Tranquillō es animō,” inquit Cornēlius. “Imāginēs mortuōrum puellīs
bene mōrātīs[6] nihil[7] nocēre possunt; nec tālia umquam ā bonīs līberīs
aspiciuntur.”
RUĪNAE

At Pūblius: “Hīs dē rēbus multa modo lēgī in epistulā Plīnī minōris[8]; ac


quaedam ibi trādita mihi quidem maximē mīranda vidēbantur.”
Tum Sextus cupidē: “Quid dīxit?” inquit. “Audīre pervelim.”
“Ōlim,” inquit Pūblius, “Athēnīs[9] erat domus splendida, sed īnfāmis;
dīcēbant enim noctū intus audīrī strepitum vinculōrum, longius prīmō,
deinde ē proximō. Tum appārēbat umbra horrida[10], senex squālōre[11]
cōnfectus, prōmissō capillō et barbā sordidā. Crūribus[12] compedēs[13],
manibus vincula gerēbat et quatiēbat.”
“Vāh!” inquit Cornēlia. “Cūr tū rēs tam dīrās legis?” atque ad mātrem
propius accessit.
“Hominēs miserī,” inquit Pūblius, “quī ibi habitābant, trīstīs et inquiētās
noctēs metū agēbant maximō, cum dormīre nūllō modō possent. Vigiliam[14]
morbus sequēbātur, tum morbum mors. Nam etiam interdiū, quamquam
discesserat umbra, imāginis memoria tamen eōrum mentēs semper
sollicitābat.
“Postrēmō nēmō omnīnō reperīrī poterat, quī hīs in aedibus habitāre
vellet, dōnec quīdam philosophus, nōmine Athēnodōrus, titulum[15] lēgit.
Quī, pretiō audītō, causam vīlitātis[16] dīligenter quaesīvit. Quam cum
cognōvisset, tantō magis aedēs condūcere cupiēbat.”
“Ille certē īnsānus fuit,” inquit Cornēlia, quae prae timōre vix sē
continēre poterat quīn[17] dentibus crepitāret[18].
“Nūllō modō,” inquit Pūblius. “Philosophus erat, ut dīxī, atque eius modī
[19]
rēs summō studiō semper exquīrēbat.
“Aedibus conductīs, cum advesperāscere coepisset, tabulās stilum
lūmenque poposcit animumque ad scrībendum intendit. Prīmō ubique erat
silentium noctis; deinde procul vincula concutī coepta sunt.
“Ille tamen nec sustulit oculōs nec stilum remīsit. At iam in līmine, iam
intrā līmen sonus audītus est. Tum aspexit, ac statim agnōvit umbram
nārrātam[20], quae prope stābat ac significābat manū, quasi vocāret. Ille
lūmine sublātō sine morā secūtus est.
“Lēniter ībat imāgō, quasi vinculīs gravis; cum autem in āream
pervēnisset, subitō ē cōnspectū comitis ēvāsit. Ille vērō ibīdem[21] herbās
foliaque collēcta posuit, quō facilius posterō diē locus reperīrī posset.
“Māne ad magistrātūs adiit, quī humum effodī iussērunt. Inventa sunt
ossa nūda, catēnīs vīncta[22]. Quae pūblicē[23] sepulta sunt, et posteā haec
domus umbrīs[24] caruit, quod[25] corpus iam rīte conditum erat[26].”
Hāc fābulā Cornēlia tantopere commōta est, ut eī nūllō modō persuādērī
posset, ut cubitum īret. Et māter, “Agite, līberī,” inquit, “abīte iam, ut cum
Onēsimō paulisper loquāminī. Fortasse ille aliquid vōbīs nārrābit.”
Līberī igitur in conclāve propinquum abiērunt, ubi Onēsimus, ratiōnibus
omnibus cōnfectīs, sōlus sedēbat. Quī statim: “Quid nunc, līberī?” inquit.
“Cūr nōndum cubitum īstis? Multō māne nōbīs hinc proficīscendum est.”
Tum Cornēlia: “Pūblius noster rēs tam terribilēs nārrāvit, ut dubitem
an[27] hāc nocte ego umquam quiēscere possim. Nōnne tū nōbīs aliquid
iūcundius nārrābis?”
“Nihil iam recordārī possum,” inquit Onēsimus, “nisi fābulam dē
mūribus duōbus. Eamne vōs umquam audīvistis?”
“Numquam, quod[28] sciam,” inquit Sextus. “Nōbīs nārrā, sīs.”
“Ut memoriae trāditum est,” inquit Onēsimus, “ōlim mūs rūsticus humilī
in cavō suō urbānum amīcum hospitiō accēpit. Mēnsam omnibus rēbus, quās
optimās[29] habēbat, studiōsē exstruēbat; sed superbō dente hospes singula
vix tetigit, ac postrēmō: ‘Cūr, obsecrō,’ inquit, ‘rūrī miserē[30] vīvere māvīs?
In urbe multō melius vīvitur[31]. Nōnne igitur mēcum domum proficīscī vīs,
ut ibi dēmum vītam mūre dignam nōscās?’
“Hīs et tālibus[32] mūrī rūsticō persuāsum est ut, silvā relictā, cum amīcō
ad urbem pergeret. Quō cum perventum esset, noctū ambō rēpsērunt sub
moenia, ac brevī in aedibus cuiusdam hominis locuplētis vēstīgia posuērunt.
Intus erant lectī purpureīs[33] aulaeīs[34] strātī mēnsaeque reliquiīs cēnae
abundantissimae adhūc complētae.
“Mūs rūsticus, in lectō splendidō recumbēns, avidē gustābat omnia, quae
alter benignē adferēbat, cum subitō forum ingentī strepitū ē lectō ambō
excussī sunt, ac perterritī omnēs in partēs discurrērunt, exitum dēmenter
quaerentēs, cum interim domus canum lātrātū resonārēt.
“Tum amīcō ille rūsticus: ‘Tū tibi haec omnia habē,’ inquit. ‘In silvam
ego redeō, ubi ab insidiīs tūtus reliquam vītam meam quiētā mente agam. Tū
valē.’ Quō dictō, per fenestram ēvāsit, ac celeriter ex urbe in silvam suam
perrēxit.”
“Grātiās maximās tibi agimus,” inquit Cornēlia. “Haec fābula mihi
maximē placet. Sed iam est abeundum.” Quae cum dīxisset, cum Sextō
discessit, brevīque somnō artissimō ambō cōnsōpītī sunt.

[1] ferēbat, led.


[2]
praesentiō, -sentīre, -sēnsī, -sēnsus, tr., divine.
[3] ipsī, of their own accord.
[4] vel . . . vel, either . . . or.
[5] āh, interj., oh!
[6] mōrātus, -a, -um, adj., behaved.
[7] nihil: adv. acc.
[8] minōris, the younger.
[9] Athēnīs: loc. of Athēnae.
[10] horridus, -a, -um, adj., awful.
[11]
squālor, -ōris, m., filth.
[12] Crūribus . . . manibus: trans. the abl., ‘on.’
[13] compēs, -edis, f.; pl., fetters.
[14] Vigiliam, loss of sleep.
[15] titulum, placard.
[16] vīlitās, -ātis, f., low price.
[17] quīn, etc.: cf. quōminus, II, 41.
[18] crepitō, -āre, intr., chatter.
[19] rēs: pl. acc.
[20] nārrātam: i.e., which he had heard of.
[21] ibīdem, on the exact spot.
[22]
vīncta: not victa.
[23] pūblicē, adv., at public expense.
[24] umbrīs: abl.
[25] quod: conj.
[26] conditum erat: cf. VI, 26.
[27] an, whether.
[28] quod; cf. IV, 26.
[29] optimās: trans. as if with rēbus. Superl. often so attracted.
[30] miserē, adv., wretchedly.
[31]
vīvitur: impers.
[32] Hīs et tālibus: sc. verbīs.
[33] purpureus, -a, -um, adj., purple.
[34] aulaeum, -ī, n., coverlet.
CAPUT XVII

Posterō diē viātōrēs, ubi gustāvērunt, iter lēniter faciēbant, cum pater
Sextō: “Quā dē rē Onēsimus vōbīscum locūtus est,” inquit, “cum nocte
proximā ad eum abīstis?”
“Dē duōbus mūribus dīxit,” inquit Sextus. “Mūs rūsticus, quī ab alterō
ad urbem invītātus erat, ut ibi molliter[1] vīveret, amīcum in domum hominis
locuplētis secūtus est. Cum autem mūrēs cēnae sūmptuōsae[2] reliquiīs ibi sē
oblectārent, subitō cum canibus intrāvit aedium dominus. Tum metū paene
exanimātus mūs rūsticus per fenestram ēvāsit, ac libentissimē rūs ad
vīctum[3] tenuem iterum sē recēpit.”
“Eī, ut vidētur, accidit idem, quod Dāmoclī factum est,” inquit Pūblius.
At Sextus: “Quis, obsecrō, fuit iste Dāmoclēs? Hoc nōmen anteā
numquam audīvī.”
“Tyrannī Dionȳsī adsentātor erat,” inquit Pūblius; “atque ōlim, cum illīus
cōpiās, opēs, maiestātem[4] rērumque abundantiam[5] in sermōne
commemorāsset, ac negāret umquam[6] beātiōrem quemquam fuisse, tum eī
Dionȳsius: ‘Vīsne igitur,’ inquit, ‘quoniam tē haec vīta dēlectat, meam
fortūnam ipse experīrī?’
“Ubi Dāmoclēs sē cupere dīxit, tyrannus hominem in lectō splendidō
collocārī iussit, mēnsamque argentō aurōque caelātō[7] ōrnāvit. Deinde puerīs
eximiā fōrmā imperāvit ut adessent[8], et Dāmoclī studiōsē ministrārent.
Aderant unguenta[9], corōnae, incendēbantur odōrēs, mēnsaeque epulīs[10]
lūculentīs exstruēbantur.
“Dāmoclēs iam scīlicet sibi fortūnātus vīsus est. Sed subitō tyrannus
iussit gladium fulgentem saetā[11] equīnā[12] aptum[13] ē lacūnārī[14] ita dēmittī,
ut capitī Dāmoclis impendēret[15]. Quārē ille miser nōn diūtius puerōs
aspiciēbat pulchrōs, nec manum in mēnsam porrigēbat. Postrēmō vērō
tyrannum ēnīxē ōrāvit ut sibi abīre licēret, quod iam ‘beātus’ esse nōllet[16].”
“Hahahae!” inquit Sextus. “Homō salsus profectō erat ille tyrannus. Dē
eō plūra audīre cupiō.”
“Alia dē eō commemorāta,” inquit Cornēlius, “nūllō modō aequē
iūcunda sunt. Cum enim metueret nē quis clam sē adorīrētur, vītam suam
cūrā maximā custōdiēbat; quam ob rem causā incognitā[17] capitis damnāvit
omnēs, quōs vīvere sibi perīculōsum esse putāret.”
“Quam crūdēliter[18] factum!” inquit Cornēlia. “Ille mihi vidētur dignus
[19]
quī comparētur cum istō Nerōne, dē quō nūper audīvimus.”
“Eī cum Nerōne[20] alia fuit similitūdō,” inquit pater. “Nam nōn modo
erat crūdēlissimus, sed etiam sē poētam eximium esse exīstimābat; quārē
tragoediās[21] suās in Achaiam mittēbat, cum certāmina ibi habēbantur. Et eī,
quamquam versūs eius pessimī erant, ōlim corōna dēlāta est.”
“Prō certōne[22] compertum est,” inquit Sextus, “eius scrīpta[23] tam
absurda fuisse?”
LAUTUMIAE

Ac Cornēlius: “Sine dubiō pessima fuērunt. Saepe enim domī quoque


carmina sua recitābat; cumque adsentātōrēs omnēs in plausūs maximōs sē
effundēbant, poēta Philoxenus, quī illīs temporibus apud eum[24] morābātur,
semper sedēbat tacitus, aut etiam in cachinnōs ērumpēbat. Quem igitur
tyrannus īrātus postrēmō in lautumiās abdūcī iussit.
“Sed nihilōminus vērus iūdex erat poēta. Nam ē lautumiīs dēmum
reductus, cum versūs novōs tyrannī audīre cōgerētur, suā sponte surrēxit et
recēdēbat. Hōc animadversō, Dionȳsius: ‘Quō abīs, Philoxene?’ At ille: ‘Ad
lautumiās redeō,’ inquit.”
“Ille vērō poēta,” inquit Pūblius, “homō erat nōn modo salsus, sed etiam
audāx.”
At Cornēlius: “Aequē praeclārum est responsum philosophi Diogenis.
Cui holera[25] lavantī[26] cum dīxisset Aristippus: ‘Sī Dionȳsiō adsentārī
vellēs, ista nōn ederēs,’ ille: ‘Immō[27],’ inquit, ‘sī tū ista edere vellēs,
Dionȳsiō tē adsentārī nōn opus esset.’ ”
“Verba philosophō[28] digna!” inquit Pūblius. “Sed quae sunt istae
lautumiae, dē quibus tū modo mentiōnem fēcistī?”
Tum Cornēlius: “Cavernae sunt ingentēs, ex rūpibus[29] cavātae[30], quibus
prō carcere tyrannus ūtēbātur.” (Etiam hodiē ūna ex illīs lautumiīs ‘Dionȳsī
auris’ appellātur, quod memoriae trāditum est eam ita fōrmātam[31] esse, ut
resonandō vōcēs omnēs[32] ūnum in locum adferret; ibique cōnsistentem
Dionȳsium solitum esse clam ea audīre, quae miserī intus inclūsī dē ipsō
incautī loquerentur.)
“Mihi mīrandum vidētur,” inquit Pūblius, “eius cīvēs tot annōs
crūdēlitātem tantam ferre potuisse. Sed dē eō iam satis dictum est; mihi
Hannibalis calliditās[33] magis placet. Nōnne hīs in regiōnibus dux ille ōlim
cum Rōmānīs manum cōnseruit?”
“Ita vērō,” inquit pater. “Nam haud procul hinc facta est pugna illa[34]
Cannēnsis, inter paucās clādēs populī Rōmānī memorābilis. Hōc proeliō
nostrī[35] circiter quīnquāgintā mīlia periērunt, ac paulum āfuit quīn illa diēs
fīnem bellō adferret.”
“Plūra nārrā, sīs,” inquit Sextus. “Dē proeliīs semper perlibenter audiō,
maximē cum Hannibal hostēs dūcit.”
“Alternīs diēbus,” inquit pater, “imperābant cōnsulēs, quōrum alter
statim dēcertāre volēbat, alterī[36] vērō bellum prōdūcī melius vidēbātur.
Ōlim, cum apud cōnsulem Varrōnem imperium esset, ad manum cum Poenīs
cōnserendam exercitus ēductus est.
“Quārē Paulus, cōnsul alter, quamquam dīversa suāserat, tamen in castrīs
morārī tantō in discrīmine rērum nōlēbat, ac perinvītus secūtus est; quī,
prīmō statim proeliō[37] fundā graviter vulnerātus, suō cornū[38] tamen
hostibus diū fortissimē resistēbat.
“Postrēmō autem Rōmānōs, quōs ārdor pugnandī incautōs longius[39]
prōvexerat, equitēs hostium subitō ā tergō adortī sunt. Hinc erat initium
fugae, ac Cn. Lentulus, tribūnus mīlitum, cum Paulum sanguine respersum
in saxō sedentem vīdisset, eī equum suum trādere volēbat. At ille: ‘Abī,’
inquit, ‘et senātuī nūntiā ut urbem mūniat. Ego satis vīxī; hīc mori certum
est[40].’
“Hannibal fortasse, sī properāre voluisset, urbem ipsam occupāre potuit;
atque, ut id cōnārētur, Maharbal vehementer suāsit. Sed Hannibal, hāc[41]
tantā victōriā ēlātus, dēlīberandī[42] tempus poposcit. Quārē Maharbal:
‘Vincere scīs, Hannibal,’ inquit; ‘victōriā ūtī[43] nescīs.’ ”
At iam Drūsilla: “Ego et Cornēlia,” inquit, “carmina proeliīs
praepōnimus. Nōnne versūs ūllōs recordārī potes, Pūblī?”
“Cum modo dē Dāmocle loquerēmur,” inquit ille, “mihi in mentem vēnit
verbōrum Horātī Flaccī:

“ ‘Dēstrictus ēnsis[44] cui[45] super impiā


Cervīce pendet, nōn Siculae[46] dapēs
Dulcem ēlabōrābunt[47] sapōrem,
Nōn avium citharaeque[48] cantūs[49]
Somnum redūcent.’ ”

Dum hōc modō inter sē loquuntur, diēs abiit; ac paulō ante sōlis occāsum
libenter oppidum Beneventum haud procul aspexērunt.

[1] molliter, adv., luxuriously.


[2]
sūmptuōsus, -a, -um, adj., costly, lavish.
[3] vīctus, -ūs, m., fare.
[4]
maiestās, -ātis, f., dignity.
[5] abundantia, -ae, f., abundance.
[6]
negāret umquam, declared that . . . never.
[7] caelātus, -a, -um, adj., engraved.
[8]
adessent, stand by.
[9]
unguentum, -ī, n., ointment.
[10] epulae, -ārum, f., feast.
[11]
saeta, -ae, f., hair.
[12]
equīnus, -a, -um, adj., horse.
[13] aptum, suspended.
[14]
lacūnar, -āris, n., ceiling.
[15] impendeō, -ēre, intr., overhang.
[16]
iam . . . nōllet, he no longer wished; note mood, which shows
quotation.
[17]
causā incognitā: i.e., without trial.
[18]
crūdēliter, adv., cruelly.
[19] quī, to be.
[20]
Eī cum Nerōne, etc.: i.e., he was like Nero in another way.
[21] tragoedia, -ae, f., tragedy.
[22]
certōne: i.e., certō + ne.
[23] scrīptum, -ī, n., writing.
[24]
apud eum, at his court.
[25] holus, -eris, n., vegetables.
[26]
lavantī, to him (as he was) washing.
[27]
Immō, Nay, rather.
[28] philosophō: abl.
[29]
rūpēs, -is, f., rock.
[30] cavō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., hollow (out).
[31]
fōrmō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., shape.
[32] vōcēs omnēs: i.e., every word spoken.
[33]
calliditās, -ātis, f., cleverness.
[34] illa, that famous.
[35]
nostrī: nom.; trans., ‘of our men.’
[36] alter . . . alterī, one . . . the other.
[37]
prīmō statim proeliō: i.e., at the very outset of the battle.
[38]
suō cornū: place where.
[39] longius: cf. XI, 15.
[40]
certum est: sc. mihi; I am resolved.
[41] hāc: trans, freely.
[42]
dēlīberō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr. and intr., consider.
[43] ūtī: verb.
[44]
ēnsis, -is, m., sword.
[45] cui: trans. as if gen.
[46]
Siculae: Sicilian feasts were famed for sumptuousness.
[47]
ēlabōrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., contrive to yield.
[48] cithara, -ae, f., lyre.
[49]
cantūs, tunefulness.
Photograph by Katherine Allen
URBIS PORTA
CAPUT XVIII

Māne aliquantum[1] morae[2] factum est, quod ūnus ex equīs claudus esse
vidēbātur, aliusque quaerendus erat. Interim Cornēlius cum fīliīs per
oppidum vagābātur, ac pater puerīs multa nārrāvit dē proeliō ibi commissō,
quō Pyrrhus rēx ā Māniō Curiō superātus est.
Cum postrēmō Appiā viā veherentur, Sextō Cornēlia: “Quid, obsecrō,
vīdistī,” inquit, “dum per oppidum ambulābās?”
“Nihil mīrandum vīdimus,” inquit Sextus. “Sed quaedam audīvī dē rēge
Pyrrhō et elephantīs, quōs ille prīmus in Ītaliam trādūxit,[3] quīque vulgō[4]
‘bovēs Lūcae[5]’ appellābantur, quod eorum genus ignōtum erat ac bēstiae
prīmum in Lūcāniā vīsae sunt.”
At Cornēlia: “Vellem ego quoque tum adfuissem. Nam dē omnis generis
ferīs libentissimē audiō.”
“Dē elephantīs,” inquit Pūblius, “nōn omnia tum commemorāta sunt.
Ōlim fābulam lēgī, quae fortasse vōbīs iūcunda videbitur:
“In proeliō, quod ad Thapsum commissum est, virtūs cuiusdam mīlitis
legiōnis quīntae maximē ēnituit[6]. Nam cum in sinistrō[7] cornū elephantus
vulnerātus et dolōre incitātus in lixam inermem impetum fēcisset
hominemque sub pede premeret et necāret, mīles ille sustinēre nōn potuit
quīn sē armātum bēstiae offerret.[8]
“Quem postquam elephantus ad sē tēlō īnfestō venīre animadvertit, lixā
relictō, mīlitem circumdedit proboscide, atque altē sustulit. Ille interim
cōnstanter sē gessit, ac proboscidem, quantum vīribus poterat[9], gladiō
caedēbat; nec fīnis fuit, priusquam elephantus, dolōre adductus, abiectō
mīlite, maximō cum strīdōre[10] ad reliquās bēstiās sē recēpit.”
“Mīles ille,” inquit Sextus, “profectō fortissimus erat, quī tantō perīculō
sē committeret. Nam vīrēs multitūdinis hominum vix cum rōbore[11] ūnīus[12]
elephantī sunt comparandae.”
“Rēs ita sē habet,” inquit Cornēlius; “atquī[13] interdum elephantī ā
mīlitibus singulīs occīsī sunt. Velut dīcitur Hannibal, cum captīvōs Rōmānōs
quondam inter sē dīmicāre coēgisset, ūnum, quī supererat, elephantō
obiēcisse, lībertātem hominī pollicitus, sī bēstiam occīdisset.
“Rōmānus sōlus in harēnam prōgressus, magnō Poenōrum dolōre[14]
elephantum cōnfēcit, ac līberātus est. Sed Hannibal, ut apud Plīnium est[15],
bēstiās fāmā huius dīmicātiōnis[16] in contemptum[17] Rōmānīs[18] ventūrās
esse ratus, equitēs mīsit, quī victōrem abeuntem sequerentur atque
occīderent.”
“Mihi vix crēdibile vidētur,” inquit Pūblius, “Hannibalem ita fidem
fallere voluisse; nam ego eum, etsī Poenus erat, hostem generōsum fuisse
semper putāvī.”
At Cornēlius: “Fortasse id, quod modo dīxī, falsō trāditum est.” Tum ad
Sextum et Cornēliam conversus: “Vōsne līberī scītis, quō modō Hannibal
elephantōs suōs flūmen Rhodanum trādūxerit[19]?”
“Nescimus,” inquit Cornēlia. “Nōnne vīs hoc quoque nōbīs nārrāre?”
Tum pater: “Sunt quī[20] trādant elephantōs nandō ad alteram rīpam
trānsīsse; sed magis cōnstat[21] ratibus eōs trānsvectōs esse.
“Mīlitēs ratem pedēs ducentōs[22] longam in flūmen porrēctam terrā
iniectā ita cōnstrāvērunt, ut pontis speciem habēret; tum altera ratis centum
pedum[23], ad trānseundum apta, huic coniūncta est. Elephantī prīmī, per
stabilem ratem quasi per pontem āctī, in minōrem sine timōre prōgressī sunt.
“Tum subitō vincula sunt solūta, ac ratis minor aliquot nāvibus
āctuāriīs[24] celeriter ad rīpam alteram rapiēbātur. Ibi prīmīs expositīs,
elephantī aliī deinde repetītī sunt et trāductī.
“Nihil sānē timēbant bēstiae, dum[25] velut[26] per continentem pontem
agēbantur. Cum ratis minor ab alterā solverētur, tum prīmus erat terror;
atque, extrēmīs ab aquā cēdentibus, trepidātiōnis tantum ēdēbant, ut in
flūmen exciderent qūidam. Hī autem, pondere suō stabilēs, vada pedibus
quaerēbant ac postrēmō incolumēs in rīpam ulteriōrem ēvāsērunt.”
“Vērumne est,” inquit Pūblius, “elephantōs mūrēs aut ōdisse aut
timēre?”
“Ita vērō,” inquit Cornēlius. “In Indiā autem et Āfricā sunt mōnstra, quae
nōn sine causā ab eīs metuuntur; nam ibi nāscuntur serpentēs tantae
magnitūdinis, ut facile elephantōs orbibus suīs obligent. Interdum et
elephantus et serpēns simul pereunt, cum elephantus corruēns pondere suō
serpentem ēlīdat[27].”
“Vāh!” inquit Cornēlia. “Rem audītū quam foedam!”
At Pūblius: “Ego quidem mihi videor recordārī ā quibusdam prō certō
scrīptum esse[28] serpentēs in Indiā tantam ad magnitūdinem pervenīre, ut
solidōs[29] hauriant cervōs[30] taurōsque. Atque omnibus nōtum est bellō
prīmō Pūnicō ad flūmen Bagradam ā Rēgulō imperātōre serpentem centum
vīgintī pedēs longam ballistīs expugnātam esse.”
“Dēsine, obsecrō,” inquit Cornēlia. “Sī tālia nārrātūrus es, ego hāc in
rēdā nōn diūtius morābor.”
“Quiētō es[31] animō,” inquit frāter; “nam fīnem iam fēcī.” Tum Cornēliō:
“Quod ad oppidum, pater, iam tendimus?”
Ac Cornēlius: “Caudium brevī adībimus; et spērō hodiē nōs etiam
Capuam usque iter facere posse.”
“Nōnne Samnītēs,” inquit Pūblius, “clādem maximam in hīs regiōnibus
populo Rōmānō ōlim intulērunt?”
“Rēctē quaeris,” inquit Cornēlius; “nam haud longē absunt Furculae
Caudīnae, ubi exercitus Rōmānus sub iugum īre coāctus est.”
“Quid est quod ā tē audiō?” inquit Sextus. “An[32] nostrī mīlitēs umquam
tantā ignōminiā[33] adfectī sunt?”
“Vellem id vērē negārī posse,” inquit pater. “Sed cōnfitendum est nōn
tum sōlum[34] tāle dēdecus[35] admissum esse. Velut apud Horātium Flaccum,
ille Rēgulus, dē quō modo audīvistis, cum ex Āfricā Rōmam revertisset:

“ ‘Signa[36] ego Pūnicīs


Adfīxa dēlūbrīs[37] et arma
Mīlitibus[38] sine caede,’ dīxit,
‘Ērepta vīdī; vīdī ego cīvium
Retorta[39] tergō[40] bracchia līberō[41].’ ”

“Haec certē foedissima sunt,” inquit Sextus; “sed, sī tibi nōn est
molestum, dē proeliō audiāmus, quod in hīs locīs commissum est.”
At Cornēlius: “Quādam in convalle[42] undique angustiīs et collibus
clausā, Rōmānī, in īnsidiās dēlātī, omnibus ex partibus ab hostibus
circumventī sunt. Quārē, cum nē in virtūte quidem spēs ūlla salūtis esset,
nostrī summam ad dēspērātiōnem pervēnērunt. Tum hostēs sē Rōmānōs, sub
iugum missōs[43], cum singulīs vestīmentīs incolumēs abīre passūrōs pollicitī
sunt.
“Condiciōne acceptā, prīmī prōgrediēbantur cōnsulēs sēminūdī, deinde
cēterī, cum interim circumstābant hostēs exprobrantēs atque ēlūdentēs. Quīn
etiam gladiī sunt dēstrictī, ac Rōmānī aut vulnerātī aut occīsī sunt, quōrum
vultūs victōrēs offenderant.
“Nostri, cum omnēs sub iugum missī essent, etsī ante noctem Capuam
pervenīre poterant, dē fidē sociōrum[44] incertī, oppidum adīre nōn ausī sunt,
ac prope viam passim humī corpora prōstrāvērunt[45]. Quod ubi Capuam
dēlātum est, oppidānī, commeātū[46] benignē missō, summā cōmitāte
Rōmānōs hospitiō recēpērunt.
“Interim Rōmae maestitia summa erat; quō cum cōnsulēs victī redīssent,
senātū vocātō, dēcrētum est ut Samnītibus nūntiārētur irritam esse pācem ā
cōnsulibus cōnfirmātam, quod iniussū populī facta esset. Nē[47] quis autem
dīcere posset Rōmānōs fidem fefellisse, senātus praetereā dēcrēvit ut
cōnsulēs, quī suo arbitriō pācem fēcerant, vīnctī hostibus trāderentur.”
“Nōnne cōnsulēs id recūsāvērunt?” inquit Sextus. “Nam tālēs captīvōs
omnī cruciātū[48] necāre putō hostibus licuisse.”
At pater: “Immō alter[49] ex cōnsulibus id ipse vehementer suāsit, rem
pūblicam ita omnī religiōne līberātam ratus, sī eī, quī pācem illam fēcerant,
hostibus dēditī essent.
“Itaque cōnsulēs sine morā magistrātū sē abdicāvērunt[50] ac Caudium
sunt dēductī; cumque ad portam urbis perventum esset, veste dētractā manūs
eīs post tergum retortae sunt.
“Ubi ad tribūnal[51] imperātōris hostium vēnērunt Rōmānī, atque ante
eum stābant cōnsulēs vīnctī, ille īrā incēnsus negāvit[52] rem ita compōnī
posse, omnēsque Rōmam dīmīsit. Iūris haud perītus[53], scīlicet sēcum male
āctum esse exīstimāvit; et paulō post bellum ācriter renovātum est.”
Ut haec dicta sunt, Stasimus in oppidum Caudium praemissus est, ut
quaereret dēversōrium, ubi viātōrēs edendō vīrēs reficerent, priusquam
Capuam inciperent iter tendere.

[1] aliquantus, -a, -um, adj., some; neut. sing, as noun, something.
[2]
morae: part. gen.
[3]
in Ītaliam trādūxit: later, elephants were sometimes used by the
Romans also.
[4]
vulgō, adv., commonly.
[5] Lūcae, Lucanian.
[6]
ēnitēscō, -nitēscere, -nituī, intr., shine out.
[7]
sinister, -tra, -trum, adj., left.
[8]
quīn . . . offerret: cf. XVI, 48.
[9] quantum vīribus poterat: i.e., with all his might.
[10]
strīdor, -ōris, m., trumpeting.
[11] rōbore, power.
[12]
ūnīus, a single.
[13] atquī: not atque.
[14]
magnō . . . dolōre, to the great chagrin.
[15] est: cf. XI, 114.
[16]
dīmicātiō, -ōnis, f., fight, combat.
[17]
contemptus, -ūs, m., contempt.
[18] Rōmānīs: dat.
[19]
trādūxerit: with two accs. At the time here referred to, Hannibal
was advancing to invade Italy.
[20]
Sunt quī: cf. IV, 86.
[21] cōnstō, -stāre, -stitī, -stātūrum, intr.: cōnstat, impers., it is
established.
[22]
ducentī, -ae, -a, num. adj., two hundred.
[23] centum pedum: gen. of quality.
[24]
āctuārius, -a, -um, adj., swift.
[25] dum, so long as.
[26]
velut, as it were.
[27] cum . . . ēlīdat: cf. I, 61.
[28]
scrīptum esse: impers.
[29]
solidōs, whole.
[30] cervus, -ī, m., stag.
[31] es: imper.
[32]
An: indicating surprise.
[33]
ignōminia, -ae, f., humiliation.
[34] sōlum: adv.
[35]
dēdecus, -oris, n., disgrace.
[36] Signa: sc. nostra.
[37]
dēlūbrum, -ī, n., shrine.
[38] Mīlitibus: dat. of disadvantage.
[39]
Retorta: i.e., tied.
[40] tergō: abl.; trans., ‘on.’
[41]
līberō: i.e., of men not slaves by birth.
[42]
convallis, -is, f., inclosed valley.
[43] sub iugum missōs: a temporal clause.
[44]
sociōrum: i.e., the people of Capua.
[45] prōsternō, -sternere, -strāvī, -strātus, tr., throw down.
[46]
commeātus, -ūs, m., supplies.
[47] Nē: purpose.
[48]
cruciātus, -ūs, m., torture.
[49] alter, one.
[50]
abdicō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr.; sē abdicāre, resign.
[51]
tribūnal, -ālis, n., tribunal.
[52] negāvit: cf. negāret, XVII, 17.
[53]
Iūris . . . perītus, skilled in law.
PARS SUPERIOR RHODANĪ
CAPUT XIX

Cum hōram ūnam Caudiī morātī essent, rēdīs iterum profectī sunt.
Dumque per rūra amoena celeriter vehuntur, Cornēlia: “Vidētisne,” inquit,
“cacūmen[1] montis illīus, quī nūbibus miscērī[2] vidētur?” Quibus verbīs
mōnstrāvit montem ingentem, quī ad occidentem[3] plānē aspicī poterat.
Et pater: “Hic,” inquit, “est mōns ille[4] Vesuvius, quī semel atque iterum
agrōs et urbēs fīnitimās magnā clāde obruit.”
“Dē istīs rēbus,” inquit Sextus, “ego numquam audīvī. Dē hīs amplius, sī
vīs.”
“Ē nātūrā locī,” inquit pater, “facile appāret etiam antīquitus clādēs
maximās ibi exstitisse; sed patrum memoriā[5] facta est nōtissima illa
calamitās[6], dē quā Plīnius loquitur in litterīs, quās ad Tacitum, familiārem
suum, scrīpsit. Fortasse Pūblius, sī hās lēgit, vōbīs nārrābit quid ibi
invēnerit.”
Quā cohortātiōne inductus Pūblius: “Plīniō erat avunculus[7] eiusdem
nōminis, quī tum erat praefectus classī[8], quae Mīsēnī[9] agēbat[10]. Ille
Plīnius maior[11] opus magnum cōnficiēbat, cui est nōmen ‘Nātūrālis
Historia’; ac summō studiō exquīrēbat omnia, quae mīranda et vīsū aut
audītū digna vidēbantur.
“Itaque ōlim, cum subitō eī nūntiātum esset in caelō appārēre nūbem
īnsolitā magnitūdine et speciē, ex aedibus ēgressus ēscendit locum, unde
commodissimē mīrāculum[12] illud cōnspicī poterat.
VESUVIUS

“Ibi cognōvit fūmum, immēnsae nūbī similem, orīrī ex monte, quī procul
in adversō lītore stābat. Quārē statim Liburnicam parārī iussit, ut sinum
trānsīre et rem tam mīrābilem propius nōscere posset.
“Sed iam advēnit tabellārius, litterās adferēns cuiusdam mulieris, quae in
vīllā Vesuviō subiacente[13] morābātur. Imminente perīculō perterrita, illa
Plīnium ōrābat ut sē discrīminī[14] ēriperet; nam nisi nāvibus nūllam fugae
esse spem. Ille igitur cōnsilium mūtāvit et quadrirēmēs[15] aliquot dēdūxit, ut
auxilium ferret omnibus, quī ex illō locō effugere vellent.
“Tum rēctum cursum in perīculum tenuit, cum interim summā dīligentiā
observābat omnia, quae memorātū digna erant. Mox cinis in nāvēs incidere
coepit; cum autem monēret gubernātor ut Mīsēnum redīret, ille vērō:
‘Fortēs,’ inquit, ‘Fortūna adiuvat,’ ac rēctā in perīculum contendit.”
“Ille certē intrepidus[16] erat,” inquit Sextus. “Quem exitum rēs habuit?”
At Pūblius: “Brevī audiēs,” inquit: “Ubi ad lītus nāvēs appulsae sunt,
Plīnius in terram ēgressus hominēsque trepidantīs cōnsōlātus,[17] sē in
balneum dēferrī iussit, ut suā sēcūritāte[18] timōrem cēterōrum lēnīret; ac
paulō post, cum noctū flammae ex monte relūcērent, dictitābat[19] ab
agricolīs ignēs relictōs esse vīllāsque dēsertās ārdēre.
“Interim flūctūs magnōs in lītus ventus tam adversus volvēbat,[20] ut inde
nūllō modō nāvēs solvī possent. Quārē Plīnius quiētī sē dedit; cumque aliī
ānxiā mente vigilārent, ille somnō artissimō quiēscēbat. Postrēmō autem
ārea, pūmicibus[21] opplēta, tam altē surrēxerat, ut, sī diūtius intus morārētur,
ē cubiculō[22] exīre eī omnīnō nōn licēret.
“Quārē ab amīcīs ex somnō excitātus sē cēterīs reddidit. Tum in
commūne[23] cōnsultant utrum in tēctīs maneant an in apertō vagentur; nam
tēcta crēbrīs ac vāstīs tremōribus nūtābant, in apertō autem lapidum cāsus
metuēbātur.
“Tandem exīre cōnstituērunt, et cervīcālia[24] capitibus imposita sunt,
quae contrā incidentēs lapidēs mūnīmentō[25] essent. Iam alibī erat diēs, sed
illic nox omnibus noctibus[26] nigrior et dēnsior; quārē lūminibus viam
explōrāre necesse erat.
“Placuit[27] iterum lītus adīre, sī forte iam ventus nāvēs solvere sineret;
sed ibi omnia adhūc adversa erant. Tum subitō flammae et odor sulpuris[28]
aliōs in fugam vertērunt; Plīnius autem, quī interim in harēnā recubuerat,
prīmō surrēxit, sed statim concidit ac ibīdem mortuus est, spīritū cālīgine
crassiōre[29] obstrūctō.”[30]
“Quid cēterīs[31] factum est?” inquit Cornēlia.
“Illī quidem,” inquit Pūblius, “incolumēs ēvāsērunt. Quī, cum prīmum
lūx diēī iterum reddita est, eōdem reversī, eius corpus inlaesum[32]
invēnērunt; quīn etiam illīus habitus quiēscentī[33] quam mortuō similior
erat.”
At Sextus: “Ubi interim erat ille Plīnius, quī litterās scripsit?”
“Hic,” inquit pater, “Mīsēnī cum mātre relictus, prīmō aliquid temporis
studiīs dat; nam tum duodēvīcēsimum[34] annum agēbat.[35] Tum sequitur
balneum, cēna, somnusque inquiētus et brevis; nam mōtūs terrae noctū tam
validī exstitērunt, ut omnia plānē ēvertī vidērentur.
“Quārē Plīnius et māter, ex aedibus ēgressī, in āreā cōnsēdērunt; ubi
iuvenis ultrō librum Titī Līvī poposcit, et quasi ōtiōsus legēbat. Sed etiam in
āreā erat magnus et certus ruīnae metus, quod tēcta proxima tremōribus
maximīs quatiēbantur.
“Prīmā lūce dēmum oppidō excēdere vīsum est;[36] sed vehicula, quae
prōdūcī iusserant, etsī in plānissimō campō, in contrāriās partēs agēbantur,
ac nē lapidibus quidem fulta[37] in eōdem vēstīgiō quiēscēbant.
“Iam nūbēs in terram dēscendērunt, omniaque tenebrīs obscūrāta sunt.
Tum māter fīlium vehementer hortārī coepit, ut, quō modō[38] posset, sē
servāret; sē enim ipsam, annīs ac corpore gravem, bene moritūram, sī fīliō
causa mortis nōn fuisset.
“Ille autem, manum eius amplexus, addere gradum coēgit. Brevī autem
cinis cadēbat dēnsior; ac dē viā dēflectere[39] necesse erat, nē turbā hominum
perterritōrum in tenebrīs obtererentur.[40] Ibi cōnsēdērunt, cum interim
ululātus fēminārum, īnfantium vāgītus,[41] clāmōrēsque virōrum omnibus ex
partibus audīrentur. Nam aliī parentēs, aliī līberōs, aliī coniugēs vōcibus
quaerēbant.
“Iam cadēbat cinis tam multus et gravis, ut identidem surgere eumque
excutere cōgerentur; opertī aliter essent et pondere ēlīsī. Sed postrēmō cālīgō
tenuāta[42] in fūmum discessit; sōl etiam effulsit,[43] lūridus[44] tamen, quālis
esse solet, cum dēficit.[45]
“Plīnius et māter, Mīsēnum reversī, noctem suspēnsam atque inquiētam
ēgērunt; nam etiam tum tremōrēs terrae continuābantur.[46] Sed inde abīre
nōluērunt, priusquam dē salūte avunculī nūntius certus pervenīret.”
“Multīne hominēs hāc clāde periērunt?” inquit Sextus.
“Plūrimī vērō,” inquit pater; “quīn etiam, ut modo dīxī, oppida tōta
obruta sunt.”
Dum haec nārrantur, viātōrēs celeriter Capuam versus vehēbantur, et
propinquīs iam tenebrīs in oppidum pervēnērunt.

[1]
cacūmen, -inis, n., summit.
[2] misceō, miscēre, miscuī, mixtus, tr.; pass., mingle.
[3]
occidēns, -entis, m., the west.
[4] ille: cf. XVII, 79.
[5]
memoriā, within the recollection.
[6]
calamitās, -ātis, f., calamity.
[7] avunculus: i.e., mother’s brother. He adopted his nephew; hence
the latter’s name.
[8] classī: trans. as if gen.
[9]
Mīsēnī: loc. of Mīsēnum.
[10] agēbat, was stationed.
[11]
maior, elder.
[12] mīrāculum, -ī, n., wonder.
[13]
subiaceō, -ēre, -uī, intr., lie near; governs dat.
[14] discrīminī: for dat., cf. XVIII, 103.
[15]
quadrirēmis, -is, f., four-decker.
[16] intrepidus, -a, -um, adj., fearless.
[17]
cōnsōlor, -ārī, -ātus sum, tr., cheer.
[18]
sēcūritās, -ātis, f., freedom from anxiety.
[19] dictitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., keep saying.
[20]
volvō, volvere, volvī, volūtus, tr., roll.
[21] pūmex, -icis, m., pumice stone.
[22]
cubiculum, -ī, n., bedroom.
[23] in commūne, together.
[24]
cervīcal, -ālis, n., pillow.
[25] mūnīmentum, -ī, n., protection; dat. of service in text.
[26]
omnibus noctibus: abl. with comp.
[27]
Placuit: impers.
[28]
sulpur, -uris, n., sulphur.
[29]
crassus, -a, -um, adj., dense.
[30] obstruō, -struere, -strūxī, -strūctus, stop.
[31]
cēterīs: abl.; cf. VII, 97.
[32] inlaesus, -a, -um, adj., uninjured.
[33]
quiēscentī, to one sleeping; cf. canentis, VIII, 99.
[34]
duodēvīcēsimus, -a, -um, num. adj., eighteenth.
[35]
agēbat: was (in his —th year).
[36] vīsum est, it seemed best.
[37]
fulciō, fulcīre, fulsī, fultus, tr., block.
[38] quō modō, in what(ever) way.
[39]
dēflectō, -flectere, -flexī, -flectus, tr. and intr., turn aside.
[40] obterō, -terere, -trīvī, -trītus, tr., trample under foot.
[41]
vāgītus, -ūs, m., wailing.
[42] tenuō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr.; pass., thin out.
[43]
effulgeō, -fulgēre, -fulsī, intr., shine forth.
[44]
lūridus, -a, -um, adj., murky.
[45] dēficit, is in eclipse.
[46]
continuō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr.; pass., keep up.
CAPUT XX

Cum posterō diē iterum profectī essent, Cornēlius: “Haud procul abest
locus,” inquit, “ubi Hannibal sollertiā magnā imperātōrem nostrum[1] ēlūsit.
Sed dē hīs rēbus tū dīc, Pūblī; nam exīstimō tē apud Cornēlium Nepōtem
haec nūper lēgisse.”
Tum Pūblius: “Rōmānīs Cannēnsī pugnā dēvictīs, Hannibal urbēs
complūrēs occupāvit et postrēmō nūllō[2] resistente Rōmam profectus, in
propinquīs urbī montibus cōnsēdit. Cumque aliquot diēs ibi castra habuisset
et Capuam reverterētur, in agrō Falernō eī occurrit Q. Fabius Maximus,
dictātor Rōmānus, dē quō dīcit poēta quīdam:

“ ‘Ūnus homō nōbīs cūnctandō[3] restituit rem.[4]’

“Hannibal, locī angustiīs clausus, Fabium tamen callidissimē ēlūsit. Nam


noctū bovēs, rāmīs in cornibus dēligātīs atque incēnsīs, omnēs in partēs
vagātum[5] ēmīsit.
“Quī procul vīsī tantum terrōrem exercituī Rōmānōrum iniēcērunt, ut
extrā[6] vāllum[7] ēgredī nēmō audēret; omnēs enim exīstimābant īnsidiās ab
hostibus comparārī. Interim Hannibal nūllō prohibente cōpiās suās ē locō
perīculōsō ēdūcēbat.”
“Nōnne Hannibal umquam proeliō superātus est?” inquit Sextus. “Mihi
vidētur ille semper aut sollertiā aut virtūte suā superāsse.”
“Cum hoc idem bellum iam vīgintī ferē annōs gestum esset,” inquit
Cornēlius, “Hannibal, in Āfricam redīre coāctus, Zamae[8] tantā clāde victus
est, ut Carthāginiēnsēs sē Rōmānīs dēdere cōgerentur.”
“Quid postrēmō Hannibale ipsō factum est?” inquit Cornēlia.
“Fortasse,” inquit pater, “iam audīvistis eum post clādem acceptam diū
cōnsiliō et operā patriam suam adiūvisse, tum autem clam domō abīre
coāctum esse, quod suspicārētur sē brevī Rōmam obsidem[9] arcessītum[10]
īrī.
“Primō ad rēgem Antiochum dēvertit, cui persuāsit ut bellum Rōmānīs
īnferret; deinde, Antiochō victō, Crētam vectus est; unde postrēmō in
Pontum ad rēgem Prūsiam sē contulit.
“Ibi cum cognōvisset Rōmānōs mīsisse lēgātōs, quī ā Prūsiā postulārent
ut sibi[11] in custōdiam ipse trāderētur, suā sponte venēnum sūmpsit, quod
semper sēcum habēre solēbat.”
“Cum mentiō venēnī facta sit,” inquit Pūblius, “mihi recordārī videor
ōlim aliquem venēnō rēgem Pyrrhum interficere cōnātum esse. Sed certō
sciō nostrōs numquam tantō scelere sē contāmināvisse.”
“Rēctē dīcis,” inquit Cornēlius; “nam Rōmānīs nōn est mōs venēnō bella
gerere. Sed quīdam Tīmocharēs, rēgis ipsīus familiāris, ad C. Fabricium
cōnsulem vēnit ac pollicitus est sē rēgem, sī praemium satis magnum
prōpōnerētur, venēnō brevī sublātūrum; quod facile factū fore dīxit, quoniam
fīlius suus in convīviō[12] pōcula[13] rēgī ministrāret.
“Hāc rē Rōmam ad senātum dēlātā, lēgātī statim missī sunt, quī Pyrrhum
certiōrem facerent quantō in perīculō versārētur, eumque hortārentur ut
īnsidiās cavēret domesticās.[14] Sīc cōnservātus, rēx grātiam maximam
populō Rōmānō habuisse trāditur, omnēsque captīvōs, quōs tum habēret,
sine mercēde[15] ultrō reddidisse.”
“Ut ad Hannibalem redeam[16],” inquit Pūblius, “nōnne ille aliquid
facētē[17] dīxit dē cōpiīs Antiochī, cum ad illum rēgem sē contulisset,
postquam domō fugere coāctus est?”
“Maximē vērō,” inquit pater. “Rēgēs barbari inānī[18] speciē mīlitum et
fulgōre armōrum vehementer dēlectārī solent; tāliaque saepe plūris[19] faciunt
quam rōbur et fortitūdinem.[20]
“Quārē, ut[21] Hannibal ad Antiochum pervēnit, rēx glōriāns, cum cōpiās
suās argentō aurōque splendidās īnstrūxisset, Hannibalī: ‘Nōnne putās,’
inquit, ‘satis esse Rōmānīs haec omnia?’ At ille: ‘Satis esse crēdō Rōmānīs
haec omnia, etiamsī[22] avārissimī sint.’ ”
“Dignē[23] respōnsum!” inquit Sextus. “Etsī mihi mīrandum vidētur
Hannibalem voluisse tam apertē dēspicere cōpiās rēgis, quem ad bellum in
Rōmānōs excitāre cuperet.”
Quae cum dicta essent, paulisper omnēs tacentēs sedēbant, dum equī
rēdās celeriter viā strātā dūcunt. Tum Cornēlia: “Certīs intervāllīs,” inquit,
“per viam lapidēs collocātōs iam diū[24] animadvertō. Cūr ita positī sunt,
pater?”
At ille: “Haec sunt mīliāria,” inquit, “in quibus īnscrīptum est quam
longē ā Rōmā distent. Ibi in forō est aureum[25] mīliārium, quod quasi[26]
centrum[27] imperiī Rōmānī habētur.”
“Sōlāne in viā Appiā,” inquit Sextus, “mīliāria posita sunt?”
“Omnibus in viīs maiōribus Ītaliae inveniuntur,” inquit pater. Quō dictō,
omnēs rūrsus conticuērunt.[28]
Interim sōl ārdēns in caelō fulgēbat; ac postrēmō equī aestū labōrāre
coepērunt. Quārē, cum iam ventum esset ad locum ubi haud procul ā viā
complūrēs arborēs altae umbram grātissimam praebēbant, rēdās cōnsistere
Cornēlius iussit.
Hīc līberī, dum equī reficiuntur, aliquamdiū cum Lūciō libenter lūsērunt,
quem Anna, palliolō substrātō,[29] humī posuerat. Tum Drūsillae Cornēlia:
“Iam diū factum est,[30] māter,” inquit, “cum tū nōbīs nūllam fābulam
nārrāvistī. Dē bellīs pater et Pūblius semper loquuntur. Nōnne tū vīs aliquid
laetius nārrāre?”
At māter: “Metuō nē haud multa sciam, quae vōs audīre velītis. Sed
fortasse numquam audīvistis quō modō Atalanta in mātrimōnium data sit.”
“Id quidem nōn audīvimus,” inquit Cornēlia. “Nārrā, sīs.”
Tum Drūsilla: “Atalanta erat rēgia virgō, quae cursū[31] virōs superāre
solēbat; eam autem, cum pulcherrima esset, omnēs iuvenēs in mātrimōnium
dūcere cupiēbant. Illa vērō, etsī nūbere nōlēbat, celeritāte tamen suā frēta[32]
prōmīsit sē eī nūptūram, quī sē cursū superāsset.
“Lēx autem certāminis erat, ut competītor[33] victus occīderētur. Quā lēge
dūrā haud dēterritī, multi, pulchritūdine virginis captī, in certāmen
dēscendēbant; ac victī poenās dēdērunt.
“Postrēmō quīdam iuvenis, Hippomenēs nōmine, quī haec omnia procul
aspexerat, amōre incēnsus, in certāmen dēscendit. Quī cum in mediō stadiō
cōnstitisset, virginī: ‘Cūr facilem titulum tardīs superandīs[34] quaeris?’
inquit. ‘Tē mēcum cōnfer. Ego sum Neptūnī nepōs; ac, sī vincar, tū nōmen
magnum et memorābile habēbis.’
“Hōc audītō, virgō, mollī[35] vultū iuvenis mōta, paulisper dubitat an
superāre velit, et Hippomenam ā certāmine dēterrēre cōnātur. Ille autem in
sententiā persevērat; ac rēx et populus cursum solitum poscunt.
“Tum Hippomenēs clam invocat[36] Venerem, quae forte aderat manū
ferēns tria māla[37] aurea, quae modo in agrō sibi dēdicātō ex arbore flāvā
dēcerpserat. Haec māla, nūllō[38] cernente, dea iuvenī dedit, docuitque quī[39]
ūsus esset in illīs.
“Simulac signum tubā datum est, virgō et iuvenis ventō celerius per
harēnam[40] prōvolant.[41] Illa facile superior erat; sed Hippomenēs, ā tergō
relictus, subitō dē tribus mālīs ūnum prōiēcit. Virgō cōnstitit ac cupidē
sustulit aurum. Interim iuvenis praeterit, et resonant spectācula plausū.
“Atalanta tamen celeriter moram corrēxit,[42] et iuvenem iterum post
tergum relīquit. Mālō alterō prōiectō, virgō rūrsus cōnstitit, atque iterum
cōnsecūta est. Tum Hippomenēs summā vī mālum tertium longē ā cursū
prōiēcit; puella dubitat, tum aurum petīvit. Sīc virgō, morā et mālōrum
pondere impedīta, praeterita est, atque Hippomenēs victor praemium cēpit.”
“Euax!” inquit Cornēlia. “Tālia mē dēlectant.”
Mox omnia ad proficīscendum parāta erant; et tantō alacrius equī iam
prōgressī sunt, ut hōrā octāvā[43] ad oppidum Sinuessam pervenīrētur;[44] ubi
viātōrēs libenter ē rēdīs dēscendērunt.
Drūsilla cum servīs statim sē recēpit in dēversōrium; cēterī autem per
oppidum paulisper ambulāre mālēbant. Sed sub cēnae tempus omnēs ad
tēcta rediērunt.

[1] nostrum, of ours.


[2]
nūllō: replacing the abl. of nēmō.
[3] cūnctor, -ārī, -ātus sum, intr., delay.
[4]
rem: sc. pūblicam.
[5] vagātum: supine.
[6]
extrā: prep. with acc., beyond.
[7] vāllum, -ī, n., rampart.
[8]
Zamae: loc.
[9]
obsidem, (as) a hostage.
[10] arcessītum īrī: fut. pass. infin.
[11]
sibi (pl.): the Romans.
[12] convīvium, -ī, n., banquet; in convīviō, at table.
[13]
pōculum, -ī, n., cup.
[14] domesticus, -a, -um, adj., in the household.
[15]
mercēs, -ēdis, f., ransom.
[16] Ut . . . redeam, To return.
[17]
facētē, adv., wittily.
[18] inānis, -e, adj., mere.
[19]
plūris: gen. of value.
[20] fortitūdō, -inis, f., courage.
[21]
ut, when.
[22] etiamsī, conj., even though.
[23]
Dignē, adv., rightly.
[24]
iam diū: cf. IV, 114.
[25] aureum, gilded.
[26]
quasi, as it were.
[27] centrum, -ī, n., center.
[28]
conticēscō, -ticēscere, -ticuī, intr., fall silent.
[29] substernō, -sternere, -strāvī, -strātus, tr., spread underneath.
[30]
factum est, etc.; cf. note on XIII, 19.
[31] cursū: abl. of spec.
[32]
frētus, -a, -um, adj., relying (on).
[33]
competītor, -ōris, m., contestant.
[34] tardīs superandīs: abl. of means.
[35]
mollis, -e, adj.: freely, boyish.
[36] invocō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., invoke.
[37]
māla: note the ā.
[38] nūllō: cf. XX, 7.
[39]
quī, what (adj.).
[40] harēnam: i.e., of the course.
[41]
prōvolō, -āre, -āvī, intr., fly forward.
[42] corrigō, -rigere, -rēxī, -rēctus, tr., make up for.
[43]
octāvus, -a, -um, num. adj., eighth.
[44] pervenīrētur: impers.
CAPUT XXI

Māne, dum viā Appiā celeriter vehuntur, Cornēliō Sextus: “Nūdius


tertius,[1] pater,” inquit, “cum Capuae essēmus, aliquem audīvī dīcentem
urbem illam ōlim gladiātōribus celeberrimam[2] fuisse. Quō modō hoc
factum est?”
Tum pater: “Diū Capuae habēbātur[3] lūdus, ubi gladiātōrēs exercērentur;
quī, cum eō genere pugnandī bene īnstitūtī essent, Rōmam missī sunt, ut ibi
in harēnā populī dēlectātiōnis grātiā[4] operam ēderent. Neque enim est ūllum
genus spectāculī quod plērīsque magis placeat.”
“Mihi quidem,” inquit Drūsilla, “omnia eius modī crūdēlissima videntur,
et magis bēluīs digna quam hominibus.[5]”
“Semper fuērunt nōnnūllī,” inquit Cornēlius, “quī tēcum sentīrent. Ac
Cicerō ipse quōdam locō tālia spectācula hīs verbīs improbat:[6] ‘Quae potest
hominī esse polītō[7] dēlectātiō, cum aut homō imbēcillus ā valentissimā[8]
bēstiā laniātur,[9] aut praeclāra bēstia vēnābulō trānsverberātur?’
“Atque īdem[10] aliō locō scrīpsit sē cum eīs sentīre, quibus gladiātōrum
spectācula inhūmāna vidērentur;—etsī exīstimat antīquitus aliter rem sē
habuisse, cum capitis damnātī[11] inter sē dēpugnārent.”
“Dē hōc amplius, sī vīs, pater,” inquit Sextus; “nam dē huius modī
certāminibus numquam audīvī.”
Ac pater: “Eīs temporibus, dē quibus dīcit Cicerō, interdum capitis
damnātīs data est facultās optandī utrum statim morerentur, an aliquamdiū
operam in harēnā eā condiciōne ēderent, ut, sī post certum tempus adhūc
superstitēs essent, tum līberī[12] dīmitterentur. Cum hominēs ita inter sē dē
lībertāte pugnārent, Cicerō certāmen honestius[13] nec[14] mōribus cīvitātis
tam perniciōsum[15] putābat.”
“Nōnne aliquid simile ab Hannibale factum est,” inquit Pūblius, “cum
bellum Ītaliae īnferēns Alpēs trānsīret?”
“Rēctē dīcis,” inquit Cornēlius. “Cum enim iam ad summōs[16] montēs
pervēnisset et brevī in Ītaliam dēscēnsūrus esset, mīlitēs suōs nōn sōlum
verbīs sed etiam rēbus cohortandōs[17] ratus, ad spectāculum eius[18] modī eōs
convocāvit:[19]
“Captīvōs montānōs in mediō vīnctōs cōnstituit, armīsque ante pedēs
eōrum prōiectīs, interpretem[20] interrogāre iussit num quis ferrō[21] dēcertāre
vellet, sī victor[22] lībertātem arma equumque acciperet.
“Montānī omnēs ad ūnum cupidē ferrum pugnamque poposcērunt.
Quārē sorte ēlēctī sunt, quī dēpugnārent. Interim aspiciēbant Hannibalis
mīlitēs; quōrum mentēs maximē sunt cōnfirmātae, cum vidērent quam laetī
in certāmen dēscenderent barbarī, quamque libenter mortem ipsam
oppeterent.”
“Hoc quoque crūdēle mihi vidētur,” inquit Cornēlia. “Nūllane sunt
spectācula, quae hominēs morī nōn cōgant?”
“Maximē vērō,” inquit pater. “Saepe populī dēlectātiōnis causā variae rēs
īnsolitae et mīrandae indūcuntur.[23] Velut Galba ille, quī posteā imperātor
factus est, novum spectāculī genus, elephantōs fūnambulōs,[24] ēdidit.[25] Et
ōlim nōtissimus eques Rōmānus, elephantō vectus per fūnem[26] dēcurrit.[27]”
“Vellem tum adfuissem,” inquit Cornēlia. “Tālia saltem perlibenter
vīdissem. Erantne alia eōrum[28] similia?”
At pater: “Nōmen Daedalī, crēdō, saepe audīvistī. Meministīne quid eius
fīliō factum sit?”
“Meminī vērō,” inquit Cornēlia. “Daedalus ālās fēcit, quibus fīlius per
āera[29] magnum volāret. Īcarus autem ad sōlem propius[30] accessit; cuius
ārdōre, cērā[31] mollītā,[32] ālae solūtae sunt, ac puer īnfēlīx in mare
praecipitātus est.”
Tum pater: “Imperātor Nerō ōlim in amphitheātrō idem temptārī voluit,”
inquit. “Sed ‘Īcarus’ prīmō statim cōnātū[33] dēcidit[34] atque imperātōrem
ipsum sanguine suō respersit.”
“Paene Rōmānī nōminis[35] mē pudet,” inquit Cornēlia, “cum tālia audiō.
Imperātōrem quam crūdēlem, qui hominēs tam perīculōsa temptāre
coēgerit!”
“Aliud multō inhūmānius fēcit Caligula,” inquit pater. “Ille enim, cum
ad cibum ferārum mūnerī praeparātārum[36] pecudēs cārius[37] comparārentur,
ex capitis damnātīs dīcitur hominēs ēlēgisse, quibus ferae vēscerentur.”
“Quāle mōnstrum hominis!” inquit Drūsilla, “sī vērō[38] homō omnīnō
appellandus est.”
“Naumachiam[39] quoque Nerō exhibuit,” inquit Cornēlius, “in lacū
marīnā[40] aquā replētō, ubi etiam bēluae nābant; atque ā Claudiō
spectāculum simile ēditum est.
“Hic autem, cum prōpugnātōrēs[41] (ut solent gladiātōrēs) conclāmāssent:
‘Avē,[42] imperātor, moritūrī[43] tē salūtant,’ diū dubitābat an eōs inter sē
pugnāre iubēret; postrēmō vērō ad pugnam compulit,[44] signō proeliī ā
Trītōne datō, quī māchinā ē mediō lacū ēmerserat.
“Sed iam illīs dē rēbus satis diū locūtī sumus. Fortasse tū, Drūsilla,
līberīs aliquid iūcundius nārrābis.”
Illa prīmō abnuit; nam dīcēbat sē nūper minimum temporis lēctiōnī[45]
dedisse; cum autem Sextus et Cornēlia blandius ōrārent: “Adhūc[46] puella,”
inquit, “saepe dē rēge Midā fābulam audīvī. Hanc, sī vultis, vōbīs fortasse
nārrāre possum.”
“Nārrā, sīs,” inquit Cornēlia. “Nōs ad audiendum parātī sumus.”
Tum māter: “Ōlim Midās, Phrygum rēx, grātiam maximam[47] ā deō
Bacchō iniit, quod[48] Sīlēnum āmissum ad eum redūxerat. Quārē deus rēgī
facultātem dedit optandī quid prō praemiō accipere vellet. Atque ille stultus:
‘Effice,’ inquit, ‘ut omnia, quae corpore contigerō,[49] in aurum flāvum
vertantur.’ ”
“Haud stultus mihi rēx fuisse vidētur,” inquit Sextus; “nam istō modō
dīvitiās maximās facillimē comparāre potuit.”
“Ipsī quoque,” inquit māter, “rēs prīmō ita sē habēre vidēbātur. Cum
autem cibum capere vellet, et ministrī mēnsās dapibus optimīs exstrūxissent,
tum haec quoque omnia rēgis tāctū[50] aurea facta sunt; quī, dīves et miser,
quid faceret[51] nōn habēbat.”
“Mortālem īnfēlīcem!” inquit Cornēlia. “Quō modō ex tantīs malīs sē
expedīvit?”[52]
Tum māter: “Ad caelum bracchia tollēns: ‘Dā veniam, pater Bacche,’
inquit; ‘peccāvī. Sed miserēre,[53] precor, mēque ex hōc malō ēripe.’
“Quō audītō, deus mītis revocāvit mūnus, et Midae imperāvit ut quōdam
in fonte lavārētur. Quod cum factum esset, vīs[54] aurea ex corpore rēgis in
aquam cessit; ac trāditum est in harēnā flūminis, quod inde orītur, grāna[55]
aurea etiam hodiē reperīrī posse.”
“Papae!” inquit Sextus. “Hoc vērum esse vix crēdere possum.”
At māter: “Idem dīcēs, cum vōbīs aliud nārrāverō, quod posteā huic rēgī
accidit:
“Nam deus Pān, dum nymphīs tenerīs carmina fistulā[56] modulātur,[57]
glōrārī ausus est sē Apollinem ipsum cantū[58] superāre posse. Quārē illī duo
ad certāmen sub Tmōlō iūdice[59] vēnērunt; quō in certāmine Pān facile
victus est.
“Tmōlī iūdicium omnibus placuit; Midās sōlus dissentiēbat.[60] Quam ob
rem prō tantā stultitiā Apollō aurēs rēgis in spatium trāxit, eāsque in speciem
asinī aurium mūtāvit. Itaque Midās, ut hoc vitium[61] turpe tegeret, semper
posteā caput tiārā[62] vēlāre[63] coāctus est.”
Dum haec dīcuntur, nūbēs in caelō cōgēbantur, brevīque imber
frīgidus[64] cōnsecūtus est. Viātōrēs, in vīllā quādam duās hōrās morātī,
multō ante noctem tamen potuērunt Fundōs pervenīre; ubi ad dēversōrium
sine morā sē contulērunt.

[1] Nūdius tertius: adv. phrase, Day before yesterday.


[2]
celeber, -bris, -bre, adj., filled.
[3] habēbātur, was maintained.
[4]
grātiā: cf. the use of causā.
[5]
bēluīs . . . hominibus: abl.
[6]
improbō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., condemn.
[7]
polītus, -a, -um, adj., cultured.
[8] valēns, -entis, adj., powerful.
[9]
laniō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., tear to pieces.
[10] īdem: i.e., Cicero; trans., ‘likewise.’
[11]
capitis damnātī (nom.): with force of a rel. clause. For capitis, see
X, 60.
[12] līberī: pred. nom.
[13]
honestus, -a, -um, adj., honorable.
[14] nec, and not.
[15]
perniciōsus, -a, -um, adj., harmful.
[16] summōs: cf. extrēmam, II, 43.
[17]
cohortor, -ārī, -ātus sum, tr., encourage.
[18]
eius: i.e., the following.
[19] convocō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., call together.
[20]
interpres, -etis, m., interpreter.
[21] ferrō: i.e., gladiō.
[22]
victor, freely, in case of victory.
[23] indūcuntur: i.e., are displayed.
[24]
fūnambulus, -a, -um, adj., rope-walking.
[25]
ēdidit, exhibited.
[26]
fūnem, tight-rope.
[27]
dēcurrō, -currere, -currī, -cursum, tr. and intr., ride down.
[28] eōrum: neut.; dept. on similia.
[29]
āer, āeris, m., the heavens; āera, acc. sing., Greek decl.
[30] propius: cf. longius, XI, 15.
[31]
cēra, -ae, f., wax.
[32] molliō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus, tr., soften.
[33]
prīmō statim cōnātū: cf. XVII, 91.
[34] dēcidō, -cidere, -cidī, intr., fall down.
[35]
Rōmānī nōminis, the name ‘Roman.’
[36]
praeparō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., secure in advance.
[37] cārē, adv., at a high price. For comp., cf. saepius, IX, 88.
[38]
vērō, indeed.
[39] naumachia, -ae, f., sham naval battle.
[40]
marīnus, -a, -um, adj., sea.
[41] prōpugnātor, -ōris, m., fighter.
[42]
aveō, -ēre, intr.; imper., avē, hail.
[43] moritūrī: taking the place of a rel. clause.
[44]
compellō, -pellere, -pulī, -pulsus, tr., force.
[45] lēctiō, -ōnis, f., reading.
[46]
Adhūc, (while) still.
[47] grātiam maximam, etc., freely, laid the god under very heavy
obligation.
[48]
quod, in that.
[49] contingō, -tingere, -tigī, -tāctus, tr., touch.
[50]
tāctus, -ūs, m., touch.
[51] quid faceret, etc.: cf. IX, 45.
[52]
expediō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus, tr.; sē expedīre, escape.
[53] misereor, -ērī, -itus sum, intr., pity. Imper. in text.
[54]
vīs, potency.
[55] grānum, -ī, n., grain.
[56]
fistula, -ae, f., pipe; trans, abl., ‘on.’
[57]
modulor, -ārī, -ātus sum, tr., play.
[58] cantū: abl. of spec.
[59]
sub Tmōlō iūdice: i.e., with Tmolus as umpire.
[60] dissentiō, -sentīre, -sēnsī, -sēnsum, intr., dissent.
[61]
vitium, -ī, n., blemish.
[62] tiāra, -ae, f., turban.
[63]
vēlō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., cover.
[64] frīgidus, -a, -um, adj., cold.
CAPUT XXII

Posterō diē ante hōram quārtam Ānxur facile perventum est; quō in
oppidō viātōrēs paulisper cōnstitērunt, ut cibum caperent; nam līberī etiam
tum ēsuriēbant.
Cum omnia iterum parāta essent ad iter faciendum, Sextus nusquam
reperīrī poterat, dōnec eum aspexit Stasimus in āreā, ubi cupidē audiēbat
servōs duōs, quī inter sē loquēbantur.
Puerō revocātō, ex oppidō statim profectī sunt. Ac cum iam lēniter rēdīs
veherentur, Sextō Cornēlius: “Quid,” inquit, “inter sē loquēbantur illī servī
duo, quōs in āreā audiēbās?”
At Sextus: “Ūnus erat homō senectūte[1] iam cōnfectus, alter autem
admodum[2] iuvenis. Senior dīxit sē modo Appī Forō advēnisse.”
“Illud est oppidum,” inquit Cornēlius, “ubi hanc[3] noctem āctūri sumus.
Sed quid posteā dictum est?”
“Prīmō,” inquit Sextus, “pauca alia inter sē locūtī sunt; tum ille senior dē
temporibus dīcere coepit, cum ipse puer esset.”
“Quid puer[4] fēcit?” inquit Cornēlia.
At Sextus: “Dīxit sē ipsum adfuisse, cum quīdam vir sānctus, Paulus
nomine, Rōmam iter faciēns et catēnīs vinctus, Appī Forī cōnstitisset.
“Cum hoc tantum[5] dictum esset, ā Stasimō arcessītus sum; quārē nec
quis esset ille Paulus, nec cūr eum catēnīs vīnxissent,[6] cognōscere potuī.”
“Suspicor,” inquit Pūblius, “hōs servōs Chrīstiānōs esse; ac vērī simile
est istum Paulum fuisse adfīnem[7] eiusdem superstitiōnis, quī imāginem
imperātōris adōrāre nōluisset.”
“Quālēs hominēs sunt Chrīstiānī, pater?” inquit Cornēlia. “Hoc nōmen
saepe audīvī, neque umquam quid significāret[8] intellēxī.”
“Dē nātūrā huius superstitiōnis,” inquit pater, “nihil satis compertum est;
etsī orbis terrārum nūllus nunc est locus, ubi istī Chrīstiānī nōn reperiantur.
“Sed Plīnius ille, quī dē monte Vesuviō ad Tacitum litterās mīsit, multīs
annīs post[9] avunculī mortem prōvinciae Bīthȳniae praepositus, cum incolās
plūrimōs Chrīstiānōs esse cognōvisset, dē eīs ad imperātōrem Traiānum
accūrātius[10] scrīpsit.
“At haec, crēdō, Pūblius noster nūper lēgit. Quārē ille vōbīs expōnet quō
modō Plīnius cum Chrīstiānīs ēgerit.”[11]
Pūblius, tālī cohortātiōne inductus: “Plīnius,” inquit, “hōc modō rem
trānsēgit: Eōs, quī ad eum dēferēbantur, interrogābat essentne Chrīstiānī. Sī
ita cōnfitēbantur, iterum ac tertiō[12] interrogābat, supplicium quoque
minātus.
“Sī etiam tum obstinātā mente idem dīcere persevērābant, ad
supplicium[13] dūcī iubēbat (nam, ut ipse dīcit, tālis pertinācia[14] saltem
pūnienda[15] erat). Sed eōs, quī cīvēs Rōmānī erant, ad urbem remīsit;[16]
cuius generis[17] fortasse erat ille Paulus, dē quō modo loquēbāmur.
“Aliōs, quī negāvērunt[18] sē esse Chrīstiānōs, dīmittēbat, postquam
imāginem adōrāverant imperātōris, et Chrīstō male dīxerant (quōrum
neutrum[19] facere cōgī posse dīcuntur eī, quī rē vērā Chrīstiānī sunt); ac parī
clēmentiā etiam eōs tractāvit, quī dīxērunt sē ōlim Chrīstiānōs fuisse, sed
paucīs ante annīs dēstitisse.”
“Quam ob rem ad Traiānum haec omnia scrīpsit Plīnius?” inquit Sextus.
At Pūblius: “Ipse dīxit sē numquam Rōmae causīs[20] Chrīstiānōrum
interfuisse, nec scīre quō modō eī tractandī essent. Itaque litterās Rōmam
mīsit, ut cognōsceret omniane ā sē rīte agerentur.”
“Saepe audīvī,” inquit Drūsilla, “Chrīstiānōs maleficōs[21] esse hominēs,
quī in sē scelera maxima admīsissent.”[22]
“Hoc quidem,” inquit Cornēlius, “vix adfirmāre audeō. Īdem[23] enim
Plīnius scrībit sē ex duābus ancillīs etiam tormentīs[24] quaesīvisse, in hīs
rūmōribus quid vērī esset.
“Omnium testimōniō comprobātum[25] est Chrīstiānōs certō diē ante
lūcem solēre convenīre carmenque Chrīstō quasi deō inter sē dīcere;
praetereā sacrāmentō[26] eōs sē nōn in[27] scelus aliquod obligāre, sed nē
fūrta[28] facerent, nē fidem fallerent, nē dēpositum[29] abiūrārent,[30] et eius
modī alia.”
“Sī haec vēra sunt,” inquit Drūsilla, “nōn intellegō quō modō illī tantam
in īnfāmiam[31] pervēnerint.”
“At,” inquit Cornēlius, “Chrīstum plūris faciunt quam aut Caesarem aut
imperium Rōmānum. Praetereā hetaeriās[32] amant, quās imperātōrēs propter
perīculum coniūrātiōnis prohibēre coāctī sunt.”
“Quid rescrīpsit[33] Traiānus,” inquit Sextus, “cum Plīnī litterae ed eum
adlātae essent?”
“Respondit ille,” inquit pater, “nōn esse exquīrendōs Chrīstiānōs; eōs
porrō, quī dēferrentur, dīmittendōs esse, sī negāssent sē esse Chrīstiānōs et
id fēcissent manifestum deōsque[34] nostrōs adōrāssent.”
“Nisi fallor,” inquit Pūblius, “multīs ante annīs Nerō imperātor cum
Chrīstiānīs multō acerbius[35] ēgerat.”[36]
“Rēctē dīcis,” inquit pater. “Cum enim magna pars urbis incendiō dēlēta
esset multīque suspicārentur incendium iussū[37] imperātōris ipsīus factum
esse, ille, ut[38] ā sē hanc suspīciōnem[39] āverteret, damnum illud ā
Chrīstiānīs esse inlātum cōnfirmāre nōn dubitāvit.
“Quārē illī miserī, pellibus[40] ferārum indūtī, canibus saevīs dīlaniandī[41]
sunt obiectī, aut, crucibus adfīxī ac oleō[42] perfūsī, cum diēs dēfēcisset,
concremātī[43] sunt, ut lūmen nocturnum[44] imperātōrī praebērent.”
“Horrēscō audiēns,” inquit Drūsilla. “Etsī Chrīstiānōs parvī faciō, tamen
mihi quidem nefās esse vidētur eōs tantā saevitiā[45] tractāre. Ac cum tālia
audiō, interdum paulum ābest quīn velim nōs aliō aevō vīxisse. Nam
antīquitus prīncipēs cīvitātis virī erant, quī iūre apud[46] bonōs omnēs summō
in honōre habērentur.”
“Crēdō dē Rēgulō et eius[47] similibus tē cōgitāre,” inquit Cornēlius.
“Quis erat ille Rēgulus?” inquit Cornēlia.
“Rēgulus erat imperātor Rōmānus,” inquit pater, “quī in Āfricā
serpentem illam ingentem occīdit. Posteā ā Carthāginiēnsibus captus,
Rōmam eā lēge remissus est, ut in Āfricam reverterētur, nisi persuāsisset
senātōribus ut captīvōs quōsdam commūtārent.[48]
QUŌ MODŌ CHRĪSTIĀNĪ RŌMAE SEPULTĪ SUNT

“Ille autem, cum Rōmam pervēnisset, senātuī persuāsit nē hanc


condiciōnem acciperet; ac tum aequō animō in Āfricam revertit, nē fidem
falleret, etsī plānē sciēbat hostēs summā crūdēlitāte supplicium dē sē
sūmptūrōs.”
“Haec,” inquit Pūblius, “mē admonent dē quibusdam versibus eximiī
poētae Horātī Flaccī:

“ ‘Virtūs[49] repulsae[50] nescia sordidae


Intāminātīs[51] fulget honōribus,
Nec sūmit aut pōnit[52] secūrīs[53]
Arbitriō populāris[54] aurae.[55]
Virtūs reclūdēns[56] immeritīs[57] morī
Caelum, negātā[58] temptat iter viā,
Coetūsque[59] vulgārīs[60] et ūdam[61]
Spernit humum fugiente pennā.’ ”[62]

Ac pater: “Et aliō locō poēta īdem verba dīcit, quae Rēgulō dignissima
sint:

“ ‘Sī frāctus inlābātur[63] orbis,[64]


Impavidum ferient[65] ruīnae.’ ”

Sed iam Sextus, quī haud attentē haec audierat: “Magnam fossam[66]
aquae plēnam haud procul ā viā videō. Quid est, obsecrō, pater?”
“Hic est eurīpus,”[67] inquit Cornēlius, “quō viātōrēs noctū nāvibus vehī
solent. Quīn etiam ipse[68] poēta, cuius versūs modo audīvistī, ōlim Appī
Forō hōc modō usque ad fontem Fērōniae vectus est, cum Rōmā profectus
Brundisium iter faceret.”
“Nōs certē nāvī satis superque[69] vectī sumus,” inquit Drūsilla. “Nunc
viā strātā rēdīs prōgredī periūcundum[70] est.”
Ita tempus terēbant, ac dēnique circiter hōrā decimā Appī Forum
pervēnērunt dēfessī. Posterō diē Arīciam usque contendērunt.

[1] senectūs, -ūtis, f., old age.


[2]
admodum, (a) mere.
[3] hanc, this (coming).
[4]
puer, (when) a boy.
[5] tantum: adv.
[6]
vīnxissent: subj. indef.
[7] adfīnem, adherent.
[8]
significāret, freely, stand for.
[9] post: prep.
[10]
accūrātē, adv., in detail.
[11] ēgerit, dealt.
[12]
tertiō, adv., a third time.
[13]
supplicium: i.e., execution.
[14]
pertinācia, -ae, f., obstinacy.
[15]
pūniō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus, tr., punish.
[16] ad urbem remīsit, remanded to Rome.
[17]
cuius generis: gen. of quality.
[18] negāvērunt: cf. XVII, 17.
[19]
neuter, -tra, -trum, adj., neither; quōrum neutrum, neither of
which (things).
[20] causīs, trials; dat. case.
[21]
maleficus, -a, -um, adj., evil.
[22] in sē . . . admīsissent, had committed.
[23]
Īdem, cf. XXI, 17.
[24] tormentum, -ī, n.; pl., torture.
[25]
comprobātum est: impers.
[26] sacrāmentum, -ī, n., oath.
[27]
in, for.
[28]
fūrtum, -ī, n., theft.
[29] dēpositum, -ī, n., deposit.
[30]
abiūrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., deny knowledge of (i.e., when
claimed by depositor).
[31]
īnfāmia, -ae, f., ill repute.
[32] hetaeria, -ae, f., secret association.
[33]
rescrībō, -scrībere, -scrīpsī, -scrīptus, tr., write in reply.
[34] -que: freely, that is.
[35]
acerbē, adv., severely.
[36] ēgerat: cf. ēgerit, line 40.
[37]
iussū (no nom.), m., order.
[38]
ut: purp.; dept. on foll. clause.
[39] suspīciō, -ōnis, f., suspicion.
[40]
pellis, -is, f., skin.
[41] dīlaniandī: purp.
[42]
oleum, -ī, n., oil.
[43] concremō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., burn up.
[44]
nocturnus, -a,-um, adj., night.
[45] saevitia, -ae, f., cruelty, barbarity.
[46]
apud, freely, by.
[47]
eius: with similibus.
[48] commūtō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., exchange.
[49]
Virtūs, true worth; described, in the remainder of the stanza, in
terms applicable to a statesman.
[50]
repulsa, -ae, f., defeat; obj. gen. in text.
[51] intāminātus, -a, -um, adj., undimmed.
[52]
pōnit, lays aside.
[53]
secūris, -is, f., ax; symbol of the power of higher officials.
[54] populāris, -e, adj., popular.
[55]
aurae, favor.
[56] reclūdō, -clūdere, -clūsī, -clūsus, tr., open, unlock.
[57]
immeritus, -a, -um, adj., not deserving. The dat. in the text
replaces a rel. clause, and governs foll. infin.
[58]
negātā, (usually) closed.
[59]
coetus, -ūs, m., throng.
[60] vulgāris, -e, adj., common.
[61]
ūdus, -a, -um, adj., dank.
[62] penna, -ae, f., pinion.
[63]
inlābor, -lābī, -lāpsus sum, intr., fall in.
[64] orbis, firmament.
[65]
ferient: sc. eum.
[66] fossa, -ae, f., ditch.
[67]
eurīpus, -ī, m., canal.
[68]
ipse, the very.
[69] superque, and more (than enough).
[70]
periūcundus, -a, -um, adj., very agreeable.
Photograph by Katherine Allen
EURĪPUS
CAPUT XXIII

Multō māne, paene priusquam cēterī surrēxērunt, Cornēlius et Pūblius


forās ēgressī sunt, ut loca circumspicerent. Haud procul montem Albānum
vīdērunt, ac longius collēs aliī appārēbant.
Tum Pūblius: “Montem Albānum libentissimē videō,” inquit, “quod ibi
trāditum est ab Ascaniō conditam esse urbem,[1] unde (ut dīcit Vergilius)
erant ‘Albānī patrēs,’ et postrēmō ‘altae moenia Rōmae.’ ”
“Hīs in regiōnibus sunt alia quoque dignissima, quae[2] aspiciantur,”
inquit pater. “Velut haud longē abest fānum Diānae Nemorēnsis.”
“Dē hōc, quod[3] sciam, numquam audīvī,” inquit Pūblius. “Istīus cultūs
quid proprium[4] est?”
At pater: “Fānum silvā dēnsissimā est tēctum; ac, mīrābile dictū,
sacerdōs est servus fugitīvus, quī numquam nisi cum gladiō forās ēgreditur.”
“Quam ob rem, obsecrō?” inquit Pūblius. “Subitīne impetūs vim timet?”
“Maximē vērō,” inquit pater. “Nam illud sacerdōtium mīrīs modīs
trāditur. Ille, quī id adeptus est, rem dīvīnam cūrat, dōnec ab aliō vī aut dolō
interficitur. Tum is, quī interfēcit,[5] ipse sacerdōs fit, et armātus ēgreditur,
ānxius nē quis alius sē quoque occīdat, ut sacerdōtium adipīscātur.”
“Papae!” inquit Pūblius. “Mīror unde mōs tam mīrābilis
VIA APPIA ET SEPULCHRA

dēductus sit.” Tum ad tēcta respiciēns: “Ecce autem Onēsimus


appropinquat, ac crēdō iēntāculum[6] iam parātum esse.”
Quae ut dicta sunt, ad dēversōrium rediērunt; ubi omnēs, cum paulum
ēdissent, in rēdās ēscendērunt, brevīque Rōmam versus rapidē vehēbantur.
Ad urbem quō propius accēdēbant, eō[7] plūra vidēbant līberī, quae eōs
studiō cognōscendī incenderent. Ac Sextus: “Cūr,” inquit, “prope viam
ubique tot sepulchra vidēmus?”
“Antīquitus,” inquit pater, “per lēgēs nōn licuit intrā moenia hominēs
sepelīrī. Itaque prīncipēs cīvitātis prope viās, quae ad urbem ferunt,[8] haec
monumenta exstrūxērunt, ut posteritātī[9] nōta essent loca, ubi sepūltī essent.
“Posteā rārō permissum est ut in Campō Mārtiō quoque sepulchra
splendida exstruerentur; in[10] quibus est illud Mausōlēum Augustī, ubi
conditī sunt ipsīus cinerēs et multōrum propinquōrum.”
“Dē hōc monumentō apud Suētōnium mīrābile quiddam est,” inquit
Pūblius; “nam paulō ante Nerōnis mortem dīcuntur forēs suā sponte
patefactae esse; unde audīta est vōx imperātōrem nōmine vocantis.”[11]
“Nōlī, obsecrō, mī filī,” inquit Drūsilla, “tam dīra nārrāre. Cum audiō,
tremor gelidus per ossa īma[12] mihi percurrit.”[13]
At Sextus: “Cūr,” inquit, “illud sepulchrum ‘Mausōlēum’ appellātur?
Nōnne hoc est nōmen īnsolitum?”
“Rēctē quaeris, Sexte,” inquit pater. “Vocābulum[14] ductum est ē nōmine
Mausōlī, rēgis Cāriae, quī abhinc ferē quīngentōs[15] annōs dēcessit.[16] Quō
mortuō, uxor sepulchrum splendidissimum exstrūxit, quod ‘Mausōlēum’
vocābātur. Idem nōmen posteā aliīs quoque sepulchrīs rēgiīs[17] inditum est.”
Tum Pūblius: “Haec mē admonent,” inquit, “dē vōce dētestābilī[18]
imperātōris Vitellī, cum sepulchrum Othōnis vidēret.”
“Quid dīxit ille, obsecrō?” inquit Sextus.
Ac Pūblius: “Othō, cum haud procul ā Cremōnā exercitus eius cum
cōpiīs Vitelliānīs esset congressus, proeliō facile victus est, ac statim—etsī
aliae legiōnēs integrae eī supererant—sē interfēcit, cum nōllet persevērandō
damna maiōra cīvitātī īnferre.
“Sine morā sepultus est in agrīs haud procul ā locō ubi proelium
commissum erat, ac monumentum modicum est adiectum. Vitellius autem,
cum ferē quadrāgintā post diēbus ē Germāniā Rōmam iter faciēns eō
pervēnisset et sepulchrum vīdisset humile, Othōnem dēspiciēns, dignum ‘eō
Mausōlēō’ eum esse dīxit.”
“Ipsene Vitellius,” inquit Cornēlia, “Mausōlēō splendidō dignus erat?”
“Longē aliter exīstimābant eius cīvēs saltem,” inquit pater. “Nam
omnibus sceleribus sē contāmināverat; cumque Vespasiānus imperātor[19]
salūtātus esset, ille brevī vītae fīnem factīs suīs dignum invēnit.
“Ubi[20] enim mīlitēs Vespasiānī Rōmam pervēnērunt, veritus nē in
eōrum manūs incideret, iste imperātor ēgregius,[21] duōbus sōlīs comitibus—
pīstōre et coquō, domō eō cōnsiliō profectus est, ut in Campāniam refugeret.
“Sed ā comitibus dēsertus, in Palātium revertit; cumque zōnā aureōrum
plēnā sē circumdedisset, fūgit in cellam[22] iānitōris, religātō[23] prō[24] foribus
cane, atque intus lectum et culcitam[25] obiēcit.[26]
“Ā mīlitibus inrumpentibus statim inventus atque ē latebrīs extractus est.
Omnibus autem ignōrantibus[27] quis esset, mendāciō fātum paulisper
distulit; tum agnitus, retortīs post tergum manibus, veste discissā, sēminūdus
per forum tractus est.
“Hominum interim multitūdō magna sequēbātur, cum acerbissimīs
contumēliīs rērum[28] et verbōrum caenum[29] coniciēns, dum eius facinora
maximā vōce exprobrat. Tandem prope scālās, quae Gemōniae vocantur,
minūtissimīs[30] ictibus occīsus est, et inde uncō tractus[31] in Tiberim.”
“Fīnem quam terribilem!” inquit Drūsilla. “Tālia audīre mihi vix magis
quam Cornēliae placet.”
“Sed ūnum adhūc est, pater,” inquit Sextus, “quod ego nōn intellegō.
Cum prīmō imperātor effugere cōnātus est, cūr, obsecrō, pīstōrem et coquum
sēcum dūxit?”
“Cēterīs eius factīs[32] hoc erat pār,” inquit Cornēlius. “Nam semper
edendī[33] studiōsus erat. Quīn etiam dīcitur ter et quater[34] in diē cēnāre
solitus esse; atque interdum in viīs ex popīnīs[35] fūmantia[36] obsōnia[37] vel[38]
prīdiāna[39] suīs manibus rapiēbat.”
“Iam satis est, pater,” inquit Cornēlia. “Dē eō spērō nōs nihil amplius
audītūrōs esse.”
Sed iam viātōrēs in urbem portā Appiā ingrediēbantur atque līberī intentī
omnia circumspiciēbant. Interim rēdae tardius prōgredī coāctae sunt, cum
hominēs multī ex urbe exeuntēs viam frequentārent.[40]
Brevī Stasimus, quī citō equō praemissus erat, sē obviam tulit, quī
nūntiāvit avunculum Drūsillae domī esse, ac viātōrēs libentissimē hospitiō
acceptūrum.
Quō audītō, Cornēlius Drūsillae: “Tū, uxor,” inquit, “statim cum līberīs
et servīs ad avunculum tē cōnferēs.[41] Mihi et Pūbliō cum Onēsimō prius ad
Palātium est eundum, ut sine morā dē adventū meō imperātor certior fīat.”
Itaque, cum iam ad portam Capēnam perventum esset, mulierēs
lectīcīs[42] levātae cum līberīs ad avunculum Drūsillae ā Stasimō dēductae
sunt.
Cornēlius interim cum Pūbliō rēctā Palātium petiit, ac statim ad
imperātōrem admissus est. Ibi ōsculō[43] acceptus breviārium[44] ratiōnum
suārum porrēxit.
Tum, industriā[45] laudātā, eō mandātō dīmissus est, ut semper omnia in
prōmptū[46] habēret, ut sine morā ex urbe proficīscerētur, sī quandō opus
esset. Negōtiō sīc cōnfectō, cum Pūbliō ad Drūsillam ac cēterōs libenter sē
recēpit.
Deinde diēs duo iūcundē exāctī sunt, cum viātōrēs cōnspicerent omnia,
quae maximē mīranda in urbe erant. Tum Drūsilla cum līberīs rūs discessit,
ut parentēs vīseret, quī ab urbe longē circiter trīgintā mīlia passuum
habitābant. Interim Cornēlius cum Pūbliō Rōmae morābātur, incertus quam
mox imperātor operam suam exigeret.
[1] urbem: namely, Alba Longa, the mother city of Rome.
[2]
quae: note mood.
[3] quod: cf. IV, 26.
[4]
proprius, -a, -um, adj., peculiar; trans. neut. here, ‘the peculiar
(feature).’
[5] interfēcit, committed the murder.
[6]
iēntāculum, -ī, n., breakfast.
[7] quō . . . eō, the . . . the; cf. III, 12.
[8]
ferunt, lead.
[9] posteritās, -ātis, f., posterity.
[10]
in, among.
[11] vocantis: cf. canentis, VIII, 99.
[12]
ossa īma: i.e., marrow; cf. extrēmam, II, 43.
[13]
percurrō, -currere, -currī, -cursus, tr., run (through).
[14] vocābulum, -ī, n., word.
[15]
quīngentī, -ae, -a, num. adj., five hundred.
[16] dēcēdō, -cēdere, -cessī, -cessum, intr., die.
[17]
rēgiīs: i.e., magnificent.
[18] dētestābilis, -e, adj., shameful.
[19]
imperātor: pred. nom.
[20] Ubi, when.
[21]
ēgregius: sarcastic.
[22]
cella, -ae, f., room, apartment.
[23] religō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., tie.
[24]
prō, in front of.
[25] culcita, -ae, f., mattress.
[26]
obiēcit: i.e., made a breastwork of.
[27] Omnibus . . . ignōrantibus: abl. absol.
[28]
rērum, action.
[29] caenum, -ī, n., filth.
[30]
minūtus, -a, -um, adj.; sup., tiny.
[31]
uncō tractus: like a common criminal.
[32] Cēterīs . . . factīs: dat.
[33]
edendī: obj. gen.
[34] quater, num. adv., four times.
[35]
popīna, -ae, f., cook-shop.
[36] fūmāns, -antis, part. as adj., smoking.
[37]
obsōnium, -ī, n., viands.
[38] vel, even.
[39]
prīdiānus, -a, -um, adj., yesterday’s.
[40]
frequentō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., crowd.
[41] tē cōnferēs: fut. approaching force of imper.
[42]
lectīca, -ae, f., litter. In the city proper, heavy traffic was
restricted.
[43]
ōsculō: a court formality.
[44] breviārium, -ī, n., summary.
[45]
industria, -ae, f., industry.
[46]
prōmptū (abl. only), m.; in prōmptū, in readiness.
Photography by R. S. Rogers
MĪLIĀRIUM
CAPUT XXIV

Parentēs Drūsillae scīlicet summō gaudiō fīliam ac nepōtēs ad sē


recēpērunt, et maximē Lūcium, quem adhūc numquam vīderant. Cēterī
līberī, longō itinere fessī, in agrīs vagantēs lūdendō satiārī[1] nōn poterant; ac
Sextus animum mātris magnō in terrōre saepe dētinēbat,[2] cum aut arborēs
ēscenderet, ut avium nīdōs īnspiceret, aut piscēs in rīvō capere cōnārētur.
Cum hōc modō diēs complūrēs āctī essent, ex urbe advēnit Pūblius, qui
nūntiāvit patrem adhūc mandātum imperātōris exspectāre.
Dum omnēs propter ārdōrem sōlis sub arboribus sedent, ille: “Quam
amoenum est rūs!” inquit. “Cum collēs procul videō, admoneor dē versibus
lepidīs poētae Horātī Flaccī, quī hinc haud longē vīllam ōlim habēbat:

“ ‘Vidēs ut[3] altā stet nive candidum


Sōracte, nec iam sustineant onus[4]
Silvae labōrantēs gelūque
Flūmina cōnstiterint[5] acūtō?’ ”

Tum Sextus: “Hī versūs profectō pulchrī sunt. Sed nūper dē imperātōre
Vespasiānō loquēbāmur, et dē eō plūra cognōscere velim. Nōnne pater dīxit
eius mīlitēs Vitellium occīdisse?”
At Pūblius: “Hoc erat illud biennium[6] mīrābile,” inquit, “quō quattuor
imperātōrēs populī Rōmānī factī sunt; quōrum[7] Galba in forō ā
praetōriānīs[8] occīsus est, et Othō (ut audīvistī) sē ipse interfēcit. Interim
imperium Vitelliō ā mīlitibus dēlātum erat; ac postrēmō Vespasiānus quoque
ā suīs imperātor salūtātus est. Quārē Vitellium tollere necesse erat.”
“Ipsene Vespasiānus aderat, cum Vitellius occīsus est?” inquit Sextus.
“Nūllō modō,” inquit frāter. “Cōpiās suās praemīserat; ipse autem itinere
longiōre in Ītaliam tendēbat, atque aliquamdiū in Aegyptō morātus est.”
“Ubi agēbat[9] ille,” inquit Cornēlia, “eō tempore, quō ā mīlitibus
imperātor salūtātus est?”
“Erat tum cum exercitū in Iūdaeā,” inquit Pūblius, “ubi incolae
sēditiōsē[10] sē gerēbant. Sed gentem illam iam paene subēgerat, obsidiōne[11]
Hierosolymōrum exceptā, quam cōnficiendam Titō fīliō relīquit.”
“Nisi fallor,” inquit Drūsilla, “dē patriā Annae nostrae nunc loquiminī.”
Adnuit[12] Anna, quae maesta sedēbat, cum suae gentis prīstinae
glōriae[13] eī in mentem venīret.
Tum Cornēlia: “Nōlī maerēre, Anna mea,”[14] inquit. “Nōnne potes
aliquid iūcundum reminīscī, quod dē patriā tuā nōbīs nārrāre velīs?”
Illa prīmō negābat; cum autem līberī blandius īnstārent, postrēmō: “Per
fīnēs nostrōs,” inquit, “fertur[15] amnis Iordānēs, quī nusquam ad mare
pervenit. Ūnum enim atque alterum[16] lacum perfluit,[17] tum tertiō[18]
acceptus ibi retinētur; nam hic lacus exitum nūllum habet.

URBS CAMPĀNIAE

“Cuius lacūs maximus est circuitus, et aquae sapor gustātū acerbior.


Odor quoque est pestifer;[19] neque in eō piscēs ūllī vīvere possunt.
“Praetereā (id quod est multō mīrābilius) quaecumque in aquam prōiecta
sunt, ea undae attollunt[20] nec mergī patiuntur. Quīn etiam hominēs, nandī
quamvīs imperītī,[21] hīc in flūctūs sine metū ingrediuntur; nam mergī nōn
possunt, nē sī quidem id maximē volunt.”
“Ille certē est locus,” inquit Drūsilla rīdēns, “ubī mātribus nūlla sit causa
timendī, cum puerī nandī grātiā abeunt. Ego autem prae metū vix mē
continēre possum, cum prope rīvum Sextus noster sēcūrus[22] lūdit.”
“Nūllum est perīculum, māter,” inquit Sextus. “Aqua nusquam amplius
trēs pedēs[23] alta est; et sī quandō inciderō, facillimē ad rīpam ēvādere
poterō.” Tum Annae: “Sed plūra dīc, obsecrō. Suntne in patriā tuā templa
deōrum magnifica?”
Quō audītō, Anna paulisper tacuit. Tum maesta: “Fuit Hierosolymīs[24]
templum omnium splendissimum; sed dēlētum est eō bellō,[25] dē quō mentiō
modo facta est. Intus erat sacrārium[26] deī suprēmī.”
“Quā faciē erat deus ille?” inquit Sextus, “aut[27] quanta erat illīus
imāgō?”
“Nūlla erat imāgō aut simulācrum,”[28] inquit Anna; “et deī cultōrēs[29]
mente sōlā vidēbant nūmen. Nam cīvēs meī putābant nefās esse deōrum
imāginēs mortālibus[30] māteriīs etiam hominum in speciēs[31] effingere.”[32]
“Nihil umquam aequē mīrābile audīvī,” inquit Sextus. “Profectō
nusquam alibī tōtō orbī terrārum[33] mōs tālis invenīrī potest.”
At Pūblius: “Errās,” inquit, “cum ita exīstimās. Nam apud Cicerōnem
scrīptum est Persās templa Athēniēnsium ob eam causam incendisse, quod
deōs, quōrum domus esset[34] omnis mundus,[35] inclūsōs parietibus continērī
nefās putārent.
“Et aliud quoque dē Vespasiānō adicere possum. Nam ille, paulō
priusquam imperātor ā suīs salūtātus est, ad montem vēnit Carmēlum, quī
inter Iūdaeam Syriamque est, ut ibi ōrāculum cōnsuleret. Hīc quoque nūlla
est deī imāgō, sed āra tantum et reverentia.”[36]
“Lacusne est usquam alius,” inquit Cornēlia, “eī similis, dē quō Anna
modo dīxit?”
“Id nesciō,” inquit Pūblius; “sed auctor Plīnius, quī dē Chrīstiānīs litterās
illās scrīpsit, quaedam satis mīranda dē lacū sibi nōtō nārrat.”
“Haec quoque dīc, sī vīs,” inquit Sextus. “Audīre cupimus.”
“Illō in lacū,” inquit frāter, “nūlla est nāvis; nam sacer est. Sed ubique
innatant[37] īnsulae parvae, in quibus sunt herbae omnis generis et arborēs.
“Ventō appulsae, īnsulae interdum lītus attingunt. Tum pecora, herbās
secūta, in eās quasi in extrēmam rīpam procēdunt, nec prius terram
mōbilem[38] esse sentiunt quam, īnsulā ventō ā lītore remōtā, sē undique aquā
circumfūsa[39] vident.”
“Pecora misera!” inquit Cornēlia. “Quid tum faciunt?”
“Quiēta exspectant,” inquit Pūblius, “dōnec ventus rūrsus īnsulam ad
terram appulit. Tum in lītus prōgressa, nihil magis sē dēscendisse sentiunt
quam anteā sēnserant sē ascendisse.”
Dum haec dīcuntur, Stasimus prope viam stābat, omnia ōtiōsus
circumspiciēns. Sed iam accessit quīdam senex luscus,[40] quī: “Salvē,”
inquit. “Mihine mōnstrāre potes quō modō facillimē ad oppidum proximum
pervenīre possim?”
“Tuīs ipsīus[41] pedibus, opīnor,” inquit Stasimus; “nisi spērās aliquem
tibi equum commodātūrum, Cyclōps.”[42]
Tum ille īrātus: “Cavē malum,” inquit. “Ego sum mīles veterānus; ac, sī
sapis, impudentiam tuam statim comprimēs.”
“Age, dīc, senex,” inquit Stasimus. “Quō modō oculum āmīsistī? Eumne
uxor effōdit, cum domum ēbrius tē retulissēs?”
“Linguae istī[43] temperāre tē docēbō,” inquit senex. Quae cum dīxisset,
collō obtortō[44] Stasimum in viam trāxit et vehementer fūste verberāre
coepit.
Ille autem clāmōrēs lāmentābilēs sustulit, ac: “Fidem[45] tuam obsecrō,
Pūblī, mē servā,” vōciferātus est; “Cyclōps enim hic mē vorāre[46] parat.”
Quō audītō, senex etiam vehementius verberābat, dōnec Stasimus, dolōre
victus, rē vērā misericordiam implōrāvit.
Tum Pūblius rīdēns intercessit,[47] et senī: “Maximam tibi grātiam
habēmus,” inquit, “quod istum scelestum prō illīus meritīs[48] tam strēnuē[49]
tū accēpistī. Spērō eum posteā impudentiam suam magis inhibitūrum.”
Quae cum facta essent, senex ad oppidum versus abiit; ac Stasimus,
tergum manibus fricāns,[50] intrō sē recēpit, ut fōmenta quaedam ibi
quaereret.

[1]
satiō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr.; pass., get (one’s) fill of.
[2]
detineō, -tinēre, -tinuī, -tentus, tr., keep.
[3] ut, how.
[4]
onus, weight (of snow).
[5] cōnstiterint, etc.: i.e., are turned to ice.
[6]
biennium, -ī, n., two years.
[7]
quōrum: partit, gen.
[8] praetōriānī, -ōrum, m., the pretorians.
[9]
agēbat: cf. XIX, 17.
[10] sēditiōsē, adv., rebelliously.
[11]
obsidiō, -ōnis, f., siege.
[12]
adnuō, -ere, -uī, intr., nod (assent).
[13] prīstinae glōriae: gen. with verbal phrase of remembering.
[14]
mea, freely, dear.
[15] fertur, rolls, flows.
[16]
alterum, a second.
[17] perfluō, -fluere, -flūxī, tr., pass through.
[18]
tertiō: sc. lacū, namely, the Dead Sea, a detailed description of
which is given in the Histories of Tacitus.
[19] pestifer, -era, -erum, adj., unhealthy.
[20]
attollō, -ere, tr., bear up.
[21] imperītus, -a, -um, adj., unskilled, ignorant; with obj. gen.
[22]
sēcūrus, careless(ly).
[23] trēs pedēs: acc., not affected by the comp.
[24]
Hierosolymīs: loc. of Hierosolyma.
[25] eō bellō: time when.
[26]
sacrārium, -ī, n., shrine.
[27]
aut: cf. II, 21.
[28] simulācrum, -ī, n., statue.
[29]
cultor, -ōris, m., worshiper.
[30] mortālibus, perishable.
[31]
in speciēs, freely, in the likeness.
[32] effingō, -fingere, -fīnxī, -fictus, tr., fashion.
[33]
tōtō orbī terrārum: place where.
[34] esset: trans. as if present.
[35]
mundus, -ī, m., universe.
[36]
reverentia, -ae, f., feeling of awe.
[37] innatō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum, intr., float about.
[38]
mōbilis, -e, adj., movable.
[39] circumfundō, -fundere, -fūdī, -fūsus, tr., surround.
[40]
luscus, -a, -um, adj., one-eyed.
[41] ipsīus, own.
[42]
Cyclōps: so called because he had but one eye.
[43] istī, that . . . of yours.
[44]
obtorqueō, -torquēre, -torsī, -tortus, tr., lit., wring; collō
obtortō, collared.
[45] Fidem, help.
[46]
vorāre: cf. the story of Ulysses.
[47] intercēdō, -cēdere, -cessī, -cessum, intr., intervene.
[48]
meritum, -ī, n., desert.
[49] strēnuē, adv., energetically.
[50]
fricō, -āre, fricuī, frictus, tr., rub.
CAPUT XXV

Posterō diē paulō post merīdiem, Sextus, quī lātius per fundum vagātus
erat, ad tēcta celeriter sē recēpit, ut mātrem certiōrem faceret sē Onēsimum
appropinquāre vīdisse.
Quō cognitō, omnēs cupidē forās ēgressī Onēsimum iam ex equō
dēscendentem offendērunt.[1] Quī statim ad Drūsillam prōgressus: “Salvē,
domina,” inquit. “Ā Cornēliō litterās hodiē scrīptās adferō.”
“Nāviter[2] fēcistī,” inquit Drūsilla, “quī tantō aestū iter longum tam
celeriter cōnfēcerīs. Litterās trāde, ac tē in culīnam cōnfer, ubi quod edās[3]
inveniēs.”
Litterīs trāditīs, Onēsimus statim tēctum intrāvit; ac Drūsilla, cum omnēs
intentī exspectārent, epistulam solvit, cuius exemplum[4] īnfrā scrīptum est:

“Cornēlius Drūsillae Suae S. P. D.[5]


“Sī valētis omnēs, ego valeō. Litterās dabam,[6] quod hodiē
māne mandāta ab imperātōre ad mē dēlāta erant, ut intrā quattuor
diēs ad Galliam versus proficīscī parātus essem.
“Adhūc nesciō cūr in eās regiōnēs mittar. Cum autem līberī
nostrī numquam illa loca vīserint, fortasse vōs mēcum Cōmum
usque iter facere volētis, ubi est Gnaeī frātris vīlla.
“Tum, sī mihi ipsī longius prōgrediendum erit, vōs interim
apud frātrem manēbitis, dum redeō. Amoenissima est illa pars
Ītaliae, et ibi in cōnspectū Alpēs sunt. Sī vērō in mēnsēs hībernōs
tempus tractum erit, līberī nive et glaciē[7] profectō dēlectābuntur.
“Quārē, sī mē comitārī vultis, ad urbem statim redīte; sī minus,
[8]
Onēsimus ad mē mittātur,[9] ut sciam quid factūrī sītis. Cūrā,[10]
mea lūx,[11] ut valeās et līberōs nostrōs amēs. Valē.
Dabam Rōmā, Īd. Iūn.”[12]

Cum haec audīta essent, gaudiō exsiluērunt līberī, ac clāmōre maximō


mātrem ōrāvērunt, ut statim abīrent. Illa autem ad Pūblium conversa: “Quae
tibi est sententia, mī fīlī?” inquit.
“Suādeō ut patrem comitēmur,” inquit ille. “Haec enim est occāsiō
optima illīus regiōnis vīsendae, neque exīstimō aliam mox oblātum īrī.”[13]
Rē ita cōnstitūtā, servīs imperātum est ut omnia ad iter faciendum
parārent; ac līberī mātūrē cubitum iērunt, ut alacrēs māne proficīscerentur.
Dum rēdīs posterō diē lēniter ad urbem vehuntur, Pūbliō Cornēlia:
“Nūper,” inquit, “cum Rōmae essēmus, aedificia splendida et viās lātissimās
vix satis mīrārī potuī. Etiamne ab initiō erat urbs tam magnifica?”
“Nūllō modō,” inquit frāter; “nam antīquitus multō minor fuit, atque
humillima erant aedificia. Quīn etiam trāditum est Rōmulum occīdisse
Remum frātrem, quod mūrōs dērīdēns leviter[14] trānsiluisset. Ā Gallīs illa
urbs prīsca magnā ex parte ignī dēlēta est.”
“Nōnne vīs dē hāc clāde amplius dīcere?” inquit Sextus.
Ac Pūblius: “Haud procul ab urbe Rōmānī magnō proeliō ā Gallīs victī
sunt; cumque urbs ipsa nōn diūtius dēfendī posset, dēcrētum est ut paucī,
armīs et frūmentō collātō,[15] in Capitōlium concēderent, cēterī autem, per
agrōs dissipātī, oppida peterent fīnitima.
“Nōnnūllī autem senēs cōnsulārēs,[16] quī fugere sē[17] indignum esse
putārent, veste splendidissimā indūtī, per vestibula[18] aedium suārum in
sellīs cōnsēdērunt eburneīs; quōs cūm vīdissent, Gallī prīmō mīrāntēs
cōnstitērunt. Tum vērō ūnus ex eīs dīcitur barbam cuiusdam senātōris manū
suā tetigisse; senex autem īrātus scīpiōne eburneō caput Gallō percussit.
“Ab hōc igitur initium caedis est factum, atque urbī facēs admōtae sunt,
cum interim praesidium parvum, ex Capitōliō caedem incendiaque
obstupefactum prōspiciēns, opem ferre poterat nūllam. Collem[19] autem
ipsum Gallī, etsī semel atque iterum impetum fēcērunt, nūllō modō capere
potuērunt.”
“Postquam bellum ad fīnem est adductum,” inquit Sextus, “rēgiumne in
modum urbs restitūta est?”
“Immō vērō,” inquit frāter, “temere et raptim exstrūctae sunt aedēs. Saxa
et māteriem, unde quisque volēbat, sūmere licuit; et sine ratiōne certā ac
prōmiscuē aedificia sunt collocāta. Sīc factum est, ut, viīs antīquīs opertīs et
neglēctīs, veterēs cloācae, ōlim per pūblicum[20] ductae,[21] nunc prīvāta
passim subeant tēcta.”
At Sextus: “Ego igitur vix intellegō,” inquit, “quō modō ēvēnerit ut urbs
nunc tam splendida sit.”
“Augustus urbis ōrnandae initium fēcit,” inquit Pūblius, “neque
oblīvīscendum est sub Nerōne iterum incendium ingēns exārsisse,[22] quō
multa dēfōrmia[23] ignī obruta sunt.”
“Dēnuō iste Nerō atrōx!” inquit Cornēlia. “Hoc, crēdō, fuit tempus, quō
ille suam culpam in Chrīstiānōs miserōs contulit.[24] Nihil profectō tam erat
inhūmānum et crūdēle, quod ille nōn cupidē faceret.”
“Erat certē imperātor minimē laudandus,” inquit frāter rīdēns.
“Audīvistīne eum[25] semel atque iterum mātrem interficere cōnātum esse?”
“Hoc quidem nōn audīvī,” inquit Cornēlia; “sed facile crēdō rem ita sē
habuisse.”
At Pūblius: “Multi tum id prō certō crēdēbant; ac postquam eius māter
mortua est, hī versūs sine nōmine prōpositī sunt:

“ ‘Quis negat Aenēae[26] magnā dē stirpe[27] Nerōnem?[28]


Sustulit hic mātrem sustulit[29] ille[30] patrem.’ ”

“Hahahae!” inquit Sextus. “Profectō ille audācissimus erat, quī volēbat


etiam sine nōmine tālia prōpōnere. Sed ut[31] ad priōra redeāmus, vērumne
est Nerōnem ipsum Rōmam incendisse?”
“Dē hōc haud satis liquet,”[32] inquit frāter; “etsī dīcitur ille
dēfōrmitāte[33] veterum aedificiōrum et angustiīs flexūrīsque[34] viārum
offēnsus esse; ac fāma est eum, dum incendium saevit, ē turrī propinquā
prōspicientem cantū[35] sē dēlectāsse.
“Sed quōcumque modō[36] haec rēs sē habet, per sex diēs septemque
noctēs flammae ārsērunt, ac plēbs[37] inops,[38] ex domiciliīs[39] expulsa, etiam
sepulchrīs prō tēctīs ūtī coācta est.
“Posteā, locīs pūrgātīs,[40] aedificia exstrūcta sunt nōn (ut post Gallicum
incendium) passim et prōmiscuē, sed dīmēnsīs vīcīs[41] et viīs lātissimīs.
Haec est urbs splendida, quam tū tantopere admīrāris.”
Dum haec dīcuntur, equī lēniter prōgrediēbantur; ac Lūcius, aurā
tepidā[42] languidus, iam cōnsōpītus erat. Quem cum vīdisset somnō lēnī
quiēscentem, Pūblius ex memoriā prōnūntiāre coepit:

“ ‘Somne, quiēs rērum, placidissime,[43] Somne, deōrum,


Pāx animī, quem cūra fūgit,[44] quī corpora dūrīs
Fessa ministeriīs[45] mulcēs[46] reparāsque[47] labōrī.’ ”[48]

“Hī versūs mihi maximē placent,” inquit Drūsilla, “nec meminī mē eōs
ante audīre. Unde sunt, obsecrō?”
At Pūblius: “Hōs et multōs aliōs aequē bonōs invēnī apud poētam
Ovidium, quem adsiduē legō. Nam paucī sunt, quī tam facile et ēleganter[49]
scrībere possint.”
Interim diēs abībat; ac sub vesperum viātōrēs ad domum Drūsillae
avunculī pervēnērunt, ubi libenter ā Cornēliō receptī sunt.

[1]
offendērunt, found.
[2]
nāviter, adv., energetically, well.
[3] quod edās: i.e., something to eat.
[4]
exemplum, copy.
[5] S(alūtem) P(lūrimam) D(at): i.e., gives heartiest greeting.
[6]
dabam, etc.: tenses chosen to suit the time of receipt of letter.
[7] glaciēs, -ēī, f., ice.
[8]
minus, not.
[9] mittātur: hort. subjv.
[10]
Cūrā: imper.
[11]
mea lūx, a common term of affection.
[12] Īd(ibus) Iūn(iīs), abl., on the Ides of June (i.e., the thirteenth).
[13]
oblātum īrī, cf. arcessītum īrī, XX, 32.
[14] leviter, adv., lightly.
[15]
collātō: with both ablatives.
[16] cōnsulāris, -e, adj., of consular rank; a term applied to ex-
consuls.
[17]
sē: abl. pl.
[18] vestibulum, -ī, n., entrance.
[19]
Collem: i.e., the Capitoline.
[20] per pūblicum: i.e., along the line of the streets.
[21]
ductae, freely, which ran.
[22] exārdēscō, -ārdēscere, -ārsī, -ārsum, intr., break out.
[23]
dēfōrmis, -e, adj., ugly. The neut. pl. in the text is used as noun.
[24]
in . . . contulit, put off upon.
[25] eum: subject of cōnātum esse.
[26]
Aenēae: gen.
[27] stirps, stirpis, f., stock.
[28]
Nerōnem: sc. esse.
[29] Sustulit . . . sustulit: punning, carried off. The effect is enhanced
by the solemnity of line 93.
[30]
hic . . . ille, the one . . . the other.
[31] ut: purp.
[32]
liqueō, liquēre, licuī: intr.; liquet, impers., it . . . is clear.
[33] dēfōrmitās, -ātis, f., ugliness.
[34]
flexūra, -ae, f., bend, turn.
[35] cantū, music.
[36]
quōcumque modō, howsoever.
[37] plēbs, plēbis, f., the common people.
[38]
inops, -opis, adj., destitute.
[39]
domicilium, -ī, n., home.
[40] pūrgō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., clear.
[41]
vīcīs, wards.
[42] tepidus, -a, -um, adj., warm.
[43]
placidissime: voc.; governing partit, gen. deōrum.
[44] fūgit, has left.
[45]
ministerium, -ī, n., labor.
[46] mulceō, mulcēre, mulsī, mulsus, tr., soothe.
[47]
reparō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., restore.
[48] labōrī, service; dat. of purp.
[49]
ēleganter, adv., beautifully.
CAPUT XXVI

Māne ab imperātōre adlātae sunt litterae obsignātae cum mandātō, nē


prius solverentur quam Placentiam ventum esset. Quibus acceptīs, Cornēlius
servīs imperāvit ut omnia ad iter posterō diē faciendum parāta habērent.
Interim Pūblius Sextum abdūxit, quō propius aspiceret monumenta forī
et Campī Mārtiī; nam eī et Cornēliae, morae impatientibus, nihil longius
vidēbātur quam dum[1] in rēdās iterum ēscendere licēret.
Cum dēmum sellīs[2] ad portam urbis dēductī essent ac iam in rēdīs
cōnsēdissent, patrī Sextus: “Quā viā, pater, ab urbe discēdimus?”
At ille: “Viā Flāminiā iter factūrī sumus,” inquit, “Tiberimque ponte
Mulviō trānsībimus.”
“Ibi, nisi fallor,” inquit Sextus, “comprehēnsī sunt lēgātī Allobrogum,
quibus Lentulus frūstrā persuādēre cōnātus erat, ut cum Catilīnā sē
coniungerent.”
“Rēctē dīcis,” inquit pater; “ac per litterās, quae in eōrum comitātū[3]
erant, Cicerō cōnsul patefacere potuit cōnsilia impia, quae contrā rem
pūblicam mente scelerātā[4] cīvēs improbī inierant.”
Tum Pūblius: “Nōnne sunt quī exīstiment Cicerōnem laudibus nimiīs
suās rēs gestās extulisse?”
“Nēmō dubitat,” inquit pater, “quīn[5] ille fuerit vir ēgregius, quī patriam
suam ūnicē amāret; sed certē glōriae[6] nimis avidus erat, ac fēcisset rēctius,
sī aliīs laudēs dīcendās relīquisset suās. Quīn etiam tam multa dē
coniūrātiōne ā sē dētēctā scrīpsit, ut vērē dīceret Seneca philosophus:
‘Cōnsulātus nōn sine causā sed sine fīne laudātus.’ ”
“Dē hōc ipsō cōnsulātū,” inquit Pūblius, “nōnne Cicerō poēma[7] quoque
longissimum fēcit?”
“Rēs ita sē habet,” inquit pater; “et aliōs versūs interdum scrībēbat,
quibus invidiam maximam sibi comparāvit. In hīs erat nōtissimus ille:

“ ‘Ō fortūnātam nātam[8] mē cōnsule[9] Rōmam!’ ”

“Eugepae!” inquit Pūblius. “Versum quam ineptum! Crēdō meliōrēs


facere etiam mē ipsum posse.”
“Sīve meliōrēs sīve peiōrēs versūs tū faciēs,” inquit pater, “spērō saltem
tē nihil scrīptūrum tālī iactantiā[10] dēfōrmātum.”[11]
Dum haec dīcuntur, rēdae celeriter prōvehēbantur, ac iam in cōnspectū
erat pōns; quō[12] cum flūmen trānsīssent, Cornēlius: “Iam brevī,” inquit,
“per Etrūriam iter faciēmus.”
“Haud procul igitur abesse oportet[13] oppidum[14] Vēiōs,” inquit Pūblius.
“Multa dē bellīs, quae cum Vēientibus maiōrēs nostrī gessērunt, apud
Līvium nūper lēgī; ac dē gente[15] Fabiā ūnum[16] maximē notābile ita
repperī.”
“Nārrā, sīs, frāter,” inquit Sextus, “dummodo rēs satis cruenta sit.”
“Satis sanguinis certē effūsum est,” inquit Pūblius. “Sed, ut ā principiō
exōrdiar,[17] illō tempore, dē quō dīcō, Rōmānī nōn modo cum Vēientibus
sed etiam cum populīs aliīs bellum gerēbant; ac Vēientēs lātē agrōs nostrōs
populābantur.[18]
“Quārē Fabia gēns senātum adiit, et cōnsul Caesō Fabius prō gente
ōrātiōnem huius modī habuit: ‘Haud magnīs cōpiīs[19] bellum Vēiēns[20] eget.
Vōs cētera bella cūrāte, Vēientēs autem nōbīs trādite. Hoc bellum suscipiet
gēns Fabia, et suō sūmptū ad fīnem addūcet.’
“Quō audītō, senātus grātiās maximās Fabiō ēgit; cumque ille cōnsul,
comitante Fabiōrum agmine, domum redīsset, rēs celeriter omnēs in partēs
urbis est dēlāta, atque undique laudibus summīs Fabiī ad caelum ēlātī sunt.
“Posterō diē arma illī capiunt; ac cōnsul domō ēgressus gentem omnem
suam īnstrūctō agmine vīdit. Numquam exercitus aut numerō minor aut
fāmā clārior per urbem incessit; nam sex et trecentī[21] mīlitēs, omnēs
patriciī,[22] omnēs ūnīus gentis, tum ad bellum prōgrediēbantur.”
“Gentem vērē ēgregiam!” inquit Cornēlia. “Bonīs auspiciīs,[23] ut spērō,
certamque ad victōriam proficīscēbantur.”
“Dīs aliter vīsum est,”[24] inquit frāter. “Nam etsī Rōmānī prīmō rem
fēlīciter gessērunt, postrēmō in īnsidiās dēlātī paene omnēs proeliō
periērunt. Quīn etiam memoriae trāditum est ūnum tantum puerum vix
pūberem[25] inde incolumem ēvāsisse.”
Iam Drūsilla: “Cornēliae nostrae,” inquit, “cum tālia nārrantur, maestitia
magna semper inicitur. Fortasse ego quaedam nārrāre poterō, quae eī magis
placēbunt.” Quō dictō, ita exōrsa est:
“Ōlim, cum religiō Magnae Mātris in Ītaliam īnferrētur et imāgō deae
mare[26] trānsvecta Ōstiam[27] pervēnisset, omnium ōrdinum multitūdō
maxima, ūnā cum mātrōnīs[28] et Vestālibus, obviam sē tulit.
“Tum honōris causā virī, fūnibus arreptīs, summō labōre nāvem flūmine
adversō[29] ad urbem dūcere coepērunt. Prīmō rēs prōsperē cessit; deinde
autem nāvis in vada incidit subita, neque ūllō modō longius prōvehī potuit.
“Quō ōmine īnfaustō cum omnēs terrērentur, prōdiisse trādunt[30]
quandam mulierem Claudiam nōmine, dē quā rūmōrēs īnfāmēs
dīvulgābantur.
“Illa clārē deam precāta ut probitātī[31] suae testimōnium daret: ‘Sī
proba[32] sum,’ inquit, ‘sequere[33] mē, precor, Magna Māter, ut castitās[34]
mea omnibus manifesta sit.’
“Quae cum dīxisset, manūs tenerās ad fūnem admōvit; ac (mīrābile
dictū) deā volente nāvis lēniter prōgressa est, atque imāgō sīc ad urbem
pervēnit.”
“Haec meliōra sunt,” inquit Cornēlia; “sed etiam nunc fāta inīqua
Fabiōrum mentem meam trīstī cōgitātiōne cōnfundunt.”
“At,” inquit pater, “posterī[35] illīus puerī, quī clādī superfuit, saepe operā
suā maximē adiūvērunt patriam; ac multa ab eīs splendidē ācta
commemorārī possunt.”
“Ea libenter audiam,” inquit Cornēlia, “nisi trīstia sunt.”
“Audī igitur,” inquit pater: “Eō tempore, cum Gallī, per Ītaliam vagātī,
incendērunt urbem et praesidium Rōmānum in Capitōliō ā cēterīs relictum
undique obsidēbant, iuvenis quīdam ex Fabiā gente facinore praeclārō
oculōs et cīvium et hostium omnium in sē convertit.
“Nam Fabiae gentis erat sacrificium[36] statum[37] in Quirīnālī colle;
quod[38] ad cūrandum C. Fabius, sacra manibus ferēns, dē Capitōliō
dēscendit et per mediās[39] hostium statiōnēs lēniter ad locum cōnstitūtum
prōgressus est.
“Ibi rēbus omnibus rīte perāctīs, cōnstantī[40] gradū, haud frūstrā spērāns
deōs propitiōs[41] futūrōs, quōrum cultum nē mortis quidem metū dēterritus
relīquisset,[42] nūllō prohibente ad suōs rediit.
“Interim enim Gallī quiētī aspiciēbant, sīve quod tantā audāciā[43] erant
obstupefactī, sīve quod etiam religiōne movēbantur, cuius nē haec quidem
gēns est omnīnō neglegēns, nec vērō sine causā. Nam vērē dictum est:
‘Deōrum iniūriae dīs cūrae[44] sunt.’ ”
“Sed nunc,” inquit Sextus, “ut ad alia veniam, iam dūdum[45] factum est,
cum Pūblius nūllōs versūs suōs recitāvit. Nihilne nūper scrīpsistī, Pūblī?”
“Nihil,” inquit ille; “sed modo legēbam carmen ēgregium poētae Horātī
Flaccī dē Īnsulīs Fortūnātīs, quās (ut ipse dīcit) Iuppiter gentī piae[46]
sēposuit.”[47]
“Hoc audiāmus,” inquit Sextus.
“Tōtum memoriā vix teneō,” inquit ille; “sed hī sunt versūs aliquot:

“ ‘Mella cavā mānant ex īlice, montibus altīs


Levis crepante[48] lympha dēsilit pede.
Illic iniussae[49] veniunt ad mulctra capellae,
Refertque tenta[50] grex amīcus[51] ūbera,
Nec vespertīnus[52] circumgemit[53] ursus ovīle,[54]
Neque intumēscit[55] alta vīperīs[56] humus;
Nūlla nocent pecorī contāgia,[57] nūllĭus[58] astrī[59]
Gregem aestuōsa[60] torret impotentia.’ ”[61]

“Optimē,” inquit pater. “Vellem mē quoque tam multa meminisse


posse.”
Dum haec fīunt, per loca amoena via ferēbat; cum autem hōrā ferē nōnā
ad oppidum Falēriōs perventum esset, viātōrēs libenter ad caupōnem
dēvertērunt.

[1]
quam dum, than until.
[2]
sellīs: to comply with traffic rules; cf. XXIII, 112.
[3] comitātus, -ūs, m., retinue.
[4]
scelerātus, -a, -um, adj., criminal.
[5] quīn, that.
[6]
glōriae: obj. gen.
[7] poēma, -atis, n., poem.
[8]
nātam: i.e., born again.
[9] mē cōnsule: abl. absol., in my consulship.
[10]
iactantia, -ae, f., boastfulness.
[11] dēfōrmō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., mar.
[12]
quō: the bridge.
[13]
oportet, impers., it must (be that).
[14] oppidum: acc.; subj. of abesse.
[15]
gente, family.
[16] ūnum: neut.
[17]
ut . . . exōrdiar: purp.
[18] populor, -ārī, -ātus sum, tr., ravage.
[19]
magnīs cōpiīs: abl.
[20] Vēiēns, neut. adj.
[21]
trecentī, -ae, -a, num. adj., three hundred.
[22]
patricius, -a, -um, adj., patrician.
[23] Bonīs auspiciīs: abl. of attendant circumstance.
[24]
vīsum est: impers.
[25] pūber, -eris, adj., full-grown.
[26]
mare: acc. retained with pass.
[27] Ōstiam: port at the mouth of the Tiber.
[28]
mātrōna, -ae, f., lady.
[29] flūmine adversō, upstream.
[30]
trādunt: i.e., dīcunt.
[31]
probitās, -ātis, f., uprightness, character.
[32] probus, -a, -um, adj., virtuous.
[33]
sequere: imper.
[34] castitās, -ātis, f., innocence.
[35] posterī: nom. pl.
[36]
sacrificium, -ī, n., sacrifice.
[37]
status, -a, -um, adj., regularly recurring.
[38] quod: the sacrifice.
[39]
mediās: cf. extrēmam, II, 43.
[40] cōnstāns, -antis, adj., steady.
[41]
propitius, -a, -um, adj., well disposed, kind.
[42] relīquisset: force of neg. continues with this verb.
[43]
audācia, -ae, f., boldness.
[44] dīs cūrae: double dat.
[45]
iam dūdum, etc., it has been a long time that. Cf. XIII, 19.
[46]
pius, -a, -um, adj., righteous.
[47]
sēpōnō, -ponēre, -posuī, -positus, tr., set apart.
[48]
crepō, -āre, -uī, -itum, intr., plash.
[49] iniussus, -a, -um, adj., uncalled.
[50]
tentus, -a, -um, adj., distended, i.e., full.
[51] amīcus, -a, -um, adj., willing.
[52]
vespertīnus, -a, -um, adj., at night.
[53] circumgemō, -gemere, tr., growl around.
[54]
ovīle, -is, n., sheep-fold.
[55] intumēscō, -tumēscere, -tumuī, intr., swell, abound (in).
[56]
vīpera, -ae, f., serpent.
[57]
contāgium, -ī, n.; pl., infection.
[58] nūllius: with ĭ in verse.
[59]
astrum, -ī, n., star.
[60]
aestuōsus, -a, -um, adj., burning.
[61] impotentia, -ae, f., violence, rage.

Photograph by C. E. Bennett
ŌSTIA
CAPUT XXVII

Nōndum aderat cēnae tempus; quārē līberī paulisper ōtiōsī vagābantur,


cum nescīrent quid potissimum[1] facerent. Tum Sextus: “Multōs diēs
Onēsimus omnīnō nihil nōbīs nārrāvit. Eum adeāmus, sī forte nunc aliquid
recordārī possit.”
“Fīat,”[2] inquit Cornēlia. “Semper enim ille dīcit digna, quae[3]
audiantur.”
Quōs ubi appropinquantēs vīdit, Onēsimus: “Cūr vōs sīc languidōs
videō, līberī? Lūdendō etiam nunc fatīgātī estis?”
“Ita vērō,” inquit Sextus; “nec scīmus quid potissimum faciāmus. Nōnne
tū vīs aliquid nōbīs nārrāre, quō celerius tempus abeat?”
Tum ille: “Hae ratiōnēs, quās vidētis, prius cōnficiendae sunt. Posteā, sī
interim mihi molestī nōn fueritis, experiar quid facere possim.”
Quō audītō, līberī discessērunt. Ac paulō post, cum iterum conclāve
intrāssent, sē[4] exspectantem Onēsimum invēnērunt, quī: “Dē Milōne,
āthlētā nōbilissimō,” inquit, “fābulās vōbīs nārrābō, sī audīre vultis.”
“Mīror,” inquit Sextus, “isne fuerit homō tantīs vīribus quantīs fuit
Herculēs aut ille Samsōn, dē quō ōlim Anna nōbīs quaedam mīranda
nārrāvit.”
“Milō quidem,” inquit Onēsimus, “satis validus profectō erat; quī etiam
dīcitur ōlim Olympiae[5] per stadium ingressus esse, cum umerīs sustinēret
bovem.”
“Papae!” inquit Sextus. “Vellem hoc ego vidissem. Sed vix intellegere
possum, quō modō homō onus tantum sustinēre potuerit, etsī vīribus
maximīs erat.”
“Memoriae trāditum est,” inquit Onēsimus, “Milōnem prīmō vitulum
cotīdiē tulisse, neque id intermīsisse facere, dōnec vitulus esset bōs factus.
Sīc onus semper maius sustinēre potuit, quod[6] ipsīus vīrēs pariter[7]
crēscēbant.”
“Callidus certē erat,” inquit Cornēlia, “quī sē tam scienter[8] exercēret.”
“Aliud quoque dē eō nārrāre possum,” inquit Onēsimus, “quod fortasse
vōbīs etiam notābilius vidēbitur.”
“Quid est?” inquit Sextus. “Audīre cupimus.”
At ille: “Milō ōlim, cum iam senior per silvam sōlus iter faceret,
arborem cōnspexit, quae cuneīs[9] fissa erat. Quā animadversā, cum vellet
experīrī num vīrēs prīstinae adhūc integrae essent, digitīs in rīmam arboris
īnsertīs,[10] rōbur dīdūcere cōnātus est.
“Ac mediam quidem partem dīvellit. Cum autem manūs laxāsset[11]
(ratus sē iam perfēcisse,[12] quod cōnātus erat), arbor, quae duās in partēs
dīducta erat, subitō in locum rediit, manūsque hominis artē compressit.
“Rēs[13] iam in summum discrīmen est adducta; nam senis īnfēlīcis vīrēs
dēfēcerant, nec ūllō modō arborem iterum dīdūcere aut manūs suās revellere
potuit. Quārē, ā[14] ferīs ibi repertus, foedē[15] dīlaniātus est, cum nōn diūtius
sē dēfendere posset.”
“Ēheu!” inquit Cornēlia. “Omnēs, dē quibus audiō, exitūs miserōs
invenīre videntur.”
At iam Pūblius, quī modo conclāve intrāverat: “Quid est, soror mea,”
inquit, “quod nunc tibi molestum est?”
“Dē quōdam āthlētā clārō,” inquit Cornēlia, “fābulam audiēbāmus; quī
miser, iam senex factus, in silvīs ā ferīs occīsus est.”
“Ego quoque dē āthlētā quōdam aliquid nārrāre possum,” inquit Pūblius,
“nisi iam satis superque[16] dē eius generis hominibus audīvistis.”
“Perge porrō dīcere,” inquit Sextus. “Ego saltem audīre volō.”
Tum frāter: “Polydamās, āthlēta nōbilis, dīcitur ōlim tempestāte subitā in
spēluncam cum comitibus aliquot refugere esse coāctus. Sed brevī aquae
incursū[17] spēlunca ipsa labefactārī coepta est,[18] ac comitēs, ruīnam veritī,
celeriter forās sē prōiēcērunt.
“Ipse autem Polydamās intus sōlus restābat, umerīs validīs sē mōlem
quamvīs[19] magnam sustinēre posse ratus. Quae rēs eum multum fefellit;
nam onere hūmānō corpore[20] potentiōre[21] ēlīsus est.”
“Haec quoque trīstia sunt,” inquit Cornēlia. “Sed istīus hominis mē
minus miseret, quod in eō tanta erat stultitia.”
“Aliud est simile apud Tacitum,” inquit Pūblius; “etsī ibi dē mīlite, nōn
dē āthlētā agitur.”
“Hoc quoque,” inquit Sextus, “libenter audiēmus.”
Tum frāter: “Ōlim, cum imperātor Tiberius cum quibusdam comitibus in
spēluncā cibum caperet, subitō dēlāpsīs saxīs quīdam[22] ex servīs ēlīsī sunt.
“Convīvae cēterī, summā celeritāte ē spēluncā fūgērunt; Seiānus autem,
genū[23] et manibus super Tiberium suspēnsus,[24] saxīs incidentibus sē
opposuit,[25] atque tālī habitū repertus est ā mīlitibus, quī celeriter subsidiō
vēnērunt.”
“Ambōne[26] erant ēlīsī,” inquit Cornēlia, “cum ā mīlitibus repertī
essent?”
“Nūllō modō,” inquit Pūblius; “qūin etiam incolumēs ambō ē spēluncā
ēductī sunt. Sed posteā Seiānus contrā Tiberium coniūrātiōnem fēcit, cum
spērāret sē ipsum ā mīlitibus imperātōrem salūtātum īrī. Propter haec ā
senātū capitis[27] damnātus est.”
“Dēnuō exitum miserum!” inquit Cornēlia. “Vellem Seiānī facinus
sōlum[28] ēgregium audīssēmus.”
“Cum dē spēluncīs modo mentiōnem fēcerīmus,” inquit Pūblius,
“fābulamne umquam audīvistis dē pāstōre, quī ānulum aureum sub terrā
repperit?”
“Crēdō mē numquam audīvisse,” inquit Cornēlia. “Nārrā, sīs, dummodo
ēventus minus trīstis sit.”
Tum frāter: “Trādunt quendam Gȳgem, rēgiōrum pecorum pāstōrem, in
spēluncam imbribus factam dēscendisse, ibique invēnisse aēneum equum,
cuius in lateribus forēs essent. Quibus patefactīs, corpus hominis mortuī
intus inventum est ānulusque in digitō.
“Quō celeriter dētractō, Gȳgēs, ē spēluncā ēgressus, in pāstōrum
concilium[29] sē recēpit; ubi rēs nova, subitō oblāta,[30] eum admīrātiōne[31]
maximā dēfīxit. Nam, cum pālam ānulī ad palmam[32] suam converterat, ā
nūllō poterat cernī, ipse autem omnēs vidēbat; cum vērō eam in locum
inverterat,[33] rūrsus poterant omnēs eum cernere.
“Quārē, opportūnitāte ānulī ūsus, rēgīnam convēnit, cum eā
coniūrātiōnem contrā rēgem fēcit, occīditque omnēs, qūos cōnsiliīs suīs
officere putābat; neque in hīs facinoribus quisquam eum vidēre potuit. Quō
modō ānulī beneficiō[34] rēx ipse brevī factus est.”
“Heia!” inquit Sextus. “Quam vellem ego quoque ānulum similem
inveniīre possem!”
“Quid tum facerēs,” inquit Cornēlia, “sī habērēs?”
At ille: “Modo in dēversōriō servōs audīvī,” inquit, “cum inter sē
loquerentur[35] dē latrōnibus, quī dīcuntur omnibus in partibus Etrūriae
vagārī. Ānulum tālem sī habērem, nihil inde[36] timendum esset; nam
sīcubi[37] illī scelestī subitō in nōs impetum facerent, mediōs in eōs cum
gladiō inruerem, ubi, nūllō cernente, strāgem[38] ēderem maximam.”
“Prūdentiam[39] tuam laudō,” inquit Pūblius rīdēns. “Sed iam Stasimum
appropinquantem videō, et cēnae tempus crēdō adesse. Eāmus.” Quō audītō,
līberī libenter secūtī sunt.

[1]
potissimum: adv.; cf. VII, 50.
[2] Fīat, freely, very well.
[3]
digna, quae, etc., worth hearing.
[4] sē: pl.; obj. of part.
[5]
Olympiae: loc. The Olympic games continued until 394 . .
[6] quod, conj.
[7]
pariter, adv., equally, at an equal rate.
[8]
scienter, adv., skillfully.
[9] cuneus, -ī, m., wedge.
[10]
īnserō, -serere, -seruī, -sertus, tr., insert.
[11] laxō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., relax.
[12]
perfēcisse: sc. id.
[13] Rēs, situation.
[14]
ā, by (the beasts being thought of as agents).
[15] foedē, adv., horribly.
[16]
superque, and more (than enough).
[17]
incursus, -ūs, m., inrush.
[18] coepta est: pass. because of pass. infin.
[19]
quamvīs, adv., however; mod. of magnam.
[20] hūmānō corpore: abl. with comp.
[21]
potēns, -entis, adj., powerful. The weight was too great for human
strength.
[22] quīdam, some.
[23]
genū, -ūs, n., knee.
[24] suspēnsus, -a, -um, part., arched over.
[25]
oppōnō, -pōnere, -posuī, -positus, tr., oppose, set against.
[26] Ambōne: i.e., Ambō + -ne.
[27]
capitis: cf. X, 60.
[28]
sōlum: adv.
[29] concilium, -ī, n., meeting, gathering.
[30]
oblāta, freely, developing.
[31] admīrātiō, -ōnis, f., wonder.
[32]
palma, -ae, f., palm (of hand).
[33] invertō, -vertere, -vertī, -versus, tr., turn back.
[34]
beneficium, -ī, n., help.
[35] cum . . . loquerentur: i.e., loquentēs.
[36]
inde, from that source (i.e., the brigands).
[37]
sīcubi, if . . . anywhere.
[38] strāgēs, -is, f., slaughter.
[39]
prūdentia, -ae, f., caution.
OPPIDUM Ā VESUVIŌ OBRUTUM
CAPUT XXVIII

Posterō diē, cum iam omnia ad iter faciendum parāta essent, Drūsilla,
forās ēgrediēns, forte līmen pede offendit; quō cāsū paulum āfuit quīn in
caput praecipitārētur. Quae: “Ēheu!” inquit. “Ōmen quam īnfaustum!
Profectō dī nōs vetant hodiē iter facere.”
“Nōlī tam facile perturbārī,” inquit Cornēlius. “Haec omnia sunt fortuīta;
nec nōs decet religiōne[1] vānā terrērī. Audācter in rēdam ēscende.
Simulatque iter facere incipiēmus, tū nōn diūtius hoc memineris.”[2]
Tālī cohortātiōne inducta Drūsilla in rēdam ēscendit, etsī mēns eius
adhūc ōmine īnfaustō sollicita erat. Cornēlius autem, quō facilius uxōris
animum ā cūrīs tālibus āverteret, praetervolantēs aquilās quāsdam
dēmōnstrāns: “Aspice,” inquit, “ōmen pulcherrimum. Rōmānae avēs, quasi
ducēs viae, praeeunt; optimīs certē auspiciīs eās sequimur.”
“Nōnne memoriae trāditum est,” inquit Pūblius, “imperātōrem Vitellium
ōlim fortiter accēpisse ōmen etiam magis horrendum?”
“Rēctē quaeris,” inquit pater. “Nam eō ipsō diē, quō ā mīlitibus
imperātor salūtātus est, triclīnium flagrāvit. Cumque omnēs quasi ōmine
adversō ānxiī essent, ille sōlus hilaris: ‘Bonō,’ inquit, ‘animō estōte; nōbīs
adlūxit!’[3] Quibus verbīs ōmen in bonum vertit.
“Ac dē dictātōre Caesare aliquid eius generis scrīptum esse recordor.
Nam ille in Āfricam ōlim trānsvectus, cum ex nāve ēgressus ad lītus cymbā
pervēnisset, pede offēnsō, prōnus in harēnam prōlāpsus est.[4] Quō cāsū
comitēs perterritī sunt, at ille: ‘Aspice ōmen optimum,’ inquit; ‘Āfricam
oppressī!’ ”[5]
“Apud Suētōnium,” inquit Pūblius, “aliud memoriā dignum nūper
animadvertī. Cum enim Līvia Augusta vīllam suam Vēientānam ōlim
revīseret,[6] aquila praetervolāns in eius gremium dīcitur dēmīsisse gallīnam
albam,[7] quae rāmulum laurī rōstrō tenēret.
“Cumque nūtrīrī gallīnam rāmulumque pangī Līviae placuisset,[8] tanta
gallīnārum subolēs[9] prōvēnit, ut posteā ea vīlla ‘ad Gallīnās’[10] vocārētur,
tāle vērō laurētum,[11] ut inde rāmulōs Caesarēs triumphātūrī[12] dēcerperent.
“Quotiēnscumque arbor discerpta erat, altera[13] eōdem locō pangēbātur.
Et observātum est sub mortem cuiusque imperātōris arborem ab ipsō
īnstitūtam ēlanguisse.[14] Novissimō igitur Nerōnis[15] annō silva tōta
rādīcitus[16] exāruit,[17] omnēsque gallīnae illae periērunt; nam prōgeniēs[18]
Caesarum in Nerōne dēfēcit.”
Dum hīs et tālibus sē oblectant, Drūsilla cūrās suās paulum remīsit;
cumque iam ferē quīndecim[19] mīlia passuum fēcissent iter, līberī, quī male
ēsuriēbant, patrem ōrāvērunt, ut equōs cōnsistere iubēret, sub arboribus ut
cibum ederent, quem corbulīs sēcum portāvissent.
Potestāte factā, omnēs libenter ex rēdīs dēscendērunt ac mox per herbam
ōtiōsī dispositī sunt. Līberī, cibō cōnsūmptō, longius vagātī erant, qūo lātius
loca explōrārent, cum subitō Sextus maximō clāmōre ē silvā parvā ērūpit, ac
quantum[20] celeritāte potuit ad rēdās tendēbat.
“Periī!” inquit Drūsilla, perterrita exsiliēns. “Ubi est Cornēlia? Mē
miseram! Nesciō quid[21] malī puellae accidit? Haud falsō admonuī hunc
diem nōbīs īnfaustum fore! Ō mē miseram! Quō mē vertam?”[22]
Interim Cornēlius et Pūblius cum servīs obviam Sextō properāverant, ut
līberīs opitulārentur, sī quid[23] opus esset. At Sextus, cum patris complexū
receptus esset, prīmō prae metū nihil omnīnō ēnūntiāre potuit. Tum, singultū
vōcem[24] interpellante, dīxit duōs hominēs, quī subitō ex arborum umbrā
exsiluissent, Cornēliam arreptam in silvam dēnsiōrem sēcum abstulisse.
Quō audītō, omnēs sine morā in silvam sē praecipitāvērunt; ubi autem,
etsī longē et lātē quaerēbant, puellae vēstīgium reperīre potuērunt nūllum.
Quārē ad rēdās reversī inter sē breviter[25] cōnsuluērunt, quid iam optimum
factū esset.
Interim Drūsilla dolōre paene āmēns, veste discissā ultrō citrōque
cursitābat, sē suōsque omnēs vehementer incūsāns quod ōmine tam
manifestō nōn admonitī essent et deīs invītīs iter facere eō diē
persevērāssent.
Cui tandem Cornēlius: “Nōlī dēspērāre, uxor,” inquit. “Sine dubiō hī
hominēs latrōnēs sunt; sed pecūniā[26] tantum[27] opus est, quā fīlia redimātur.
Puellam ipsam laedere nōn volent.”
At iam subitō Pūblius: “Quid est hoc,” inquit, “quod videō? Nōnne
procul est mulier, quae aliquid nōbīs manū significāre cōnātur?” Quae cum
dīceret, digitō mōnstrābat saxum, in quō stābat mulier, quae modo dīversā ex
parte silvae ēgressa erat.
Photograph by C. E. Bennett
NĀRNIA

“Ita est, ut tū dīcis,” inquit Cornēlius. “Mulier manū aliquid tenēre


vidētur, quod nunc in saxō pōnit. Iam autem in silvam sē recēpit. Tū, Pūblī,
cum Onēsimō et Stasimō ad saxum properā, ut statim sciātur[28] quid sit id,
quod ibi ab eā relictum est.” Quō audītō, illī celeriter abiērunt.
In saxō inventa est charta, litterīs cruentīs īnscrīpta, quam Stasimus
effūsō cursū ad dominum rettulit. Chartā raptim perlēctā,[29] Cornēlius
ēnūntiāvit fīliam ā latrōnibus captam esse, quī spondērent[30] sē puellam
incolumem parentibus trāditūrōs, sī intrā diēs trēs pater inermis sine comite
ad saxum illud trīgintā sēstertia[31] adferret, quibus fīlia redimerētur; aliter
puellam gladiō occīsum īrī.[32]
Quae ubi cognita sunt, Drūsilla ululātū ācrī in terram cecidit, ibique
exanimāta iacēbat. Quam cum Anna cūrāret, Stasimō Cornēlius imperāvit ut
summā celeritāte contenderet ad oppidum Nārniam (quod iam haud procul
aberat), ut inde equōs citōs addūceret.
Tum, Drūsillā in rēdam sublātā, omnēs maestī ad oppidum profectī sunt.
Sed dīmidium viae vix cōnfectum erat, cum occurrit Stasimus equīs cum
recentibus.
Hōs ipsī et Onēsimō trādidit Cornēlius, cum mandātō ut Rōmam quam
celerrimē properārent, ut inde reportārent pecūniam, quā iam opus esset; nē
diem noctemve[33] intermitterent,[34] nēve[35] aut sibi aut equīs parcerent.
Servī libenter cursū incitātō abiērunt. Cornēlius autem cum cēterīs in
oppidum perrēxit, ubi nox sollicita et inquiēta exācta est.
Sed māne praeter opīniōnem[36] Onēsimus et Stasimus praestō fuērunt,
quī nūntiāvērunt sē in itinere obviōs factōs esse cuidam Tulliō, amīcō
Cornēlī, quī pecūniam grandem sēcum portāret, quīque mūtuum[37] dare
vellet quodcumque ad puellam līberandam opus[38] esset.
Quō audītō, omnēs gaudiō et spē suspēnsī, adventum Tullī cupidē
exspectābant. Quī, cum hōrā ferē quārtā pervēnisset, crumēnā[39] solūtā,
Cornēliō trigintā sēstertia in mēnsā numerāvit.[40]
Tum ille[41] cum Stasimō sōlō profectus, ut[42] ad locum pervēnit ubi
rēdae prīdiē cōnstiterant, ibi servum quoque relīquit et inermis ad saxum
cōnstitūtum prōgressus est.
Iam subitō ē silvā signum est audītum, latrōque ingēns ē latebris ad
saxum rēctā prōcessit. Quī cum vīdisset Cornēlium inermem pecūniam
attulisse, signum alterum dedit, ac mulier Cornēliam ē silvā prōdūxit.
Dum illa, gaudiō ēlāta, in complexum patris sē praecipitat, latrō, pecūniā
arreptā, in silvam cum muliere celeriter rediit; utque prīmum Cornēlius et
fīlia sē circumspexērunt, nēmō iam in cōnspectū erat.
Quō animadversō, Cornēlius: “Age, fīlia mea,” inquit; “adde gradum.
Stasimus cum equīs haud procul exspectat; ac brevī in gremiō eris mātris,
quae nunc in dēversōriō metū exanimāta iacet.”
Quae cum dīceret, Cornēliam ad equōs dūcēbat; quibus celeriter in
oppidum prōvectī, ab omnibus summō gaudiō acceptī sunt; ac māter et fīlia
in lacrimās effūsae, mūtuō complexū tenēbantur.

[1] religiōne, scruples.


[2]
memineris: the only future this verb can make.
[3]
adlūceō, -lūcēre, -lūxī, intr., shine forth; adlūxit, impers., light has
shone forth.
[4]
prōlābōr, -lābī, -lāpsus sum, intr., fall (forward).
[5] oppressī, punning, I have crushed.
[6]
revīsō, -ere, tr., go out to.
[7]
albus, -a, -um, adj., white; a lucky color with the Romans.
[8] placuisset: impers.
[9]
subolēs, -is, f., brood.
[10] ad Gallīnās: keep the Latin name.
[11]
laurētum, -ī, n., laurel grove.
[12] triumphō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr. and intr., celebrate a triumph.
[13]
altera, a second, i.e., another.
[14] ēlanguēscō, -languēscere, -languī, intr., wither away.
[15]
Nerōnis: i.e., of Nero’s reign.
[16]
rādīcitus, adv., from the roots.
[17] exārēscō, -ārēscere, -āruī, intr., dry up.
[18]
prōgeniēs, -ēī, f., line (of descent).
[19] quīndecim, indecl. num., fifteen.
[20]
quantum, etc.: cf. XVIII, 28.
[21] Nesciō quid, Something or other; the phrase is subj. of accidit.
[22]
vertam: subjv.
[23] quid: adv. acc.
[24]
vōcem: obj. of verb of abl. absol.
[25]
breviter, adv., briefly.
[26] pecūniā: abl. with opus est.
[27]
tantum: adv.
[28] sciātur: impers.
[29]
perlegō, -legere, -lēgī, -lēctus, tr., read (through).
[30]
spondeō, spondēre, spospondī, spōnsus, tr., agree, promise.
[31]
trīgintā sēstertia: about $1200. See Vocab., and note on XIII,
122.
[32]
occīsum īrī: cf. arcessītum īrī, XX, 32.
[33] nē . . . intermitterent: prohibition in ind. disc.
[34]
-ve, conj., or.
[35] nēve: i.e., ei + nē.
[36]
praeter opīniōnem, contrary to expectation.
[37]
mūtuum, as a loan; neut. acc.
[38] opus: here indecl. adj., needful.
[39]
crumēna, -ae, f., money-bag.
[40] numerō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., count out.
[41]
ille: i.e., Cornelius.
[42] ut: temporal.
CAPUT XXIX

Māne viātōrēs, cum grātiās maximās Tulliō ēgissent, Nūceriam versus


profectī sunt; quō pervēnērunt, cum iam nūbēs nigrae in caelō cōgerentur.
Paulō post imber est cōnsecūtus.
Haec nox haud sine trepidātiōne perācta est. Nam cum omnēs, dē itinere
fessī mātūrē cubitum discessissent, subitō mediā nocte vōx audīta est
Cornēliae, quae perterrita opem implōrābat.
Quō clāmōre audītō, Drūsilla, ē somnō excussa, lūmine accēnsō ad fīliae
lectum quam celerrimē perrēxit. Ibi in lacrimās effūsa et terrōre paene
exanimāta sedēbat Cornēlia; cui māter: “Quid factum est, fīliola mea?”
inquit, cum puellam trepidantem complexū suō reciperet.
“Ō māter, māter!” inquit Cornēlia. “Mihi vīsa sum iterum in silvā errāre.
Et ē spēluncā subitō ērūpit gigās immānis, quī vōce horrendā clāmāvit: ‘Ubi
est puella mea?’ Tum ego trepidāns: ‘Quae est puella tua?’ inquam. At ille,
mē digitō ingentī dēmōnstrāns: ‘Tū, tū,’ inquit. Quō audītō, clāmōrem
sustulī maximum, ac tū statim cum lūmine ad mē vēnistī.”
Vix ea dicta erant, cum repente forīs audīta est vōx dīcentis: ‘Tū, tū,’ ac
Cornēlia cōnsternāta mātrem artē amplexa est.
Illa autem rīdens: “Quid, fīlia mea? Nōnne tū umquam noctuam
audīvistī? Accēde hūc ad fenestram. Nūbēs iam discessērunt, et nox clāra et
serēna est.”
Cum Cornēlia ē fenestrā stellās aspiceret, iterum ex arbore propinquā
audīta est vōx noctuae: ‘Tū, tū.’ Tum puella quoque adrīsit. Quīn etiam vānī
terrōris eam iam pudēbat; quārē rūrsus quiētī sē dedit, nec quidquam ultrā
trepidātiōnis hāc nocte fuit.
At posterō diē aliquid morae erat, quod, cum hōra profectiōnis adesset,
Stasimus nusquam reperīrī potuit. Dum autem Cornēlius vehementer
commōtus neque vōcī[1] neque īrae parcit, accessit caupōnis servus, quī dīxit
Stasimum multō māne ad quendam fundum vīcīnum abiisse, sī forte ibi ōva
recentia reperīret.
“Celeritāte,[2] nōn ōvīs, nunc opus est,” inquit Cornēlius adhūc īrā
incēnsus; “et iūre istī scelestō accidat,[3] sī sine eō hinc proficīscāmur. Ī,
Onēsime, trēs equōs quaere, ut temporis minimum[4] āmittātur.”
Equīs adductīs, Pūblius et Onēsimus celeriter ēscendērunt atque ad
fundum profectī sunt, cum equum tertium habēnīs dūceret Onēsimus, ut
Stasimus quoque vehī[5] posset, cum ad dēversōrium redīrent.
Ubi ad fundum appropinquāvērunt, in mūrō magnīs litterīs īnscrīptus hic
titulus appārēbat: CAVĒ CANEM; ac ultrā mūrum audiēbātur canis lātrātus
et vōcēs hominum altercantium.
“Crēdō Stasimum, ut solet, in aliquod perīculum incidisse,” inquit
Pūblius. Quae cum dīxisset, equō dīmissō,[6] in saxum ēscendit, unde
aspicere poterat quae ultrā mūrum fierent.
Tum vidēbat Stasimum, quī temere mūrum trānsiluerat, ā cane in
arborem refugere coāctum esse. Ibi in rāmō sedēns, ille servus vafer
lūdificābat agricolam īrātum, quī furcā armātus īnfrā stābat. Interim canis
frūstrā in arborem saltū cōnābātur ēscendere, cum loca longē et lātē lātrātū
resonārent.
“Dēscende īlicō,” inquit agricola, “aut tē, ut[7] fūrem manifestum, furcā
trānsfīgam.”
“Surdus[8] sum,” inquit Stasimus, ad aurem manū admōtā. “Maius[9]
clāmā, sī vīs.”
Tum maximā vōce agricola: “Dēscende, mastīgia, priusquam tē hāc
furcā trānsfīgam.”
“Tantum strepitum facit canis,” inquit Stasimus, “ut nihil plānē audīre
possim. Dīxistīne tē mihi aliquid datūrum?”
“Ita vērō,” inquit agricola, īrā ēlātus. “Malum[10] maximum tibi dabō,
furcifer, sī umquam manūs tibi iniciam.”
At Stasimus, quasi audīre attentē cōnārētur: “Mālae[11] meae rēctē sē
habent,” inquit, “sed aurēs mūnere suō fungī nōlunt.”
“Haec furca mūnere suō fungētur,” inquit agricola, “nisi tū īlicō in
terram tē dēmittēs. Dēscendis an nōn dēscendis?”
“Nunc quidem,” inquit Stasimus, “nōn dēscendō;[12] nam in rāmō sedeō.”
Quō audītō, agricola furibundus[13] in arborem furcam prōicere parābat,
cum Pūblius ē saxō vōcem ēmittēns:[14] “Heus tū,” inquit. “Quid, obsecrō,
factum est? Servum nostrum Stasimum ego quaerō. Sī eum in hīs locīs
vagantem vīdistī, ostende, sīs.”
Cui agricola: “Quisquis[15] es, adulēscēns, hominī negōtiōsō molestiam[16]
exhibēs. Nam fūrem manifestum canis in hanc arborem refugere coēgit, cui
nūllō modō persuādēre potuī ut inde dēscenderet.”
“Id minimē mirandum est,” inquit Pūblius rīdēns, “cum[17] canis saevus
arborem custōdiat et tū hominem dēscendentem[18] furcā accipere parātus sīs.
Sed suspicor hunc esse servum, quem quaerō. Māne ille ē dēversōriō ōva
ēmptum profectus est; at nunc, ut vidētur, mōre suō turbās hīc impudenter[19]
concitat.”
“Quis sit, plānē nesciō,” inquit agricola dentibus frendēns.[20] “Sed prō
impudentiā suā certō sciō eum hodiē mihi poenās maximās datūrum.”
“Ōhē, senex,” inquit Pūblius; “nōlī saevīre. Sine hominem impūne
dēscendere, ac tibi hoc accipe.” Quō dictō, aureum prōiēcit, quī in terram
ante pedēs agricolae cecidit; cuius īra, aureō vīsō, paulātim resīdere coepit.
“Celeritāte nunc opus est,” inquit Pūblius. “Iam diū in oppidō
exspectāmur. Canem revocā, senex.”
Tum ille, aureō sublātō, canem vinculō redūcere coepit; Stasimus autem
celeriter ex arbore dēsiluit, et cursū effūsō mūrum petīvit.
Canis, cum hostem fugientem vīdisset, summā vī adnīsus[21] vinculum
rūpit, et Stasimum, quantum celeritāte poterat, secūtus est. Ille vix in mūrum
ēscendēbat, cum canis saltū sē prōiciēns vestem eius dentibus apprehendit[22]
pannumque[23] inde dēripuit longum.
Pūblius et agricola, cum Stasimum vīdissent in mūrō stantem, dum
vestem discissam trīstis aspicit, in cachinnōs maximōs effūsī sunt. Ille autem
ex mūrō dēsiluit, arreptōque lapide iterum celeriter ascendit.
Quō animadversō, canis dēnuō in mūrum impetum fēcit; sed inde ācriter
ululāns[24] refūgit, cum Stasimus lapidem summā vī in eius caput impēgisset.
Quā iniūriā incēnsus, agricola cum furcā subsidiō[25] canī prōcurrit.[26]
Cēterī autem celeriter in equōs ēscendērunt, atque incitātō cursū ad oppidum
revectī[27] sunt.
Quōs cum vīdisset, Cornēlius: “Quid tibi vīs,[28] Stasime?” inquit.
“Propter tē duārum hōrārum iactūram iam fēcimus. Sīcubi nōs posthāc ita
dēserēs, tē nōn exspectābimus. Etiam nunc vix contineor quōminus tē, ut
merēris, ulcīscar.”
“Veniam dā, ere, obsecrō,” inquit Stasimus. “Putāvī ōva recentia ē fundō
līberīs grāta fore, nec dubitāvī quīn multō ante tempus profectiōnis ego
redīre possem.”
“Cūr igitur nōn temperī[29] redīstī?” inquit Cornēlius.
At ille: “Dum ōva quaerō, dē viā errāvī. Tum mihi obviam vēnit sīmius
mōrōsus, quī in rāmō arboris mē sedēre coēgit, cum interim canis saevus
circumsilīret.”[30]
Quō audītō, Cornēlius quamvīs[31] invītus rīsit omnēsque in rēdās iussit
sine morā ēscendere. Cuius dictō[32] viātōrēs libenter pāruērunt ac brevī ex
oppidō equīs volentibus vectī sunt.

[1] neque vōcī, etc.: i.e., he stormed about angrily.


[2]
Celeritāte: cf. pecūniā, XXVIII, 74.
[3] accidat: impers.
[4]
minimum, as little as possible.
[5]
vehī, ride.
[6] equō dīmissō: i.e., leaving his horse.
[7]
ut, as (being).
[8] surdus, -a, -um, adj., deaf.
[9]
Maius, louder; cognate acc.
[10] Malum: i.e., a beating.
[11]
Mālae, punning on Malum, line 63.
[12] nōn dēscendō: punning on the tense.
[13]
furibundus, -a, -um, adj., crazed with anger.
[14]
ēmittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus, tr., send forth; vōcem ēmittere,
shout.
[15]
quisquis, quicquid, indef. rel. pron., whoever, whatever.
[16] molestia, -ae, f., annoyance.
[17]
cum, in view of the fact that.
[18] dēscendentem: the part. approximates the force of a cond. clause.
[19]
impudenter, adv., shamelessly.
[20]
frendēns, -entis, part., grinding.
[21] adnītor, -nītī, -nīsus or nīxus, intr., struggle.
[22]
apprehendō, -prehendere, -prehendī, -prehēnsus, tr., catch.
[23] pannus, -ī, m., strip.
[24]
ululāns, -antis, part., yelping.
[25] subsidiō: dat.
[26]
prōcurrō, -currere, -currī and -cucurrī, -cursum, intr., run
forward.
[27] revehō, -vehere, -vexī, -vectus, tr.; pass., ride back.
[28]
Quid tibi vīs? freely, What do you mean?
[29] temperī, adv., in time.
[30]
circumsiliō, -īre, intr., dance about.
[31] quamvīs: with invītus.
[32]
dictum,-ī, n., order.
ŌSTIUM TIBERIS
CAPUT XXX

Postquam aliquamdiū tacitī provectī sunt, patri Pūblius: “Ubi hanc


noctem āctūrī sumus?” inquit.
“Vereor nē necesse sit aliquam in vīllam hāc nocte dēvertere,” inquit
Cornēlius. “Nam in hīs regiōnibus, quō tendimus, nūlla sunt oppida magna.”
“Putāvī nōs fortasse Sentīnī[1] morātūrōs,” inquit Pūblius.
“Hoc oppidum ā viā nimis longē abest,” inquit pater, “et celeritātī
studeō.”
“Ecquid[2] clārum Sentīnī umquam factum est?” inquit Sextus.
“Maximē vērō,” inquit pater. “Sed dē proeliō ōlim ibi commissō fortasse
Pūblius quaedam nārrāre potest.”
Quibus verbīs inductus, Pūblius haud invītus: “Abhinc annōs amplius
quadringentōs,”[3] inquit, “Rōmānī ad Sentīnum ācerrimē cum Samnītibus et
Gallīs pugnāvērunt.
“Cōnsul ūnus, cum Samnītibus congressus, prīmō satis habēbat[4] sē ab
hostibus dēfendere, ratus sī proelium diūtius extractum esset, fore ut hostium
sīc minuerētur impetus, Rōmānīs autem vīrēs paene integrae servārentur.
“Alterō autem in cornū P. Decius Mūs, quī contrā Gallōs cōnstiterat, quia
lentius[5] vidēbātur pedestre[6] certāmen, equitēs vehementer in pugnam
concitāvit. Quōs autem, cum in cōnfertissimōs Gallōs impetum fēcissent,
novum genus pugnae perterruit.
“Iam enim advēnerant hostēs recentēs, essedīs[7] carrīsque[8] superstantēs,
[9]
quī ingentī sonitū rotārum cōnsternābant equōs, quibus tālis tumultus
īnsolitus erat. Quae rēs Rōmānīs[10] victōriam paene explōrātam in fugam
vertit.
“Decius, cum frūstrā suīs cēdentibus resistere cōnātus esset: ‘Quid[11]
ultrā moror,’[12] inquit, ‘mortem fātō dēbitam? Nostrae enim gentī datum est,
[13]
ut dēpellendīs cīvitātis perīculīs[14] piāculō[15] sīmus. Qūarē ego, ut
anteā[16] pater, nunc et mē ipsum et hostium legiōnēs dīs īnferīs dabō.’[17]
“Haec locūtus, M. Līvium, pontificem, quem abīre ā sē vetuerat,
praeīre[18] iussit verba, quibus sē legiōnēsque hostium prō exercitū populī
Rōmānī dēvovēret. Quō rīte factō, quā cōnfertissima cernēbātur Gallōrum
aciēs, eā[19] concitāvit equum, īnfestīsque tēlīs sē īnferēns statim occīsus est.”
“Heu!” inquit Cornēlia. “Quā rē fit, obsecrō, ut fortissimī et optimī
omnēs[20] exitūs tam miserōs inveniant?”
“Deciō quidem,” inquit pater, “illa mors prō patriā oppetītā pulcherrima
vidēbātur; et populō Rōmānō certē multum[21] prōfuit.[22] Nam mīlitibus
perterritīs iam rediit animus, et eō diē victōria clāra ā nostrīs parta est.”
“Quō modō animus mīlitibus redīre potuit,” inquit Cornēlia, “cum dux
ab hostibus occīsus esset?”
At pater: “Pontificī Līviō līctōrēs[23] Decius trādiderat, eumque iusserat
imperium suum recipere; quī, cum cōnsulem occīsum vīdisset, statim
clāmāre coepit Rōmānōs vīcisse, quod dux mortuus ad īnferōs sēcum
dēvōtam hostium aciem vocāret, et iam apud Gallōs omnia terrōris plēna
esse.
“Eōdem ferē tempore opportūnē subvēnērunt mīlitēs recentēs, quōs
cōnsul alter, Samnītibus fugātīs, collēgae[24] auxiliō mīserat. Itaque Gallī, etsī
exstrūctīs ante sē scūtīs[25] cōnfertī stābant, impetum Rōmānōrum sustinēre
nōn potuērunt. Multī, ubi cōnstiterant, ibīdem cecidērunt, aliī ā tergō
circumventī et trucīdātī sunt.”
“Haec mē admonent,” inquit Pūblius, “dē aliō facinore ēgregiō, quod ā
scrīptōre Līviō memoriae trāditum est.”
“Quid factum est, obsecrō?” inquit Sextus. “Eōdemne modō posteā cīvis
alius prō victōriā Rōmānōrum tēlīs hostium sē obiēcit?”
“Pater eiusdem Decī sē similiter[26] prō patriā dēvōvit,” inquit frāter; “sed
aliud erat, dē quō cōgitābam:
“Ōlim Rōmae, aut mōtū terrae aut aliquā vī aliā hiātus immēnsae
altitūdinis[27] subitō in forō factus est, quī congestiōne[28] terrae quamvīs
adsiduā nūllō modō complērī potuit.
“Vātēs canēbant[29] id, quod optimum[30] Rōmānī habērent, eī locō
dēdicandum esse, sī rem pūblicam perpetuam[31] esse vellent. Quārē diū
quaesitum est quid esset illud optimum.
“Tum ferunt M. Curtium, iuvenem bellō ēgregium, cīvēs suōs castīgāsse,
quod dubitārent an ūllum Rōmānīs bonum maius esset quam arma et virtūs.
“Deinde, ubi silentium factum est, templa deōrum immortālium[32]
Capitōliumque intuēns,[33] et manūs nunc in caelum nunc in patentem[34]
terrae hiātum porrigēns, ille sē dēvōvit; tum, equō quam poterat maximē
ōrnātō īnsidēns,[35] armātus sē in hiātum immīsit.
Photograph by R. S. Rogers
QUŌ MODŌ RŌMĀNĪ AQUAM IN URBĒS DŪCĒBANT

“Dōna et frūgēs[36] super eum ā multitūdine virōrum et mulierum


congesta[37] sunt; et locus ‘lacus Curtius’ appellātus est, quod ille vītam suam
ibi prō perpetuitāte[38] reī pūblicae largītus erat.”[39]
“Mihi quidem,” inquit Cornēlius, “ille vir vidētur etiam tālī ēlogiō[40]
dignus, quāle Simōnidēs scrīpsit in[41] Lacedaemoniōs, quī Thermopylīs[42]
cecidērunt:

“ ‘Dīc, hospes, Spartae,[43] nōs tē hīc vīdisse iacentīs,


Dum sānctīs patriae lēgibus obsequimur.’ ”[44]

“Haec omnia ēgregia et maximē laudanda sunt,” inquit Cornēlia; “sed


exitūs habent, quī maestitiam maximam mihi iniciant. Nōnne tū vīs, pater,
aliquid iūcundius nārrāre?”
“Ita vērō,” inquit ille. “Expōnam, sī vīs, quō modō Caesar dictātor
inopiam aquae sublevāverit, cum Alexandrēae[45] ab hostibus obsidērētur:
“Urbs illa est ferē tōta suffossa,[46] specūsque[47] ad flūmen Nīlum
pertinentēs[48] habet, quibus aqua in prīvātās domōs indūcitur; ubi paulātim
liquēscit[49] ac subsīdit.[50] Nam cum prīmō ē Nīlō īnfluit, adeō est līmōsa[51]
et turbida, ut multīs variīsque morbīs eōs adficiat, quī statim bibunt.
“Aquā ex hīs specibus extractā Caesar quoque aliquamdiū ūtēbātur. Tum
hostēs, ratī fore ut Rōmānī sē dēdere cōgerentur, sī aquātiōne[52] prohibitī
essent, magnum et difficile opus aggressī sunt.
“Nam rotīs et māchinīs maximam vim aquae ex marī exhausērunt, quam
in loca ā Caesare occupāta fundere nōn intermittēbant. Quō modō aqua, quae
ē specibus ā Rōmānīs trahēbātur, in diēs[53] salsior fīēbat, adeō[54] ut postrēmō
bibī omnīnō nōn posset.
“Tum nostrī ad summam dēspērātiōnem pervēnērunt; Caesar autem
eōrum timōrem cohortātiōne et ratiōne minuit. Nam docuit, puteīs fossīs,
aquam dulcem reperīrī posse, quia lītora omnia nātūrā[55] aquae dulcis vēnās
habērent; sīn autem hōc modō aquārī nōn possent, aditum[56] ad mare patēre,
et cotīdiē nāvibus sē aquam petītūrum.
“Tālī ōrātiōne cōnfirmātīs suīs, centuriōnibus negōtium dedit ut, reliquīs
operibus intermissīs, ad fodiendōs puteōs animum cōnferrent. Quō susceptō
negōtiō atque omnium animīs ad labōrem incitātīs, ūnā nocte inventa est
magna vīs aquae dulcis, nec posteā similī inopiā labōrātum est.”[57]
“Optimē!” inquit Cornēlia. “Vellem fābulae omnēs exitūs tam iūcundōs
habērent.”
Dum haec fīunt, rēdae celeriter prōvehēbantur; ac vesperāscente[58] iam
diē viātōrēs ad quandam vīllam hospitiō acceptī sunt.
[1]
Sentīnī: loc. of Sentīnum.
[2] Ecquid, pron., interrog. and indef., Did anything . . . ?
[3]
quadringentī, -ae, -a, num. adj., four hundred.
[4] satis habēbat, was satisfied.
[5]
lentus, -a, -um, adj., slow; for comp., cf. note on longius, XI, 15.
[6] pedester, -tris, -tre, adj., infantry.
[7]
essedum, -ī, n., chariot.
[8] carrus, -ī, m., truck.
[9]
superstāns, -antis, part., erect (upon).
[10]
Rōmānīs: dat. of disadvantage.
[11] Quid, Why.
[12]
moror: here trans., keep waiting, put off.
[13] datum est, it has been assigned.
[14]
dēpellendīs . . . perīculīs: dat. of purp.
[15] piāculum, -ī, n., sacrifice; dat. of service in text.
[16]
anteā: sc. fēcit.
[17] dabō, I will doom.
[18]
praeīre, dictate.
[19]
quā . . . eā, advs., where . . . there.
[20] omnēs: mod. of optimī.
[21]
multum, adv.
[22] prōsum, prōdesse, prōfuī, intr., profit.
[23]
līctor, -ōris, m., lictor. The lictors represented his authority as
commander.
[24]
collēgae: dat.
[25]
scūtum, -ī, n., shield.
[26] similiter, adv., in like manner.
[27]
altitūdō, -inis, f., depth.
[28] congestiō, -ōnis, f., accumulation.
[29]
canēbant, predicted.
[30] id . . . optimum, the best thing which. Cf. XVI, 85.
[31]
perpetuus, -a, -um, adj., everlasting.
[32] immortālis, -e, adj., immortal.
[33]
intueor, -tuērī, -tuitus sum, tr., turn (one’s) glance on.
[34]
patentem: as adj., yawning.
[35] īnsidēns, -entis, part., sitting astride.
[36]
frūx, frūgis, f., fruit of the earth.
[37] congesta: neut.; ref. to things.
[38]
perpetuitās, -ātis, f., continuance, immortality.
[39] largior, -īrī, -ītus sum, tr., sacrifice.
[40]
ēlogium, -ī, n., epitaph.
[41] in, for.
[42]
Thermopylīs: loc. of Thermopylae.
[43]
Spartae: loc.
[44]obsequor, -sequī, -secūtus sum, intr., be obedient; trans. phrase,
‘in obedience to,’ etc.
[45] Alexandrēae: loc.
[46]
suffosus, -a, -um, part., undermined.
[47] specūs: acc. pl.
[48]
ad . . . pertinentēs: i.e., connected (by a main channel) with the
river.
[49] liquēscō, liquēscere, licuī, intr., become clear.
[50]
subsīdō, -sīdere, -sēdī, -sessum, intr., settle.
[51] līmōsus, -a, -um, adj., muddy.
[52]
aquātiō, -ōnis, f., water-supply.
[53] in diēs, daily.
[54]
adeō, so much so.
[55] nātūrā, by (a law of) nature.
[56]
aditus, -ūs, m., approach.
[57] labōrātum est: impera.; trans., ‘did they suffer.’
[58]
vesperāscō, -ere, -āvī, intr., incline toward evening.
CAPUT XXXI

Cibō et somnō refectī māne abiērunt, ac quārtā ferē hōrā ad flūmen


Metaurum pervēnērunt. Quod cum ponte trānsīrent, Cornēlius: “Ad hoc
flūmen,” inquit, “commissum est proelium, quod spēs omnēs Hannibalis
funditus[1] ēvertit.”
“Ipsene aderat,” inquit Sextus, “cum hīc pugnātum est?”
“Immō longē aberat,” inquit pater, “ac Rōmānī hōc locō congressi sunt
cum eius frātre, Hasdrubale, quī ex Hispāniā cum exercitū subsidiō
properābat.”
“Minus igitur mīrandum est,” inquit Sextus, “sī Poenī victī sunt. Nam
Hannibal, cum ipse cōram[2] adesset, perrārō superātus esse vidētur. Sed dē
hōc proeliō plūra libenter audiāmus. Ā prīncipiō exōrdīre,[3] sī vīs.”
Tum pater: “Hannibal haud procul ā Venusiā trahēbat bellum, spērāns
brevī adfore frātrem; quārē nōndum volēbat dēcertāre cum cōnsule C.
Claudiō Nerōne, quī haud longē castra posuerat.
“Cum alter cōnsul, M. Līvius, adventum Hasdrubalis exspectāret hīs in
regiōnibus, per quās nunc iter facimus, forte equitēs hostium, quī litterās ad
Hannibalem dēferēbant, ā Rōmānīs sunt interceptī[4] et ad Nerōnem adductī.
“Cōnsiliō Poenōrum ex hīs cognitō, Nerō, relictō Q. Catiō lēgātō, quī
castrīs[5] praeesset, ipse magnīs itineribus ad collēgam Līvium contendit.
Tum, coniūnctīs cōpiīs, cōnsulēs Hasdrubalem sē recipere cōnantem
cōnsecūtī sunt atque inīquō locō proelium committere coēgērunt.
“Cum diū atque ācriter dīmicātum esset, Nerō ē dextro cornū (ubi
sēgnius[6] pugnābātur) cohortēs aliquot dētrāxit, quās post aciem
circumductās[7] subitō in dextrum hostium latus immīsit. Tum omnibus ex
partibus, ā fronte, ā latere, ā tergō, hostēs trucīdātī sunt.
“Elephantī[8] vērō ā suīs rēctōribus plūrēs quam ā Rōmānīs sunt
interfectī. Nam rēctōrēs scalprum[9] cum malleō[10] habēbant. Id, cum saevīre
bēstiae ac ruere in suōs coeperant, rēctor inter aurēs positum,[11] in articulō[12]
quō coniungitur capitī cervīx, quam maximā poterat vī adigēbat.[13] Quō
vulnere elephantī statim concidērunt.
“Interim Hasdrubal officiō bonī imperātōris fungēbātur. Ille pugnantēs
hortandō sustinuit, ille fessōs nunc precandō nunc castīgandō accendit, ille
fugientēs revocāvit omissamque[14] pugnam aliquot locīs restituit.
“Postrēmō, cum haud dubia victōria Rōmānōrum esset, nē superstes
esset exercituī tantō, in hostēs concitātō equō sē immīsit. Ibi, ut patre
Hamilcare et Hannibale frātre dignum erat,[15] pugnāns cecidit.”
“Dēnuō quaerō,” inquit Cornēlia, “cūr optimī et fortissimī semper exitūs
tam miserōs inveniant.”
“Eratne autem Hasdrubal vir vērē optimus?” inquit Sextus. “Semper
audīvī Poenōs paene omnēs perfidōs et impiōs fuisse.”
“Sīc memoriae trāditum est,” inquit pater. “Quīn etiam hodiē quoque
‘Pūnica fidēs’ prō ‘perfidia’ saepe dīcitur.[16] Sed maiōrēs nostrī, virī reī
pūblicae[17] amantissimī, gloriam cīvitātis sē auctūrōs[18] fortasse putābant, sī
hostēs quam maximē īnfāmēs fēcissent.
“Quārē operae pretium est[19] animadvertere scrīptōris Līvī verba
repugnantia; quī, etsī inhūmānam crūdēlitātem in Hannibale fuisse dīcit,
commemorat tamen post proelium ad lacum Trasumēnum commissum
Poenum fūneris causā corpus Flāminī cōnsulis magnā dīligentiā quaesīvisse;
quod[20] nōn fēcisset profectō, sī mōnstrum hominis fuisset.”
“Quid agēbat Hannibal,” inquit Sextus, “dum fortūna ita frātrem
dēserit?”
“Castrīs[21] sē tenēbat,” inquit pater, “nec suspicātus est quantum malī
suis rēbus accidisset, priusquam Nerō victor rediit. Tum caput Hasdrubalis,
quod cōnsul magnā cūrā servātum attulerat, ante statiōnēs hostium
prōiectum est. Quō signō Hannibal cognōvit sē omnia perdidisse.”
“Vāh!” inquit Cornēlia horrēscēns; “mihi quidem in cōnsule Rōmānō
inhūmāna crūdēlitās fuisse vidētur.”
“Dē dēspērātiōne Hannibalis,” inquit Pūblius, “cum cognōvisset frātrem
occīsum esse, dīcit poēta Horātius; cuius verba, sī poterō, memoriā referam:

“ ‘Carthāginī[22] iam nōn ego nūntiōs


Mittam superbōs. Occidit, occidit
Spēs omnis et fortūna nostrī
Nōminis, Hasdrubale interēmptō.’ ”[23]

“Bellumne tōtum ita ad fīnem adductum est?” inquit Sextus.


“Nūllō modō,” inquit pater. “Sed Hannibal in extrēmās Ītaliae partēs sē
recipere coāctus, postrēmō in Āfricam revocātus est, ut patriam dēfenderet.
Rōmānī enim iam eō cōpiās trānsvexerant.”
Cum haec dicta essent, ad locum amoenum perventum est, ubi viātōrēs
ex rēdīs dēscendērunt, ac, per herbam dispositī, cēpērunt cibum, cum interim
equī in umbrā reficiēbantur. Tum iterum profectī hōrā nōnā Fānum Fortūnae
pervēnērunt, quō in oppidō hanc[24] noctem agere cōnstituerant.
Mox līberī, quī cupidē cēnae tempus exspectābant, ad Annam
accessērunt, quae Lūcium humī lūdentem servābat;[25] et Cornēlia: “Adeō
ēsurīmus,” inquit, “ut quō modō tempus terātur excōgitāre nōn possīmus.
Nōnne tū nōs adiuvāre potes?”
Tum illa: “Meministisne,” inquit, “mē quondam vōbīs multa nārrāre
quōdam dē Moyse, quī gentem meam servitūte līberāvit et ex Aegyptō
ēdūxit in fīnēs maiōribus nostrīs ā deō dēstinātōs?”
“Haec omnia memoriā tenēmus,” inquit Sextus. “Perge porrō dīcere.”
“Eō tempore,” inquit Anna, “quō Moysēs nātus est, rēx eārum regiōnum
ēdictum prōposuerat ut[26] puerī īnfantēs gentis nostrae occīderentur omnēs.
Nam in diēs[27] crēscēbat multitūdō, ac metuēbat rēx nē quandō populus,
quem servitūte premēbat, sēditiōnem commovēret et summā rērum[28]
potīrētur.
“Moysem autem īnfantem māter domī trēs mēnsēs occultāvit. Tum alveō
factō imposuit puerum, atque inter harundinēs prope flūminis rīpam
abscondit. Interim soror puerī haud procul ēventum exspectābat.
“Paulō post ad lavandum rēgis fīlia flūmen adiit; dumque ancillae in rīpā
vagantur, alveum animadvertit. Quō apertō, rēgia virgō, cum īnfantem
flentem vīdisset, misericordiā mōta: ‘Hic est,’ inquit, ‘ūnus dē īnfantibus
prōscrīptīs.’[29]
“Tum subitō soror praestō:[30] ‘Vīsne mē vocāre mulierem,’ inquit, ‘quae
īnfantem nūtrīre possit?’ ‘Ī, eam arcesse,’ inquit illa. Puella igitur laeta abiit,
suamque statim mātrem vocāvit.
“Hōc modō Moysēs servātus est; quem, cum iam iuvenis esset, fīlia rēgis
in locum fīlī adoptāvit.”
“Haec est fābula lepidissima,” inquit Cornēlia.
At Sextus: “Tuīs verbīs,” inquit, “dē cāsū[31] Rōmulī et Remī admoneor,
quī quoque in alveō[32] expositī sunt. Sed mīror quam mox edāmus.” Tum
post sē respiciēns: “Nōnne Onēsimum iam appropinquantem videō? Is certē
est. Eāmus.” Quō dictō, celeriter līberī abiērunt.
[1]
funditus, adv., utterly.
[2] cōram, adv., in person.
[3]
exōrdīre: imper.
[4] intercipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus, tr., intercept.
[5]
castrīs: dat.
[6] sēgniter, adv., with little spirit.
[7]
circumdūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus, tr., lead around.
[8]
Elephantī: trans. nom. as if partit. gen.
[9] scalprum, -ī, n., chisel.
[10]
malleus, -ī, m., hammer.
[11] positum: modifier of Id, line 33.
[12]
articulus, -ī, m., joint.
[13] adigō, -igere, -ēgī, -āctus, tr., drive home.
[14]
omissam, given up, discontinued.
[15] ut . . . dignum erat, freely, as accorded (with).
[16]
dīcitur, is used.
[17]
reī pūblicae: obj. gen.
[18] augeō, augēre, auxī, auctus, tr., increase.
[19]
operae pretium est, it is worth while.
[20] quod, (a thing) which.
[21]
Castrīs: abl.
[22] Carthāginī: poetic use of dat. for acc.
[23]
interimō, -imere, -ēmī, -ēmptus, tr., cut off.
[24] hanc, that.
[25]
servābat, was watching.
[26] ut, (to the effect) that.
[27]
in diēs: diff. from cotīdiē; action progressive (crēscō).
[28] summa, -ae, f.; summa rērum, control of affairs.
[29]
prōscrīptus, -a, -um, part., proscribed, condemned to die.
[30] praestō, freely, stepping up.
[31]
cāsū, experience.
[32] in alveō, etc.: the wolf episode.

Photograph by C. E. Bennett
LOCA PROPE VĪLLAM POĒTAE HORĀTĪ FLACCĪ
CAPUT XXXII

Posterō diē via dūcēbat secundum[1] lītus maris Hadriāticī, ubi ventī
recentēs vim equīs incutiēbant,[2] ac Cornēlius: “Omnia prōsperē cēdere
videntur, et spērō nōs hodiē Arīminum usque prōgredī posse.”
Hōc audītō, Pūblius: “Mihi recordārī videor,” inquit, “flūmen
Rubicōnem haud procul ab Arīminō in mare īnfluere.”
“Quīn etiam,” inquit pater, “ōstium flūminis quīnque ferē mīlia passuum
ab oppidō abest.”
“Cūr tam multa dē flūmine Rubicōne?” inquit Sextus. “Ecquid[3]
memoriā dignum ibi factum est?”
“Dignissimum vērō,” inquit pater. “Parvus scīlicet est amnis, sed ab
Ītaliā reliquā dīvidēbat[4] prōvinciam ōlim Caesarī dictātōrī dēcrētam. Quārē
cum ille Rubicōnem trānsībat, bellum patriae apertē īnferēbātur.”
“Cum rēs tantum in discrīmen addūcerētur,” inquit Sextus, “crēdō eum
diū dubitāsse utrum trānsīret necne.”
“Rēctē dīcis,” inquit pater. “Sed Pūblius noster dē hāc rē profectō saepe
lēgit, nec dubitō quīn ille libenter quaedam vōbīs nārrātūrus sit.”
“Optimē,” inquit Sextus. “Quō modō rēs ācta est, frāter?”
Tum ille: “Caesar in commentāriīs[5] suīs plūrima dīcit dē iniūriīs sibi
inlātīs, et dē causīs cūr arma sūmenda essent; sed dē trānsitū[6] huius
flūminis ipse nihil trādit.
“Apud Suētōnium autem multa inveniō, quae ad hanc rem pertinent.
Nam ille dīcit Caesarem, cum ad flūmen vēnisset, conversum ad proximōs
dīxisse: ‘Etiam nunc redīre possumus; sīn autem hunc pontem parvum
trānsierimus, omnia armīs agenda erunt.’
“Tum quīdam iuvenis ēgregiā corporis magnitūdine et speciē prope
sedēns repente appāruit, quī harundine canēbat.[7] Ad quem audiendum nōn
sōlum pāstōrēs sed etiam mīlitēs concurrērunt.
“In eīs erant aeneātōrēs[8] quīdam; quōrum[9] ab ūnō tubā arreptā, iuvenis
ad flūmen prōsiluit[10] et ingentī spīritū classicum[11] exōrsus ad alteram
rīpam contendit.
“Tum Caesar: ‘Sequāmur,’ inquit, ‘quō deōrum ostenta[12] et inimīcōrum
iniūriae vocant. Iacta est ālea.’[13] Hoc modō flūmen trānsitum est.”
At Sextus: “Cum haec rēs Rōmam dēlāta esset,” inquit, “vereor nē[14]
Pompeius nūntium haud libenter accēperit.”
“Commōtus est nōn sōlum Pompeius,” inquit Pūblius, “sed etiam cīvitās
tōta; multīque statim ex urbe ēgressī salūtem fugā petiērunt. Etiam Cicerō
multum dubitābat utrum uxōrī fīliaeque suādēret ut Rōmae manērent
necne.”[15]
“Quid, obsecrō, eīs timēbat?” inquit Cornēlia. “Caesar certē cum fēminīs
nōn bellum gestūrus erat.”
“Rēctē conicis,” inquit pater. “Sed omnia tum turbida erant; ac Cicerō
etiam hōc modō loquitur: ‘Sīn homō āmēns[16] dīripiendam urbem datūrus
est’—quibus verbīs ostendit quantō in perīculō omnia versārī exīstimāverit.”
“Mihi quoque maximē mīrandum vidētur,” inquit Pūblius, “Cicerōnem et
aliōs prīncipēs cīvitātis tantam inhūmānitātem[17] Caesarī imputāsse.”[18]
At pater: “Dē eius rēbus in Galliā gestīs fāma iam ēvulgāta erat; nec vērō
Gallīs aut Germānīs umquam pepercerat Caesar, sī eōrum supplicium cēterīs
documentō[19] futūrum esse putābat. Propter haec, ut opīnor, dē eius
voluntāte[20] in[21] rem pūblicam omnēs tantopere timuērunt.
“Quam eōrum opīniōnem ēventus tamen multum fefellit. Nam Caesar,
simulatque Rubicōnem trānsiit et cum cīvibus Rōmānīs bellum est
susceptum, omnīs summā cōmitāte tractābat.
“Nam quō modō cum cīvibus āctūrus esset, statim ille ostendit, cum
Corfīnium cēpit, ubi L. Domitius ā Pompeiō relictus erat, cum ipse ex Ītaliā
fugeret.”
“Quid factum est?” inquit Sextus.
“Urbe dēditā,” inquit pater, “praefectī ex castrīs ēgressī sunt. Tum
Caesar, apud eōs pauca dē ipsōrum ingrātō animō locūtus, Domitium
reliquōsque incolumēs dīmīsit; mīlitēs autem suum in exercitum recēpit.”
“Hui!” inquit Cornēlia. “Quis putāret[22] Caesarem tam mītem fore?”
Et Sextus: “Prō tantā clēmentiā, opīnor, omnēs eī grātiam maximam
habuērunt.”
“Rēs longē aliter ēvēnit,” inquit pater. “Mīlitēs quidem sē satis
fidēliter[23] gessērunt, sed Domitius et reliquī praefectī paene omnēs statim sē
contulērunt ad Caesaris inimīcōs, ut alibī[24] in aciē contrā eum pugnāre
possent.”
“Videō,” inquit Pūblius, “Sextum haec haud ita attentē audīre. Crēdō mē
posse aliud nārrāre, quod eī magis placeat.”
At Sextus: “Age, dīc, frāter,” inquit. “Haec quae audīvimus optima sunt,
sed mē minus dēlectant.”
“Ōlim,” inquit Pūblius, “cum Agricola Britanniam armīs subigeret,
cohors quaedam Usīpōrum memorābile ausa est facinus; occīsō enim
centuriōne et mīlitibus, quī ad trādendam disciplinam[25] manipulīs[26]
immixtī erant, trēs nāvēs occupāvērunt, cum gubernātōrēs vī ac minīs[27]
sēcum ascendere cōgerent.
“Tum secundum lītus vectī, etsī saepe ad aquandum et cibum raptum[28] ē
nāvibus ēgressī erant, postrēmō in tantam pervēnērunt inopiam, ut prīmō
īnfirmissimīs[29] suōrum,[30] tum aliīs sorte ductīs vēscerentur.”
“Vāh!” inquit Cornēlia. “Intellegere nōn possum cūr rēs tam foedās
audīre cupiās, Sexte.”
“Hoc adprīmē bonum est,” inquit ille. “Quid tum, Pūblī?”
At frāter: “Usīpī, hōc modō Britanniam circumvectī,[31] nāvibus
īnscientiā[32] regendī āmissīs, in continentī[33] prō latrōnibus habitī sunt. Multī
ā Suēbīs et Frīsiīs sunt aut interfectī aut captī; atque eōrum,[34] quī ita in
servitūtem redāctī erant, nōnnūllī mūtātiōne ēmptōrum usque ad nostram
rīpam[35] pervēnērunt.”
Ita inter sē usque ad merīdiem viātōrēs locūtī sunt; tum cōnstitērunt
quōdam in locō, unde mare longē et lātē aspicī poterat. Quārē līberī cupidē
petiērunt ut sibi licēret in lītore paulisper vagārī, cum equī pābulō
reficerentur.
Drūsilla prīmō negāvit; nam adhūc mentem eius sollicitābat memoria
illīus diēī, quō Cornēlia ā latrōnibus capta erat. Sed postrēmō, cum līberī
pollicitī essent sē haud longē vagātūrōs, Onēsimō et Stasimō imperātum est
ut eōs comitārentur nēve umquam ē cōnspectū suō paterentur abīre.
Laetī in lītore līberī cursitābant, conchās undique ēligentēs; tum, sinū
replētō, Cornēlia in saxō paulō suprā[36] aquam prōminente[37] cōnsēdit.
Dum ibi conchīs suīs intenta morātur, Sextus ā tergō clam accessit, et
subitō magnā vōce: “Cavē latrōnēs!” inquit.
Quō audītō, Cornēlia perterrita exsiluit, et, pede fallente, in undās
praecipitāta est. Tum Sextus clāmōrēs lāmentābilēs sustulit; servī autem,
cum celeriter in aquam sē prōiēcissent, puellam pavidam ad harēnam
trāxērunt.
Deinde omnēs vultū dēmissō ad rēdās sē recēpērunt, cum Sextus longē ā
tergō sequerētur, Cornēlia autem metū et frīgore tremere[38] nōn dēsineret.
Quōs cum aspexisset, Drūsilla terrōre ēlāta: “Quid nunc malī accidit?”
inquit. “Cūr hās vestēs madidās videō?”
Nēmō vōce Sextum prōdere[39] voluit; sed Pūblius, qūi frātrem trīstem
procul sequī animadverterat: “Suspicor,” inquit, “quid factum sit. Sextus
noster, ut opīnor, dēnuō sorōrem lūdificāvit.”
Tum Cornēlius vultū torvō:[40] “Satis in praesēns[41] iam dictum est. Sed
cum Arīminum pervēnerimus, tum haec rēs dīiūdicābitur. Interim in sōle
vestēs madidae siccentur.”[42]
Quod cum factum esset, iterum profectī, sub vesperum ad caupōnem
dēvertērunt.

[1]
secundum: prep.
[2] incutiō, -cutere, -cussī, -cussus, tr., inspire.
[3]
Ecquid: indef. and intr.; cf. XXX, 9.
[4] dīvidō, -videre, -vīsī, -vīsus, tr., divide.
[5]
commentārius, -ī, m., commentary.
[6]
trānsitus, -ūs, m., crossing.
[7] canēbat, was playing (on).
[8]
aeneātor, -ōris, m., trumpeter.
[9] quōrum: partit. with ūnō.
[10]
prōsiliō, -īre, -uī, intr., leap forward.
[11] classicum, -ī, n., call (to advance).
[12]
ostentum, -ī, n., sign, leading.
[13] ālea, -ae, f., die.
[14]
vereor nē, I am inclined to think that.
[15] necne, or not.
[16]
homō āmēns: i.e., Caesar.
[17] inhūmānitās, -ātis, f., brutality, barbarity.
[18]
imputō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., ascribe.
[19] documentum, -ī, n., warning; dat. of service in text.
[20]
voluntās, -ātis, f., attitude.
[21]
in, toward.
[22] putāret, would have thought.
[23]
fidēliter, adv., loyally.
[24] alibī: Domitius opposed Caesar at Marseilles, and fell in the rout
after the Battle of Pharsalus.
[25] ad trādendam disciplīnam: i.e., to impart a knowledge of tactics.
[26]
manipulus, -ī, m., maniple.
[27]
minae, -ārum, f., threats.
[28] raptum: supine.
[29]
īnfirmus, -a, -um, adj., weak.
[30] suōrum: partit. gen.
[31]
circumvehor, -vehī, -vectus sum, tr., circumnavigate.
[32] īnscientia, -ae, f., ignorance.
[33]
continentī, mainland.
[34] eōrum: partit. gen.
[35]
nostram rīpam: the west bank of the Rhine, Gaul being early
organized as a Roman province.
[36] suprā, out over.
[37]
prōmineō, -minēre, -minuī, intr., project.
[38] tremō, -ere, -uī, intr., shake.
[39]
prōdō, -dere, -didī, -ditus, tr., betray.
[40] torvus, -a, -um, adj., stern.
[41]
in praesēns, for the present.
[42] siccō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., dry; siccentur, have . . . dried, the
subjv. expressing a command, as often.
CAPUT XXXIII

Māne, cum rēdae adductae essent, omnēs alacrēs cōnscendērunt. Sextus


autem diū maestus sēcum sedēbat; nam ā patre vehementer castīgātus erat,
eumque suae imprūdentiae[1] maximē paenitēbat; nisi enim prīdiē Onēsimus
et Stasimus praestō fuissent, Cornēlia fortasse in flūctibus periisset.
Postrēmō hilariōre vultū sē circumspicere coepit; cum autem locō idōneō
viātōrēs constitissent, ut cibus dēprōmerētur, in umbrā adhūc quiētus
sedēbat, neque ōrāvit ut sibi licēret per agrōs vagārī. Ē contrāriō[2] ā mātre
petiit ut sibi aliquid nārrāret.
Drūsilla, prīmō recūsāre cōnāta: “Hīs diēbus,” inquit, “pauca legō. Sed
fortasse nōn audīvistī dē itinere Orpheī, quī ad īnferōs dēscendit, ut inde
uxōrem Eurydicēn[3] redūceret.”
“Haec nārrā, sīs, māter,” inquit Cornēlia. “Ego quoque audīre volō.”
“Memoriae trāditum est,” inquit Drūsilla, “Eurydicēn, dum in herbā
vagātur sēcūra, dentem serpentis in pedem recēpisse; quō vulnere celeriter
exanimāta est.
“Quam cum Orpheus diū dēplōrāsset, cōnstituit ipse dēscendere ad
umbrās,[4] sī forte cantū suo dīs īnferīs persuādēre posset, ut Eurydicēn ad
superōs[5] redūcī paterentur.
“Quārē sine morā profectus, per ‘templa[6] alta Orcī pallida lētō,[7]
nūbila[8] tenebrīs loca’[9] iter fēcit, ipsamque Prōserpinam impavidus et
rēgem īnferōrum adiit.
SEPULCHRA

“Apud quōs lyrā[10] personat,[11] nervōsque[12] ad verba[13] movēns ōrat ut


uxor sibi reddātur. Interim, dulcēdine[14] cantūs[15] captae, umbrae undique
flēbant. Quīn etiam Tantalus nōn diūtius aquam captāre cōnātus est, et Ixīōn
vultū rīsit invītō.[16]
“Hīs precibus[17] resistere nec Prōserpina neque ipse Plūtō poterat, et
Eurydicē vocāta est. Accessit uxor adhūc dē[18] vulnere tarda; quam Orpheus
laetus recēpit. Sed dīmissus est cum mandātō ut abīret statim, nēve prius
respiceret quam ē rēgnō[19] īnferōrum esset ēgressus; aliter irritum dōnum
futūrum.
“Silentiō Orpheus et Eurydicē ascendērunt clīvum[20] arduum,[21]
obscūrum, cālīgine ātrā dēnsum; nec procul āfuērunt ā margine[22] ōrae
superae,[23] cum ille, veritus nē uxor dēficeret, amāns oculōs retorsit.
“Quō factō, illa statim relāpsa est;[24] neque Orpheō, etsī Charontem
ēnīxē ōrāvit, flūmen iterum trānsire licuit, nec posteā uxōrem umquam
aspexit.”
“Tū quoque, māter,” inquit Cornēlia, “audītū trīstia nārrās. Vix lacrimās
teneō, cum dē Orpheō miserō cōgitō.”
“At,” inquit Sextus, “quis est ille Charōn, aut quō modō is Orphea[25]
prohibēre potuit quōminus redīret, ut iterum uxōrem peteret?”
Tum Pūblius: “Charōn erat portitor,”[26] inquit, “quī umbrās cymbā trāns
flūmen Acherontem vehēbat. Dē hīs rēbus multa dīcit poēta Vergilius, quī
refert[27] quō modō hērōs[28] quoque Aenēās ad īnferōs dēscenderit, ut ibi
patrem Anchīsēn[29] convenīret.”
“Dē hōc amplius, sī vīs,” inquit Sextus. “Libenter tē audiō.”
“Aenēās, cum classem ad Ītaliam appulisset,” inquit Pūblius, “Sibyllam
statim adiit, quae ad īnferōs dux viae[30] esset.[31] Illa autem eī respondit:

“ ‘Facilis dēscēnsus[32] Avernō;[33]


Noctēs atque diēs patet ātrī[34] iānua Dītis.[35]
Sed revocāre gradum superāsque ēvādere ad aurās,[36]
Hoc opus, hic[37] labor est.’

“Praetereā monuit paucōs admodum fuisse, quī umquam ad ōrās


rediissent superās, cum semel eō dēscendissent; sīn autem ille perīculum
tantum subīre parātus esset, in opācā[38] silvā inveniendum esse rāmum
aureum, quī, ut[39] mūnus acceptissimum, ad Prōserpinam dēferrētur.
“Aenēās, fortūnā adiūtus, rāmum invēnit, et Sibyllā duce per spēluncam
ātram progressus iter īnferōrum[40] brevī carpēbat. Prīmō occurrunt speciēs
horrendae, quās hērōs, timōre commōtus, gladiō strictō trānsfīgere parābat.
Sibylla autem docuit illās esse umbrās tantum, quae nec laedere nec laedī
possent.
“Sīc ad rīpam Acherontis pervēnērunt. Quōs cum appropinquantēs
vīdisset Charōn, statim abīre iussit; nam sibi nefās esse corpora vīva
trādūcere cymbā. Postquam autem rāmum aspexit aureum, sine morā
Aenēān comitemque in cymbam recēpit.
“Illa,[41] quae umbrās tantum portāre solēbat, sub pondere gemuit;[42]
Aenēās autem incolumis ad rīpam pervēnit alteram, et in Nemoribus
Fortūnātōrum[43] postrēmō repperit patrem.”
Sed iam equī recreātī sunt, ac Cornēlius omnēs in rēdās cōnscendere
iussit; nam spērābat ante vesperum Faventiam usque pervenīrī posse.
Cum dēnuō iter carperent, Sextus: “Modo dīxistī, Pūblī,” inquit,
“Aenēān classem ad Ītaliam appulisse. Unde, obsecrō, nāvēs solverat?”
“Ā Siciliā tum vēnerat,” inquit Pūblius; “sed anteā nāvēs solverat
Carthāgine, quam urbem[44] Dīdō condidit, cum crūdēlitāte frātris domō
expulsa omnibus cum opibus trāns mare fūgisset, ut locīs longinquīs
cīvitātem novam īnstitueret.”
“Opēsne eius magnae erant?” inquit Sextus.
“Permagnae fuisse dīcuntur,” inquit Pūblius. “Et multīs post saeculīs,[45]
imperātor Nerō, cum fiscum[46] maximīs sūmptibus exhausisset et pecūniā
egēret, in spem summam ērēctus est ex indiciō cuiusdam equitis Rōmānī,
quī prō certō nūntiābat thēsaurōs[47] maximōs, quōs Dīdō Tyrō fugiēns sēcum
extulisset, adhūc integrōs esse in Āfricā, invāstissimīs cavernīs absconditōs,
ac posse parvō labōre effodī. Posteā imperātor, cum haec spēs eum
fefellisset, rapīnīs[48] intendit animum.”
“Hem!”[49] inquit Cornēlia. “Istīus mōnstrī nōmen ipsum[50] vix audīre
sustineō.”
“Atquī quiddam est,” inquit Pūblius, “quod dē eius familiā forsitan
libenter audiās.”
“Perge porrō dīcere,” inquit Sextus. “Ego quidem tē dē eō loquentem
libenter audiō.”
“Nerō erat ē gente[51] Domitiā,” inquit Pūblius, “ē quā duae familiae
illūstrēs[52] fuērunt, Calvīnōrum et Ahēnobarbōrum;[53] et ipse Lūcius
Domitius Ahēnobarbus vocābātur, dōnec ab imperātōre Claudiō est
adoptātus.
“Memoriae trāditum est prīscīs temporibus cuidam L. Domitiō, rūre ad
urbem[54] redeuntī, in viā obviam factōs esse duōs iuvenēs augustiōre[55]
speciē, quī eum iubērent senātuī ac populō nūntiāre victōriam maximam ā
Rōmānīs ad lacum Rēgillum modo partam esse.
“Cum autem ille dubitāret utrum eīs fidem habēret necne, iuvenēs, ut
auctōritātem suam dīvīnam esse probārent, mālās eius manibus suīs
permulsērunt; ac statim ē[56] nigrā hominis barba rutila atque aerī[57] similis
facta est; unde cognōmen ‘Ahēnobarbus.’[58] Quod īnsigne[59] adhūc manet;
nam posteā ex illā familiā multī barbā rutilā fuērunt.”
“Hoc magis placet,” inquit Cornēlia, “etsī mihi quidem vix crēdibile
vidētur.”
Interim rēdās equī libenter dūcēbant; ac hōrā ferē ūndecimā ad oppidum
Faventiam perventum est. Posterō diē viātōrēs contendērunt Bonōniam
usque, ubi in hospitium amīcī dēvertērunt.
[1]
imprūdentia, -ae, f., thoughtlessness.
[2] Ē contrāriō, On the contrary.
[3]
Eurydicēn: acc. sing., Greek decl.
[4] umbrās: i.e., the (realm of the) dead.
[5]
superōs, the world above (vs. īnferōs).
[6]
templa, expanses.
[7] lētum, -ī, n., destruction.
[8]
nūbilus, -a, -um, adj., clouded, dark.
[9] loca: in app. with templa, line 21.
[10]
lyra, -ae, f., lyre.
[11] personō, -āre, -uī, -itus, tr. and intr., play.
[12]
nervus, -ī, m., string.
[13] ad verba, to accompany (his) words.
[14]
dulcēdō, -inis, f., sweetness.
[15]
cantūs: gen.
[16]
vultū . . . invītō: i.e., involuntarily.
[17]
(prex, precis), f., entreaty.
[18] dē, from, i.e., as a result of.
[19]
rēgnum, -ī, n., realm.
[20] clīvus, -ī, m., slope.
[21]
arduus, -a, -um, adj., steep.
[22] margō, -inis, f., edge, level.
[23]
superae: cf. superōs, line 20.
[24] relābor, -lābī, -lāpsus sum, intr., slip back.
[25]
Orphea: acc. sing.; Greek decl.
[26] portitor, -ōris, m., ferryman.
[27]
refert, tells.
[28] hērōs, -ōis, m., hero; Greek decl.
[29]
Anchīsēn: Greek decl.
[30] dux viae, conductor.
[31]
esset: note mood.
[32]
dēscēnsus, -ūs, m., descent.
[33] Avernō, to the Lower World; cf. Carthāginī, XXXI, 72.
[34]
ātrī: as connected with death.
[35] Dītis, nom. Dis: a name of Pluto.
[36]
aurās, atmosphere.
[37] Hoc . . . hic: agreeing with the pred. nouns. Hoc scans as a long
syllable.
[38]
opācus, -a, -um, adj., dark, shady.
[39] ut, as.
[40]
īnferōrum: trans. the gen., ‘to.’
[41] Illa: the boat.
[42]
gemō, -ere, -uī, intr., groan.
[43] nemus, -oris, n., grove; Nemora Fortūnātōrum, Elysium.
[44]
quam urbem, a city which.
[45] saeculum, -ī, n., generation.
[46]
fiscus, -ī, m., the imperial treasury.
[47]
thēsaurus, -ī, m., treasure.
[48] rapīna, -ae, f.; pl., plundering; dat. in text.
[49]
hem, interj., hah!
[50] ipsum, (the) mere.
[51]
gente, clan.
[52] illūstris, -e, adj., famous.
[53]
Calvīnōrum, etc., (namely, the families) of the C. and the A.
[54] urbem: i.e., Rome.
[55]
augustus, -a, -um, adj., stately.
[56]
ē, from (being).
[57] aerī: dat. with similis.
[58]
Ahēnobarbus, lit., Bronze-bearded.
[59] īnsigne, -is, n., mark.
CAPUT XXXIV

Inde māne profectī, ante merīdiem pervēnērunt ad rīvum amoenum, ubi


duās hōrās morātī sunt. Postquam gustāvērunt, Anna cum Lūciō in herbā
cōnsēdit, ac līberī ab eā petīvērunt ut aliquid sibi nārrāret.
Atque illa: “Ūnum tantum nunc recordārī possum,” inquit, “neque id
permagnum. Sed sī audīre vultis, ego incipiam.”
“Nārrā, obsecrō,” inquit Sextus. “Nam Pūblius aliquō[1] sōlus abiit,
cēterīque quiētī sē dedisse videntur.”
“Fortasse,” inquit Anna, “meministis mē ōlim quaedam loquī dē iuvene
pāstōre, quī gigantem occīdit rēxque posteā factus est.”
“Ita vērō,” inquit Cornēlia. “Plūra audīre volumus.”
Tum Anna: “Illī rēgī fuit fīlius, quem ūnicē amābat. Puer erat īnsignī[2]
pulchritūdine; sed cum iam adultus[3] esset, coniūrātiōnem in patrem fēcit,
cum spērāret sē ipsum rēgem fore.
“Hāc coniūrātiōne dētēctā, pater prīmō salūtem fugā petiit; sed
postrēmō, cōpiīs coāctīs, bellum cum fīliō gerere invītus parāvit.
“Eō diē, quō exercitūs dēcertātūrī erant, omnēs rēgem ēnīxē ōrāvērunt nē
sē ipsum[4] perīculō obiceret. Quārē, cum cēteri ad pugnam proficīscerentur,
ipse ad oppidī portam relictus est.
“Fīlium quamvīs perfidum pater tamen vehementer amābat. Quārē
lēgātō suō abeuntī dīligenter praecēperat, nē quid[5] iuvenī ipsī nocerētur; et
iam sollicitā mente ēventum exspectābat, dum speculator ē mūrō attentē
prōspicit.
“Ā rēgiīs cōpiīs magna victōria parta est; ac fīlius, asinō vectus, per
silvam effugere cōnābātur. Capillō tamen, quī eī[6] prōmissus erat, rāmīs
implicātō,[7] asinus abiit, hominemque in arbore pendentem relīquit.
“Hōc cognitō, lēgātus rēgius, tribus lanceīs arreptīs, in silvam properāvit
iuvenemque ter per pectus trānsverberāvit. Tum comitēs, cum prius
hominem exanimātum gladiīs aggressī essent, dēmpsērunt[8] corpus; quod in
foveam[9] abiectum saxīs multīs mīlitēs obruērunt.
“Interim rēx sollicitus nūntiōs pugnae spērābat; ubique[10] speculātor
clāmāvit cursōrem procul cōnspicī posse, rēx, in summam exspectātiōnem[11]
ērēctus, vix hominis adventum manēre potuit; cumque eī victōria magna
nūntiāta esset, hoc tantum rogābat: ‘Estne iuvenis salvus?’
“Cursor sē nescīre dīxit. Sed alter, quī celeriter subsecūtus erat, cum ab
eō idem quaesītum esset: ‘Utinam,’ inquit, ‘ō rēx, omnibus[12] inimīcīs tuīs
ita esset, ut nunc est illī iuvenī!’
“Quod ubi audīvit, rēx summō maerōre[13] adflīctus sē in sēcrētum
recepit, cum identidem lāmentābilī vōce dēplōrāret: ‘Ō fīlī cāre, utinam ego
prō tē periissem, fīlī mī!’ ”
“Nē tū quidem hodiē laeta loqueris, Anna,” inquit Cornēlia. “Tālium iam
satis est; et mīror ubi Pūblius tam diū morētur.”
“ ‘Ecce tibi[14] lupus[15] in fābulā,’ ”[16] inquit Sextus, cum digitō
mōnstrāret Pūblium, quī lēniter accēdēbat.
Quī, simulac propius accessit: “Sibyllam,” inquit, “modo vīdī. Nōnne
vultis mēcum īre, ut eam cōnsultēmus?”
“Nōs lūdificāre cōnāris,” inquit Sextus; “et ego saltem ad īnferōs[17]
dēscendere minimē cupiō.”
“Veniātis,[18] suādeō,” inquit frāter. “Illa quidem certē digna est, quae ā
vōbīs aspiciātur.”
Quibus verbīs inductī, Sextus et Cornēlia secūtī sunt; quōs Pūblius rēctā
per agrōs dūxit ad parvam casam, quae haud procul cōnspicī poterat.
Quō cum perventum esset, anum;[19] dēcrepitā[20] aetāte vīdērunt, quae
rāmulōs āridōs[21] legēbat. “Em,”[22] inquit Pūblius rīdēns, “Sibyllam aspicite.
Ego quidem nihil umquam similius vīdī.”
Dum līberī, quī sēcum male āctum esse putābant, tamen videndī studiō
circumspiciunt, subitō ē casā ad eōrum aurīs adlāta est vōx horrenda:
“Tōtam[23] cōnsūmpsī. Cedo[24] alteram.”
Quā audītā, Cornēlia pallidō ōre: “Fugiāmus,” inquit. “Male metuō nē
intus sit mōnstrum eīs simile, quae Aenēae occurrērunt, cum ad īnferōs
dēscenderet. Iam ūnam puellam vorāsse vidētur.”
Pūblius autem audācter ad iānuam prōcessit, et cēterōs ut sequerentur
hortātus est. Tum autem iterum audīta est illa vōx: ‘Cedo alteram,’ ac
Cornēlia perterrita iam fugitūra erat, cum Pūblius, quī casam introspexerat,
[25]
in cachinnōs effūsus: “Accēdite,” inquit, “ut ‘mōnstrum’ illud videātis.”
Quō audītō, Sextus et Cornēlia timidē[26] et lēniter prōgressī, intus
vīdērunt corvum, quī placentās, quās mīles porrigēbat singulās, avidē
vorābat, cum interdum ‘Cedo alteram’ raucā vōce dīceret.
Pūbliō et līberīs animadversīs, mīles placentās cēterās corvō prōiēcit, et:
“Salvēte omnēs,” inquit. “Ego sum veterānus, quī prō patriā pugnāns
vulnera multa accēpī; tum, bracchiō amputātō,[27] domum remissus sum.
Haec casa est mea; sī intrāre vultis, quō poterō hospitiō vōs libenter
accipiam.”
Quārē omnēs ingressī sunt ac dīversīs locīs cōnsēdērunt. Sed etiam tum
Cornēlia ānxia corvum observābat; quī autem, placentīs intentus, nihil
amplius locūtus est.
Tum mīlitī Pūblius: “Tū, nisi fallor,” inquit, “saepe adfuistī, cum ācriter
pugnārētur.”
“Vēra dīcis,” inquit mīles. “Longinquās in ōrās penetrāvī, et terrā
marīque proeliīs multīs interfuī.”
“Nōnne vīs,” inquit Pūblius, “dē hīs rēbus aliquid nōbīs nārrāre?”
“Dē meīs rēbus gestīs semper invītus loquor,” inquit veterānus. “Sed
quīdam centuriō, familiāris meus, facinora ēgregia saepe ausus est, quae ego
verbīs satis dignīs[28] exprimere nūllō modō possum.”
“Dē eō igitur dīc,” inquit Pūblius, “sī dē tē ipsō nihil vīs loquī.”
At mīles: “Ōlim, cum lēgātus per expedītiōnem abesset, ille centuriō in
praesidiō[29] aeger[30] relictus erat. Morbō tantopere vexābātur,[31] ut diem iam
quīntum cibō carēret,[32] cum subitō in illa castra hostēs impetum ācerrimum
fēcērunt.
“Tum ille, suae[33] atque omnium salūtī diffīsus,[34] cum inermis ē
tabernāculō prōdiisset, hostēs vidēbat maximē imminēre remque summō in
discrīmine esse.
“Arma igitur cēpit ā proximīs, atque ipsā in portā castrōrum fortissimē
cōnstitit sōlus. Hunc autem celeriter secūtī sunt centuriōnēs eius cohortis,
quae eō tempore in statiōne erat.
“Ita proelium est restitūtum. Iam autem, gravibus acceptīs vulneribus,
hominem animus relīquit[35], ac vix per manūs trāditus[36] servātus est.
“Hōc tamen spatiō interpositō,[37] reliquī, mente iam cōnfirmātā,
mūnītiōnēs[38] virtūte tantā dēfendērunt, ut hostēs, dēspērātā castrōrum
expugnātiōne,[39] trāns flūmen Rhēnum brevī sē reciperent.”
“Optimē factum!” inquit Pūblius. Tum ex ōstiō prōspiciēns: “Sed servum
nostrum Onēsimum appropinquantem videō, et exīstimō statim nōbīs
proficīscendum esse. Quārē vīve et valē, senex, et hanc tibi accipe.” Quō
dictō, hominī gemmam parvam trādidit.
“Cedo alteram,” inquit corvus, quī iam placentās omnēs cōnsūmpserat.
Quō audītō, omnēs rīsērunt; et Pūblius, dum ad rēdās sē recipiunt:
“Verbīs huius corvī,” inquit, “admoneor dē quōdam centuriōne, quī ōlim in
Germāniā ōrdinem dūxit.[40]
“Eī per iocum mīlitēs cognōmen ‘Cedo-alteram’ indidērunt, quod, cum
virgam in tergō mīlitis frēgerat, alteram clārā vōce ac rūrsus aliam
poscēbat.”
“Hahahae!” inquit Sextus. “Cognōmen aptum! Sed gaudeō mē in illō
exercitū nōn stīpendia fēcisse.”
Iam ad rēdās perventum est; ubi Drūsilla, cum ēscenderet, lagunculam[41]
ē manū forte dīmīsit; quō cāsū frācta est. Itaque Annae illa: “Cedo alteram,”
inquit.
Quō dictō, rīsus maximus exortus est; cumque mātrī, tantae hilaritātis[42]
causam quaerentī, tōtam rem exposuissent, līberī posteā temperāre nōn
potuērunt quīn interdum ex intervāllō haec omnia reminīscerentur
cachinnōsque revocārent.
Sīc huius diēī iter tōtum fēlīciter cōnfectum est, atque sōlis occāsū
Mutinam pervēnērunt. Parmae[43] noctem ēgērunt proximam.

[1] aliquō: cf. eō, quō, etc.


[2]
īnsignis, -e, adj., unusual.
[3] adultus, -a, -um, adj., grown up.
[4]
sē ipsum: i.e., his own person.
[5] nē quid, lit., that in no respect (adv. acc.).
[6]
eī, in his case; dat. of reference.
[7]
Capillō . . . implicātō: abl. absol. (implicō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr.,
tangle).
[8]
dēmō, dēmere, dēmpsī, dēmptus, tr., take down.
[9] fovea, -ae, f., pit.
[10] ubique: i.e. ubi + -que.
[11]
exspectātiō, -ōnis, f., expectation.
[12] omnibus, etc.: dat.
[13]
maeror, -ōris, m., grief.
[14]
tibi: ethical dat.; omit in trans.
[15] lupus, -ī, m., wolf.
[16]
Ecce, etc.: cf. ‘Speak of the devil,’ etc.
[17] ad īnferōs; cf. XXXIII, 52.
[18]
Veniātis: governed by suādeō.
[19] anus, -ūs, f., old woman.
[20]
dēcrepitus, -a, -um, adj., feeble.
[21] āridus, -a, -um, adj., dry.
[22]
Em, There!
[23]
Tōtam, etc.: note the gender, which misleads Cornelia.
[24]
Cedo: irreg. imper., give (me).
[25]
intrōspiciō, -spicere, -spexī, -spectus, tr., look into.
[26] timidē, adv., cautiously.
[27]
amputō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., cut off.
[28] satis dignīs: i.e., adequate.
[29]
praesidiō, entrenched post.
[30] aeger, -gra, -grum, adj., sick.
[31]
vexō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., torment.
[32] carēret, was abstaining.
[33]
suae, etc., for his own, etc.
[34]
diffīdō, -fīdere, -fīsus sum, intr., be alarmed.
[35]
animus relīquit: i.e., the man fainted.
[36] per manūs trāditus: i.e., hauled along from one to another.
[37]
interpōnō, -pōnere, -posuī, -positus, tr., interpose.
[38] mūnītiō, -ōnis, f., fortification.
[39]
expugnātiō, -ōnis, f., storming.
[40]
ōrdinem dūxit: i.e., commanded a company.
[41] laguncula, -ae, f., small bottle.
[42]
hilaritās, -ātis, f., high spirits.
[43] Parmae: loc.
CAPUT XXXV

Cum rūrsus iter ingredī coepissent, Cornēlius: “Hodiē,” inquit, “spērō


nōs Placentiam perventūrōs, ubi dēmum solvendae sunt litterae, quās
nōbīscum obsignātās portāmus. Tum cognōscētur[1] quō[2] ab imperātōre
abīre iussus sim.”
Ac Drūsilla: “Itinerī adhūc tam intenta fuī, ut paene oblīvīscerer tē brevī
ā nōbīs discessūrum. Sed nunc nihil mihi longius vidētur quam dum[3] istae
litterae solvantur, ut sciāmus quam longē absint loca ea, quō tibi eundum
est.”
“Quam vellem,” inquit Pūblius, “ut mihi tē comitārī licēret, pater!”
“Id nūllō modō fierī potest, Pūblī,” inquit Cornēlius, caput quassāns.
“Sed tū mox togam[4] virīlem[5] sūmptūrus es ac, dum aberō, prō patre
familiās[6] eris, tibique omnia committō.”
Quō audītō, honōre īnspērātō[7] ēlātus Pūblius hilariōre vultū sē
circumspicere coepit, ac paulō post: “Nōnne nunc, pater,” inquit, “in eās
regiōnēs pergimus, ubi Vitelliānī cum cōpiīs Othōnis ōlim cōnflīxērunt?”
“Probē dīcis,” inquit Cornēlius. “Interiacet[8] flūmen Padus; sed ā[9] viā,
quā nunc iter facimus, vix decem mīlia passuum distat oppidum Cremōna,
apud[10] quod commissum est illud proelium, dē quō mentiōnem facis.
“Vitellius tum ipse, ut forte meministī, ē Germāniā nōndum pervēnerat
nec proeliō interfuit. Cum autem Rōmam iter faciēns in hās regiōnēs esset
prōgressus, ac sepulchrum Othōnis vidēre vellet, Cremōnēnsēs, ārīs
exstrūctīs caesīsque victimīs,[11] laurū rosāque[12] viam cōnstrāvērunt, quasi
rēx ille esset Persārum.
“Cuius adūlātiōnis[13] oppidānī īnfēlīcēs posteā poenās maximās
dedērunt. Nam ubi Vespasiānus, ā mīlitibus suīs imperātor salūtātus, in
Ītaliam cōpiās praemīsit, cum hīs ad Cremōnam congressī, Vitelliānī fugātī
sunt, et sē recēpērunt in urbem; hostēs autem sub moenibus necessāriō
cōnstitērunt.
“Ibi dubitābant paulisper utrum urbs sine morā oppugnārētur[14] necne.
Tum factus est impetus ācerrimus, cui Vitelliānī et oppidānī fortiter
restitērunt. Sed frūstrā; nam brevī īnfulās[15] et rāmōs oleae[16] ē mūrō
ostendere coāctī sunt.
“Quō animadversō, Antōnius Prīmus, quī cōpiās Vespasiānī dūcēbat, tēla
suōrum inhibērī iussit, ac Vitelliānī victī signa et aquilās maestī extulērunt.
Quōs tamen Antōnius clēmenter adlocūtus est,[17] etsī dē oppidānīs nihil
certī[18] prōmīsit.
“Ipsīus mīlitēs, praedae cupiditāte commōtī, sē in urbem nōn statim
immissōs[19] molestē iam ferēbant,[20] cum rēs fortuīta clādem imminentem
Cremōnēnsibus miserīs accelerāvit.
Photograph by R. S. Rogers
BALNEUM
“Nam Antōnius, quī ad sanguinem abluendum[21] balneās petierat, aquae
tepōrem[22] cāsū[23] incūsāvit. Cumque servus respondisset statim fore ut
incalēsceret,[24] haec verba ambigua cupidē excepta sunt; et celeriter
dīvulgātum est Antōnium ipsum sīc locūtum esse, atque hīs verbīs
Cremōnae incendendae signum dedisse, quae rē vērā iam flagrābat.
“Quadrāgintā mīlia armātōrum in urbem inrūpērunt; ubi nec dignitās[25]
sua nec aetās quemquam prōtegēbat. Nam grandaevī[26] senēs fēminaeque
prōvectā aetāte, vīlēs ad[27] praedam, lūdibriō habēbantur, et pecūnia deōrum
ac templōrum dōna dīrepta sunt. Cumque praeda omnis ēlāta erat, mīlitēs
facēs in domōs ac templa vacua iaciēbant. Quattuor diēs Cremōna flagrāvit,
omniaque sacra et profāna[28] ignī cōnsūmpta sunt.”
Haec verba prīmō omnium animōs trīstī imāgine cōnfūdērunt; cumque
paulisper tacitī sēdissent, Pūblius summissā vōce:

“ ‘Tum vērō omne mihi vīsum cōnsīdere in ignīs


Īlium,[29] et ex īmō[30] vertī[31] Neptūnia[32] Trōia.’ ”

Interim equī libenter rēdās vehēbant, dōnec paulō post merīdiem viātōrēs
cōnstitērunt, ut famēs cibō dēpellerētur. Tum līberī Annam rogāvērunt,
ecquid[33] ex annālibus gentis suae nārrāre vellet.
Illa autem: “Dum dē oppugnātiōne[34] Cremōnae pater vester loquitur,”
inquit, “mihi in mentem vēnit, quō modō urbs Ierīcō ā nostrīs expugnāta
esset. Sī audīre vultis, hoc vōbīs dīcere possum.”
“Iam quidem nihil magis cupimus,” inquit Sextus. “Quārē incipe, sīs.”
“Urbe undique obsessā,” inquit Anna, “Iōsue,[35] quī nostrōs dūcēbat, ā
deō monitus, sacerdōtēs ē penetrālibus[36] sacra prōlāta iussit circum[37]
moenia dūcere, cum interim clārē tubīs canerent.
“Sacerdōtēs[38] mīlitēs armātī antecēdēbant;[39] cētera turba pōne[40]
sequēbātur. Sed clāmor omnīnō aberat, nec vōx ūlla est audīta.
“Hoc idem reliquīs deinceps[41] diēbus factum est. Sed diē septimō,[42]
māne profectī, moenia septiēs[43] circumiērunt[44] omnēs. Tum tubae
cecinērunt ac clāmor maximus sublātus est. Quō sonitū moenia labefactāta
corruērunt; et nostrī, undique adortī, per ruīnās mūrī impetum fēcērunt atque
urbe potītī sunt.
“Ibi mulier, Rāhāba nōmine, quae quōsdam speculātōrēs nostrōs anteā
benignē acceptōs occultāverat, ūnā cum suīs omnibus servāta est; sed hostēs
cēterī ad ūnum trucīdātī sunt, atque etiam pecora ferrō periērunt.”
“Dē speculātōribus istīs,” inquit Sextus, “amplius audīre velim.”
“Illī,” inquit Anna, “paucīs ante mēnsibus ad urbem vēnerant, ut loca
explōrārent; quōque[45] occultius id facerent, ad Rāhābam dēvertērunt.
Adventū tamen eōrum cognitō, rēx nūntiōs ad mulierem mīsit, ut[46] statim
trāderet eōs, quōs apud sē habēret.
“Quae autem hospitēs ad sōlārium[47] aedium dēductōs ibi occultāvit, ac
nūntiīs respondit hominēs modo ad flūmen Iordānem profectōs facile
comprehendī posse, sī mīlitēs statim īnsequī vellent.
“Mīlitibus ad flūmen dīmissīs, Rāhāba hospitēs dē sōlāriō redūxit, atque
eīs pollicita est sē exitum[48] tūtum ostentūram esse eā condiciōne, ut iūrārent
sē invicem[49] grātiam relātūrōs, sī quandō urbs ā nostrīs capta esset.
Condiciōne acceptā, speculātōrēs mulierem iussērunt urbe captā[50] in
fenestrā fūniculum[51] coccineum[52] ostentāre, quō facilius domus eius ex
interitū ūniversō eximerētur.[53]
“Hīs rēbus cōnstitūtīs, hominēs per fūnem dēmissum ad terram lāpsī
sunt; nam domus moenibus urbis coniūncta erat. Cumque[54] ad vada
flūminis mīlitēs rēgis properāvissent, speculātōrēs montēs petiērunt, ubi sē
occultārent, dōnec clam ēvādendī facultās esset oblāta.”
Cum Anna fīnem dīcendī faceret, accessit Pūblius. Quem cum rīdentem
animadvertisset, Cornēlia: “Numquid[55] novī factum est, frāter?” inquit.
“Cūr rīdēs?”
At ille: “Dum in agrīs vagor,” inquit, “servō cuidam et ancillae haud
procul occurrī. Ille ambulābat sēcūrus, ancilla autem mulctra gravia ferēbat.
Tum servō ego: ‘Quō nōmine tē vocem?’ inquam. Ac ille: ‘Crāstinum mē
vocant.’
“ ‘Neque ēcastor[56] sine causā ita faciunt,’ inquit ancilla asperius.[57] ‘Tū
enim tam iners[58] es, ut numquam faciās ea, quae ūllō modō in posterum
diem[59] differrī possint.’
“ ‘Ōhē, mel meum,’ inquit ille. ‘Cūr semper mihi tam saeva?’
“At ancilla: ‘Cavē[60] mē mel tuum vocēs, stulte,[61] aut tē statim docēbo
linguae tuae melius moderārī’; quō dictō, mulctrum graviter in eius caput
impēgit. Haec cum vīdissem, sine morā abiī, cum nescīrem quō[62] rēs
dēnique ēvāsūra esset.”
“Eōs requīrāmus,”[63] inquit Sextus. “Fortasse rīxa nōndum ad fīnem est
adducta; atque ego libentissimē tālia videō.”
“Sērō[64] hoc rogās,” inquit Pūblius; “omnia enim ad proficīscendum
parāta sunt, ac pater Placentiam quam prīmum venīre vult, ut itineris
cōnficiendī cōnsilium hodiē cōnstituātur.”
Quae ubi dicta sunt, omnēs in rēdās ēscendērunt; ac hōrā ferē nōnā
moenia urbis iam in cōnspectū erant.

[1]
cognōscētur: impers.
[2]
quō: adv.
[3]
quam dum: cf. XXVI, 7.
[4]
toga, -ae, f., toga.
[5] virīlis, -e, adj., of manhood.
[6]
patre familiās, head of the family; familiās is an old gen.
[7]
īnspērātus, -a, -um, adj., unexpected.
[8]
interiaceō, -iacēre, -iacuī, intr., lie between; interiacet, lies
between (us and it).
[9]
ā, from.
[10]
apud, near.
[11] victima, -ae, f., victim.
[12]
rosa, -ae, f., rose; the sing. is here used collectively.
[13]
adūlātiō, -ōnis, f., flattery, adulation. The gen. in the text
modifies poenās; trans., ‘for.’
[14]
oppugnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., attack.
[15]
īnfula, -ae, f., fillet.
[16]
olea, -ae, f., olive tree. The things mentioned in the text are tokens
of surrender.
[17]
adloquor, -loquī, -locūtus sum, tr., address.
[18] certī: partit. gen.
[19]
immissōs (sc. esse), had . . . been let loose.
[20]
molestē, adv. with irritation; molestē ferre, be indignant, be
aggrieved (that).
[21] abluō, -luere, -luī, -lūtus, tr., wash off.
[22]
tepor, -ōris, m., lukewarmness.
[23]
cāsū: i.e., forte; trans. the phrase, ‘chanced to.’
[24]
incalēscō, -calēscere, -caluī, intr., grow hot.
[25] dignitās, -ātis, f., rank.
[26]
grandaevus, -a, -um, adj., patriarchal.
[27]
ad, for.
[28]
profānus, -a, -um, adj., profane, secular.
[29]
Īlium: a name of Troy.
[30] ex īmō: i.e., from its foundations.
[31]
vertī: i.e., ēvertī.
[32]
Neptūnia: called ‘Neptunian’ because its walls were said to have
been built by Neptune.
[33]
ecquid, whether . . . anything.
[34]
oppugnātiō, -ōnis, f., attack (upon).
[35]
Iōsue: nom. sing.
[36] penetrālia, -ium, n., inmost shrine.
[37]
circum, prep. with acc., around.
[38]
Sacerdōtēs: acc.
[39]
antecēdō, -cēdere, -cessī, -cessus, tr., precede.
[40] pōne, adv., behind.
[41]
deinceps, adv., in turn.
[42]
septimus, -a, -um, num. adj., seventh.
[43]
septiēs, num. adv., seven times.
[44] circumeō, -īre, -iī, -itus, tr., march around.
[45]
quōque: i.e., quō + -que.
[46]
ut, (with orders) that.
[47]
sōlārium: derived from sōl.
[48]
exitum, way of escape.
[49] invicem, adv., in turn.
[50]
urbe captā: takes the place of a condition.
[51]
fūniculus, -ī, m., cord.
[52]
coccineus, -a, -um, adj. of scarlet.
[53] eximō, -imere, -ēmī, -ēmptus, tr., exempt.
[54]
Cum: causal.
[55]
Numquid: cf. XI, 86.
[56]
ēcastor, interj., by Castor, truly.
[57]
asperē, adv., tartly.
[58] iners, -ertis, adj., lazy.
[59]
in posterum diem: cf. crās, whence the nickname Crāstinus
(‘Tom Morrow’).
[60]
Cavē, etc.: prohibition.
[61]
stulte: here as noun.
[62]
quō: cf. eō, eōdem, etc.
[63]
requīrō, -quīrere, -quīsīvī, -quīsītus, tr., look for.
[64] Sērō, Too late.
Photograph by Katherine Allen
LACUS AVERNUS
CAPUT XXXVI

Ubi in oppidum perventum est, viātōrēs statim ad caupōnem dēvertērunt,


ut sine morā litterae obsignātae solverentur. Intus scrīptum erat Lugdūnum[1]
Cornēliō iter faciendum esse, eumque ibi cognitūrum quid porrō agendum
esset.
“Omnia tam incerta sunt!” inquit Drūsilla suspīrāns.[2] “Fortasse,
coniūnx, annum tōtum ā nōbīs aberis.”
“Ūnum saltem certum est,” inquit Cornēlius. “Māne ad Galliam
Trānsalpīnam mihi est proficīscendum. Nunc autem ratiōnēs quaedam sunt
cōnficiendae; et nōnnūlla sunt, quae Pūbliō nostrō praecipere volō.”
Quae cum dīxisset, Onēsimum arcessīvit, ac cum Pūbliō sē recēpit in
conclāve parvum; ubi duās hōrās negōtiīs variīs opera data est.
Interim līberī, quī nōn habēbant quō modō sē oblectārent, paulisper
tacentēs sēdērunt. Tum Annae Sextus: “Lepida fuērunt ea, quae hodiē nōbīs
nārrāvistī,” inquit; “et ūnum adhūc restat, quod ego rogāre velim. Dīxistī
etiam pecora esse trucīdāta, cum Ierīcō capta esset. Quid, obsecrō, dē aurō[3]
argentōque et cēterīs opibus incolārum est factum?”
“Urbs tōta est incēnsa,” inquit Anna; “sed aurum argentumque et vāsa
aut aēnea aut ferrea in aerārium[4] deī suprēmī dēlāta sunt omnia; nam ita
praeceptum erat.”
“Nihilōminus,” inquit Sextus, “mihi mīrandum vidētur mīlitēs voluisse
tantam praedam ē manibus suīs dīmittere.”
“Ūnus erat, Āchān nōmine,” inquit Anna, “quī cupiditātī suae moderārī
nōn potuit, ac quandam vestem splendidam magnamque vim aurī et argentī
in tabernāculum reportāvit suum ibique humī[5] operuit.
“Nec vērō deus īrae suae signa dubia dedit. Cum enim nostrī iterum cum
hostibus proeliō congressī essent, magnā caede fūsī terga vertērunt; nam nōn
diūtius aspectum[6] adversāriorum[7] ferre poterant.
“Hāc mūtātiōne rērum vehementer commōtus, Iōsue deum cōnsuluit
quam ob causam hoc[8] tantum malum incidisset. Cui respōnsum est aliquem,
cupiditāte inductum, aurum argentumque sacrum in suum tabernāculum
reportāsse; quī ut[9] ēligerētur, sortēs dūcendās esse.
“Hōc respōnsō acceptō, Iōsue populum per gentēs familiāsque ēvocāvit;
ac, sortibus ductīs, Āchān dēsignātus est. Tum ille dīxit sē, praedā optimā
oblātā, temperāre nōn potuisse quīn vestem et aurum argentumque sibi
auferret.
“Quae ubi cognita sunt, missī[10] ad tabernāculum praedam absconditam
invēnērunt. Tum Iōsue et populus ūniversus in quandam vallem[11] cīvem
scelestum et fīliōs fīliāsque ūnā cum bōbus et asinīs dēdūxērunt.
“Ibi cum sontēs[12] saxīs obrutī essent, strue[13] factā, Āchān et līberī, ūnā
cum pecudibus et ipsō tabernāculō tōtāque praedā, ignī cōnsūmptī sunt. Sīc
īra deī plācāta[14] est.”
Tum Drūsilla, quae quoque haec attentē audierat: “In avāritiā,”[15] inquit,
“quantum est malī! Profectō ā poētā probē dictum est:

“ ‘Quid nōn mortālia pectora cōgis,[16]


[17]
Aurī sacra famēs!’ ”

Postquam grātiae Annae āctae sunt, līberī paulisper cum Lūciō lūsērunt.
Tum cēnae tempus haud aequō animō exspectābant; sed postrēmō pater et
Pūblius, negōtiō cōnfectō, ad cēterōs rediērunt, ac simul nūntiatum est
cēnam adpositam esse.
Interim Stasimus sē immiscuerat sermōnibus[18] servōrum, quī in
dēversōriō habitābant; et post cēnam in culīnā clārē resonābant frequentēs[19]
cachinnī. Postrēmō intrat senex mōrōsus, quī ab omnibus cōnservīs[20] suīs
lūdibriō habēbātur; quem ut lūdificāret, hōc modō incipit Stasimus:
Stasimus. Quid nunc, pater? Quid agis?[21]
Senex. Iuvenem scelestum atque adeō[22] impudīcum aspiciō.[23]
Stasimus. Itane vērō? Ubi est ille, obsecrō? Nam ego quidem eum
nusquam videō.
Senex. Sī nōn vidēs, at[24] sentiēs[25] dēmum, cum prō dēlictīs[26] tuīs
tergum virgīs caedētur.
Stasimus. Nōlī maledīcere.[27] Quid, obsecrō, hodiē fēcistī?
Senex. Nēmō mē[28] miserior vīvit! Duās hōrās tōtās aquam ē fonte ferre
coāctus sum; nec quisquam mē adiuvāre voluit.
Stasimus. Quō modō tē nunc adiuvāre possumus?
Senex. Ēheu!
Stasimus. Ēheu? Ita quidem tē libenter adiuvābō.
Senex. Miser sum; argentī nihil habeō—
Stasimus. Ēheu!
Senex. Nec mihi ūlla grātia est.
Stasimus. Ēheu!
Senex. Cotīdiē labōribus adsiduīs cōnficior.
Stasimus. Ēheu!
Senex. Istō modō mē adiuvās, mastīgia?
Stasimus. Dō quod mihi est; dīvitiās aliās nūllās habeō.
Senex. Apage ā mē istās dīvitiās.
Stasimus. Hoc animadverte,[29] senex. Nōnne vīs nunc saltāre?
Senex. Abī[30] in maximam malam crucem. Mēne īnsānīre[31] putās?
Stasimus. Nōnne igitur manibus[32] ambulāre vīs?
Senex. Papae! Dēlīrat profectō. Quid nunc nōbīs faciendum est?
Stasimus. Bacchus[33] mē in montēs vocat; sed abīre nōn possum quod
domus sīmiīs opplēta est, et portam occupat hic canis rabidus.
Senex. Vae mihi! Canem rabidum mē esse dīcit. Ut[34] oculī scintillant![35]
Male metuō nē in mē inruat.
Stasimus. Nunc manū fūstem capiō, quō caput illī canī rabidō
comminuam.[36]
Quae cum dīxisset, scīpiōne arreptō, in senem impetum tam subitō fēcit,
ut ille terrōre āmēns forās maximīs clāmōribus ērumperet, cum reliquī semel
atque iterum tollerent cachinnōs.
Hōc tumultū audītō, Cornēlius: “Suspicor,” inquit, “Stasimum istum
scelestum rūrsus dolōs suōs versāre. Abī, Pūblī, atque exquīre quid factum
sit.”
Paulō post reversus Pūblius rīdēns: “Stasimus lūdificāns, ut solet,”
inquit, “sē īnsānum esse simulābat, et cuidam senī mōrōsō tantum iniēcit
terrōrem, ut ille summō cursū forās effugeret.
“Cēterī autem, quī maximā dēlectātiōne haec omnia vīderant, cum senex
perterritus forās fūgisset, in cachinnōs tantōs ērūpērunt, ut subitō corrueret
subsellium, in quō sedēbant duo servī obēsī;[37] quī ita humī effūsī sunt[38]
supīnī.”
“Hahahae!” inquit Sextus. “Vellem adfuissem. Profectō nihil est Stasimō
nostrō[39] facētius.”
Tum Cornēlius, quī ipse vix rīsum continēre potuerat: “Facētus certē
est,” inquit; “sed, ut saepe iam dīxī, maximē metuō nē quandō in aliquod
malum magnum incidat. Nam haud omnēs tam toleranter[40] eius argūtiās[41]
ferent.”
Haec ubi sunt dicta, omnēs libenter ēgressī sunt in hortum,[42] ubi
subsellia complūra collocāta erant; nam tempestās erat serēna.
Cum ibi cōnsēdissent, patrī Sextus: “Utinam,” inquit, “Cremōnae
adeundae facultās darētur! Ego enim urbem ignī dēlētam numquam vīdī.”
“Metuō nē tū in errōrem magnum inciderīs, mī fīlī,” inquit Cornēlius.
“Nam post incendium imperātor Vespasiānus ut Cremōna restituerētur
hortātus est, et mūnicipia[43] fīnitima omnibus modīs adiūvērunt oppidānōs,
quī domōs et templa reficere volēbant. Sīc factum est ut urbs brevī dēnuō
flōrēret.”[44]
“Nōnne etiam secundō bellō Pūnicō quaedam in hīs regiōnibus ācta
sunt?” inquit Pūblius.
“Maximē vērō,” inquit Cornēlius. “Quīn etiam Placentia ipsa tum
Rōmānīs aliquamdiū erat sēdēs bellī, atque hūc sē recēpit Scīpiō[45]
vulnerātus, cum ad flūmen Tīcīnum equestrī proeliō victus esset.”
“Quid deinde ā nostrīs factum est?” inquit Sextus.
“Cum cōpiae Hannibalis quoque Padum trānsīssent,” inquit pater,
“Scīpiō obviam iit usque ad flūmen Trebiam, quod hinc minus quīnque mīlia
passuum abest. Ibi castra posuit, ut adventum Semprōnī, collēgae suī,
exspectāret.
“Collēga, cum pervēnisset, coniūnctīs cōpiīs statim dēcertāre voluit;
Scīpiō autem, quī modo equestrī proeliō victus et vulnerātus esset, ut bellum
traherētur hortātus est.
“Hiems erat et tempestās perfrīgida.[46] Sed subitō māne equitēs
Numidae[47] flūmen trānsgressī,[48] ad castra Rōmānōrum accessērunt, sī forte
nostrōs ad pugnam ēlicere[49] possent.
“Tum Semprōnius, morae impatiēns et cupiditāte pugnandī ēlātus,
cōnsiliō collēgae repudiātō,[50] mīlitēs ē castrīs ēdūxit; cumque cōnsultō[51]
Numidae cessissent et aquam ingressī essent, omnibus cōpiīs ille secūtus est.
“Vīs[52] frīgoris tanta erat, ut nostrīs,[53] cum ē flūmine ēmersissent,
manūs gelū rigidae[54] arma vix tenēre possent. Nihilōminus refugientēs
Numidās cōnstanter īnsequēbantur, cum subitō occurrit maior pars hostium,
quae adhūc quiēta exspectāverat.
“Cum hīs quoque Rōmānī congressī fortiter pugnāvērunt. Sed iam ex
lateribus equitēs hostium fēcērunt impetum; ac Māgō, quī in īnsidiīs
collocātus erat, ā tergō quoque aggressus, maximum tumultum ac terrōrem
intulit. Quibus rēbus nostrī in orbem[55] pugnāre coāctī sunt.
“Postrēmō circiter decem mīlia, impetū ācerrimō factō, per mediam
aciem perrūpērunt[56] hostium, ac Placentiam sē recēpērunt. Multī in proeliō
iam perierant; aliī autem aut aquā haustī sunt aut in rīpīs flūminis ab
hostibus oppressī.
“Poenī tamen dīcuntur in castra sua tam torpentēs[57] gelū rediisse, ut vix
laetitiam victōriae sentīrent. Rōmānī dissipātī, quī ex proeliō supererant,
Padum[58] trānsvectī, ā Scīpiōne Cremōnam dēductī sunt, nē duōrum
exercituum hībernīs ūna urbs premerētur.”
Cum tandem nox tenebrās suās attulisset, māter līberōs hortāta est ut
cubitum īrent, quod pater posterō diē māne abitūrus esset; illī autem
ōrāvērunt ut sibi hāc nocte ultimā diūtius morārī licēret. Potestāte factā, ad
multam[59] noctem tempus sermōne variō trahēbātur; tum omnēs sē quiētī
dedērunt.

[1] Lugdūnum: on the Rhone.


[2]
suspīrāns,-antis, part., sighing.
[3]
dē aurō, etc.: cf. VII, 97.
[4]
aerārium, -ī, n., treasury.
[5] humī, in the ground.
[6]
aspectus, -ūs, m., sight.
[7]
adversārius, -ī, m., enemy; pl., the enemy.
[8]
hoc: trans. freely, or omit.
[9]
quī ut, and that he.
[10]
missī, men sent.
[11]
vallēs, -is, f., valley.
[12]
sōns, sontis, m. and f., offender, criminal.
[13]
struēs, -is, f., heap.
[14] plācō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., appease.
[15]
avāritia, -ae, f., avarice.
[16]
cōgis: facere may be supplied.
[17]
Aurī: obj. gen.
[18] sermōnibus: dat.
[19]
frequēns, -entis, adj., frequent.
[20]
cōnservus, -ī, m., fellow servant.
[21]
Quid agis? How are you?
[22]
adeō, thereto.
[23]aspiciō: punning on agis, line 63 (Quid agis? lit., What are you
doing?)
[24] at, at any rate.
[25]
sentiēs: a not very brilliant rejoinder. If S. cannot see, he can be
made to feel.
[26] dēlictum, -ī, n., sin.
[27]
maledīcō, -dīcere, -dīxī, -dictum, intr., be rude, revile.
[28]
mē: abl.
[29]
Hoc animadverte, freely, See here.
[30] Abī, etc.: cf. XIV, 77.
[31]
īnsāniō, -īre, -īvī, -ītum, intr., be crazy.
[32]
manibus: abl.; trans., ‘on.’
[33]
Bacchus, etc.: S. feigns insanity.
[34] Ut, How.
[35]
scintillō, -āre, -āvī, intr., gleam.
[36]
comminuō, -minuere, -minuī, -minūtus, tr., smash; subjv. in
text.
[37]
obēsus, -a, -um, adj., fat.
[38]
effūsī sunt: i.e., sprawled.
[39]
Stasimō nostrō: abl.
[40] toleranter, adv., easily, good-naturedly.
[41]
argūtiae, -ārum, f., foolery.
[42]
hortus, -ī, m., garden.
[43]
mūnicipium, -ī, n., country town.
[44]
flōreō, -ēre, -uī, intr., be prosperous.
[45] Scīpiō: father of the elder Africanus.
[46]
perfrīgidus, -a, -um, adj., very cold.
[47]
Numidae: trans. as masc. adj.
[48]
trānsgredior, -gredī, -gressus sum, tr., cross.
[49] ēliciō, -licere, -licuī, tr., lure out.
[50]
repudiō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., reject.
[51]
cōnsultō, adv., purposely.
[52]
Vīs, intensity.
[53]
nostrīs: dat. of disadvantage.
[54] rigidus, -a, -um, adj., stiff.
[55]
in orbem: i.e., in circular formation.
[56]
perrumpō, -rumpere, -rūpī, -ruptus, tr. and intr., break
(through).
[57]
torpēns, -entis, part. as adj., numb.
[58]
Padum: acc. retained with pass.
[59] multam: cf. IV, 57.

VĀSA FICTILIA
CAPUT XXXVII

Prīmā lūce Cornēlius, cum mandāta ultima Pūbliō dedisset, uxōrem


līberōsque amplexus, in rēdam cum Onēsimō ēscendit, ac celeriter profectus
est; nec Drūsilla aut Cornēlia lacrimīs eum abeuntem prōsequī[1] prius
dēstitit quam omnīnō ē cōnspectū discessit.
Tum Pūblius, suā auctōritāte īnsolitā laetus, tabellāriō Cōmum citō equō
ad patruum praemissō, in rēdās omnēs ēscendere iussit, atque ex oppidō
cursum dīrēxit. Cui Sextus, dum flūmen Padum ponte trānseunt: “Quō nunc
tendimus, frāter?” inquit. “Quam longē abest Cōmum et patruī vīlla?”
At Pūblius: “Sī omnia prōsperē prōcēdent,” inquit, “hodiē Mediōlānum
usque iter faciēmus. Crās spērō nōs ad fīnem itineris perventūrōs esse.”
“Mīror quam mox litterae ā patre adferantur,” inquit Cornēlia. “Lacrimās
vix teneō, dum cōgitō eum fortasse multōs mēnsēs āfutūrum.”
“Bonō es animō,” inquit Drūsilla, quae vultū laetitiam simulābat, cum
dolōrem magnum mente sentīret. “Pollicitus est sē certīs intervāllīs
missūrum tabellāriōs, et litterās aliās quoque datūrum,[2] quotiēnscumque
occurrisset[3] aliquis, quī in Ītaliam iter faceret. Cum dēmum Lugdūnum
pervēnerit, tum dēnique ille coniectūram facere poterit, quam mox ad nōs
redīre possit.”
Tum Sextus: “Pūblius,” inquit, “onere officī susceptī tam occupātus esse
vidētur, ut nōbīscum vix colloquī velit. Quārē necessāriō ad[4] tē, māter,
spectāmus, ut aliquid nārrēs, quō iūcundius diēs trānseat.”
Ac Drūsilla, quae mentēs līberōrum ā discessū[5] patris āvertere volēbat:
“Meminī,” inquit, “mē saepe audīre fābulam dē iuvene et puellā, quī
Babylōne[6] abhinc multōs annōs inīquō fātō periērunt. Dē hīs audīre vultis?”
“Ego audīre volō,” inquit Cornēlia, “nisi fābula nimis trīstis est.”
“Exitum certē haud laetum habet,” inquit māter; “sed rēs ipsa memorātū
dignissima est.”
“Ecquid[7] inest,”[8] inquit Sextus, “dē elephantīs aut aliīs bēluīs, quae in
illīs regiōnibus longinquīs reperiuntur?”
“Brevī sciēs,” inquit Drūsilla, cum Lūcium Annae trāderet: “Pȳramus et
Thisbē, dē quibus haec fābula nārrātur, domōs habēbant vīcīnās. Diū inter sē
amābant; cum autem Pȳramus virginem in mātrimōnium dūcere vellet, pater
vetuit.
“Prīmō amantēs, ab[9] omnī spē dēstitūtī, quid facerent nōn habēbant.
Tum forte animadvertērunt parietem utrīque domuī commūnem fissum esse
tenuī rīmā, quam dūxerat[10] multō ante, cum fieret.
“Quam rimam verbōrum iter fēcērunt. Cumque cōnstiterant, hinc Thisbē,
illinc[11] Pȳramus, summissā vōce inter sē multa loquēbantur. Tum sub
vesperum, postquam uterque suae partī parietis ōscula dederat, ‘valē’ maestī
dīcēbant.
“Postrēmō, huius morae tam longae[12] impatientēs, silentiō noctis
custōdēs fallere[13] cōnstituērunt et forās exīre, ut dēmum nūllō prohibente
līberē colloquerentur. Atque in tenebrīs nē errārent, locus certus haud procul
ā fonte gelidō cōnstitūtus est, quō convenīre possent.
“Thisbē prior ēgressa, incolumis ad locum dēstinātum pervēnit. Dum
autem ibi sub arbore sedet, ecce leō, quī modo bovem dīlaniāverat, ut sitim
dēpelleret, ad fontem accessit. Quō vīsō, Thisbē pavida in spēluncam
vīcīnam refūgit, vēlāmine relictō, quod ā tergō dēlāpsum erat.
“Leō, sitī dēpulsā, dum in silvās redit, vēlāmen forte inventum ōre
cruentō discerpsit; quod sanguine tīnctum[14] cum Pȳramus, sērius ēgressus,
per lūnam[15] animadvertisset, perterritus sē circumspiciēns in altō pulvere
ferae certa vēstīgia vīdit.
“Tum iuvenis, vix compos mentis,[16] Thisbēn sine dubiō dīlaniātam esse
ratus, sē vehementer incūsāns, quod puellam teneram in loca tam perīculōsa
sōlam prōdīre passus esset, vēlāmen sublātum ad arborem sēcum tulit; atque
ibi, cum vestī nōtae lacrimās et ōscula multa dedisset, in gladium suum
incubuit.
“Dum ille humī moribundus iacet, Thisbē, nē amantem falleret,[17] ē
spēluncā rediit, etsī magnō ex metū nōndum sē recreāverat. Quae cum
Pȳramum moribundum et vāgīnam[18] gladiō[19] vacuam vīdisset, capillō
discissō clārē clāmāvit, corpusque amantis amplexa, ad vītam eum revocāre
cōnāta est. Sed frūstrā.
“Tum: ‘Tua manus,’ inquit, ‘amorque tē perdidit, īnfēlīx. Et[20] mihi est
manus fortis et amor. Cōnsequar tē mortuum, nec vērō morte ipsā ā mē
dīvellī poteris.’
“Quō dictō, ea quoque in gladium incubuit. Sīc illī, quōs parentēs
dīiungere[21] voluerant, in morte coniūnctī sunt, atque ambōrum cinis ūnā in
urnā requiēscit.”[22]
Līberī animīs intentīs mātrem haec nārrāntem audierant, Cornēlia vērō
vultū haud hilarī, sed Sextus: “Mīror, māter,” inquit, “tē tālia nārrāre audēre,
cum Pūblius adest. Semper enim ille dē puellīs cōgitat, ac metuō nē quandō
Pȳramum aemulārī[23] cōnētur.”
“Etiam tacēs?”[24] inquit Pūblius ērubēscēns. “Puerum tē[25] procāciōrem
numquam vīdī! Sī sapiēs, malum cavēbis.”
“Nōlī īrāscī, mī fīlī,” inquit Drūsilla; “id enim nihil[26] prōficit. Nam
aliquis bene dīxit: ‘Sprēta[27] exolēscunt;[28] sī īrāscāre,[29] agnita videntur.’ ”
“Haec verba nōn intellegō, māter,” inquit Cornēlia. “Nōnne plānius
sententia dīcī potest?”
“Multō vērō,” inquit Drūsilla. “Vidē sī hoc facilius intellegī potest: ‘Sī
maledicta[30] neglegās, omnēs ea oblīvīscuntur; sīn autem īrāscāre, tum
omnēs crēdunt vēra esse ea, quae dicta sunt.’ ”
“Iam intellegō,” inquit Cornēlia; “et hīs verbīs bene praecipī[31] ego
quoque exīstimō.”
Viātōrēs, cum complūra mīlia passuum iter fēcissent, paulō ante
merīdiem cōnstitērunt hōramque ferē in umbrā arborum morātī sunt, ut equī
reficerentur.
Interim Sextus, quī lātius vagātus erat, ad Pūblium accessit, et: “Cum
tū,” inquit, “nunc tē prō patre familiās gerās, cēnseō omnia ad tē referenda
esse. In agrō haud procul est arbor, cuius in rāmīs cōpiam maximam
pōmōrum optimōrum animadvertī. Rogō ut mihi liceat in hanc arborem
ēscendere, ut pōma pauca inde legam.”
Pūblius, frātris obsequentiā[32] tam īnsolitā gaudēns: “Licet,”[33] inquit.
“Agricola profectō nōbīs pauca pōma nōn invidēbit.”
Tum Sextus: “Maximās tibi grātiās agō, frāter,” inquit, “quī potestātem
mihi tam cōmiter fēcerīs. Nunc aequō animō cōnfitērī possum mē iam paulō
ante ēscendisse in arborem, et, pede fallente, rāmōs aliquot frēgisse. Gaudeō
id nōn iniussū tuō factum esse.”
Quō audītō: “Quid est, puer nēquam?”[34] inquit Pūblius īrā incēnsus.
“Itane mē impūne lūdificārī posse putās? Moriar,[35] nisi efficiam ut[36] tē
paeniteat umquam in istum agrum pervēnisse!”
“Cūr, obsecrō, frāter?” inquit Sextus, quasi iniūriā increpitus;[37] “nōnne
tū ipse mihi permīsistī, ut in arborem ēscenderem?”
Priusquam Pūblius respondēre posset, advēnit agricola, quī prō damnō
inlātō satisfactiōnem[38] postulābat. Quem cum Pūblius aureō contentum
dīmīsisset, omnēs iterum in rēdās ēscendērunt, et lēniter Mediōlānum versus
vectī sunt.
Interim Sextus, astūtiā[39] suā ēlātus, interdum ex intervāllō rīdēbat. Sed
Pūblius, auctōritātem suam ita lūdibriō habitam dolēns, duās per hōrās cum
cēterīs vix colloquī voluit.
Haud multō ante vesperum in oppidum perventum est; ubi viātōrēs ad
quendam caupōnem, cuius fāma ad eōs Placentiam usque pervēnerat,
libenter dēvertērunt.

[1]
prōsequor, -sequī, -secūtus sum, tr., follow, watch.
[2]
datūrum, would dispatch.
[3] occurrisset: sc. sibi.
[4]
ad, to.
[5]
discessus, -ūs, m., departure, absence.
[6]
Babylōne: loc. of Babylōn.
[7] Ecquid: cf. XXX, 9.
[8]
īnsum, inesse, īnfuī, intr., be in.
[9]
ab, by.
[10]
dūxerat, had acquired.
[11]
hinc . . . illinc, advs., on this side . . . on that.
[12] tam longae: trans. freely.
[13]
fallere, give the slip to.
[14]
tingō, tingere, tīnxī, tinctus, tr., stain.
[15]
per lūnam, in the moonlight.
[16] compos, -otis, possessed (of); compos mentis, in (one’s) senses.
[17]
falleret, disappoint.
[18]
vāgīna, -ae, f., scabbard.
[19]
gladiō: abl.
[20]
Et: i.e., etiam.
[21] dīiungō, -iungere, -iūnxī, -iūnctus, tr., separate.
[22]
requiēscō, -quiēscere, -quiēvī, -quiētum, intr., rest.
[23]
aemulor, -ārī, -ātus sum, tr., rival.
[24]
Etiam tacēs? Will you be still?
[25] tē: abl.
[26]
nihil: adv. acc.
[27]
sprēta, neut. part., things ignored; or a rel. clause may be used.
[28]
exolēscō, -olēscere. -olēvī, -olētum, intr., be forgotten.
[29]
īrāscāre: subj. indef. second sing.
[30] maledictum, -ī, n., taunt.
[31]
praecipī: impers. infin.
[32]
obsequentia, -ae, f., deference.
[33]
Licet, freely, Very well.
[34] nēquam, indecl. adj., worthless, good for nothing.
[35]
Moriar: a wish.
[36]
efficiam ut, etc., make you regret.
[37]
increpō, -crepāre, -crepuī, -crepitus, tr., blame, rebuke.
[38]
satisfactiō, -ōnis, f., payment.
[39] astūtia, -ae, f., smartness.
Keystone View Company
URNAE
CAPUT XXXVIII

Post cēnae tempus līberī aliquamdiū lūsērunt; tum, lūminibus accēnsīs,


cum mātre sedēbant, dum Anna Lūcium cōnsōpīre cōnātur. Et postrēmō
Cornēlia: “Mīror,” inquit, “quō pater hodiē pervēnerit.”
“Nesciō,” inquit Drūsilla; “sed profectō Tīcīnum usque prōgressus est;
ac fortasse etiam longius iter fēcit, et nunc aliquā in vīllā noctem agere
parat.”
“Meminī,” inquit Sextus, “patrem mentiōnem facere dē flūmine Tīcīnō,
ubi Scīpiō ab Hannibale equestrī proeliō victus est. Eōdemne igitur nōmine
et urbs et flūmen vocantur, māter?”
“Nōmina similia sunt,” inquit illa; “sed flūmen est Tīcīnus, et oppidum
Tīcīnum. Urbs in rīpā flūminis posita est.”
Sed iam Pūblius, quī aliquamdiū āfuerat, ad cēterōs rediit, et: “Ad iter
crās conficiendum,” inquit, “omnia nunc dēmum parāta sunt.”
“Cūr tam diū aberās?” inquit Cornēlia.
At ille: “Dum forīs negōtiīs variīs operam dō, caecum mīlitem vīdī, quī
dīxit sē ōlim in Britanniā stīpendia fēcisse.”
“Quō cāsū ēvēnit,” inquit Sextus, “ut caecus esset? In aciē vulnerātus
est?”
“Ipse fundā sē in adversum ōs[1] percussum esse dīxit,” inquit frāter.
“Sed haec omnia abhinc multōs annōs accidērunt; et nunc cāsum suum
aequissimō animō fert. In viā canis fidēlis[2] eius vēstīgia regēbat; ac mihi
grātiās maximās ēgit, cum eī in manum dēnāriōs[3] aliquot trādidissem. Diū
cum eō loquī voluī; sed rēs tam multae et variae cūrandae erant, ut ibi morārī
nōn possem.”
“Age, Pūblī,” inquit Sextus, “ā prīncipiō exōrsus aliquid dē Britanniā
nōbīs nārrā.”
Quō audītō, Pūblius: “Ante adventum Caesaris in Galliam haec īnsula
paene incognita erat. Quīn etiam ipse dīcit tum vix ūllōs[4] praeter[5]
mercātōrēs eam adīre solitōs esse, neque hīs ipsīs[6] quidquam ultrā ōram
maritimam nōtum fuisse.
“Quārē Caesar, cum eō trānsīre in animō habēret, C. Volusēnum cum
nāvī longā praemīsit, quī omnia prius explōrāret. Eō regressō,[7] ipse
trānsvectus est, ac prīmō rem fēlīciter gessit.
“Sed noctū nāvēs longae, quae in lītus subductae[8] erant, aestū maximō
complētae sunt; et onerāriae,[9] quās ad ancorās[10] dēligāverat, flūctibus sunt
adflīctātae.[11]
“Quā rē ēvulgātā, Britannī, fortūnae opportūnitāte ūsī, bellum alacrēs
renovāvērunt. Quōs tamen Caesar proeliīs fūdit prōsperīs; tum, quod hiems
suberat,[12] obsidibus acceptīs, ad continentem sē recēpit.
“Postero annō in īnsulam reversus, cum ultrā flūmen Tamesim
prōgressus esset, hostibus undique superātīs, obsidēs plūrēs imperāvit, atque
extrēmā aestāte in Galliam iterum trānsvectus est.
“Sed nē proxima quidem pars īnsulae ita ab eō perdomita erat. Et
scrīptor Tacitus iūre dīcit Caesarem, etsī prōsperīs pugnīs terruerit incolās et
lītore potītus sit, Britanniam posterīs magis ostendisse[13] vidērī quam
trādidisse.
“Posteā īnsulae longa oblīviō[14] fuit; sed annōrum ferē centum
intervāllō[15] opus renovātum est ab imperātōre Claudiō, quō auctōre[16]
legiōnēs sunt trānsvectae, victae gentēs, et rēgēs quīdam captī sunt.
“Ex illō tempore pars proxima Britanniae paulātim in fōrmam prōvinciae
redācta est. Variā autem fortūnā rēs agēbātur, dōnec Iūlius Agricola, Tacitī
socer,[17] īnsulae praepositus est.
“Ille incolās et aestāte et hieme lacessīvit. Quīn etiam longē in
Calēdoniam penetrāvit, cum prius, ubi[18] īnsula angustissima est, praesidia
tam multa collocāvisset, ut hostēs quasi in aliam īnsulam summovērentur.[19]
“Sed nē tum quidem perdomita est terra tōta; ac multīs post annīs ab
imperātōre Hadriānō ferē eōdem locō līmes[20] trānsversus[21] ā lītore ad lītus
ductus est, quō facilius impetūs barbarōrum coërcērī[22] possent. Nam
etiam[23] hodiē hominēs, quī Calēdoniam incolunt, cultum Rōmānum
abnuunt, ac semper rēbus novīs[24] student.”
“Haec omnia mē cupiditāte īnsulae adeundae incendunt,” inquit Sextus;
“etsī haud velim, ut iste veterānus īnfēlīx, ibi oculōs perdere.”
“Mē spē oblectō,” inquit Drūsilla, “nōs diū pāce fruī[25] iam posse. Prō
patriā mori decorum[26] est, sī ita fāta ferunt;[27] sed optima est vīta quiēta.”
Iam autem tumultū subitō forīs exortō, vōx audīta est ancillae, quae clārē
clāmābat latrōnēs in tēcta inrumpere.
Photograph by R. S. Rogers
MŪRUS HADRIĀNĪ

Quō audītō, Pūblius, gladiō arreptō, forās celeriter ēgressus est, ut, sī
opus esset, ministrīs subsidiō venīret. Interim Sextus sub subsellium refūgit,
Drūsilla autem cum cēterīs trepida ēventum exspectābat.
Timor tamen nōn diūtinus[28] fuit; nam brevī Pūblius haud sine rīsū rediit,
quī nūntiāvit ūnum ex equīs, vinculō ruptō, per āream vagantem ancillae
terrōrem iniēcisse tantum, ut crēderet latrōnēs adesse.
Cum omnēs sē recreāssent ex timōre, et Sextus clam ē latebrīs prōdiisset:
“Haec rēs mē admonet,” inquit Pūblius, “dē iūdiciō quōdam Servī Galbae,
quī priusquam ā mīlitibus imperātor salūtātus est, prōvinciae Āfricae ōlim
praeerat.”
“Haec nārrā, sīs, frāter,” inquit Sextus, quī nōlēbat quemquam sentīre sē
nūper in latebrīs fuisse.
“Ōlim asinus erat,” inquit Pūblius, “cuius dē proprietāte[29] contrōversia
fuit. Rēs in iūdicium dēlāta est. Testibus[30] autem levibus ob eamque rem
difficilī vērī[31] coniectūrā, Galba imperāvit ut asinus ad lacum, ubi
adaquārī[32] solēbat, dūcerētur capite opertō; tum, capite revēlātō,[33]
trāderētur eī, ad quem suā sponte ā pōtiōne[34] rediisset.”
“Ille certē erat iūdex sollers,”[35] inquit Drūsilla. Tum Sextō et Cornēliae:
“Sed vōbīs līberis tempus cubitum eundī iam adest. Crās enim multō māne
est surgendum, ut, sī fierī possit, ad patruī vīllam ante noctem perveniāmus.”
“Velim nōbīs paulō diūtius morārī liceat,” inquit Cornēlia; “nam crēdō
Annam quoque aliquid nārrāre nōn nōlle.”
Quō audītō, Anna adrīsit, et māter: “Licet,” inquit, “dummodo fābula
brevis sit.”
“Euge!” inquit Cornēlia. “Anna nostra semper iūcunda audītū nārrat.”
Tum Anna: “Rēx noster Salomōn, hominum omnium sapientissimus,[36]
maximā sollertiā contrōversiās dīiūdicābat. Velut ōlim ad eum vēnērunt duae
mulierēs, quae sēcum ūnum īnfantem adferēbant, quem utraque suum esse
adfirmāvit.
“Ē quibus altera:[37] ‘Nūper, ō rēx,’ inquit, ‘ex mē et ex istā muliere fīliī
nātī sunt. Sed ista, suō puerō mortuō, cum meum fīlium abstulisset, in
gremiō meō īnfantem mortuum dēposuit. Quārē ego, ubi experrēcta sum,
alterius[38] fīlium in gremiō invēnī.’
“Tum altera: ‘Nōlī, ō rēx, eī crēdere,’ inquit. ‘Hoc tōtum[39] fictum est.
Ego huius puerī vēra sum māter.’
“Rēx, cum haec audīvisset, ministrō imperāvit ut gladium statim
adferret. Quō adlātō, iussit īnfantem vīvum in partēs duās discindī, ut mulier
utraque aequam partem habēret.
“Tum illa, quae vērē māter erat, in lacrimās effūsa: ‘Istī mulierī
improbae,’ ōrat, ‘parvulum miserum trāde incolumem, ō rēx. Nōlī, obsecrō,
eum trucīdāre.’ Sed altera: ‘Statim discindātur, ut utraque nostrum[40]
aequam partem habeat.’
“Quō audītō, rēx ministrum iussit gladium recondere,[41] puerum autem
eī trādidit, quae amōre suō comprobāverat sē esse mātrem vēram.”
“Haec est fābula adprīmē lepida,” inquit Cornēlia; “et gaudeō me ūnam
dēmum rem audīvisse, cuius ēventus pulcherrimus erat.”
Līberī tum alacrēs discessērunt; ac brevī cēterī quoque cōnsecūtī sunt.

[1]
in adversum ōs, full in the face.
[2] fidēlis, -e, adj., faithful.
[3]
dēnārius, -ī, m., denarius (worth about fifteen cents).
[4]
ūllōs, anyone.
[5]
praeter, excepting.
[6]
ipsīs, even.
[7] regredior, -gredī, -gressus sum, intr., return.
[8]
subdūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus, tr., draw up.
[9]
onerāria, -ae, f., transport.
[10]
ancora, -ae, f., anchor.
[11] adflīctō, -ārī, -āvī, -ātus, tr., rack.
[12]
subsum, -esse, intr., be near.
[13]
ostendisse, to have opened up.
[14]
oblīviō, -ōnis, f., neglect.
[15]
intervāllō, after an interval.
[16] quō auctōre, under whose command.
[17]
socer, -erī, m., father-in-law.
[18]
ubi, at the point where.
[19]
summoveō, -movēre, -mōvī, -mōtus, tr., remove, shut off.
[20] līmes, -itis, m., fortified wall.
[21]
trānsversus, -a, -um, adj., straight across.
[22]
coërceō, -ercēre, -ercuī, -ercitus, tr., check.
[23]
etiam, even.
[24]
rēbus novīs, dat., revolution.
[25] fruor, fruī, frūctus sum, intr., enjoy.
[26]
decōrus, -a, -um, adj., seemly, glorious. The sentiment is quoted
from Horace.
[27]
ferunt, demand.
[28]
diūtinus, -a, -um, adj., long continued.
[29]
proprietās, -ātis, f., ownership.
[30]
testis, -is, m. and f., witness. Two abl. absolutes are connected by
ob eamque rem. (cf. note on XIV, 20).
[31]
vērī: obj. gen.
[32]
adaquō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., lead to water.
[33] revēlō, -vēlāre, -vēlāvī, -vēlātus, tr., uncover.
[34]
pōtiō, -ōnis, f., watering.
[35]
sollers, -ertis, adj., resourceful.
[36]
sapiēns, -entis, adj., wise.
[37]
Ē quibus altera, One of whom.
[38] alterius: supplying the missing gen. of alius.
[39]
Hoc tōtum, This whole story.
[40]
nostrum: partit. gen.
[41]
recondō, -condere, -condidī, -conditus, tr., sheathe.
CAPUT XXXIX

Posterō diē, priusquam reliquī gustāvērunt, Stasimus forās ēgressus in


viā cum obviīs[1] loquēbātur; cum enim hās regiōnēs numquam anteā
vīsisset, summō studiō exquīrēbat omnia.
Postrēmō occurrit homō habitū peregrīnō, quī ōlim cāsū aliquō manum
āmīserat; prō quā uncō ferreō ūtēbātur. Ad quem Stasimus propius accessit
ac dē rēbus variīs loquī coepit.
Cumque uncum ferreum aliquamdiū attentius observāsset: “Dīc,
hospes,” inquit; “quō cāsū miserō manum tuam āmīsistī?”
Ille autem nihil respondit, ac statim aliā dē rē loquī contendit. Sed
Stasimus, cognōscendī cupiditāte incēnsus, īnstābat ācrius et negābat[2] sē
umquam hominem dīmissūrum, nisi id sibi respondisset.
Tum alter: “Hoc tibi respondēbō,” inquit, “sī prius iūrāveris tē posteā dē
hāc rē nihil amplius rogātūrum.”
“Optimē,” inquit Stasimus. “Per deōs[3] deāsque omnēs iūrō mē nihil dē
hāc rē posteā rogātūrum, sī modo[4] hoc ūnum mihi responderis.”
“Manus mea,” inquit alter, “bēluae immānis morsū dērepta est.”
Tum omnēs, quī circumstābant, cachinnōs maximōs sustulērunt; nam
Stasimus, cognōscendī studiō etiam vehementius incēnsus, iūre iūrandō
tamen impediēbātur quōminus plūra quaereret. Sed opportūnē hōra
profectiōnis iam aderat; quārē ille haud invītus sē recēpit ad rēdās, quae ante
ōstium stābant.
Brevī omnēs forās ēgressī ēscendērunt et laetī profectī sunt; nam hōc diē
ad fīnem itineris longī sē perventūrōs spērābant. Nec vērō prius cōnstitērunt,
ut cibus dēprōmerētur, quam dīmidium viae iam cōnfectum est.
Līberī, cum paulisper in umbrā lūsissent, mātrem rogāvērunt numquid
memoriā dignum recordārī posset.
Illa autem: “Brevī proficīscendum est,” inquit; “sed fortasse pauca dīcere
possum dē facinore atrōcī fīliārum Danaī, sī haec numquam audīvistis.”
“Ego quidem numquam audīvī,” inquit Cornēlia. “Perge porrō dīcere, sī
vīs, māter.”
“Danaō, quī fuit Libyae rēx, quīnquāgintā erant fīliae,” inquit Drūsilla;
“frāter autem Aegyptus, rēx Arabiae, fīliōs totidem habēbat. Sed inter
Danaum et fīliōs Aegyptī dissēnsiō orta est, atque ille, īnsidiās veritus, Libyā
relictā sēdēs novās in Graeciā quaesīvit.
“Paucīs autem post annīs fīliī Aegyptī, mare[5] trānsvectī, patruum suum
adiērunt rogātum ut eius fīliae sibi in mātrimōnium darentur.
“Danaus, quī iniūriārum sibi inlātārum nondum oblītus erat, sē fīliās
datūrum pollicitus est. Sed clam virginibus praecēpit ut in thalamōs[6] sēcum
adferrent gladiōs, ut noctū iuvenēs cōnsōpītōs singulae singulōs[7] aggressae
occīderent.
“Nūptiīs factīs, cum novī marītī somnō sepultī essent, tum mulierēs ē
lectīs surgentēs suum quaeque[8] trucīdāvērunt. Et fāma est propter hoc
scelus eās apud īnferōs ad aquam semper ferendam damnātās esse. Nam
iussae sunt dōlium[9] complēre, cuius per fundum rīmōsum[10] statim effluit[11]
aqua, quam illae urnīs īnfundere[12] numquam dēsinunt.”
“Fābulam quam trīstem!” inquit Cornēlia: “etsī illae scelestae certē
poenā maximā dignae erant, quae imperiō patris tam impiō pāruissent.”
“Ūna tamen erat,” inquit Drūsilla, “quam marītī adulēscentis tantopere
miseruit, ut foribus patefactīs eum dīmitteret, ut patrem et patriam repeteret
incolumis.”
“Eam summīs laudibus extulit poēta Horātius,” inquit Pūblius. “Nam ab
eō ‘splendidē mendāx’ vocātur, et ‘in omne[13] virgō nōbilis[14] aevum.’ Nec
quidquam eīs verbīs[15] generōsius est, quibus illa marītum dīmittit:

“ ‘Mē pater saevīs oneret[16] catēnīs,


Quod virō clēmēns[17] miserō pepercī;
Mē vel[18] extrēmōs[19] Numidārum in agrōs
Classe relēget:[20]

Ī pedēs quō tē rapiunt et aurae,[21]


Dum favet[22] nox et Venus;[23] ī secundō
Ōmine, et nostrī[24] memorem[25] sepulchrō[26]
Scalpe[27] querellam.’ ”

“Quid vērō puellā factum est, māter?” inquit Cornēlia.


“Prīmō in vincula coniecta est,” inquit Drūsilla. “Sed posteā resēdit īra
patris, et marītus revocātus spōnsam[28] ad sē recēpit.”
Iam autem tempus abeundī erat. Quārē omnēs, cum surrēxissent, ad
rēdās rediērunt, brevīque rūrsus Cōmum versus prōgrediēbantur.

LACUS AD QUEM CŌMUM POSITUM EST

“Quam vellem,” inquit Cornēlia, “pater quoque nunc adesset! Ego


quidem nōn intellegō quō modō hōs[29] mēnsēs eō carēre[30] possīmus.”
“Bonō es animō,” inquit māter, “et scītō[31] patrem, quam prīmum
potuerit, ad nōs reditūrum esse.”
Tum Pūblius, ut ad rēs aliās mentēs līberōrum āverteret: “Vōbīsne nōtum
est,” inquit, “urbem, ad quam properāmus, patriam esse illīus Plīnī, quī
litterās dē monte Vesuviō scrīpserit?”
“Id numquam audīvī,” inquit Sextus. “Dē eius factīs amplius, sīs.”
“Plīnius erat vir urbānus,” inquit Pūblius, “hūmānitātī ac litterīs[32]
dēditus. Ōlim amīcō suō Tacitō scrīpsit sē nūper īsse vēnātum aprōsque trēs
cēpisse. Quōque mīrābilior rēs esse videātur, commemorat sē nec
vēnābulum nec lanceam portāsse, sed manū tenuisse stilum et pugillārēs.
Dum autem ad rētia[33] sedet, ecce trēs aprī[34] in plagās[35] incurrunt!”[36]
“Hahahae!” inquit Cornēlia. “Vēnātiōnem sānē facilem!”
“Ipse, ut suspicor,” inquit Pūblius, “litterīs magis quam vēnātiōnī
studēbat.[37] Dīcit saltem sē prō lanceā stilum attulisse, ut, sī manūs vacuās,
plēnōs tamen pugillārēs domum reportāret. Addit quoque animum
mīrābiliter mōtū corporis excitārī, ac silvās et sōlitūdinem[38] vēnātiōnī
datam[39] magna cōgitātiōnis incitāmenta[40] esse. Quārē adfirmat nōn Diānam
magis in montibus quam Minervam errāre.”
“Hoc haud intellegō,” inquit Cornēlia. “Cēnsēbatne hodiē deās ipsās in
montibus vagārī?”
“Nūllō modō,” inquit māter. “Diāna vēnātiōnī studet, Minerva autem
artium litterārumque est cultrīx.[41] Plīnius igitur vult dīcere nōn modo
vēnātōrēs[42] sed etiam scrīptōrēs in montibus loca ad operam suam ēdendam
apta invenīre posse.”
“Ego quidem metuō,” inquit Pūblius, “nē ille interdum ostentātiōnis
causā nōnnūlla fēcerit. Nam fortasse meministis eum, cum adulēscēns
Mīsēnī cum mātrē relictus esset, librum Titī Līvī in āreā lēgisse, cum cēterī,
ignibus ē Vesuviō relūcentibus perterritī, ex oppidō undique fugerent.
“Quaedam autem perūtilia[43] certē ab illō excōgitāta sunt. Velut eō
auctōre Cōmēnsēs lūdum aperuērunt. Nam ōlim Cōmī,[44] cum ad eum
salūtātum vēnisset cuiusdam vīcīnī fīlius praetextātus,[45] puerum rogāvit ubi
studēret.[46] Ille autem respondit: ‘Mediōlānī.’
“ ‘Cūr nōn hīc?’ inquit Plīnius.
“Tum pater puerī, quī forte aderat: ‘Quod nūllōs hīc praeceptōrēs
habēmus.’
“Opportūnē accidit ut complūrēs patrēs audīrent, et Plīnius: ‘Quārē
nūllōs?’ inquit. ‘Quantō melius sit līberōs vestrōs hīc potissimum[47] discere!
Quid sī ad praeceptōrēs condūcendōs pecūniam cōnferātis omnem, quam
nunc in[48] habitātiōnēs,[49] in viātica,[50] in ea quae peregre[51] emuntur,
impenditis?’[52]
“Nē longum sit,[53] Plīnius pollicitus est sē ipsum datūrum tertiam partem
eius, quod cēterīs placēret. Tōtum[54] enim ipse dare nōluit, quod exīstimābat
parentēs, sī partem mūneris sustinērent, maiōre cūrā praeceptōrēs ēlēctūrōs
esse.”
Viātōrēs, cum haec et tālia inter sē loquerentur, celeriter prōgrediēbantur;
ac sub vesperum Cōmum tandem perventum est, ubi Cornēlī frāter
grātissimō hospitiō eōs accēpit.
[1]
obviīs: i.e., people coming up.
[2]
negābat: cf. XVII, 17.
[3]
per deōs, etc.: a comic oath.
[4] modo, only.
[5]
mare: acc. retained with pass.
[6]
thalamus, -ī, m., marriage chamber.
[7]
singulae singulōs: i.e., each her own.
[8] suum quaeque: cf. VIII, 84.
[9]
dōlium, -ī, n., cask.
[10]
rīmōsus, -a, -um, adj., leaky.
[11]
effluō, -fluere, -flūxī, intr., flow out.
[12]
īnfundō, -fundere, -fūdī, -fūsus, tr., pour in.
[13] omne: modifier of aevum.
[14]
nōbilis, famed (cf. nōscō).
[15]
eīs verbīs: abl.
[16]
onerō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., load down; oneret, hort. subjv. with
concessive force.
[17]
clēmēns, -entis, adj., merciful(ly).
[18]
vel, even.
[19] extrēmōs, far distant.
[20]
relēgō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., banish.
[21]
pedēs . . . aurae: with reference to travel by land and sea.
[22]
faveō, favēre, fāvī, fautūrus, intr., be propitious.
[23] Venus: i.e., love.
[24]
nostrī: for meī; obj. gen.
[25]
memor, -oris, adj., reminding (of).
[26] sepulchrō: place where.
[27]
scalpō, scalpere, scalpsī, scalptus, tr., carve, inscribe.
[28]
spōnsa, -ae, f., bride.
[29]
hōs, these (coming).
[30] carēre, get along without.
[31]
scītō: fut., as regularly with this verb.
[32]
litterīs, literature.
[33]
rēte, -is, n., net.
[34]
aper, -prī, m., boar.
[35] plagae, -ārum, f., trap.
[36]
incurrō, -currere, -currī or cucurrī, -cursum, intr., run (into).
[37]
studēbat, had an eye (to).
[38]
sōlitūdō, -inis, f., isolation.
[39] datam: i.e., incidental (to).
[40]
incitāmentum, -ī, n., encouragement.
[41]
cultrīx, -īcis, f., patroness.
[42]
vēnātor, -ōris, m., hunter.
[43]
perūtilis, -e, adj., very useful.
[44] Cōmī: loc. of Cōmum.
[45]
praetextātus, -a, -um, adj., wearing the toga praetexta, (a mark
of childhood; cf. XXXV, 12).
[46]
studēret, went to school.
[47]
hīc potissimum, here of all places.
[48]
in: for.
[49]
habitātiō, -ōnis, f., rooms.
[50] viāticum, -ī, n., traveling money.
[51]
peregre, adv., out of town.
[52] impendō, -pendere, -pendī, -pēnsus, tr., spend.
[53]
Nē longum sit, freely, Not to make a long story of it.
[54]
Tōtum, the whole (sum).
CAPUT XL

Dum Placentiā Pūblius cum cēterīs Cōmum versus iter facit, Cornēlius et
Onēsimus ad saltum Penīnum contendēbant.
Prīmō diē, ut Drūsilla vērē coniēcerat, Tīcīnum sub vesperum
pervēnērunt, ac postrīdiē Vercellās usque prōgressī sunt, cuius oppidī fāma
semper vigēbit[1] propter proelium haud procul inde commissum, quō Cimbrī
ā Mariō et Catulō dēvictī sunt et Ītalia dēmum vāstātiōnis[2] metū līberāta est.
Ibi eīs occurrit M. Celsus, eques Rōmānus, ē Galliā domum rediēns;
quem Cornēlius summō gaudiō aspexit. Nam ōlim fuerat familiāris
grātissimus, ac iam erat idōneus, cui ad Drūsillam litterae darentur.
Libenter ambō ad eundem caupōnem dēvertērunt. Ubi cum multa dē
temporibus prīstinīs inter sē locūtī essent, Cornēlius paulisper sēcessit, ut
litterās ad Drusīllam cōnficeret; tum, cēnā adpositā, ad amīcum sē rettulit.
Interim ad caupōnem eundem dēverterat viātor alius, homō rūsticō cultū,
quī suā sponte omnēs certiōrēs faciēbat sē modo rūre profectum ad oppidum
Placentiam tendere, neque anteā domō tam longē umquam iter fēcisse.
Quō audītō, familiārī suō Cornēlius: “Crēdō hercle,” inquit, “nōn sine
comite tē crās iter factūrum.”
“Vereor nē vēra loquāris,” inquit Celsus; “et vellem fortūna mihi
comitem aliquantō hūmāniōrem dedisset. Sed hominem adeāmus, sī forte
nōbīscum colloquī velit.”
Quae cum dīxisset, ad rūsticum accessit, et: “Audiō,” inquit, “tē crās
Placentiam versus iter factūrum esse. Ego quoque eōdem tendō, ac fortasse
ūnā iter facere poterimus.”
“Benignē facis,” inquit rūsticus, “cum ita loqueris;[3] ac tibi grātiam
maximam habeō. Nam illa loca longinqua mihi omnīnō ignōta sunt, neque
adhūc tam longē domō umquam abīre ausus sum.”
“Nōlī timēre,” inquit Celsus. “Omnia tibi fēlīciter ēvenient. Ac nunc,
cum[4] lūmina accēnsa sint, fortasse nōbīscum sedēbis, ut sermōne variō
noctem prōdūcāmus.”
“Fīat,” inquit ille. “Nam rūrī sermōnibus maximē dēlectāmur, ubi opus
diurnum[5] cōnfectum est.”
“Nūlla est causa,” inquit Cornēlius, “cūr tē vītae rūsticōrum pudeat.
Nam, ut aiunt, ‘Saepe est etiam sub palliolō sordidō sapientia.’ ”[6]
“Nihil hōc[7] vērius est,” inquit Celsus. “Quam ob rem, nisi molestum
est, aliquam quaestiōnem[8] ad philosophiam[9] pertinentem nunc tractēmus.”
“Quantum[10] ad mē attinet,”[11] inquit rūsticus, “nihil acceptius esse
potest.”
“Saepe sermōnibus interfuī,” inquit Cornēlius, “cum dē somniīs
disputābātur,[12] utrum eīs fidēs habenda esset necne. Dē hōc, sī vultis,
disceptēmus.”[13]
“Mē lubente[14] fīet,” inquit Celsus; “nam etsī multōs dē hōc disputantēs
audīvī, adhūc rēs mihi in ambiguō esse vidētur. Sed tū incipe, Cornēlī, sī
vīs.”
At ille: “Nōtissimum est Simōnidis somnium. Memoriae enim trāditum
est eum ōlim ignōtum quendam prōiectum mortuum vīdisse; cumque corpus
sepelīvisset atque nāvem cōnscendere ipse in animō habēret, ab eō, quem
sepultūrā[15] adfēcerat, in somnīs[16] monērī vīsum esse, nē id faceret; nam sī
illō tempore nāvigāsset, naufragiō eum esse peritūrum.
“Hōc somniō dēterritus, Simōnidēs diem profectiōnis distulit; cēterī
autem, quī tum nāvigāverant, in marī periērunt.”
“Papae!” inquit rūsticus. “Cum tālia audiō, timor maximus mihi inicitur.
Hoc saltem iter spērō auspiciīs meliōribus susceptum esse. Recordārī videor
mē nūper quaedam somniāsse, sed nihil certī[17] reminīscī possum.”
“Vidē sī hoc magis placet,” inquit Celsus: “Ōlim duo adulēscentēs, cum
in itinere Megarae[18] cōnstitissent, alter ad caupōnem dēvertit, ad hospitem
alter.
“Concubiā nocte[19] illī, quī ad hospitem dēverterat, in somnīs alter
adesse vidēbātur, cum amīcum ēnīxē ōrāret,[20] ut opem ferret, quod ā
caupōne sibi interitus parārētur.
“Homō sānē perterritus surrēxit; deinde autem, cum sē collēgisset,
somnium prō[21] nihilō habendum ratus, iterum recubuit.
“Tum eī dormientī alter rūrsus vidēbātur ōrāre, ut (cum sibi vīvō nōn
subvēnisset) mortem saltem suam ulcīscerētur; nam sē ā caupōne
interfectum in plaustrum coniectum esse; quārē sē petere ut māne ad portam
adesset, priusquam ex oppidō plaustrum exīret.
“Hīs rēbus vehementer commōtus, amīcus māne praestō ad portam fuit.
Ubi cum ā bubulcō[22] quaesīvisset quid esset in plaustrō, ille perterritus
fūgit. Intus adulēscēns mortuus inventus est. Caupō, causā cognitā,[23] poenās
dedit.”
“Periī!” inquit rūsticus, cum trepidus sē circumspiceret. “Sī tālia diūtius
audiam, profectō tōtam noctem vigilābō, etsī vix crēdō nōs ad caupōnem
tam scelestum dēvertisse.” Quō dictō, poposcit lūmen et celeriter sēcessit.
“Amīcum nostrum tū plānē terruisse vidēris,” inquit Cornēlius rīdēns.
“Cum autem ille iam abierit, inter nōs multō commodius colloquī
possumus.”
Quārē, somniōrum quaestiōne dīmissā, ad multam[24] noctem intimō[25]
sermōne hōrās trahēbant. Tum, dē viā fessī, libenter cubitum discessērunt, ac
ambōs somnus altus brevī amplexus est. Rūsticus vērō īnfēlīx, cūrīs ānxiīs
distentus, hanc noctem magnā ex parte vigiliīs cōnsūmpsit.
Cui māne, postquam gustāvērunt, Celsus: “Etiam nunc tū plānē fessus
vidēris,” inquit. “Spērō tē hāc nocte proximā artē dormiisse.”
At ille: “Tōtā nocte,” inquit, “vix oculōs condidī.”
“Quārē, obsecrō?” inquit Cornēlius. “Num[26] somniīs inquiētātus es?”
“Vix id dīcere audeō,” inquit ille; “nam, nisi dormiās,[27] somniāre nōn
potes.”
“Nisi forte somniēs vigilāns,” inquit Cornēlius rīdēns. “Quōsdam enim
cognōvī, quī ita adficerentur.”
“Ego quidem,” inquit rūsticus ā mēnsā discēdēns, “sagācior[28] sum quam
ut quisquam mē incautum opprimat.” (Sed eōdem ipsō tempore, quō ita
glōriābātur, īnstitor vagus, quī clam accesserat ā tergō, zōnam eius per
iocum abscīdēbat.)
Tum Celsus, quī hoc animadverterat, lūdibundus[29]: “Tibi scīlicet nōtum
est,” inquit, “iter, quod ingressūrī sumus, latrōnibus īnfestissimum esse.”
“Itane vērō?” inquit rūsticus. “Id plānē nesciēbam. Nummōs[30] meōs
profectō hodiē maximā cūrā custōdīrī oportēbit”;[31] quō dictō, manum ad
latus admōvit. Cum autem zōnam āmissam sēnsisset, maximō clāmōre
capillum ēvellēns:[32] “Periī miser! Vae mihi, occidī!” inquit. “Omnēs
dīvitiae meae hōc diē īnfaustō periērunt!”
Sed iam īnstitor rīdēns porrēxit zōnam; quam ille cupidissimē arripuit,
et: “Satis itinerum ego iam cōnfēcī,” inquit. “Posthāc ē fundō meō numquam
abīre mihi certum est.”
Quae cum dīxisset, ratiōnem expēnsī[33] poposcit, pecūniāque solūtā
statim domum proficīscī contendit, neque ūllō modō eī persuādērī potuit ut
iter inceptum cum Celsō pergeret. Quī igitur, litterīs ad Drūsillam ā Cornēliō
acceptīs, ‘valē’ dīxit, et Placentiam versus profectus est.
Cornēlius autem et Onēsimus, quī rēdam aliam cōnscenderant.
Eporediam versus mox prōgrediēbantur. Propter imbrem subitum quādam in
vīllā aliquamdiū morārī coāctī sunt; sed ūndecimā ferē hōrā oppidum
dēmum in cōnspectū erat. Sīc AD ALPĒS perventum est.

[1] vigeō, -ēre, -uī, intr., flourish, live.


[2]
vāstātiō, -ōnis, f., devastation.
[3]
cum ita loqueris, in speaking thus.
[4]
cum, as.
[5] diurnus, -a, -um, adj., of the day.
[6]
sapientia, -ae, f., wisdom. Some philosophers affected a mean
dress.
[7] hōc: with the comp.
[8]
quaestiō, -ōnis, f., topic, subject.
[9]
philosophia, -ae, f., philosophy.
[10]
Quantum, So far as.
[11] attinet: impers.
[12]
disputābātur: impers.
[13]
disceptō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr. and intr., have a discussion.
[14]
lubēns, -entis, adj.: lit., willing.
[15]
sepultūra, -ae, f., burial.
[16] in somnīs, in a dream.
[17]
certī: partit. gen.
[18]
Megarae: loc.
[19]
concubius,-a, -um, adj.; concubiā nocte, at the time of first sleep
(cf. cubō).
[20]
cum . . . ōrāret: cf. I, 61, note.
[21] prō, as.
[22]
bubulcus, -ī, m., plowman. The man was in charge of the cart.
[23]
cognitā: contrast incognitā, XVII, 37, note.
[24]
multam: cf. IV, 57.
[25]
intimus, -a, -um, adj., familiar.
[26] Num: suggesting neg. answer.
[27]
dormiās: subj. indef. second sing.
[28]
sagāx, -ācis, adj., keen; trans. phrase, ‘too keen to have anyone
catch me,’ etc.
[29]
lūdibundus, -a, -um, adj., freely, entering into the joke (cf. lūdō).
[30]
nummus, -ī, m.; pl., money.
[31]
oportēbit: impers.
[32] ēvellō, -vellere, -vellī, -vulsus, tr. tear out.
[33]
expēnsum, -ī, n.; lit., cost, expense.
LĪTUS BRITANNIAE
APPENDIX

METRICAL VERSIONS AND PARAPHRASES


Page 35
(Catullus, 61. 216-220)

A little Torquatus I fain would see


Dancing on his mother’s knee;
To father eager hands stretched out,
All smiles around his dimpling mouth!
Page 36
(original)

By Babylon’s streams we sat us down


And shed a bitter tear,
Thinking of Zion razed to earth
And exiles’ portion drear.

When lo, the victor, swollen with pride


In mockery cries aloud:
“Come sing, ye dolts, a lively strain
Of Zion and your God.”

“We mourning exiles sing to God


In this benighted land?
O Zion, be thy wrongs avenged,
As here we steadfast stand!”
Page 41
(Ovid, Met. xi. 538-542)
As many as the dashing waves,
Death’s terrors seem to sweep their souls;
One weeps, another stands amazed,
A third mourns loss of funeral doles.
Lo, yonder one to prayer hath turned,
With hands upraised to leaden sky;
In vain he calls for heaven’s aid,
No answering portent greets his cry.
Page 46
(Catullus, 31. 7-10)

O what more blest than care’s release,


When anxious mind throws off its load,
As worn and travel-stained we reach
The quiet of our own abode!
Page 85
(Horace, Epod. 2. 1-4 and 23-28)

How blest the man from business free,


Like to the sturdy sires of old,
Who plows content ancestral fields,
With ne’er a passing thought of gold!
How pleasant ‘neath some ancient oak
Or on the thick-meshed sward to lie,
While plaintive wood-notes fill the air
And brimming brook glides softly by,
While purling waters lure to rest
As breezes through the treetops sigh!
Page 101
(Horace, Car. iii. 1. 17-21)

When o’er a guilty head there hangs


A naked sword suspended high,
In vain the sumptuous banquet’s spread,
No dulcet strain will close the eye.
Page 105
(Horace, Car. iii. 5. 18-22)
In Punic shrines mine eye hath seen
Standards and arms by cravens lost;
Mine eye hath seen on freemen’s backs
With shameful bonds the forearms crossed.
Page 128
(Horace, Car. iii. 2. 17-24)

True worth, that knoweth not defeat,


Shines on with fadeless glory blest,
Nor takes nor lays aside its crown
At the capricious crowd’s behest.

True worth, for the immortal few


To heaven points out a shining way,
And mounting on aspiring wing,
Spurns sordid mob and sodden clay.
Page 136
(Horace, Car. i. 9. 1-4)

See how Soracte rears his head


With snowy crown of dazzling white,
While forests scarce sustain their load;
Congealed the very streams in flight!
Page 145
(Anon., in Suetonius, Nero 39. 2)

Aeneas’ blood our Nero claims;


We know it’s no mere fad.
The one his mother carried off,
The other took his dad!
Page 146
(Ovid, Met. xi. 623-625)

O Sleep, release from toil,


For careworn soul a balm divine:
Thy gentle ministrations soothe
The weary frame with touch benign.
Page 151
(Horace, Epod. 16. 47-52 and 61-62)

From riven oak the golden honey drips,


And down the steeps cool, babbling waters spring.
Unherded flocks at even homeward turn,
While willing kine their milky tribute bring.

There never ’round the sleeping fold at night


Is heard anear the bear’s alarming voice;
No serpents swarm in upland heath or glen;
There safe from bane and heat the flocks rejoice.
Page 173
(Trans. from the Greek by Cicero, Tusc. Disp. i. 101)

At Sparta, stranger, kindly tell


That here you saw us where we fell,
Obedient to the sacred laws
Of country that we loved so well.
Page 177
(Horace, Car. iv. 4. 69-72)

Never to Carthage again, alas,


A message of joy I’ll send.
Gone, gone, the glory of our name
Through Hasdrubal’s piteous end!
Page 223
(Horace, Car. iii. 11. 45-52)

Though father load me down with chains


For mercy shown to you;
Though to the earth’s remotest bounds
I’m sent with ruffian crew;
Go thou, be it by land or sea,
While night and love preside;
Go, blest by me, and on my tomb
A tender word inscribe.
OTHER VERSE IN THE TEXT
Page 45: Plautus, Men. 226 ff.
54: original (music on page 239.)
63: Vergil, Ec. 4. 21 ff.
69: Horace, Epod. 15. 1.
113: Ennius, in Cicero, Cato M. 10.
128: Horace, Car. iii. 3. 7 ff.
148: Cicero, in Quintilian, ix. 4. 41.
188: Vergil, Aen. vi. 126 ff.
199: Vergil, Aen. ii. 624 ff.
204: Vergil, Aen. iii. 56 ff.
CARMEN
Lyrics

1. Nunc ho-mi-nes-que la-bo-re gra-va-tos, Nunc re-qui-es pe-cu-


2. Si-de-ra, par-ve, mi-can-ti-a som-num Iam pu-e-ris a-vi-

dem-qae vo-cat; Om-ni-a le-ni-ter ar-va ni-gre-scunt,


bus-que ci-ent; Nunc o-cu-los, pla-ci-dis-si-me, con-de;

Sil-va si-mul si-ne mur-mu-re stat. Lal-la-la, lal-la-la,


Som-ni-a dul-ci-a te ma-ne-ant! Lal-la-la, lal-la-la,

ca-re, qui-e-sce; Ma-ter en (im) in te-ne-bris vi-gi-lat.


ca-re, qui-e-sce; Ma-ter en (im) in te-ne-bris vi-gi-lat.
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

abl. = ablative irreg. = irregular


abbrev. = abbreviation l. = line
absol. = absolute lit. = literally
acc. = accusative loc. = locative
adj. = adjective m. or masc. = masculine
adv. = adverb, adverbial mod. = modifier
app. = apposition monosyl. = monosyllable
cf. = cōnfer, compare n. or neut. = neuter
comp. = comparative n. = note
conj. = conjunction neg. = negative
dat. = dative nom. = nominative
decl. = declension num. = numeral
defect. = defective obj. = object, objective
dem. = demonstrative part. = participle
dept. = dependent partit. = partitive
disc. = discourse pass. = passive
dissyl. = dissyllable perf. = perfect
distrib. = distribution pers. = personal
e.g. = exemplī grātiā, for example pl. = plural
exclam. = exclamation plup. = pluperfect
f. = feminine poss. = possessive
foll. = following pred. = predicate
fut. = future prep. = preposition
gen. = genitive pres. = present
hort. = hortatory pron. = pronoun
i.e. = id est, that is purp. = purpose
imper. = imperative quest. = question
impers. = impersonal reflex. = reflexive
ind. = indirect rel. = relative
indecl. = indeclinable sc. = scīlicet, supply
indef. = indefinite sec. = second
infin. = infinitive separ. = separation
intens. = intensive sing. = singular
interj. = interjection spec. = specification
interrog. = interrogative subj. = subject
intr. = intransitive subjv. = subjunctive
sup. = superlative voc. = vocative
tr. = transitive vocab. = vocabulary
trans. = translate, translating, vs. = versus, opposed to
translation
VOCABULARY

A B C D E F G H I(vowel) I(consonant) L M N O P Q R S T U V Z

ā, ab, prep. with abl., by, from, of. See frōns, latus, and tergum.
abdūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus, tr., take away.
abeō, -īre, -iī, -itum, intr., go away, depart, leave, begone (imper.); be off,
get away, come away; go, go off, go on, go forward, go out, wander off,
keep off; move, start, set out; (of the day) decline, (of time) pass.
abhinc, adv., ago.
abiciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectus, tr., throw away; throw, cast.
ablātus, see auferō.
abnuō, -nuere, -nuī, -nuitūrus, tr. and intr., shake head; refuse, reject.
abscīdō, -cīdere, -cīdī, -cīsus, tr., cut off.
abscondō, -condere, -condī, -conditus, tr., conceal, hide.
abstulī, see auferō.
absum, -esse, āfuī, āfutūrus, intr., be absent, be away, be out, be distant;
lack, be lacking.
absurdus, -a, -um, adj., ridiculous; bad (writing).
abundō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum, intr., abound; part. as adj., abundāns, -antis,
lavish.
ac, atque, conj., and. See aeque.
accēdō, -cēdere, -cessī, -cessum, intr., approach, draw near, draw (closer);
advance, step up, come up, come on, come, move (toward); impers. third
sing., it is added, etc.
accelerō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr. and intr., hasten, hurry on.
accendō, -cendere, -cendī, -cēnsus, tr., light; cheer on.
accidō, -cidere, -cidī, intr., happen.
accipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus, tr., accept, receive, take; greet, welcome,
deal with; suffer (defeat); hospitiō accipere, receive hospitably,
entertain; acceptus, -a, -um, part. as adj., agreeable, pleasing.
ācer, -cris, -cre, adj., fierce; piercing.
acerbus, -a, -um, adj., bitter.
acervus, -ī, m., heap.
Achaia, -ae, f., the Roman province of Greece.
Āchān, indecl., a Hebrew who secreted part of the spoils of Jericho.
Acherōn, -ontis, m., a river of the Lower World.
aciēs, -ēī, f., battle-line, line of battle, line, army.
ācriter, adv., fiercely, sharply, strenuously, vigorously, energetically.
acūtus, -a, -um, adj., sharp.
ad, prep. with acc., to, (up) to, toward, at, for, on, upon; to the house of, to
the establishment of, to the presence of; near; according to, to the
accompaniment of. See ūnus, usque, and versus (prep.).
addō, -dere, -didī, -ditus, tr., add; gradum addere, hurry, hasten.
addūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus, tr., bring on, bring, bring (to), bring up;
pass., come; be overcome.
adeō, adv., so, to such an extent, so much so; thereto.
adeō, -īre, -iī, -itus, tr. and intr., approach, come in, be at hand; go, go to,
come to, go to see, visit, appear before, reach; incur (danger).
adeptus, see adipīscor.
adferō, -ferre, attulī, adlātus, tr., bring, take, bring along, waft; make (an
end); deliver; pass., be borne.
adficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus, tr., affect, afflict, subject (to), trouble, visit
(with punishment); honor.
adfīgō, -fīgere, -fīxī, -fīxus, tr., nail, fasten (to).
adfīnis, -is, m., connection, relative; sharer; adherent.
adfirmō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., declare, affirm, say.
adflīgō, -flīgere, -flīxī, -flīctus, tr., knock, overwhelm.
adhūc, adv., up to this time, until now, up till now, till now, yet, while yet, as
yet, (while) still.
adiciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectus, tr., add.
adipīscor, adipīscī, adeptus sum, tr., gain, get.
adiuvō, -iuvāre, -iūvī, -iūtus, tr., help, assist, aid.
admīror, -āri,-ātus sum, tr. and intr., admire, wonder at; wonder.
admittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus, tr., admit; suffer (disgrace); in sē
admittere, commit.
admodum, adv., exceedingly, very, quite.
admoneō, -monēre, -monuī, -monitus, tr., admonish, warn, remind.
admoveō, -movēre, -mōvī, -mōtus, tr., apply, put (to); set (fire).
adoptō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., adopt.
adorior, -orīrī, -ortus sum, tr., attack, assail, approach.
adōrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., call upon, offer prayer to, worship.
adpōnō, -pōnere, -posuī, -positus, tr., put on, serve.
adprīmē, adv., in the highest degree, exceedingly, particuiarly.
adrīdeō, -rīdēre, -rīsī, -rīsus, tr. and intr., smile assent, laugh (at).
adsentātor, -ōris, m., flatterer.
adsentor, -ārī, -ātus sum, intr., flatter.
adsiduē, adv., industriously, persistently, continually, constantly.
adsiduus, -a, -um, adj., persistent, continued.
adsum, -esse, -fuī, -futūrus, intr., be present, be present (at), be here, be
there, be on hand, be at hana, be on the field; be come, come, appear.
adulēscēns, -entis, part. as adj., youthful, young, in (one’s) youth; as noun,
m., young man, youth.
advena, -ae, m. and f., outsider, stranger.
adveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventum, intr., arrive, come (to).
adventus, -ūs, m., arrival, coming.
adversus, -a, -um, adj., opposite, contrary, unfavorable; flūmine adversō,
upstream, against the current; in ōs adversum, full in the face.
advesperāscit, -vesperāscere, -vesperāvit, intr., it grows dark.
aedēs, -is, f.; pl., house, dwelling, building.
aedificium, -ī, n., building.
Aegaeus, -a, -um, adj., Aegean; designation of a sea east of Greece.
Aegeus (dissyl.), -eī, m., a mythical king of Athens.
Aegyptus, -ī, f., Egypt.
Aegyptus, -ī, m., a mythical king of Arabia.
Aenēās, -ae, m., the hero of Vergil’s Aeneid.
aēneus, -a, -um, adj., of bronze, bronze.
aequē, adv., equally, as much, so; aequē ac, as much as.
aequus, -a, -um, adj., equal, undisturbed, comfortable; aequō animō,
cheerfully; haud aequō animō, impatiently.
aes, aeris, n., bronze; aes aliēnum, debt.
Aeschylus, -ī, m., a famous Greek poet, born 525 . .
Aesculāpius, -ī, m., a legendary Greek physician, worshiped as a god.
aestās, -ātis, f., summer.
aestus, -ūs, m., heat; tide.
aetās, -ātis, f., age, (old) age, life. See ineō.
aevum, -ī, n., age.
Āfrica, -ae, f., Africa.
āfuī, see absum.
ager, -grī, m., field, land, district; pl., territory.
aggredior, -gredī, -gressus sum, tr., assail, attack, approach, undertake.
agmen, -inis, n., line, column.
agnōscō, -nōscere, -nōvī, -nitus, tr., recognize, acknowledge.
agō, agere, ēgī, āctus, tr., drive, do, put through, aim at, carry, carry off; be
stationed; deal (with), give (thanks), spend, pass (time), play (rôle), work
(oars); age, agite, come! agitur, it is a question; quid agis? how do you
do? annum . . . agere, be in (one’s) —th year; in crucem agere, crucify;
male agere cum, deal hardly with, illtreat, treat badly. Pass., happen,
proceed, go on.
agricola, -ae, m., farmer.
Agricola, -ae, m., Julius Agricola, father-in-law of the historian Tacitus.
Ahēnobarbus, -ī, m., Nero’s name before adoption; pl., the Ahenobarbi.
aiō, defect. verb, say.
āla, -ae, f., wing.
alacer, -cris, -cre, adj., fresh, brisk, willing, cheerful.
alacriter, adv., readily, willingly.
Albānus, -a, -um, adj., Alban, designation of a mountain in Latium.
Alexandrēa, -ae, f., Alexandria, a city of Egypt.
alibī, adv., elsewhere, in other places; nusquam alibī, nowhere else.
aliquamdiū, adv., for some time, for a little.
aliquandō, adv., some time, some time or other.
aliquantō, adv., somewhat.
aliquis (aliquī), aliqua, aliquid (aliquod), indef. pron., anyone, someone,
somebody; anything, something; adj., some, any.
aliquō, adv., somewhere.
aliquot, indecl. adj., several, a few, some.
aliter, adv., otherwise, differently.
alius, alia, aliud, adj., another, other, some other; pl., as noun, others; aliī
. . . in aliam partem, some in one direction, some in another; nihil
aliud, nothing else; vix aliud, hardly anything else.
Allobrogēs, -um, m., a Gallic tribe.
Alpēs, -ium, f., the Alps.
altē, adv., aloft, on high, high.
alter, -tera, -terum, adj., the other, a second, another, one (of two); alter . . .
alter, the one . . . the other.
altercor, -ārī, -ātus sum, intr., quarrel, wrangle.
alternus, -a, -um, adj., alternate, every other.
altum, -ī, n., the deep (i.e., the sea).
altus, -a, -um, adj., high, tall, lofty; deep.
alveus, -ī, m., trough.
amābilis, -e, adj., lovable.
ambiguus, -a, -um, adj., ambiguous; in ambiguō esse, be unsettled.
ambō, -ae, -ō, adj., both.
ambulō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum, intr., walk, promenade.
āmēns, -entis, adj., crazy, wild, maddened.
amīcus, -ī, m., friend.
āmittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus, tr., lose.
amnis, -is, m., river, stream.
amō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., love, cherish, like; amābō, (I) pray, please; part.
as adj., amāns, -antis, devoted (to), loving(ly); as noun, m., lover.
amoenus, -a, -um, adj., picturesque, charming, pleasant.
amor, -ōris, m., love.
āmoveō, -movēre, -mōvī, -mōtus, tr., take away, remove.
amphitheātrum, -ī, n., amphitheater.
amphora, -ae, f., jar.
amplector, -plectī, -plexus sum, tr., embrace, envelop, seize.
amplius, adv., further, more.
an, conj., whether. See utrum. (In a direct question, an is often not to be
translated.)
Anchīsēs, -ae, m., the father of Aeneas.
ancilla, -ae, f., maidservant.
Androclēs, -is, m., the hero of a lion story.
Androgeōs, -eī, m., son of Minos.
anguis, -is, m. and f., snake.
angustiae, -ārum, f., narrow pass, narrowness.
angustus, -a, -um, adj., narrow.
animadvertō, -vertere, -vertī, -versus, tr., notice, catch sight of, give
attention to, make note of, observe, see.
animus, -ī, m., mind, frame of mind, attitude, judgment, attention,
consciousness, courage. See aequus.
Anna, -ae, f., a Hebrew maid.
annālēs, -ium, m., records, history.
annus, -ī, m., year. See agō.
ante, prep. with acc., before; in front of.
ante, adv., earlier, previously, before.
anteā, adv., before, previously, earlier.
Antiochus, -ī, m., king of Syria in the time of Hannibal.
antīquitus, adv., in ancient times, in the olden time, in days of old.
antīquus, -a, -um, adj., ancient.
Antōnius, -ī, m., Antonius Primus, a general of Vespasian.
ānulus, -ī, m., ring.
ānxius, -a, -um, adj., anxious, nervous, worried, fearful; disturbing.
Ānxur, -uris, n., a town of Latium.
apage, interj., away with, take away; really, of all things!
aperiō, -īre, -uī,-tus, tr., open; part. as adj., apertus, -a, -um, open; in
apertō, in the open.
apertē, adv., openly.
Apollō, -inis, m., the god of music.
Apollōnius, -ī, m., Apollonius Molo, a rhetorician of Rhodes.
Apōnius, -ī, m., Aponius Saturninus, a Roman victimized at an auction.
appāreō, -ēre, -uī, -itūrus, intr., appear.
appellō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., address, accost, call, name.
appellō, -pellere, -pulī, -pulsus, tr., bring, bring to land, dock; pass., be
driven, arrive.
Appī Forum, -ī, n., a town of Latium.
Appius, -a, -um, adj., Appian, the designation of a famous road of southern
Italy.
appropinquō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum, intr., draw near, approach, appear, come.
aptus, -a, -um, adj., suited, fit, attached.
apud, prep. with acc., among, at the house of, at the court of, before; near;
in (with name of writer); with, in the hands of; apud īnferōs, in the
world below.
aqua, -ae, f., water.
aquila, -ae, f., eagle, standard.
aquor, -ārī, -ātus, intr., get water.
āra, -ae, f., altar.
Arabia, -ae, f., Arabia.
arbitrium, -ī, n., authority, behest.
arbor, -oris, f., tree.
arcessō, -ere, -īvī, -ītus, tr., summon, call.
Archimēdēs, -is, m., a celebrated mathematician of Syracuse.
ārdeō, ardēre, ārsī, ārsūrus, intr., glow, burn.
ārdor, -ōris, m., heat, enthusiasm, passion.
ārea, -ae, f., court, yard.
Arethūsa, -ae, f., a nymph and a spring in Sicily.
argentum, -ī, n., silver, silver plate.
Ariadna, -ae, f., Ariadne, daughter of Minos, king of Crete.
Arīcia, -ae, f., a town of Latium.
Arīminum, -ī, n., a town of Umbria.
Aristippus, -ī, m., a Greek philosopher born in the fifth century . .
arma, -ōrum, n., arms, armor.
armō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., arm; part. as adj., armātus, -a, -um, armed,
equipped to fight, in full armor; as noun, armātus, -ī, m., armed man.
arripiō, -ripere, -ripuī, -reptus, tr., seize, snatch, catch up.
ars, artis, f., science, art.
artē, adv., closely, tightly, soundly.
artus, -a, -um, adj., deep, sound (sleep).
Ascanius, -ī, m., son of Aeneas.
ascendō, -scendere, -scendī, -scēnsus, tr. and intr., mount, climb up, go
aboard, embark.
Asia, -ae, f., Asia.
asinus, -ī, m., ass.
aspiciō, -spicere, -spexī, -spectus, tr., see, view, catch sight of, sight, notice,
note, look on, look at, behold, witness, look.
at, conj., but; then, and.
Atalanta, -ae, f., a princess famed for her fleetness.
āter, -tra -trum, adj., black, dark.
Athēnae, -ārum, f., Athens.
Athēniēnsis, -e, adj., Athenian; pl., as noun, Athēniēnsēs, -ium, m., the
Athenians.
Athēnodōrus, -ī, m., a Greek philosopher mentioned by Pliny.
āthlēta, -ae, m., athlete.
Atīlius, -ī, m., see Rēgulus.
atque, conj., see ac.
atquī, conj., and yet.
atrōx, -ōcis, adj., shocking, fearful, dreadful, fierce.
attentē, adv., intently, attentively, closely, steadily.
attineō, -tinēre, -tinuī, -tentum, intr.; with ad and acc., concern.
attingō, -tingere, -tigī, tāctus, tr., touch, visit.
attulī, see adferō.
auctiō, -ōnis, f., auction.
auctor, -ōris, m., proposer, backer, director; writer.
auctōritās, -ātis, f., authority, authorization, responsibility.
audācter, adv., boldly, with good courage.
audāx, -ācis, adj., bold, venturesome.
audeō, audēre, ausus sum, tr. and intr., dare, venture, mean.
audiō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus, tr. and intr., hear, be within earshot, listen, listen to,
attend the lectures of, learn.
auferō, -ferre, abstulī, ablātus, tr., carry off, carry away, take away.
Augusta, -ae, f., see Līvia.
Augustus, -ī, m., emperor 27 . .-14 . .
aura, -ae, f., breeze, air; favor.
aureus, -a, -um, adj., golden, of gold, gold, gilded; as noun, aureus, -ī, m.,
gold piece.
auris, -is, f., ear.
aurum, -ī, n., gold, gold plate.
auspicium -ī, n.; pl., auspices.
aut, conj., or; aut . . . aut, either . . . or.
autem, conj., but, however, on the other hand, for (his) part, etc.; moreover,
and. See sīn.
auxilium, -ī, n., help, aid, reënforcements.
avārus, -a, -um, adj., greedy.
Avernus, -ī, m., a lake in Campania; the Lower World.
āvertō, -vertere, -vertī, -versus, tr., avert, turn away, turn (from), divert,
call away.
avidē, adv., greedily, eagerly.
avidus, -a, -um, adj., greedy, eager.
avis, -is, f., bird.
avunculus, -ī, m., uncle (on mother’s side).

Babylōn, -ōnis, f., Babylon.


Babylōnius, -a, -um, adj., Babylonian.
Bacchus, -ī, m., the god of wine.
Bagrada, -ae, m., a river in northern Africa.
ballista, -ae, f., catapult.
balneum, -ī, n. (pl., balneae, -ārum, f.), bath.
barba, -ae, f., beard.
barbarus, -a, -um, adj., foreign, savage, barbarian; as noun, barbarus, -ī,
m., a barbarian.
beātus, -a, -um, adj., happy, blest.
bellātor, -ōris, m., warrior, fighter.
bellum, -ī, n., war. See sēdēs.
bellus, -a, -um, adj., bonny, charming.
bēlua, -ae, f., beast, monster, animal.
bene, adv., well, luckily; (die) happy. Sup., optimē, excellently, well; as
exclam., good! excellent! See nūntiō.
Beneventum, -ī, n., a town in Samnium where Pyrrhus was defeated in 275
. .
benignē, adv., generously, kindly.
bēstia, -ae, f., beast, creature, animal, wild beast, wild animal, monster.
bibō, bibere, bibī, tr. and intr., drink.
Bīthȳnia, -ae, f., a district in Asia Minor.
blandē, adv., mildly, coaxingly, persuasively.
bōbus, see bōs.
Bonōnia, -ae, f., a town in northern Italy.
bonus, -a, -um, adj., good, excellent; sup. optimus, excellent; as noun,
bonum, -ī, n., asset; pl., goods, fortune.
bōs, bovis, m. and f., ox, cow; pl., cattle.
bracchium, -ī, n., arm.
brevī, adv., shortly, soon.
brevis, -e, adj., short.
Britannī, -ōrum, m., the Britons.
Britannia, -ae, f., Britain.
Brundisium, -ī, n., an important seaport of southeast Italy.

C., abbrev. of Gāius.


cachinnus, -ī, m., shout of laughter; pl., laughter.
cadō, cadere, cecidī, cāsūrus, intr., fall, perish.
caecus, -a, -um, adj., blind.
caedēs, -is, f., killing, slaughter, loss, loss of blood.
caedō, caedere, cecīdī, caesus, tr., cut, hack at, slay.
caelum, -ī, n., sky, heaven.
Caesar, -aris, m., in particular, Julius Caesar; pl., the Caesars, the emperors.
Caesō, -ōnis, m., a name used in the Fabian family.
Calēdonia, -ae, f., Scotland.
caliga, -ae, f., half-boot.
cālīgō, -inis, f., mist.
Caligula, -ae, m., a popular name for the emperor Gaius Caesar, who
reigned 37-41 . .
callidē, adv., skillfully, cleverly.
callidus, -a, -um, adj., canny, shrewd.
Calvīnī, -ōrum, m., name of a branch of Nero’s family.
calvitiēs, -ēī, f., baldness.
calvus, -a, -um, adj., bald; as noun, calvus, -ī, m., baldheaded man.
camera, -ae, f., cabin.
Campānia, -ae, f., a district in Italy, south of Latium.
campus, -ī, m., field; Campus Mārtius (“Mars’ Field”), a district of Rome.
cancer, -crī, m., crab.
candidus, -a, -um, adj., white, shining.
canis, -is, m. and f., dog.
Cannēnsis, -e, adj., of Cannae, a city of southeast Italy.
canō, canere, cecinī, tr. and intr., sing, sing of, predict; play, sound.
cantō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr. and intr., sing, chant.
cantus, -ūs, m., singing, music.
capella, -ae, f., goat.
Capēnus, -a, -um, adj., designation of one of the inner gates of Rome.
capillus, -ī, m., hair.
capiō, capere, cēpī, captus, tr., capture, make prisoner, take, catch,
captivate, attract, gain, seize, partake of.
Capitōlium, -ī, n., the Capitol at Rome, the Capitoline Hill.
captīvus, -a, -um, adj., captive; as noun, captīvus, -ī, m., prisoner.
captō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., catch, reach.
Capua, -ae, f., a town of Campania.
caput, -itis, n., head, source; chapter; in caput, headlong. See damnō.
carcer, -eris, n., prison.
careo, -ēre, -uī, -itūrus, intr., abstain, be free (from); get along (without).
Cāria, -ae, f., a district of Asia Minor.
Carmēlus, -ī, m., Carmel, a mountain of Syria.
carmen, -inis, n., poem, lay, chant, song.
carō, carnis, f., flesh, meat.
carpō, carpere, carpsī, carptus, tr., pick; travel, pursue; iter carpere,
journey, travel.
Carthāginiēnsēs, -ium, m., the Carthaginians.
Carthāgō, -inis, f., Carthage.
cārus, -a, -um, adj., dear, beloved; as noun, cārus, -ī, m., dear one, darling.
casa, -ae, f., hut, cottage, cot.
castīgō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., reprove, scold, take to task.
castra, -ōrum, n., camp. See habeō and pōnō.
cāsus, -ūs, m., accident, chance; fate, misfortune; fall; case.
catēna, -ae, f., chain.
Catilīna, -ae, m., Lucius Sergius Catiline, leader of a conspiracy in Cicero’s
time.
Catius, -ī, m., Quintus Catius, a Roman officer in the Second Punic War.
Catullus, -ī, m., a Roman poet of Cicero’s time.
Catulus, -ī, m., Quintus Lutatius Catulus, colleague of Marius in the
consulship.
Caudīnus, see Furculae.
Caudium, -ī, n., a town in Samnium.
caupō, -ōnis, m., innkeeper.
causa, -ae, f., reason, cause, occasion; case, trial; abl., causā, for, as, for the
sake (of), for the purpose (of).
cavea, -ae, f., cage.
caveō, cavēre, cāvī, cautus, tr. and intr., beware, take care, look out; look
out for, beware of; cavē, cavēte, with subj., donÆt.
caverna, -ae, f., cave.
cavus, -a, -um, adj., hollow; as noun, cavum, -ī, n., hole, retreat.
cedo, old imper., give.
cēdō, -ere, cessī, cessum, intr., turn out; proceed, pass off; shrink back, fall
back, retreat.
celeritās, -ātis, f., speed, swiftness, hurry. See studeō.
celeriter, adv., quickly, swiftly, hastily, at once.
Celsus, -ī, m., Marcus Celsus, a friend of Cornelius.
cēna, -ae, f., dinner, feast.
cēnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, intr., dine, take dinner; part., cēnātus, -a, -um,
having dined.
cēnseō, cēnsēre, cēnsuī, cēnsus, tr., judge, guess, think; advise, suggest.
centum, indecl. num., one hundred.
centuriō, -ōnis, m., centurion.
cernō, cernere, crēvī, crētus, tr., see, notice, make out.
certāmen, -inis, n., contest, game, match, test, fight. See dēscendō.
certē, adv., surely, certainly.
certō, adv., for certain, (know) well.
certus, -a, -um, adj., certain, sure, assured, definite, stated, fixed; clear;
certum (neut.) esse, with dat., be determined; certiōrem facere, inform;
prō certō, for certain.
cervīx, -īcis, f., neck.
cēterus, -a, -um, adj., the rest of; pl., the other, other; as noun, cēterī,
-ōrum, m., the others, others, the rest of, the other people.
Charōn, -ontis, m., the ferryman in the Lower World.
charta, -ae, f., sheet, page.
Chrīstiānus, -ī, m., a Christian.
Chrīstus, -ī, m., Christ.
cibus, -ī, m., food.
Cicerō, -ōnis, m., Marcus Tullius Cicero, consul in 63 . .
Cimbrī, -ōrum, m., a people of northern Germany.
cinis, -eris, m., ashes.
circiter, adv., about.
circuitus, -ūs, m., detour; circumference.
circumdō, -dare, -dedī, -datus, tr., surround, girdle.
circumspiciō, -spicere, -spexī, -spectus, tr. and intr., look around; survey,
scan, view.
circumstō, -stāre, -stetī, tr. and intr., gather round, stand about.
circumveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventus, tr., hem in, encircle; cheat.
citrō, adv., see ultrō.
citus, -a, -um, adj., swift, fast.
cīvis, -is, m. and f., citizen; pl., people.
cīvitās, -ātis, f., state, country.
clādēs, -is, f., disaster, defeat, ruin, loss, loss of life.
clam, adv., secretly, stealthily, undetected, unobserved.
clāmō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum, intr., cry, cry out, shout, scream.
clāmor, -ōris, m., shout, cry, outcry.
clārē, adv., loudly, in a loud voice, in an audible voice.
clārus, -a, -um, adj., famous, illustrious; bright; loud.
classis, -is, f., fleet.
Claudia, -ae, f., name of a Roman matron.
Claudius, -ī, m., emperor 41-54 . .; Gaius Claudius Nero, a commander in
the Second Punic War.
claudō, claudere, clausī, clausus, tr., close, encircle.
claudus, -a, -um, adj., lame.
clēmenter, adv., mercifully, gently, mildly.
clēmentia, -ae, f., mercy, clemency.
cloāca, -ae, f., sewer.
Cn., abbrev. of Gnaeus.
coepī, -isse, tr., began.
cōgitātiō, -ōnis, f., thought, thoughts.
cōgitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr. and intr., think, think of.
cognātus, -ī, m., blood relation, relative.
cognōmen, -inis, n., nickname, byname.
cognōscō, -nōscere, -nōvī, -nitus, tr., learn, find, hear, be informed, know;
try (a case). See studium.
cōgō, cōgere, coēgī, coāctus, tr., force, oblige, compel, constrain; gather,
mass, concentrate, mobilize; pass., must; gather.
cohors, -rtis, f., cohort.
cohortātiō, -ōnis, f., encouragement, suggestion, request.
collātus, see cōnferō.
collēga, -ae, m., colleague.
colligō, -ligere, -lēgī, -lēctus, tr., collect, gather.
collis, -is, m., hill.
collocō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., put, place, station, establish, set up; pass., be
situated, stand, lie.
colloquor, -loquī, -locūtus sum, intr., talk, converse, exchange words.
collum, -ī, n., neck.
columba, -ae, f., dove.
Cōmēnsēs, -ium, m., the people of Comum.
comes, -itis, m. and f., attendant, companion.
cōmitās, -ātis, f., courtesy, kindliness, consideration, politeness.
cōmiter, adv., affably, kindly.
comitor, -ārī, -ātus sum, tr., attend, accompany.
commemorō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., tell, mention, relate.
committō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus, tr., intrust, commit, assign, expose; do
(wrong), join (battle); pass., (of a battle) be fought, take place.
commodē, adv., readily, conveniently, comfortably.
commodō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., lend, loan.
commoveō, -movēre, -mōvī, -mōtus, tr., stir, shake, disturb, stir up, alarm,
excite, work up, move, actuate, interest.
commūnis, -e, adj., common; in commūne, in common.
comparō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., provide, supply, get ready, acquire, store up;
compare.
comperiō, -perīre, -perī, -pertus, tr., discover, find out, know.
compleō, -plēre, -plēvī, -plētus, tr., fill, fill up; part. as adj., complētus, -a,
-um, full.
complexus, -ūs, m., embrace; arms.
complūrēs, -a, adj., several, some, a few, quite a number of.
compōnō, -pōnere, -posuī, -positus, tr., settle, adjust.
comprehendō, -prehendere, -prehendī, -prehēnsus, tr., arrest.
comprimō, -primere, -pressī, -pressus, tr., check, stop, imprison.
comprobō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., show, demonstrate.
Cōmum, -ī, n., a town of northern Italy.
concēdō, -ere, -cessī, -cessus, tr. and intr., yield, withdraw.
concha, -ae, f., shell.
concidō, -ere, -cidī, intr., collapse, fall, fall back.
concitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., spur, spur on, stir up, cause.
conclāmō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr. and intr., cry, raise the cry.
conclāve, -is, n., room.
concurrō, -ere, -currī or -cucurrī, -cursum, intr., come running,
concentrate.
concutiō, -cutere, -cussī, -cussus, tr., shake, knock together.
condiciō, -ōnis, f., condition, terms, overture.
condō, -dere, -didī, -ditus, tr., store away, hide, place, bury, lay to rest;
found (a city); close, shut (eyes); sē condere, hide.
condūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus, tr., hire, pay.
cōnferō, -ferre, contulī, collātus, tr., bring together, match, compare;
contribute, put off (upon), apply; sē cōnferre, betake oneself, proceed.
cōnfertus, -a, -um, adj., thick packed, closely packed, in close array.
cōnficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus, tr., finish, finish up, make up, complete;
work up, manufacture, make, accomplish, adjust; write (a book); wear
out, debase, defile; break, kill.
cōnfirmō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., ratify, steady, strengthen, reassure; declare.
cōnfiteor, -fitērī, -fessus sum, tr., admit, confess.
cōnflīgō, -flīgere, -flīxī, -flīctum, intr., fight.
cōnfundō, -fundere, -fūdī, -fūsus, tr., unite, combine; fill, oppress.
congerō, -gerere, -gessī, -gestus, tr., heap, pile up; load, pack (into).
congredior, -gredī, -gressus sum, intr., join battle, engage in battle, meet in
battle, meet.
coniciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectus, tr., throw, hurl, cast; imagine, suppose, guess,
conjecture.
coniectūra, -ae, f., estimate, guess; detection.
coniungō, -iungere, -iūnxī, -iūnctus, tr., join, unite, attach; sē coniungere,
make common cause (with).
coniūnx, -ugis, m. and f., husband, wife.
coniūrātiō, -ōnis, f., conspiracy.
cōnor, -ārī, -ātus sum, tr., try, attempt, aim at.
cōnscendō, -scendere, -scendī, -scēnsus, tr. and intr., board (a ship), mount
up, climb up.
cōnsector, -ārī, -ātus sum, tr., pursue, follow.
cōnsequor, -sequī, -secūtus sum, tr. and intr., follow, come on, follow after,
catch up, overtake.
cōnserō, -serere, -seruī, -sertus, tr., join; manum cōnserere, join battle.
cōnservō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., preserve, save.
cōnsīdō, -sīdere, -sēdī, -sessum, intr., sit down, settle down, take up a
position.
cōnsilium, -ī, n., plan, design, advice.
cōnsistō, -sistere, -stitī, -stitum, intr., stop, halt, take (one’s) stand, come to
a halt.
cōnsōpiō, -sōpīre, ——, -sōpītus, tr., put to sleep, lull, overcome (by sleep);
pass., fall asleep, slumber; part. as adj., cōnsōpītus, -a, -um, sound
asleep.
cōnspectus, -ūs, m., sight.
cōnspiciō, -spicere, -spexī, -spectus, tr., see, sight, watch, view.
cōnstanter, adv., coolly, without wavering.
cōnsternō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., stampede; part. as adj., cōnsternātus, -a, -
um, in a panic.
cōnsternō, -ere, -strāvī, -strātus, tr., cover, strew.
cōnstituō, -stituere, -stituī, -stitūtus, tr., arrange, appoint, designate,
determine, decide, settle, plan; station; part. as adj., cōnstitūtus, -a, -
um, appointed.
cōnsul, -ulis, m., consul.
cōnsulātus, -ūs, m., consulship.
cōnsulō, -sulere, -suluī, -sultus, tr., and intr., consult, consider.
cōnsultō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, intr., deliberate, consuit.
cōnsūmō, -sūmere, -sūmpsī, -sūmptus, tr., use up, eat, eat up, destroy, burn
up; pass (time).
contāminō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., debase, disgrace.
contegō, -tegere, -tēxī, -tēctus, tr., cover, conceal, screen.
contendō, -tendere, -tendī, -tentus, intr., fight; push on, proceed, make
(one’s) way, journey (toward).
contentus, -a, -um, adj., satisfied.
continēns, -entis, part. as adj., unbroken, continuous; as noun, continēns, -
entis, f., continent.
contineō, -tinēre, -tinuī, -tentus, tr., check, restrain, control, keep control
of, keep; pass., refrain; sē continēre, keep.
contrā, prep. with acc., against, over against.
contrahō, -trahere, -trāxī, -tractus, tr., undertake (business), incur (ill-
will), shorten (sail).
contrārius, -a, -um, adj., opposite; ē contrāriō, on the contrary.
contrōversia, -ae, f., dispute.
contumēlia, -ae, f., insult.
conturbō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., disturb, dismay, upset.
conveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventus, tr. and intr., meet, come together, gather.
convertō, -vertere, -vertī, -versus, tr., turn; draw (eyes).
convīva, -ae, m. and f., guest, banqueter.
coorior, -orīrī, -ortus sum, intr., rise, arise, break out.
cōpia, -ae, f., supply, means (of making), crop; pl., supplies, forces, troops.
coquus, -ī, m., cook.
corbula, -ae, f., basket.
Corfīnium, -ī, n., a town of east central Italy.
Cornēlia, -ae, f., daughter of Cornelius.
Cornēlius, -ī, m., a Roman family name; Cornelius Nepos, a Roman writer
of Cicero’s time.
cornū, -ūs, n., horn; wing (of an army).
corōna, -ae, f., crown, prize.
corpus, -oris, n., body.
corruō, -ruere, -ruī, intr., collapse, fall.
corvus, -ī, m., raven.
cotīdiē, adv., every day, daily.
crās, adv., tomorrow.
Crassus, -ī, m., Marcus Crassus, the triumvir.
Crāstinus, -ī, m., a man’s nickname.
crēber, -bra, -brum, adj., frequent.
crēdibilis, -e, adj., credible.
crēdō, -dere, -didī, -ditus, tr. and intr., believe, suppose, think.
Cremōna, -ae, f., a city of northern Italy.
Cremōnēnsēs, -ium, m., the people of Cremona.
crēscō, crēscere, crēvī, crētum, intr., increase, grow.
Crēta, -ae, f., Crete.
Crētēnsēs, -ium, m., the people of Crete.
crūdēlis, -e, adj., cruel.
crūdēlitās, -ātis, f., cruelty, harshness.
cruentus, -a, -um, adj., bloody, gory, dripping.
crūs, crūris, n., leg.
crux, crucis, f., cross; crux mala, mischief, destruction. See agō.
cubō, -āre, -uī, -itum, intr., rest, (go) to bed.
culīna, -ae, f., kitchen.
culpa, -ae, f., fault.
cultus, -ūs, m., cult, worship, civilization, dress.
cum, conj., when, while, as, since, after; cum primum, as soon as.
cum, prep. with abl., with, along with, by (oneself). See ūnā.
cupidē, adv., eagerly.
cupiditās, -ātis, f., desire, greed, cupidity.
cupiō, -ere, -īvī, -ītus, tr. and intr., be eager, desire, want.
cūr, conj., why?
cūra, -ae, f., care, anxiety.
Curius, -ī, m., Manius Curius, victor over Pyrrhus at Beneventum, 275 . .
cūrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr. and intr., see to it, arrange; arrange for, look after,
take care of, attend to, be interested in; perform (a sacrifice).
currus, -ūs, m., chariot.
cursitō, -āre, intr., run about, keep running.
cursor, -ōris, m., runner, courier.
cursus, -ūs, m., race, running, course, track; speed, dash. See incitō.
Curtius, -a, -um, adj., of Curtius.
Curtius, -ī, m., Marcus Curtius, a legendary hero of the Romans.
custōdia, -ae, f., charge, custody.
custōdiō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus, tr., watch, guard, keep safe, keep.
custōs, -ōdis, m., guard, watcher.
Cyanē, -ēs, f., a nymph and spring in Sicily.
Cyclōps, -ōpis, m., a one-eyed monster.
cymba, -ae, f., skiff.

Daedalus, -ī, m., the mythical inventor of wings for men.


damnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., condemn; capitis damnāre, condemn to death.
damnum, -ī, n., loss, damage.
Dāmoclēs, -is, m., a flatterer of Dionysius.
Danaus, -ī, m., a mythical king of Libya.
(daps), dapis, f., feast.
dē, prep. with abl., from, of, about, concerning. See fīō.
dea, -ae, f., goddess.
dēbeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus, tr. and intr., ougnt; part. as adj., dēbitus, -a, -um,
owed, due.
decem, indecl. num., ten.
dēcernō, -cernere, -crēvī, -crētus, tr., decree, assign.
dēcerpō, -cerpere, -cerpsī, -cerptus, tr., pluck, gather, take.
dēcertō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum, intr., decide issue, fight to an issue, fight to the
death; meet in battle.
decet, decēre, decuit, impers.; lit., it beseems, it is seemly.
decimus, -a, -um, num. adj., tenth.
dēcipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus, tr., mislead, deceive.
Decius, -ī, m., see Mūs.
dēdicō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., dedicate, make sacred.
dēdō, -dere, -didī, -ditus, tr., surrender; part. as adj., dēditus, -a, -um,
devoted.
dēdūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus, tr., carry away, lead away, take away,
bring out, derive, launch; lead, conduct, take, carry, bring.
dēfendō, -fendere, -fendī, -fēnsus, tr., protect, defend.
dēferō, -ferre, -tulī, -lātus, tr., convey, bear, bring, carry, deliver, report,
award, present; pass., fall (into).
dēfessus, -a, -um, adj., tired, wearied out.
dēficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus, tr. and intr., fail, run out, faint, fade, be in
eclipse.
dēfīgō, -fīgere, -fīxī, -fīxus, tr., stick (in), cause to stop.
deinde, adv., then, afterward.
dēlābor, -lābī, -lāpsus sum, intr., slip off, fall down.
dēlectātiō, -ōnis, f., pleasure, entertainment, delight.
dēlectō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., please, delight, divert, interest; pass., take
pleasure, delight, be interested; get along (with).
dēleō, -ēre, -ēvī, -ētus, tr., destroy.
dēligō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., fasten, station (ships).
dēlirō, -āre, intr., be insane.
dēmenter, adv., wildly, madly.
dēmittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus, tr., let down, let drop, lower; sē
dēmittere, come down; part. as adj., dēmissus, -a, -um, downcast.
dēmōnstrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., point out, point at.
dēmum, adv., at length, at last, finally.
dēnique, adv., finally, at length.
dēns, dentis, m., tooth, fang.
dēnsus, -a, -um, adj., thick.
dēnuō, adv., again, once again, once more.
dēpellō, -pellere, -pulī, -pulsus, tr., dispel, avert; slake (thirst).
dēplōrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr. and intr., lament, wail, mourn for.
dēprōmō, -prōmere, -prōmpsī, -prōmptus, tr., bring out, set out, set forth,
serve.
dēpugnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum, intr., fight it out, fight to the death.
dērīdeō, -rīdēre, -rīsī, -rīsus, tr., mock, make fun of, laugh at.
dēripiō, -ripere, -ripuī, -reptus, tr., tear off, tear.
dēscendō, -scendere, -scendī, -scēnsum, intr., go down, come down, march
aown, alight, dismount, disembark; in certāmen dēscendere, enter
contest.
dēserō, -serere, -seruī, -sertus, tr., desert, leave, fail; part. as adj.,
dēsertus, -a, -um, deserted, uninhabited; locus dēsertus, desert.
dēsignō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., indicate.
dēsiliō, -silīre, -siluī, -sultum, intr., leap down.
dēsinō, -sinere, -siī, -situm, intr., cease, stop.
dēsistō, -sistere, -stitī, -stitum, intr., cease.
dēspērātiō, -ōnis, f., despair.
dēspērō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr. and intr., lose heart, give up hope of.
dēspiciō, -spicere, -spexī, -spectus, tr. and intr., look down; scorn.
dēstinō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., have in mind, plan, design, appoint.
dēstitī, see dēsistō.
dēstituō, -stituere, -stituī, -stitūtus, tr., desert, abandon.
dēstringō, -stringere, -strīnxī, -strictus, tr., draw.
dētegō, -tegere, -tēxī, -tēctus, tr., uncover, discover.
dēterreō, -terrēre, -terruī, -territus, tr., drive away, warn off, frighten off;
stop, deter.
dētrahō, -trahere, -trāxī, -tractus, tr., draw out, take out, pull off, detach.
deus, -ī, m., god.
dēversōrium, -ī, n., inn.
dēvertō, -vertere, -vertī, -versus, tr. and intr., turn (to), be a visitor, go, turn
for entertainment (to); with ad and acc., put up at, take quarters at, take
quarters with; in hospitium dēvertere, with gen., be entertained by.
dēvincō, -vincere, -vīcī, -victus, tr., defeat utterly, overwhelm, rout.
dēvoveō, -vovēre, -vōvī, -vōtus, tr., doom, consecrate to death, sacrifice.
dexter, -tra, -trum, adj., right.
Diāna, -ae, f., goddess of hunting.
dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus, tr., say, speak, tell, orate, repeat; refer to, mention,
mean; express; sing (praises); use (a word). See male and rēctē.
dictātor, -ōris, m., dictator.
Dīdō, -ūs, f., queen of Carthage.
dīdūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus, tr., pull (apart).
diēs, -ēī, m. and f., day, daylight; in diēs, from day to day.
differō, -ferre, distulī, dīlātus, tr., put off, postpone.
difficilis, -e, adj., hard, difficult.
digitus, -ī, m., finger.
dignus, -a, -um, adj., worthy, deserving, suited; worth (doing, etc.), (sup.)
well worth; dignus esse, deserve (to); dignum est, lit., it beseems, it
befits. See satis.
dīiūdicō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., look into, settle.
dīlaniō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., tear to pieces.
dīligenter, adv., diligently, carefully, with interest.
dīligentia, -ae, f., diligence, care.
dīmētior, -mētīrī, -mēnsus, tr., survey.
dīmicō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum, intr., fight.
dīmidium, -ī, n., half.
dīmittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus, tr., send away, dismiss, let go, release,
allow to go, allow to go free, give up, allow to slip, let fall; leave,
dismiss, send back; dispatch.
Diogenēs, -is, m., a Greek philosopher, born in the fifth century . .
Dionȳsius, -ī, m., a tyrant of Syracuse.
dīrigō, -rigere, -rēxī, -rēctus, tr., direct, steer.
dīripiō, -ripere, -ripuī, -reptus, tr., pillage, plunder.
dīrus, -a, -um, adj., awful, dreadful.
Dīs, Dītis, m., god of the Lower World, i.e., Pluto.
discēdō, -cēdere, -cessī, -cessum, intr., withdraw, depart, leave, go off, walk
away, move away, pass off, disappear, fade; scatter, part, go; (of time)
pass.
discerpō, -cerpere, -cerpsī, -cerptus, tr., tear up, tear to pieces, destroy.
discindō, -scindere, -scidī, -scissus, tr., tear, rend, split.
disciplīna, -ae, f., training.
discō, discere, didicī, tr., learn, study.
discrīmen, -inis, n., peril, crisis, issue.
discurrō, -currere, -currī and -cucurrī, -cursum, intr., run about, scamper,
scatter.
dispōnō, -pōnere, -posuī, -positus, tr., post, station; pass., recline, be
seated.
disputō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum, intr., argue, discuss.
dissēnsiō, -ōnis, f., quarrel.
dissipō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., scatter; part. as adj., dissipātus, -a, -um,
scattered.
distendō, -tendere, -tendī, -tentus, tr., swell; part. as adj., distentus, -a, -
um, racked.
distō, -āre, intr., be distant.
distulī, see differō.
diū, adv., long, for a long time. See iam and nōn.
dīvellō, -vellere, -vellī, -vulsus, tr., pull open, separate.
dīversus, -a, -um, adj., different, opposite.
dīves, -itis, adj., rich.
dīvīnus, -a, -um, adj., divine. See rēs.
dīvitiae, -ārum, f., riches.
dīvulgō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr.; pass., go the rounds; impers., dīvulgātur, the
news spreads.
dō, dare, dedī, datus, tr., give, grant, provide, present, offer, consign, give
over, pay; dispatch, send, intrust (a letter); pass., be; operam dare, help;
poenās dare, pay the penalty, be punished; part. as adj., datus, -a, -um,
incidental. See mūtuus.
doceō, -ēre, -uī, doctus, tr., teach, show, point out, tell.
doleō, -ēre, -uī, -itūrus, tr. and intr., grieve, be sorry, regret, be displeased;
be sorry for, regret; hurt.
dolor, -ōris, m., pain, distress, chagrin, grief, regret.
dolus, -ī, m., trick, stratagem, strategy.
domina, -ae, f., mistress.
dominus, -ī, m., owner, master.
Domitiānus, -ī, m., Domitian, emperor 81-96 . .
Domitius, -a, -um, adj., Domitian.
Domitius, -ī, m., Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, Nero’s name before
adoption; Lucius Domitius, an ancestor of Nero; Lucius Domitius, a
partisan of Pompey.
domus, -ūs, f., home, residence, abode, house.
dōnec, conj., until.
dōnum, -ī, n., gift, boon, offering.
dormiō, -īre, -īvī, -ītum, intr., sleep, be asleep.
Drūsilla, -ae, f., wife of Cornelius.
dubitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum, intr., doubt, be in doubt, hesitate, consider.
dubius, -a, -um, adj., doubtful; as noun, dubium, -ī, n., doubt.
dūcō, -ere, dūxī, ductus, tr., lead, draw, take, take away, haul, carry; derive;
construct, build; command (a company); acquire (a defect); in
mātrimōnium dūcere, marry.
dūdum, see iam.
dulcis, -e, adj., sweet, pleasant; fresh (water).
dum, conj., while, as, as long as, until.
dummodo, conj., if only, provided only.
duo, -ae, -o, num. adj., two.
dūrus, -a, -um, adj., hard, severe.
dux, ducis, m. and f., leader, commander; dux viae, guide, conductor.

ē, ex, prep. with abl., from, as a result of, out of, out from, off of; of
(partit.); (depend) on. See contrārius, intervāllum, latus (lateris),
pars, and proximus.
ēbrius, -a, -um, adj., intoxicated.
eburneus, -a, -um, adj., (of) ivory.
ecce, interj., see, lo, behold!
ecquis, ecquid, interrog. pron., anyone? anything? in indirect quest.,
whether anything, etc.
ēdictum, -ī, n., edict, order.
edō, edere, ēdī, ēsus, tr., eat.
ēdō, -dere, -didī, -ditus, tr., utter; do, cause; give, hold (games); put on (a
show); render (a service).
ēdūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus, tr., bring out, lead out, lead forth, conduct
out, withdraw.
efferō, -ferre, extulī, ēlātus, tr., carry out, carry away, bring out, bring
away; extol, laud; elate, set up.
efficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus, tr., bring about, grant (that).
effodiō, -fodere, -fōdī, -fossus, tr., dig up; scratch out, knock out.
effugiō, -fugere, -fūgī, tr. and intr., escape, get away, rush (out).
effundō, -fundere, -fūdī, -fūsus, tr., pour out, spill, shed; pass., sprawl,
burst forth, be dissolved; sē effundere, burst out; part. as adj., effūsus, -
a, -um, quick, full (speed).
egeō, -ēre, -uī, intr., call for, be in need (of).
ego, meī, pers. pron., I; (oblique cases) myself.
ēgredior, -gredī, -gressus sum, intr., come out, come forth, go out, go forth,
emerge; depart, descend, land; (with ab and abl.) leave, march (out); ex
nāvī ēgredī, disembark.
ēgregius, -a, -um, adj., preëminent, noteworthy, noble, fine, splendid,
unusual, peerless.
ēheu, interj., alas, oh dear!
ēiciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectus, tr., cast forth, cast up.
ēlātus: see efferō.
elephantus, -ī, m., elephant.
ēlīdō, -līdere, -līsī, -līsus, tr., crush, dash.
ēligō, -ligere, -lēgī, -lēctus, tr., select, choose, single out, pick up.
ēlūdō, -lūdere, -lūsī, -lūsus, tr., deceive, trick, mock; escape.
ēmergō, -mergere, -mersī, -mersum, intr., rise, issue, scramble out.
ēmicō, -micāre, -micuī, -micātum, intr., dart forth, shine out.
emō, emere, ēmī, ēmptus, tr., buy.
ēmptor, -ōris, m., buyer, owner.
enim, conj., for.
ēnīxē, adv., earnestly.
ēnūntiō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., say, announce.
eō, adv., thither, to that place, there; to it, into it. See quō and usque.
eō, īre, iī, itum, intr., go, come; (of time) pass. See obviam.
eōdem, adv., to the same place.
epistula, -ae, f., letter.
Eporedia, -ae, f., a town of northwestern Italy.
eques, -itis, m., horseman, knight; pl., cavalry.
equester, -tris, -tre, adj., cavalry.
equus, -ī, m., horse.
ērigō, -rigere, -rēxī, -rēctus, tr., rouse.
ēripiō, -ripere, -ripuī, -reptus, tr., take away, snatch, snatch away, rescue.
errō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum, intr., stray, range, roam, wander, go astray, be
deceived, be mistaken, be wrong.
error, -ōris, m., mistake, error; winding.
ērubēscō, -rubēscere, -rubuī, intr., blush.
ērumpō, -rumpere, -rūpī, -ruptum, intr., burst out, burst forth, break out,
rush (out).
erus, -ī, m., master.
ēscendō, -scendere, -scendī, -scēnsus, tr. and intr., climb, climb (into),
climb up, step up, scramble up, mount (into); mount, mount to; get in.
ēsuriō, -īre, ——, -ītūrus, intr., be hungry.
et, conj., and, also; et . . . et, both . . . and; et ipse, he also.
etiam, adv., even, also; will you! See modo, and quīn etiam.
Etrūria, -ae, f., a district in Italy north of Latium.
etsī, conj., although.
euax, interj., hurrah, goody!
euge, interj., bravo, good!
eugepae, interj., gracious, goodness!
Eumenēs, -is, m., king of Pergamum in the time of Hannibal.
Eurydicē, -ēs, f., wife of Orpheus.
ēvādō, -vādere, -vāsī, -vāsum, intr., escape, make (oneÆs) way, disappear;
end.
ēveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventum, intr., turn out, come about, happen.
ēventus, -ūs, m., issue, fact, outcome, end.
ēvertō, -vertere, -vertī, -versus, tr., overturn, destroy.
ēvocō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., call, call out.
ēvulgō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., spread; pass., get abroad.
ex, see ē.
exanimō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr.; pass., die; part. as adj., exanimātus, -a, -um,
prostrated, fainting, dead.
excēdō, -cēdere, -cessī, -cessum, intr., go out; with abl., leave.
excidō, -cidere, -cidī, intr., fall, fall off.
excipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus, tr., except; catch up; cut off (fugitives).
excitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., rouse, stimulate, stir up, summon.
excōgitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., think, think up.
excutiō, -cutere, -cussī, -cussus, tr., shake out, shake off, throw (from),
spill, startle (from).
exemplum, -ī, n., example, case, copy.
exeō, -īre, -iī, -itum, intr., go (out), go forth, come out, come forth, venture
out.
exerceō, -ēre, -uī, -itus, tr., exercise, work, drill, train; sē exercēre, practice.
exercitus, -ūs, m., army.
exhauriō, -haurīre, -hausī, -haustus, tr., pump up, exhaust.
exhibeō, -hibēre, -hibuī, -hibitus, tr., display, show, cause; give (a show);
molestiam exhibēre (with dat.), bother.
exigō, -igere, -ēgī, -āctus, tr., call for; pass (time).
eximius, -a, -um, adj., great, excellent, peerless.
exīstimō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., think, judge.
exitus, -ūs, m., issue, end, outcome, ending, death; outlet, way of escape.
exōrdior, -ōrdīrī, -ōrsus sum, tr., begin, start.
exorior, -orīrī, -ortus sum, intr., rise, arise; burst out.
expedītiō, -ōnis, f., expedition.
expellō, -pellere, -pulī, -pulsus, tr., expel, drive (from).
expergīscor, -pergīscī, -perrēctus sum, intr., rouse up, wake up.
experior, -perīrī, -pertus sum, tr., try, test.
expīlō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., pillage.
explōrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., explore, examine, spy out, look into; part. as
adj., explōrātus, -a, -um, certain.
expōnō, -pōnere, -posuī, -positus, tr., expose; lay out; land; set forth,
explain, narrate, tell.
exprimō, -primere, -pressī, -pressus, tr., set forth, express.
exprobrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., taunt, proclaim.
expugnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., take by storm, take, subdue.
exquīrō, -quīrere, -quīsīvī, -quīsītus, tr., inquire into, study into, seek out,
find out.
exsiliō, -silīre, -siluī, intr., leap up, leap out, leap.
exsilium, -ī, n., exile.
exsistō, -sistere, -stitī, intr., occur.
exspectō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr. and intr., expect, wait, await, wait for.
exstruō, -struere, -strūxī, -strūctus, tr., erect, build, construct, put up, pile
up; set forth; cover, spread, load (a table).
exsulō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum, intr., be an exile.
extrahō, -trahere, -trāxī, -tractus, tr., protract, drag out, draw.
extrēmus, -a, -um, adj., farthest, remotest, far away; end of, edge of.
extulī, see efferō.

Fabius, -a, -um, adj., Fabian.


Fabius, -ī, m., Quintus Fabius Maximus, opponent of Hannibal; Caeso
Fabius, leader in a war with Veii; pl., the Fabii.
Fabricius, -ī, m., Gaius Fabricius, opponent of Pyrrhus.
fābula, -ae, f., story.
facētus, -a, -um, adj., witty, funny.
faciēs, -ēī, f., appearance.
facile, adv., easily.
facilis, -e, adj., easy.
facinus, -oris, n., deed, action, undertaking; crime.
faciō, facere, fēcī, factus, tr., do, make, act, commit; celebrate (marriage),
grant, give (permission), kindle (fire), suffer (loss), write (verses); iter
facere, journey, travel; impetum facere, attack; stīpendia facere, serve
(in army); fac, see that; with gen. of value, count, hold, think, regard,
care for. See certus, fīō, parvus, and tantus.
factiō, -ōnis, f., faction, party.
factum, -ī, n., deed, action, thing; pl., doings.
facultās, -ātis, f., opportunity, privilege.
Falēriī, -ōrum, m., a town in Etruria.
Falernus, -a, -um, adj., Falernian, designation of a district in Latium and
Campania.
fallō, fallere, fefellī, falsus, tr., fail, slip, disappoint; belie, deceive, mislead;
escape, give the slip to; break (word); pass., be mistaken.
falsō, adv., falsely.
fāma, -ae, f., report, fame, story.
famēs, -is, f., hunger.
familia, -ae (and -ās), f., family; retinue, establishment (of slaves).
familiāris, -is, m., intimate friend, intimate, close friend, crony; rēs
familiāris, property.
fānum, -ī, n., shrine; Fānum Fortūnae, a town in Umbria.
fatīgō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., weary, tire out.
fātum, -ī, n.; sing. and pl., fate.
Faventia, -ae, f., a city of northern Italy.
fax, facis, f., firebrand; pl., fire.
fefellī, see fallō.
fēlīciter, adv., successfully, fortunately, with good fortune, happily, well. See
gerō.
fēlix, -īcis, adj., lucky, happy.
fēmina, -ae, f., woman.
fenestra, -ae, f., window.
fera, -ae, f., wild animal, wild beast.
ferē, adv., almost, about. feriō, ferīre, tr., strike, strike upon.
ferō, ferre, tulī, lātus, tr., carry, bring, give (help); bear, endure, stand
against, put up with; say, represent, relate; (fate) inclines; (way) leads;
pass., roll. See obviam.
Fērōnia, -ae, f., a nymph and fountain of Latium.
ferreus, -a, -um, adj., of iron.
ferrum, -ī, n., steel, sword.
fessus, -a, -um, adj., weary, tired.
fictilis, -e, adj., of earthenware.
Fīdēnae, -ārum, f., a town just north of Rome.
fidēs, -eī, f., honor, loyalty, pledge, agreement, word; protection; confidence,
belief. See habeō.
fīlia, -ae, f., daughter.
fīliola, -ae, f., little daughter.
fīlius, fīlī, m., son.
fīlum, -ī, n., thread.
findō, findere, fidī, fissus, tr., split.
fingō, fingere, fīnxī, fictus, tr., invent, make up.
fīnis, -is, m., end, ending, goal, close, place; death; pl., territory.
fīnitimus, -a, -um, adj., nearby, neighboring; pl., neighboring peoples.
fīō, fierī, factus sum, intr., become, be, be done, be made, be built; develop,
come about, happen, occur, take place, go on; with abl. (with or without
dē), become (of); fīat, very well, very good, all right. See faciō, obviam,
and obvius.
Flaccus, -ī, m., Horatius Flaccus, the poet Horace.
flagrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum, intr., take fire, blaze, burn.
Flāminius, -a, -um, adj., Flaminian, designation of a road leading north
from Rome.
Flāminius, -ī, m., Gaius Flaminius, a Roman consul, who fell in the Battle of
Lake Trasimenus, 217 . .
flamma, -ae, f., flame, fire.
flāvus, -a, -um, adj., yellow.
fleō, flēre, flēvī, flētus, tr. and intr., cry, weep.
flōs, flōris, m., flower.
flūctus, -ūs, m., wave, billow; pl., water.
flūmen, -inis, n., river.
fodiō, fodere, fōdī, fossus, tr., dig.
foedus, -a, -um, adj., shocking, dreadful, shameful, disgraceful, horrid.
folium, -i, n., leaf.
fōmentum, -ī, n., remedy, lotion.
fōns, fontis, m., spring, well.
forās, adv. with verb of motion, outdoors.
foris, -is, f.; pl., door.
forīs, adv., with verb of rest, outdoors, outside.
fōrma, -ae, f., beauty, shape, condition.
forsitan, adv., perchance, by chance, perhaps.
fortasse, adv., perhaps.
forte, adv., by chance, perchance. See sī.
fortis, -e, adj., brave, steady.
fortiter, adv., bravely, courageously.
fortuītus, -a, -um, adj., a matter of chance, chance.
fortūna, -ae, f., fortune, good fortune; personified, Fortune. See fānum.
fortūnātus, -a, -um, adj., blest, blessed, lucky. See īnsula.
forum, -ī, n., forum. See Appī Forum.
frangō, frangere, frēgī, frāctus, tr., break, crack.
frāter, -tris, m., brother.
fremitus, -ūs, m., roaring, confusion.
frīgus, -oris, n., chill, cold.
Frīsiī, -ōrum, m., a people of northern Germany.
frōns, frontis, f., forehead; in fronte, in front.
frūmentum, -ī, n., grain; pl., crops.
frūstrā, adv., in vain, to no purpose, without reason, all for nothing.
Fūfius, -ī, m., the name of an actor.
fuga, -ae, f., flight, retreat, rout, escape.
fugiō, fugere, fūgī, fugitūrus, tr. and intr., flee, run, take to flight; flee from,
leave; part. as adj., fugiēns, -entis, soaring; as noun, m., fugitive.
fugitīvus, -a, -um, adj., runaway; as noun, fugitīvus, -ī, m., runaway slave.
fugō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., put to flight, chase, rout, defeat.
fulgeō, fulgēre, fulsī, intr., shine; part. as adj., fulgēns, -entis, gleaming.
fulgor, -ōris, n., glow, flashing.
fūmus, -ī, m., smoke.
funda, -ae, f., sling.
fundāmentum, -ī, n., foundation.
Fundī, -ōrum, m., a town in Latium.
fundō, fundere, fūdī, fūsus, tr., let flow, scatter.
fundus, -ī, m., farm; bottom.
fungor, fungī, fūnctus sum, intr., perform.
fūnis, -is, m., rope, cable.
fūnus, -eris, n., funeral, burial, death.
fūr, fūris, m., thief.
furca, -ae, f., pitchfork.
furcifer, -erī, m., gallows bird, villain.
Furculae (-ārum, f.) Caudīnae, the Caudine Forks in Campania, where the
Romans were defeated by the Samnites, 331 . .
fūrtim, adv., stealthily, quietly.
fūstis, -is, m., stick, club.

Gāius, Gāī, m., a boy’s or man’s name.


Galba, -ae, m., Servius Galba, emperor 68-69 . .
galērus, -ī, m., wig.
Gallī, -ōrum, m., the Gauls.
Gallia, -ae, f., Gaul; Gallia Trānsalpīna, Transalpine Gaul.
Gallicus, -a, -um, adj., Gallic.
gallīna, -ae, f., chicken.
gaudeō, gaudēre, gāvīsus sum, intr., be glad, rejoice, be pleased, revel (in).
gaudium, -ī, n., joy.
gelidus, -a, -um, adj., cold, cool.
gelus, -ūs, m., frost, icy coldness, chill.
gemma, -ae, f., precious stone, gem.
Gemōniae, -ārum, f., the steps down which the bodies of criminals were
dragged to the Tiber.
generōsus, -a, -um, adj., chivalrous, noble.
gēns, gentis, f., nation, race, people, family, clan.
genus, -eris, n., kind, class, sort, breed; method.
Germānī, -ōrum, m., the Germans.
Germānia, -ae, f., Germany.
Germānicus, -a, -um, adj., in Germany.
gerō, gerere, gessī, gestus, tr., conduct, wear, wage (war); sē gerere, act,
behave; rem fēlīciter gerere, be successful, fight with good fortune. See
rēs.
gigās, -antis, m., giant.
gladiātor, -ōris, m., gladiator.
gladius, -ī, m., sword.
glōria, -ae, f., glory.
glōrior, -ārī, -ātus sum, intr., boast, exult.
Gnaeus, -ī, m., a boy’s or man’s name.
gradus, -ūs, m., step, pace. See addō.
Graecia, -ae, f., Greece.
grandis, -e, adj., great, large amount of.
grātia, -ae, f., favor, influence, appreciation, gratitude; pl., thanks; abl.
grātiā, for the sake (of), to. See valeō.
grātus, -a, -um, adj., acceptable, pleasing, welcome, delightful.
gravis, -e, adj., heavy, severe, serious, grievous; weighed down.
graviter, adv., heavily, seriously, grievously.
gremium, -ī, n., bosom, embrace, arms.
grex, gregis, m., herd.
gubernātor, -ōris, m., helmsman.
gustō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr. and intr., break (one’s) fast, take a snack, take
lunch, taste, get a taste of.
Gȳgēs, -is, m., finder of the magic ring.

habēna, -ae, f., rein.


habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus, tr., have, be provided with, hold, keep, maintain;
regard, consider, take (for); celebrate (games), deliver (a speech), feel
(gratitude), pay (honor); put (confidence in); pass., (of talk) go on;
castra habēre, encamp; fidem habēre, believe; ita habēre, treat so;
lūdibriō habēre, make a mock, laughing-stock (of); nōn habēre, not
know; rēs ita sē habēre, such be the fact; satis habēre, be satisfied; sē
habēre, feel, be, stand; sē rēctē habēre, be all right.
habitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum, intr., live, dwell.
habitus, -ūs, m., dress; posture.
Hadriānus, -ī, m., Hadrian, emperor 117-138 . .
Hadriāticus, -a, -um, adj., Adriatic.
hahahae, indecl., the sound of a laugh.
Hamilcar, -aris, m., the father of Hannibal.
Hannibal, -alis, m., Hannibal.
harēna, -ae, f., sand, strand, beach; arena.
harundō, -inis, f., reed.
Hasdrubal, -alis, m., the brother of Hannibal.
haud, adv., by no means, not at all, not; haud procul, hard by.
hauriō, haurīre, hausī, haustus, tr., draw, drink, swallow, swallow up.
Hector, -oris, m., a Trojan hero.
heia, interj., hey-day, whoops!
herba, -ae, f., grass; pl., grass, vegetation.
Herculēs, -is, m., Hercules; hercle, by Hercules, by Jove! See nūntiō.
herī, adv., yesterday.
heu, interj., alas!
heus (monosyl.), interj., ho there, hello!
hiātus, -ūs, m., cleft, hole.
hībernus, -a, -um, adj., of winter, winter; as noun, hīberna, -ōrum, n.,
winter quarters.
hīc, adv., here, in this neighborhood.
hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. and adj., this, this next, this coming, this last;
that; such; hāc nocte, tonight; hic . . . ille, the one . . . the other; as noun,
this man, etc.; neut. pl., this. See proximus.
hiems, hiemis, f., winter.
Hierosolyma, -ōrum, n., Jerusalem.
hilaris, -e, adj., cheerful, joyful, in good spirits.
hinc, adv., from here, from this.
Hippomenēs, -ae, m., victor in the race with Atalanta.
Hispānia, -ae, f., Spain.
Historia (-ae, f.) Nātūrālis, Natural History, a work of the elder Pliny.
hodiē, adv., today.
homō, -inis, m. and f., man, fellow, person; pl., people.
honor, -ōris, m., honor.
hōra, -ae, f., hour.
Horātius (-ī, m.) Flaccus, the Roman poet Horace.
horrendus, -a, -um, adj., awful, alarming, frightful, dreadful; gruff (voice).
horrēscō, horrēscere, horruī, intr., shudder, shake.
hortor, -ārī, -ātus sum, tr., encourage, urge.
hospes, -itis, m., stranger, guest, guest-friend.
hospitium, -ī, n., entertainment, hospitality, cheer. See accipiō, dēvertō,
recipiō, and sum.
hostis, -is, m., enemy.
hūc, adv., hither, to this place, here; thither, to it.
hui, interj., whew! why!
hūmānitās, -ātis, f., culture.
hūmānus, -a, -um, adj., human, of a man; polished.
humilis, -e, adj., humble, lowly, small, low.
humus, -ī, f., ground, dirt.

I (Vowel)

For words beginning with I consonant, see p. 265 ff.

ibi, adv., there.


ibīdem, adv., in the (very) same place, right there.
Īcarus, -ī, m., son of Daedalus.
ictus, -ūs, m., blow.
īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron. and adj., the same.
identidem, adv., repeatedly, time and again.
idōneus, -a, -um, adj., suitable; as noun, idōneus, -ī, m., suitable person.
Īdūs, -uum, f., the Ides.
igitur, conj., therefore, then.
ignis, -is, m., fire.
ignōrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr. and intr., not know, be ignorant.
ignōtus, -a, -um, adj., unknown, strange; as noun, ignōtus, -ī, m., stranger.
īlex, -icis, f., oak.
īlicō, adv., instantly, on the spot.
Īlium, -ī, n., a name of Troy.
ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. and adj., that, yonder, the following, this, the; that
famous; as noun, he, the man, yonder man, etc.; hic . . . ille, the one . . .
the other.
illic, adv., there.
imāgō, -inis, f., shape, ghost, image, likeness, statue; thought.
imbēcillus, -a, -um, adj., weak.
imber, -bris, m., rain-storm.
immānis, -e, adj., huge, giant; awful, dreadful.
immēnsus, -a, -um, adj., immense, great.
immineō, -ēre, intr., threaten; part. as adj., imminēns, -entis, threatening,
impending.
immisceō, -miscēre, -miscuī, -mixtus, tr., mix in (through); sē immiscēre,
join (in).
immittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus, tr., let loose, order to charge, hurl, drop;
sē immittere, plunge.
immō, adv., in fact, nay rather, nay, rather; immō vērō, as a matter of fact.
impatiēns, -entis, adj., impatient.
impavidus, -a, -um, adj., fearless, unafraid, undismayed.
impediō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus, tr., hinder, handicap.
imperātor, -ōris, m., general, commander; emperor.
imperium, -ī, n., command, order; power, rule, government; realm, throne.
imperō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum, intr., order, demand, give orders, have command.
impetus, -ūs, m., attack, assault, charge, inroad, force. See faciō.
impingō, -pingere, -pēgī, -pāctus, tr., let drive, hurl down, bring down.
impius, -a, -um, adj., wicked, impious.
implōrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., beg for, call for.
impōnō, -pōnere, -posuī, -positus, tr., place on, place upon, put in.
improbus, -a, -um, adj., wicked, unprincipled.
imprūdēns, -entis, adj., unaware, thoughtless(ly).
impudentia, -ae, f., impudence.
impudīcus, -a, -um, adj., shameless.
impūne, adv., with impunity, without harm, without cost.
īmus, -a, -um, adj., inmost; ex īmō, from the very bottom. See os (ossis).
in, prep. with abl., in, within, at, among, on.
in, prep. with acc., into, out into, to, at, upon, against, in, on, toward; up on;
among; over; for, as. See diēs and praesēns.
incautus, -a, -um, adj., heedless, off guard.
incēdō, -cēdere, -cessī, -cessum, intr., come on, march.
incendium, -ī, n., fire.
incendō, -cendere, -cendī, -cēnsus, tr., light, set fire to, burn, fire; inflame,
inspire, stir, anger, move, fill.
incertus, -a, -um, adj., undecided, unsettled, not sure, not knowing.
incidō, -cidere, -cidī, tr., fall (upon, into), run (into), happen.
incipiō, -cipere, (-cēpī, -ceptus), tr., begin. Cf. coepī.
Incitātus, -ī, m., Flyer, name of a race horse.
incitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., inspire, infuriate; part. as adj., incitātus, -a, -
um, full (speed); cursū incitātō, at a gallop.
inclūdō, -clūdere, -clūsī, -clūsus, tr., imprison, shut up.
incognitus, -a, -um, adj., untried, unknown.
incola, -ae, m. and f., inhabitant, native.
incolō, -colere, -coluī, tr., inhabit.
incolumis, -e, adj., unharmed, safe.
incumbō, -cumbere, -cubuī, -cubitum, intr., fall (upon).
incūsō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., upbraid, blame, complain of.
inde, adv., thence, from there, from thence, therefrom; from it, from them.
indecōrus, -a, -um, adj., unseemly.
Indī, -ōrum, m., the people of India.
India, -ae, f., India.
indicium, -ī, n., sign, statement.
indignus, -a, -um, adj., shameful, disgraceful, a disgrace (to).
indō, -dere, -didī, -ditus, tr., apply, give.
indūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus, tr., lead on, bring on, lead, carry; invite,
actuate, encourage, inspire, induce, persuade.
induō, -duere, -duī, -dūtus, tr., dress, dress up; part., indūtus, -a, -um,
clad.
ineō, -īre, -iī, -itus, tr. and intr., enter, enter into; consider, adopt (plan); win
(favor); part., iniēns, -euntis; ab ineunte aetāte, from earliest youth.
ineptus, -a, -um, adj., silly.
inermis, -e, adj., unarmed, without a weapon.
īnfāmis, -e, adj., of evil report (repute); unfavorable.
īnfāns, -antis, m. and f. (adj. and noun), infant.
īnfaustus, -a, -um, adj., unlucky.
īnfēlīx, -īcis, adj., unfortunate, luckless, unhappy, poor; as noun, m., poor
man, unhappy man, etc.
īnferō, -ferre, intulī, inlātus, tr., inflict, introduce; hurl (upon); cause; make
(war upon); part., inlātus, -a, -um, suffered.
īnferus, -a, -um, adj., of the Lower World; pl. as noun, īnferī, -ōrum, m.,
the gods of the Lower World, the Lower World. Cf. īmus.
īnfestus, -a, -um, adj., dangerous, threatening, opposing.
īnfluō, -fluere, -flūxī, -flūxum, intr., flow in, flow (into).
īnfrā, adv., below.
ingēns, -entis, adj., huge, great, tremendous.
ingrātus, -a, -um, adj., unwelcome, ungrateful.
ingredior, -gredī, -gressus sum, tr. and intr., enter, come in, advance into;
advance, travel; take up, traverse; iter ingredī, journey.
inhibeō, -hibēre, -hibuī, -hibitus, tr., check, hold in check.
inhūmānus, -a, -um, adj., cruel, inhuman.
iniciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectus, tr., throw on, throw (upon), plunge (into),
inspire (in), cause; lay (hands on).
inimīcus, -ī, m., enemy.
inīquus, -a, -um, adj., cruel, undeserved, unfavorable; dangerous (shore).
initium, -ī, n., beginning.
iniūria, -ae, f., injury, wrong; abl. as adv., iniūriā, wrongfully, without
reason.
iniussū (abl. only), m., without authorization.
inopia, -ae, f., scarcity, want.
inquam, defect. verb, say, remark; ask, inquire, answer, reply, continue;
exclaim, cry, shout.
inquiētō, -āre, ——, -ātus, tr., disturb.
inquiētus, -a, -um, adj., anxious, disturbed, restless.
inrumpō, -rumpere, -rūpī, -ruptus, tr. and intr., break (in, into), burst
(into).
inruō, -ruere, -ruī, intr., charge, make a dash.
īnsānus, -a, -um, adj., crazy, insane.
īnscrībō, -scrībere, -scrīpsī, -scrīptus, tr., record, write upon, inscribe.
īnsequor, -sequī, -secūtus, tr. and intr., pursue.
īnsidiae, -ārum, f., ambush, snares, plots, trap, treachery.
īnsimulō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., imply, insinuate.
īnsolitus, -a, -um, adj., unusual, unfamiliar.
īnspiciō, -spicere, -spexī, -spectus, tr., look into, examine, view.
īnstitor, -ōris, m., peddler.
īnstituō, -stituere, -stituī, -stitūtus, tr., begin, construct, found, plant; train.
īnstō, -stāre, -stitī, -statūrus, intr., persist, insist.
īnstruō, -struere, -strūxī, -strūctus, tr., build; draw up (troops).
īnsula, -ae, f., island; Īnsulae Fortūnātae, Islands of the Blest.
integer, -gra, -grum, adj., intact, unimpaired.
intellegō, -legere, -lēxī, -lēctus, tr. and intr., understand, know, see.
intendō, -tendere, -tendī, -tentus, tr. and intr., turn, bend (upon); part. as
adj., intentus, -a, -um, attentive, intent, eager, expectant, interested (in).
inter, prep. with acc., among, between; inter sē, to one another, with one
another, together, in turn.
interdiū, adv., in the daytime.
interdum, adv., at times, sometimes, from time to time.
interficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus, tr., kill.
interim, adv., meanwhile, in the meantime.
interitus, -ūs, m., destruction, death.
intermittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus, tr. and intr., cease, discontinue, break.
interpellō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., interrupt.
interrogō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., question, ask.
intersum, -esse, -fuī, -futūrus, intr., be present (at), have part (in), take part
(in).
intervāllum, -ī, n., interval; ex intervāllō, after an interval, at intervals.
intrā, prep. with acc., within.
intrō, adv., within, in.
intrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr. and intr., come in, enter, come (into).
intrōdūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus, tr., take in, put (in, into).
intus, adv., within, inside.
inveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventus, tr., find, meet, come to.
invideō, -vidēre, -vīdī, -vīsum, tr. and intr., envy, grudge.
invidia, -ae, f., envy, jealousy, ill-will; stigma.
invītō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., invite.
invitus, -a, -um, adj., unwilling, reluctant, against (one’s) will, despite
(one’s) will.
Iōnās, -ae, m., Jonah.
Īōnius, -a, -um, adj., Ionian.
ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intens. pro., myself, yourself, himself, etc.; gen., own, his
own, etc.; (the) very, mere, unadulterated; personally, of (one’s) own
accord, in person, with (one’s) own hand; even; bare (hand); as noun, he,
she, it; ipsā in portā, full in the gate; sē ipsum, tē ipsum, his own self
(person), etc. See et.
īra, -ae, f., anger, wrath.
īrāscor, īrāscī, īrātus sum, intr., become angry, be angry; part. as adj.,
īrātus, -a, -um, angry, angered, incensed, in a passion.
irritus, -a, -um, adj., void, worthless, in vain.
is, ea, id, dem. pron. and adj., this, that, the; as noun, he, she, it, the man.
Neut., id, a thing, etc.; ea quae, what.
iste, ista, istud, dem. pron. and adj., this, that, that . . . of yours; this sort of,
such; as noun, he, she, it.
Isthmus, -ī, m., the Isthmus of Corinth.
ita, adv., thus, so, in that way; so very; (just) so, yes; in questions, really? ita
vērō, just so, quite so. See habeō.
Ītalia, -ae, f., Italy.
Ītalicus, -a, -um, adj., Italian.
itaque, conj., and so, therefore.
iter, -ineris, n., journey, march, voyage; road, route, way, passageway. See
carpō, faciō, ingredior, and tendō.
iterum, adv., again, once more. See semel.
Ixīōn, -onis, m., a sufferer in the Lower World.

I (Consonant)

For words beginning with I vowel, see page 262 ff.

iaceō, -ēre, -uī, intr., lie.


iaciō, iacere, iēcī, iactus, tr., throw, cast, hurl.
iactō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., toss; sē iactāre, put on airs.
iactūra, -ae, f., loss.
iam, adv., now, already, at length, soon; yet; iam diū, long since, long, for
some time; iam dūdum, long since; iam iam, at any moment; iam nōn,
no longer. See nec.
iānitor, -ōris, m., doorkeeper.
iānua, -ae, f., door.
Ierīcō, indecl., f., Jericho.
iocus, -ī, m., joke, jest, pleasantry.
Iordānēs, -is, m., the Jordan.
Iōsue, indecl., m., Joshua.
Iovis, see Iuppiter.
iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussus, tr., bid, order.
iūcundē, adv., pleasantly.
iūcundus, -a, -um, adj., pleasant, interesting.
Iūdaea, -ae, f., Judea.
iūdex, -icis, m., critic, judge.
iūdicium, -ī, n., decision, judgment; in iūdicium, to court.
iugum, -ī, n., yoke.
Iūlius, -ī, m., a Roman family name; Gaius Julius Caesar; Julius Agricola,
father-in-law of Tacitus.
Iūnius, -a, -um, adj., of June.
Iūnius, -ī, m., Lucius Junius, a Roman commander in the First Punic War.
Iuppiter, Iovis, m., Jupiter.
iūre, adv., justly, with justice, with good right.
iūrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum, intr., swear. See iūs.
iūs, iūris, n., law; iūs iūrandum, oath.
iuvenis, -is, m., young man, young fellow, youth; as adj., youthful.

L., abbrev. of Lūcius.


labefacto, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., shatter, wreck.
labor, -ōris, m., labor, toil, trouble, trial, distress; work, task, effort.
lābor, lābī, lāpsus sum, intr., glide, slide.
labōrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum, intr., be distressed; impers. pass., labōrātur, there
be trouble; morbō labōrāre, be ill; part. as adj., laborans, -antis,
heavily laden.
labyrinthus, -ī, m., labyrinth.
Lacedaemoniī, -ōrum, m., the Spartans.
lacessō, -ere, -īvī, -ītus, tr., harass, attack.
lacrima, -ae, f., tear.
lacus, -ūs, m., lake.
laedō, -ere, -sī, -sus, tr., injure.
laetitia, -ae, f., joy, happiness.
laetus, -a, -um, adj., glad, joyous, joyful, cheerful, in good spirits, pleased,
proud; pleasant.
lāmentābilis, -e, adj., pitiable, piteous, tearful.
lancea, -ae, f., spear.
languidus, -a, -um, adj., drowsy, spiritless.
lapis, -idis, m., stone.
lātē, adv., far, wide, widely, extensively, freely.
latebrae, -ārum, f., hiding-place, lair.
lateō, -ēre, -uī, intr., hide, be hidden; part. as adj., latēns, -entis, hidden.
later, -eris, m., brick.
lātrātus, -ūs, m., barking.
latro, -ōnis, m., brigand, freebooter.
lātus, -a, -um, adj., broad.
latus, -eris, n., side, flank, part; ā (ex) latere, on the flank.
laudō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., praise, commend.
laurus, -ī (abl. also laurū), f., laurel.
laus, laudis, f., praise.
lautumiae, -ārum, f., quarries.
lavō, -āre, lāvī, lautus, tr., bathe, wash; pass., bathe.
lectus, -ī, m., bed, couch.
lēgātus, -ī, m., ambassador, lieutenant, commander, general.
legiō, -ōnis, f., legion, company; pl., forces.
legō, legere, lēgī, lēctus, tr., gather, pick; read.
lēniō, -ire, -īvī, -ītus, tr., ease, quiet.
lēnis, -e, adj., gentle.
lēniter, adv., slowly, softly, easily.
Lentulus, -ī, m., Gnaeus Lentulus, an officer in the Battle of Cannae;
Publius Cornelius Lentulus, an associate of Catiline.
leō, -ōnis, m., lion.
lepidus, -a, -um, adj., pretty, charming, beautiful, graceful, fine.
levis, -e, adj., light; unreliable.
levō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., raise, take up; relieve.
lēx, lēgis, f., law, rule, condition.
libenter, adv., gladly, with joy, with pleasure, willingly, readily, contentedly.
liber, -brī, m., book.
līber, -era, -erum, adj., free, freeman’s.
līberē, adv., freely.
līberī, -ōrum, m., children.
līberō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., release, set free, free.
lībertās, -ātis, f., freedom, release.
libet, libēre, libuit, impers., it is pleasing, it is a pleasure.
Liburnica, -ae, f., light galley.
Libya, -ae, f., a part of northern Africa.
licet, licēre, licuit, impers., lit., it is allowed, it is permitted, it is possible;
licet, to be sure, all right, very well.
līmen, -inis, n., threshold.
lingua, -ae, f., tongue, language.
littera, -ae, f., character, letter; pl., letter (written communication), literature,
writing.
lītus, -oris, n., shore, coast, beach.
Līvia, -ae, f., Livia Augusta, wife of Augustus.
Līvius, -ī, m., Titus Livy, the historian; Marcus Livius, a priest present at
the Battle of Sentinum, 295 . .; Marcus Livius, a commander in the
Second Punic War.
lixa, -ae, m., sutler.
locuplēs, -ētis, adj., rich.
locus, -ī, m. (pl., loca, -ōrum, n.), place, locality, district, neighborhood,
situation, spot, land, country, ground. See dēserō.
longē, adv., far, far away, distant, to some distance.
longinquus, -a, -um, adj., distant, far away.
longus, -a, -um, adj., long; long continued; nāvis longa, war ship, war
vessel.
loquor, loquī, locūtus sum, tr. and intr., speak, say, tell, talk, discuss.
Lūcānia, -ae, f., a district in southern Italy.
Lūcānus, -ī, m., Marcus Annaeus Lucan, a Roman writer of Nero’s time.
Lūcius, -ī, m., a boy’s or man’s name.
lūculentus, -a, -um, adj., charming, choice.
Lūcus, -a, -um, adj., Lucanian.
lūdibrium, -ī, n., laughingstock; see habeō.
lūdificō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr. and intr., engage in sport; make game of, tease,
have fun with, taunt, fool.
lūdō, lūdere, lūsī, lūsum, intr., play, joke.
lūdus, -ī, m., fun, play, sport; school; pl., games, e.g., Lūdī Maximī.
Lugdūnum, -ī, n., Lyons.
lūmen, -inis, n., light, lamp.
lūna, -ae, f., moon; per lūnam, under the light of the moon.
lūx, lūcis, f., light, dawn; darling. See prīmus.
lympha, -ae, f., water.

M., abbrev. of Mārcus.


māchina, -ae, f., engine, mechanism, contrivance.
madidus, -a, -um, adj., dripping, wet.
maereō, -ēre, tr. and intr., sorrow, grieve.
maestitia, -ae, f., gloom, depression, sadness.
maestus, -a, -um, adj., sad, sad-hearted, dejected, with anxiety, serious.
magis, comp. adv., more, rather, better; sup., maximē, especially,
particularly, (very) greatly, very much, ever so much, exceedingly, in the
highest degree, mightily, wonderfully, terribly, very dangerously; yes;
quam maximē, as much as possible, as . . . as possible. See tantō.
magister, -trī, m., teacher; captain (of ship).
magistrātus, -ūs, m., officer, official, magistrate, statesman; office.
Magna Māter (-tris, f.), a name of Cybele.
magnificus, -a, -um, adj., splendid, imposing.
magnitūdō, -inis, f., size.
magnus, -a, -um, adj., large, great, much, mighty, important, serious,
severe, terrible; loud, shrill; strong, heavy, deep; excessive, wide; forced
(march); magnī putāre, judge of great worth. Comp., maior, -us,
greater, larger, louder; as noun, m., the elder; pl., ancestors; maior nātū,
older. Sup., maximus, -a, -um, mighty, hearty, excessive, utmost, worst;
tremendous, terrific; deafening, resounding; extended, unusually high.
Magnus, -ī, m., Pompey’s cognomen.
Māgō, -ōnis, m., one of Hannibal’s officers.
Maharbal, -alis, m., one of Hannibal’s officers.
maior, maius, see magnus.
māla, -ae, f., cheek.
male, adv., badly, dreadfully, terribly, evilly, awfully; male dīcere, revile.
See agō.
mālō, mālle, māluī, tr., prefer, choose.
mālum, -ī, n., apple.
malus, -a, -um, adj., bad; poor (verse); as noun, malum -ī, n., harm, loss,
evil, misfortune, trouble, beating, evil (plight); pl., ills. See crux and rēs.
mālus, -ī, m., mast.
mandātum, -ī, n., direction, order.
māne, adv., early, in the morning; this morning. See multus.
maneō, manēre, mānsī, mānsus, tr. and intr., remain, wait, tarry, stay, stop,
persist; await, wait for, be in store for.
manifestus, -a, -um, adj., clear; caught in the act.
Mānius, -ī, m., a boy’s or man»s name.
mānō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum, intr., flow, drip.
manus, -ūs, f., hand. See cōnserō.
Marathōnius, -a, -um, adj., of Marathon, a city in Greece.
Mārcus, -ī, m., a boy’s or man’s name.
mare, -is, n., sea.
maritimus, -a, -um, adj., of the sea, sea.
marītus, -ī, m., husband.
Marius, -ī, m., Gaius Marius, conqueror of the Cimbri, 101 . .
Mārtius, see campus.
mastīgia, -ae, m., whipping-post, villain.
māter, -tris, f., mother. See Magna.
māteria, -ae, and māteriēs, -ēī, f., stuff, material; timber.
mātrimōnium, -ī, n., marriage. See dūcō.
mātūrē, adv., early.
Mausōlēum, -ī, n., mausoleum.
Mausōlus, -ī, m., a king of Caria.
maximē, see magis.
maximus, see magnus.
Maximus, -ī, m., Quintus Fabius Maximus, opponent of Hannibal.
medicāmentum, -ī, n., medicine.
medicus, -ī, m., doctor.
Mediōlānum, -ī, n., Milan, a town of northern Italy.
medius, -a, -um, adj., midst of, center of, middle of, middle; as noun,
medium, -ī, n., midst.
Megara, -ae, f., Megara, a town in Greece.
mel, mellis, n., honey.
melior, -ius, see bonus.
meminī, -isse, tr., recall, remember.
memorābilis, -e, adj., noteworthy.
memoria, -ae, f., memory, recollection, remembering, record.
memorō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., tell of, relate.
mendācium, -ī, n., lie.
mendāx, -ācis, adj., untruthful; as noun, m., liar.
mēns, mentis, f., mind, intent, purpose; senses.
mēnsa, -ae, f., table; course.
mēnsis, -is, m., month.
mentiō, -ōnis, f., mention.
mercātor, -ōris, m., trader.
mereor, -ērī, -itus sum, tr., deserve; take.
mergō, mergere, mersī, mersus, tr., dip, drown; pass., sink, be swallowed
up.
merīdiēs, -ēī, m., noon.
merx, mercis, f.; pl., goods, wares, cargo.
Messēniō, -ōnis, m., the name of a slave.
Metaurus, -ī, m., a river in northern Italy near which Hasdrubal lost his life
in 207 . .
metō, metere, messuī, messus, tr., reap.
metuō, -ere, -uī, tr. and intr., fear, be afraid.
metus, -ūs, m., fear.
meus, -a, -um, poss. adj., my, my own, mine, of mine.
micō, -āre, -uī, intr., twinkle.
Midās, -ae, m., a king of Phrygia.
migrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum, intr., move.
mīles, -itis, m., soldier, common soldier; pl., troops.
Mīlētus, -ī, f., a city of Asia Minor.
mīlia, see mīlle.
mīliārium, -ī, n., milestone.
mīlitāris, -e, adj., military.
mīlle, indecl. num., thousand; pl., mīlia, -ium, n., thousands; mīlia
passuum, miles.
Milō, -ōnis, m., a famous athlete.
Minerva, -ae, f., the goddess of wisdom.
minimē, see minus.
minimus, see parvus.
minister, -trī, m., servant.
ministrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum, intr., serve.
minor, -ārī, -ātus sum, intr., threaten.
minor, -us, see parvus.
Mīnōs, -ōis, m., a king of Crete.
Mīnōtaurus, -ī, m., the Minotaur.
minuō, -ere, -uī, -ūtus, tr., weaken; relieve.
minus, comp. adv., less, not very, not much, not; sup., minimē, not at all.
mīrābilis, -e, adj., wonderful, surprising, strange, unusual.
mīrābiliter, adv., strangely, mysteriously.
mīrandus, -a, -um, adj., wonderful, strange, surprising, noteworthy.
miror, -ārī, -ātus sum, tr. and intr., wonder, wonder at, admire.
mīris, -a, -um, adj., strange, curious.
Mīsēnum, -ī, n., a naval station on the west coast of Italy.
miser, -era, -erum, adj., wretched, poor, unfortunate, sad; as noun, miser, -
erī, m., poor fellow, poor wretch, etc.
miseret, -ēre, -uit, impers.; lit., it pities; mē miseret, I pity, etc.
misericordia, -ae, f., pity, mercy.
mītis, -e, adj., kindly, considerate, mild.
mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus, tr., send.
moderor, -ārī, -ātus sum, tr. and intr., control, manage.
modicus, -a, -um, adj., moderate, unassuming.
modo, adv., only, just, just now, just before, just recently, awhile ago, lately;
modo . . . modo, at one time . . . at another, now . . . now; nōn modo . . .
sed etiam, not only . . . but also.
modus, -ī, m., way, manner, fashion, means, sort, degree; pl., verse, strains;
nūllō modō, not at all; quō modō, how? how so?
moenia, -ium, n., walls, city.
mōlēs, -is, f., structure, mass.
molestus, -a, -um, adj., annoying, disagreeable, bothersome, distressing.
Molō, -ōnis, m., Apollonius Molo, a teacher of rhetoric in Caesar’s time.
moneō, -ēre, -uī, -itus, tr., instruct, advise, warn, order.
mōns, montis, m., mountain, hill.
mōnstrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., indicate, tell, point out, point at.
mōnstrum, -ī, n., monster, beast, horror.
montānus, -ī, m., mountaineer.
monumentum, -ī, n., memorial, monument.
mora, -ae, f., delay.
morbus, -ī, m., disease, illness. See labōrō.
moribundus, -a, -um, adj., dying.
morior, morī, mortuus sum, intr., die; part. as adj., mortuus, -a, -um,
dead; pl. as noun, mortuī, -ōrum, m., the dead.
moror, -ārī, -ātus sum, tr. and intr., tarry, linger, delay, remain, stop, stay,
visit, live; delay (keep waiting).
mōrōsus, -a, -um, adj., crabbed, peevish.
mors, mortis, f., death.
morsus, -ūs, m., bite.
mortālis, -e, adj., perishable, of men; as noun, mortālis, -is, m. and f.; sing.,
man; pl., men, people.
mōs, mōris, m., manner, custom, habit; pl., morals.
mōtus, -ūs, m., activity, movement; terrae mōtus, earthquake.
moveō, movēre, mōvī, mōtus, tr., stir, influence, touch; sweep (strings);
wag (tail).
mox, adv., soon.
Moysēs (dissyl.), -is, m., Moses.
mulctrum, -ī, n., milk-pail.
mulier, -ieris, f., woman.
multitūdō, -inis, f., crowd, throng, number.
multō, adv., much, by far; long (before).
multum, adv., much; (of time) long. See salveō.
multus, -a, -um, adj., abundant; pl. (m. and f.), many, many of, (neut.),
much; ad multam noctem, until far into the night; multā nocte, late at
night; multō māne, early in the morning. Comp. plūs, plūris, n., and
plūrēs, plūra, more, in greater numbers; gen. sing., plūris, of more
value, of greater account. Sup. plūrimus, -a, -um, (sing.) heartiest; pl.
(m. and f.), very many, (neut.), very much; quam plūrimī, as many as
possible. See multō and multum.
Mulvius, -a, -um, adj., Mulvian; designation of a bridge near Rome.
mūniō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus, tr., fortify, protect; part. as adj., mūnītus, -a, -um,
safe.
mūnus, -eris, n., gift, show; function, burden.
mūrus, -ī, m., wall.
mūs, mūris, m. and f., mouse.
Mūs, Mūris, m., Publius Decius Mus, who sacrificed his life at Sentinum,
295 . .
musca, -ae, f., fly.
mūsicus, -a, -um, adj., musical, of music.
mūtātiō, -ōnis, f., change.
Mutina, -ae, f., a city of northern Italy.
mūtō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., change, exchange.
mūtuus, -a, -um, adj., mutual; mūtuum (-am, -um) dare, loan.

nam, conj., for.


Nārnia, -ae, f., a city of Umbria.
nārrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., tell, tell of, relate.
nāscor, nāscī, nātus sum, intr., be born, grow; part. as adj., nātus, -a, -um,
born (again). See maior (under magnus).
nātūra, -ae, f., nature; abl., nātūrā, by nature, naturally.
Nātūrālis (-e) Historia, see Historia.
naufragium, -ī, n., shipwreck.
nauta, -ae, m., sailor.
nāvigō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr. and intr., sail, embark.
nāvis, -is, f., ship, vessel, boat; nāvis longa, war ship, war vessel. See
ēgredior and solvō.
-ne, conj., mark of direct quest.; in indirect quest., whether. See necne.
nē, conj., lest, that not, so that . . . not, not to, (fearing) that, lest; with hort.
subjv., not; nē quā, lest in any way; nē quando, (fearing) that at some
time, that at some time or other; nē quid, so that nothing, lest anything,
that in no respect; nē quis, lest anyone, so that no one, to the effect that
no one, (fearing) that someone, that somebody; nē quis alius, (fearing)
that some other.
nē . . . quidem, adv. phrase, not even.
Neāpolis, -is, f., Naples, a city of Campania.
nebula, -ae, f., mist.
nec, neque, conj., nor, and . . . not, and . . . no, (with enim) not. nec . . . nec,
neither . . . nor; nec iam, and no longer; nec quidquam, and nothing;
nec quisquam, and no one, and nobody; neque ūllus, -a, -um, and no,
and not any; neque umquam, and never; neque usquam, and nowhere.
necessāriō, adv., necessarily.
necesse, indecl. adj., necessary.
necne, conj.; following utrum, or not.
necō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., kill.
nefās, indecl. noun, n., wrong, crime, sin, thing forbidden.
neglegō, -legere, -lēxī, -lēctus, tr., disregard, ignore; part. as adj.,
neglegēns, -entis, careless.
negō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr. and intr., declare that . . . not, deny, say “no”;
negō . . . umquam, declare that . . . never; part. as adj., negātus, -a, -
um, forbidden, closed.
negōtium, -ī, n., business, business dealing, engagement, commission,
detail, matter; calling; pl., business cares.
Nemeaeus, -a, -um, adj., Nemean, designation of a lion killed by Hercules
near Nemea, in Greece.
nēmō, (gen. and abl. supplied by nūllīus and nullō), m., nobody, no one.
Nemorēnsis, -e, adj., a designation of Diana.
nepōs, -ōtis, m., grandson; pl., grandchildren.
Nepōs, -ōtis, m., the writer Cornelius Nepos.
Neptūnius, -a, -um, adj., Neptunian, built by Neptune.
Neptūnus, -ī, m., Neptune.
neque, see nec.
Nerō, -ōnis, m., emperor 54-68 . .; Gaius Claudius Nero, a commander in
the Second Punic War.
nesciō, -scīre, -scīvī, tr., not know, be ignorant; nesciō quid, something or
other (with gen.), some.
nescius, -a, -um, adj., not knowing, knowing nothing (of).
nēve, conj. (=et + nē). and not; nēve umquam, and that never.
nīdus, -ī, m., nest.
niger, -gra, -grum, adj., black, dark.
nihil, indecl. noun, n., nothing, not . . . anything; acc. as adv., in no respect,
not at all, no, nothing.
nihilōminus, adv., nevertheless, none the less.
nihilum, -ī, n., nothing; gen., nihilī, of no value; abl. as adv., nihilō, not at
all.
Nīlus, -ī, m., the Nile.
nimis, adv., too.
nimius, -a, -um, adj., too great, too strong, excessive.
Nīnivē, -ēs, f., Nineveh.
nisi, conj. and adv., unless; except, excepting.
nix, nivis, f., snow.
nō, nāre, nāvī, intr., swim.
nōbilis, -e, adj., distinguished, famous, of distinction, of good birth.
noceō, -ēre, -uī, -itum, intr., do harm, harm.
noctū, adv., at night, in the night, during the night, by night, one night.
noctua, -ae, f., night owl.
nōlō, nōlle, nōluī, tr. and intr., be unwilling, not wish, not want, refuse; will
. . . not?
nōmen, -inis, n., name.
nōn, adv., not, no. nōn diūtius, no longer; nōn numquam, sometimes. See
iam and modo.
nōndum, adv., not yet.
nōnnūllī, -ae, -a, adj., some; as noun, m., some people, some.
nōnus, -a, -um, num. adj., ninth.
nōscō, nōscere, nōvī, nōtus, tr., come to know, examine; perf. tense, know.
noster, -tra, -trum, poss. adj., our, of ours, our own; pl. m., as noun, our
men, our people, our side, our friends.
notābilis, -e, adj., striking, noteworthy, remarkable.
nōtus, -a, -um, adj., known; sup., well known, famous.
novus, -a, -um, adj., strange, new; as noun, novum, -ī, n., news, new. Sup.,
novissimus, -a, -um, last. See rēs.
nox, noctis, f., night. See hic, multus, and prīmus.
nūbēs, -is, f., cloud.
nūbō, nūbere, nūpsī, nūptum, intr., be married.
Nūceria, -ae, f., a town in Umbria.
nūdus, -a, -um, adj., bare.
nūgātor, -ōris, m., trifler, cheat, imposter.
nūllus, -a, -um, adj., no; m., as noun, no one (cf. nēmō). See modus and
nōnnūllī.
num, conj., mark of a direct question suggesting a neg. answer; in indirect
quest., whether; num quis (quī), whether anyone, whether any.
nūmen, -inis, n., god, divinity.
numerus, -ī, m., number, numbers, band, company; pl., mathematics.
Numidae, -ārum, m., the Numidians; sometimes rendered as adj.,
Numidian.
numquam, adv., never. See nōn.
numquid, conj. with pron., anything? in indirect quest., whether anything.
nunc, adv., now.
nūntiō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., say, announce, tell; bene hercle nūntiās, I’m
glad to hear it, by Jove.
nūntius, -ī, m., messenger, message, news, bulletin.
nūper, adv., lately, just now, recently.
nūptiae, -ārum, f., marriage.
nusquam, adv., nowhere, not . . . anywhere. See alibī.
nūtō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum, intr., nod, sway.
nūtriō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus, tr., feed, care for, nourish.
nympha, -ae, f., nymph.

Ō, interj., O, oh!
ob, prep. with acc., on account of, for; quam ob rem, why, wherefore,
therefore.
obdormiō, -īre, -īvī, intr., fall asleep, go to sleep.
obiciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectus, tr., expose, place before, make barrier of, pit
against, throw upon.
oblātus, see offerō.
oblectō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., amuse, entertain, delight, please, cheer; while
away (time).
obligō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., bind, bind up, put in splints, girdle.
oblīvīscor, -līvīscī, -lītus sum, tr. and intr., forget.
obruō, -ere, -ruī, -rutus, tr., overwhelm, overthrow, destroy, bury; saxīs
obruere, stone to death.
obscūrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., dim, make dim.
obscūrus, -a, -um, adj., shadowed, dim, gloomy.
obsecrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., pray, beg; obsecrō, please.
observō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., watch, view, note.
obses, -idis, m. and f., hostage.
obsideō, -sidēre, -sēdī, -sessus, tr., besiege, beset, blockade.
obsignō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., seal; part. as adj., obsignātus, -a, -um, under
seal.
obstinātus, -a, -um, adj., determined, fixed.
obstō, -āre, -stitī, -stātūrus, intr., hinder, stop, delay.
obstupefaciō, -facere, -fēcī, -factus, tr., nonplus, daze, stun.
obtulī, see offerō.
obviam, adv., with dat. and verb of motion, meet, etc.; obviam īre, go to
meet, advance (to meet); obviam fierī, meet; sē obviam ferre, come out
to meet; obviam properāre, hurry to meet; obviam venīre, meet, fall in
(one’s) way, appear.
obvius, -a, -um, adj.; as noun, pl. m., people met; obvius esse or fierī,
meet.
occāsiō, -ōnis, f., opportunity.
occāsus, -ūs, m., setting; sōlis occāsus, sunset.
occīdō, -cidere, -cidī, -cāsum, intr., fall, perish, be done for.
occīdō, -cīdere, -cīdī, -cīsus, tr., kill.
occultē, adv., secretly, quietly.
occultō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., hide.
occupō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., take possession of, seize, take, occupy, guard;
part. as adj., occupātus, -a, -um, busy, distracted.
occurrō, -currere, -currī, -cursum, intr., come up, hurry up, appear, block
the way; with dat., meet.
Ōceanus, -ī, m., the English Channel, the Ocean.
oculus, -ī, m., eye.
ōdī, -isse, ōsūrus, tr., hate, loathe, detest, dislike.
odor, -ōris, m., perfume, smell.
offendō, -fendere, -fendī, -fēnsus, tr., displease, strike, find; pass., trip.
offerō, -ferre, obtulī, oblātus, tr., offer; pass., present (one’s) self, fall in
(one’s) way, be forthcoming, develop; sē offerre, present (one’s) self,
(with dat.) cross (one’s) path.
officiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectum, intr., stand in way of, interfere.
officium, -ī, n., duty.
ōhē, interj., ah, oh now!
ōlim, adv., at one time, once, once upon a time, on one occasion, one day,
originally.
Olympia, -ae, f., the place in Greece where the Olympic games were held.
ōmen, -inis, n., omen, sign, warning.
omittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus, tr., put aside, discontinue.
omnīnō, adv., altogether, absolutely; with neg., at all.
omnis, -e, adj., all, every, every sort of, all sorts of; whole; as noun, m. pl.,
all, everybody, everyone, anyone; n. pl., everything, all, anything.
Onēsimus, -ī, m., the name of a slave.
onus, -eris, n., load, weight.
opera, -ae, f., service, attention, help, work, performance; operae pretium
est, it is worth while. See dō.
operiō, -īre, operuī, opertus, tr., cover, cover up, cover over, bury.
opīniō, -ōnis, f., idea, thought, expectation.
opīnor, -ārī, -ātus sum, intr., think, suppose, guess.
opitulor, -ārī, -ātus sum, intr., give help.
oportet, -ēre, -uit, impers.; lit., it is fitting; must be.
oppetō, -ere, -īvī, -ītus, tr., meet.
oppidānī, -ōrum, m., townspeople, people of the city.
oppidum, -ī, n., town, city.
oppleō, -ēre, -ēvī, -ētus, tr., fill.
opportūnē, adv., fortunately, luckily, by good luck, in the nick of time.
opportūnitās, -ātis, f., advantage.
opprimō, -primere, -pressī, -pressus, tr., weigh down, crush, kill; catch.
ops, opis, f., help; pl., wealth, valuables.
optimē, see bene.
optō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., long for, hope for; choose.
opus, -eris, n., (hard) work, task; opus est, there is need. Nom. as indecl.
adj., necessary.
ōra, -ae, f., coast, land, world.
ōrāculum, -ī, n., oracle.
ōrātiō, -ōnis, f., speech.
orbis, -is, m., coil; firmament; in orbem, in circular formation; orbis
terrārum, world.
Orcus, -ī, m., the Lower World.
ōrdō, -inis, m., sequence, story; class, company.
orior, orīrī, ortus sum, intr., rise, arise; be sprung (from).
ōrnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., decorate, beautify; set (table).
ōrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., beg, urge, ask.
Orpheus (dissyl.), -eī, m., a mythical bard.
ōs, ōris, n., mouth, countenance. See adversus.
os, ossis, n., bone; ossa īma, marrow of the bones.
ōsculum, -ī, n., kiss.
ostendō, -tendere, -tendī, -tentus, tr., indicate, reveal, exhibit, display, call
to (one’s) attention, show, tell.
ostentātiō, -ōnis, f., boasting, display, effect.
ostentō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., display, show, exhibit.
Ōstia, -ae, f., port at the mouth of the Tiber.
ōstium, -ī, n., mouth (of river); door.
Othō, -ōnis, m., emperor in 69 . .
ōtiōsus, -a, -um, adj., at leisure, at ease, with nothing to do; calm,
undisturbed.
Ovidius, -ī, m., the poet Ovid.
ovis, -is, f., sheep.
ōvum, -ī, n., egg.

P., abbr. of Pūblius.


pābulum, -ī, n., fodder.
Padus, -ī, m., the Po, a river of northern Italy.
paene, adv., almost.
paenitet, -ēre, -uit, impers., it repents; mē paenitet, I regret, I am sorry, etc.
pāla, -ae, f., spade; bezel (of a ring).
Palaestīnī, -ōrum, m., the Philistines.
Palātium, -ī, n., the Palatine Hill, the palace.
pallidus, -a, -um, adj., pale.
palliolum, -ī, n., old cloak.
Pamphȳlius, -a, -um, adj., Pamphylian, designation of a sea adjacent to
Asia Minor.
Pān, Pānos, m., god of the woods and shepherds.
Panathēnāicus, -a, -um, adj., Panathenaic, designation of games celebrated
at Athens.
pangō, pangere, pānxī, pāctus, tr., plant.
papae, interj., whew! wonderful! remarkable! goodness! dear me!
pār, paris, adj., like.
parcō, parcere, pepercī, parsum, intr., spare.
parēns, -entis, m. and f., parent.
pāreō, -ēre, -uī, intr., obey, have regard for, serve.
pariēs, -ietis, m., wall (of a building).
pariō, parere, peperī, partus, tr., win.
Parma, -ae, f., a city of northern Italy.
parō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., prepare, make ready, get ready; part. as adj.,
parātus, -a, -um, ready.
pars, partis, f., part, division, piece; place, direction, side; pl., rôle; magnā
ex parte, in large part, for the most part; omnibus ex partibus, at every
point, on all sides, on every side. See alius.
parvulus, -a, -um, adj., very small, little, tiny, small; as noun, parvulus, -ī,
m., little boy, small boy, little fellow.
parvus, -a, -um, adj., small, little; weak (voice); parvī facere, care little for,
think little of. Comp., minor, minus, smaller, younger, junior. Sup.,
minimus, -a, -um, very little, faintest (flash); neut. sing. as noun, as
little as possible; minimī facere, regard as of no account, think of little
worth.
passim, adv., here and there, everywhere, on all sides, anywhere.
passus, -ūs, m., pace; mīlia passuum, miles.
pāstor, -ōris, m., shepherd.
patefaciō, -facere, -fēcī, -factus, tr., open; make clear.
pateō, -ēre, -uī, intr., be open, lie open, be opened.
pater, -tris, m., father, forefather, head (of family).
paternus, -a, -um, adj., of (one’s) father.
patior, patī, passus sum, tr., allow, suffer, experience.
patria, -ae, f., fatherland, country, native city, native place, native country,
home country, home town.
patrius, -a, -um, adj., of (one’s) fathers, of (one’s) nation, national.
patruus, -ī, m., uncle (on father’s side).
paucī, -ae, -a, adj., few, a few.
paulātim, adv., gradually.
paulisper, adv., for a little time, for a little, a little while.
paulō, adv., a little.
paulum, adv., little, a little, (but) little; as indecl. noun, n., a little.
Paulus, -ī, m., Lucius Aemilius Paulus, one of the commanders at Cannae,
216 . .; the apostle Paul.
pavidus, -a, -um, adj., frightened, in alarm.
pāx, pācis, f., peace.
peccō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum, intr., be at fault, sin.
pectus, -oris, n., breast, heart.
pecūnia, -ae, f., money. See praesēns.
pecus, -oris, n., flock; pl., animals.
pecus, -udis, f., animal, beast; pl., cattle.
peior, see malus.
pendeō, pendēre, pependī, intr., hang.
penetrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr. and intr., penetrate, journey.
Penīnus, -a, -um, adj., Pennine, designation of an Alpino pass.
pepercī, see parcō.
per, prep. with acc., through, over, along, on; by means of, by; in (jest, etc.);
(in expressions of time), for; per manūs, from hand to hand. See lūna.
peragō, -agere, -ēgī, -actus, tr., perform; pass (time).
percutiō, -cutere, -cussī, -cussus, tr., strike, stab.
perdō, -dere, -didī, -ditus, tr., lose, destroy.
perdomō, -āre, -uī, -itus, tr., subdue thoroughly.
peregrīnus, -a, -um, adj., foreign, in foreign lands; as noun, peregrīnus, -ī,
m., foreigner.
pereō, -īre, -iī, intr., perish, die, lose life, be killed, fall, be lost, be ruined;
periī, mercy!
perfacilis, -e, adj., very easy.
perficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus, tr., accomplish, build.
perfidia, -ae, f., treachery, faithlessness.
perfidus, -a, -um, adj., faithless, dishonorable.
perfundō, -fundere, -fūdī, -fūsus, tr., pour; anoint, bathe.
Pergamēnus, -a, -um, adj., of Pergamum, in Asia Minor.
pergō, pergere, perrēxī, perrēctus, intr., go on, proceed, continue, journey,
go.
perīculōsus, -a, -um, adj., dangerous.
perīculum, -ī, n., danger, peril.
perinvītus, -a, -um, adj., very unwilling(ly).
perītus, -a, -um, adj., skilled, expert.
perlibenter, adv., very eagerly, with great pleasure, readily.
permagnus, -a, -um, adj., very great, very important.
permittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus, tr., allow, give permission.
permulceō, -mulcēre, -mulsī, -mulsus, tr., lick, stroke.
perrārō, adv., very seldom, very rarely.
perrēxī, see pergō.
Persae, -ārum, m., the Persians.
persevērō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum, intr., persist, remain fixed, be determined, hold
out, continue.
persuādeō, -suādēre, -suāsī, -suāsum, intr., persuade.
perterreō, -terrēre, -terruī, -territus, tr., terrify, thoroughly frighten, alarm
greatly, frighten out of (one’s) wits, horrify, alarm, frighten, demoralize;
part. as adj., perterritus, -a, -um, panic-stricken, in a fright.
pertineō, -tinēre, -tinuī, intr., tend, extend; with ad and acc., bear upon,
concern.
perturbō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., alarm, disturb.
perveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventum, intr., arrive, arrive at, reach, go, come,
be carried, travel; fall (into the power of).
pervolō, -velle, -voluī, intr., much desire, much like, like, be eager.
pēs, pedis, m., foot.
pessimus, see malus.
petō, -ere, -īvī, -ītus, tr., beg, ask, seek, sue for; make for, go after, get; go
to.
philosophus, -ī, m., philosopher.
Philoxenus, -ī, m., a poet at the court of Dionysius, at Syracuse.
Phrygēs, -um, m., the Phrygians.
pīrāta, -ae, m., pirate.
piscis, -is, m., fish.
pīstor, -ōris, m., baker.
placenta, -ae, f., cake.
Placentia, -ae, f., a city of northern Italy.
placeō, -ēre, -uī, -itum, intr., please, be pleasing, be approved.
placidē, adv., quietly.
placidus, -a, -um, adj., quiet, serene.
plānē, adv., clearly, quite, absolutely, full well, simply.
plānus, -a, -um, adj., clear; level.
plaustrum, -ī, n., cart.
plausus, -ūs, m., applause.
Plautus, -ī, m., a writer of comedy, born in the third century . .
plēnus, -a, -um, adj., full.
plērīque, plēraeque, plēraque, adj., most, most of; as noun, plērīque, m.,
the majority, most men, most people.
Plīnius, -ī, m., Pliny the Elder, author of the “Historia Naturalis,” who died
in the eruption of Vesuvius; Pliny the Younger, known for his letters.
plūrimus, see multus.
plūs and plūrēs, see multus.
Plūtō, -ōnis, m., god of the Lower World.
poena, -ae, f., penalty, punishment. See dō.
Poenus, -a, -um, adj., Carthaginian; as noun, Poenus, -ī, m., the
Carthaginian (i.e., Hannibal); pl., the Carthaginians.
poēta, -ae, m., poet.
polliceor, -licērī, -licitus sum, tr. and intr., promise, agree, assure.
Polydamās, -antis, m., a famous athlete.
Pompeius, -ī, m., Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, opponent of Caesar in the
Civil War.
pōmum, -ī, n., apple.
pondus, -eris, n., weight.
pōnō, pōnere, nosuī, positus, tr., place, put, locate; lay aside; castra
pōnere, encamp; vēstīgia pōnere, stand.
pōns, pontis, m., bridge.
pontifex, -icis, m., priest.
Pontus, -ī, m., a district in Asia Minor.
populus, -ī, m., people.
porrigō, -rigere, -rēxī, -rēctus, tr., hold out, present, supply, stretch out,
extend (structure).
porrō, adv., further, furthermore.
porta, -ae, f., gate, entrance, door.
portendō, -tendere, -tendī, -tentus, tr., indicate, foretell.
portō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., carry, bring.
portus, -ūs, m., harbor.
poscō, poscere, poposcī, tr., demand, call for.
possum, posse, potuī, intr., be able, can, may, etc.
post, adv., later, afterward.
post, prep. with acc., behind, after; post sē, back.
posteā, adv., afterward, thereafter, later; from now on, henceforth.
poster(us), -a, -um, adj., following, the following; as noun, posterī, -ōrum,
m., posterity, descendants.
posthāc, adv., hereafter, from now on.
postquam, conj., after, when.
postrēmō, adv., finally.
postrīdiē, adv., on the next day, on the following day.
postulō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., demand, ask.
potestās, -ātis, f., power; permission.
potior, potīrī, potītus sum, intr., take possession of, get possession of,
seize, take; reach (a place).
potissimum, adv., in particular, best.
prae, prep. with abl., because of, by reason of; (of a hindering cause) for.
praebeō, -ēre. -uī, -itus, tr., provide, furnish, afford, expose.
praecēdō, -cēdere, -cessī, -cessus, tr. and intr., precede, go on ahead.
praeceptor, -ōris, m., teacher.
praecipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus, tr., give directions (orders), order, advise,
enjoin (upon).
praecipitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., hurl, throw, send headlong; pass., plunge,
fall headlong; sē praecipitāre, plunge.
praeclārus, -a, -um, adj., fine, noteworthy, splendid.
praeda, -ae, f., plunder, spoil, booty.
praeeō, -īre, -iī, tr. and intr., go on ahead; dictate.
praefectus, -ī, m., officer, admiral.
praemittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus, tr., send forward, send (on) ahead.
praemium, -ī, n., reward, prize.
praepōnō, -pōnere, -posuī, -positus, tr., prefer; appoint (over), put in
charge (of).
praesēns, -entis, adj., present, immediate; instant (death); in praesēns, for
the present; praesentī pecūniā, for cash.
praesidium, -ī, n., fortification, fort; garrison, guard.
praestō, adv., at hand; praestō esse, be present, be on hand, appear.
praesum, -esse, -fuī, intr., command, rule.
praeter, prep. with acc., contrary to; except.
praetereā, adv., furthermore.
praetereō, -īre, -iī, -itus, tr., ignore, pass.
praetervolō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr. and intr., fly by.
prasinus, -a, -um, adj., green.
prātum, -ī, n., meadow.
precor, -ārī, -ātus sum, tr., entreat, pray, beg.
premō, premere, pressī, pressus, tr., crush, burden, hold; attack.
pretium, -ī, n., price, rent. See opera.
prīdiē, adv., the day before; with acc., on the day before.
prīmō, adv., at first, first, to begin with.
prīmum, adv., first, in the first instance, for the first time; cum prīmum, ut
prīmum, as soon as; quam prīmum (possum, etc.), as soon as possible.
prīmus, -a, -um, adj., first, first stage of; prīmā lūce, at (early) dawn;
prīmā nocte, early at night.
Prīmus, see Antōnius.
prīnceps, -ipis, m., leader, chief, leading citizen, leading man.
prīincipium, -ī, n., beginning.
prior, -us, adj., first; as noun, pl. neut., priōra, the previous subject.
prīscus, -a, -um, adj., early, ancient.
pristinus, -a, -um, adj., old-time, one-time, former, old.
prius, adv., first: prius . . . quam, sooner . . . than, (with neg.) before.
priusquam, conj., before, (with neg.) until. Cf. prius.
prīvātus, -a, -um, adj., private.
prō, prep. with abl., for, as; in return for, in punishment for, in place of, in
the stead of; to secure; in accordance with; in front of; prō certō, for
certain.
probē, adv., rightly, well.
probō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., approve, prove.
proboscis, -idis, f., trunk.
procāx, -ācis, adj., aggravating, rude, saucy.
prōcēdō, -cēdere, -cessī, -cessum, intr., advance, proceed, step out, come
forth, come, go.
procul, adv., far, far away, at a distance, in the distance, from a distance;
haud procul, hard by; as prep. with abl., far from.
prōdeō, -īre, -iī, -itum, intr., come out, come forth, step out, go out, go
forth.
prōdūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus, tr., bring out, lead out; protract, prolong.
proelium, -ī, n., battle.
profectiō, -ōnis, f., departure.
profectō, adv., surely, certainly, indeed.
prōferō, -ferre, -tulī, -lātus, tr., produce, bring out.
prōficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectum, intr., avail.
proficīscor, -ficīscī, -fectus sum, intr., set out, start, start out, go out, go,
journey, advance.
prōgredior, -gredī, -gressus sum, intr., advance, proceed, go forward, press
on, set out, step out; journey, travel, come.
prohibeō, -hibēre, -hibuī, -hibitus, tr., forbid, interfere, prevent, cut off,
oppose, keep (from).
prōiciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectus, tr., throw forward, hurl forward, throw out,
toss out, throw down, hurl, cast, throw; sē prōicere, rush, plunge.
prōmiscuē, adv., haphazard.
prōmittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus, tr., allow to grow long; agree, promise;
part. as adj., prōmissus, -a, -um, long.
prōnūntiō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., recite, enunciate.
prōnus, -a, -um, adj., face down, face forward, prone.
prope, adv., close, near, near by; comp., propius, very near, close by, too
near.
prope, prep. with acc., near, hard by, about, along.
properō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, intr., hurry, hasten, be in a hurry. See obviam.
propinquus, -a, -um, adj., adjacent, near, nearby, near by; as noun,
propinquus, -ī, m., relative.
prōpōnō, -pōnere, -posuī, -positus, tr., offer, publish, post up.
propter, prep. with acc., on account of, because of.
prōra, -ae, f., prow.
Prōserpina, -ae, f., queen of the Lower World.
prōsperē, adv., successfully, well.
prōsperus, -a,-um, adj., successful.
prōspiciō, -spicere, -spexī, -spectus, tr. and intr., look out on, look out,
keep a lookout, look.
prōtegō, -tegere, -tēxī, -tēctus, tr., cover, protect.
prōvehō, -vehere, -vexī, -vectus, tr., carry forward, pull, carry; pass., ride
forward, advance; part. as adj., prōvectus, -a, -um, advanced.
prōveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventum, intr., come on, prosper, result.
prōvincia, -ae, f., province.
proximus, -a, -um, adj., nearby, neighboring, nearest, next; previous, last;
hic proximus, this past; ē proximō, near by.
Prūsiās, -ae, m., a king of Bithynia.
pūblicus, -a, -um, adj., public; rēs pūblica, commonwealth, state; as noun,
pūblicum, -ī, n., city property.
Pūblius, -ī, m., a boy’s or man’s name.
pudet, -ēre, -uit, impers., it shames; mē pudet, I am ashamed, etc.
puella, -ae, f., girl, maiden.
puer, -erī, m., boy, lad; slave.
pugillārēs, -ium, m., tablets (small, for writing).
pugna, -ae, f., battle, fighting, (chance to) fight.
pugnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum, intr., fight.
pulcher, -chra, -chrum, adj., beautiful, handsome; splendid, glorious,
delightful.
pulchritūdō, -inis, f., beauty.
pullus, -ī, m., chick, young bird; pl., sacred chickens, used in augury.
pulvis, -eris, m., dust.
Pūnicus, -a, -um, adj., Punic.
puppis, -is, f., deck, stern.
puteus, -ī, m., well.
putō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., think, suppose, judge. See magnus.
Pȳramus, -ī, m., lover of Thisbe.
Pyrrhus, -ī, m., a king of Epirus, defeated at Beneventum, 275 . .

Q., abbr. of Quīntus.


quadrāgintā, indecl. num., forty.
quaerō, quaerere, quaesīvī, quaesītus, tr., ask, question, inquire; discuss,
look into; look for, look up, seek, try to locate, try to find out, seek out,
find out; find, get. See rēctē.
quālis, -e, adj., as, such as; what, what sort of?
quam, adv., how, what a; with sup. of adj. or adv., as . . . as possible; with
comp. of adj. or adv., than. See prius.
quamquam, conj., although.
quamvīs, conj., though; as adv., though, although, however.
quandō, conj., when. See nē and sī.
quantō, adv., how much (in what measure); quantō plūrēs . . . tantō
melius, the more the better.
quantum, adv., as far as, as much as.
quantus, -a, -um, adj., how large, how great, how much, what great, what;
as noun, neut. sing., how much; tantus . . . quantus, as great as.
quārē, conj., therefore, accordingly.
quārtus, -a, -um, num. adj., fourth.
quasi, conj. and adv., as if, as it were.
quassō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., shake.
quatiō, quatere, ——, quassus, tr., shake, rock; clank.
quattuor, indecl. num., four.
-que, conj., and; -que . . . -que, (both) . . . and.
querella, -ae, f., protest, complaint, lament.
queror, querī, questus sum, tr. and intr., lament, express regret; warble.
quī, indef. and interrog. pron. See quis.
quī, guae, quod, rel. pron., who, which, what; with suppressed antecedent,
he who, those who, that which, etc.
quia, conj., because.
quīcumque, quaecumque, quodcumque, indef. rel. pron., whoever,
whatsoever, whatever.
quīdam, quaedam, quoddam (quiddam), indef. pron., a certain, a, certain,
some; as noun, somebody, something.
quidem, adv., indeed, at any rate, ’tis true; sometimes not translated; with
ego, for my part. See nē . . . quidem.
quiēs, -ētis, f., sleep, rest; soother.
quiēscō, quiēscere, quiēvī, quiētum, intr., sleep, fall asleep, find rest, rest,
remain quiet.
quiētus, -a, -um, adj., quiet, peaceful, calm, restful; without moving.
quīn, conj., but that; from (with part. in -ing); with neg. expressions of
doubt, that; as adv., in fact, why; quīn etiam, as a matter of fact, in fact.
quīnquāgintā, indecl. num., fifty.
quīnque, indecl. num., five.
quīntus, -a, -um, num. adj., fifth.
Quīntus, -ī, m., a boy’s or man’s name.
Quirīnālis, -e, adj.; designation of the Quirinal, one of the hills of Rome.
quis (quī), quae, quid (quod), interrog. pron., who, what? See nesciō and
num.
quis (quī), quae, quid (quod), indef. pron., any, anyone, anything, etc.; see
nē and sī.
quisquam, ——, quidquam or quicquam, indef. pron., anyone, anything.
See nec.
quisque, quaeque, quidque, distrib. pron., each, every; as noun, m. sing.,
each man.
quīvīs, quaevīs, quodvīs, indef. pron., any you please, of any sort (you
please).
quō, adv., whither, how far, where, to which; quō propius . . . eō plūra, the
nearer . . . the more.
quō, conj., in order that, in order to, so that.
quod, conj., because, since, that; so far as.
quōminus, conj., from (with part. in -ing).
quondam, adv., at one time, once on (upon) a time.
quoniam, conj., since.
quoque, adv., also, too, even.
quotiēnscumque, conj., as often as.

rabidus, -a, -um, adj., mad.


radius, -ī, m., ray; pointer, rod.
Rāhāba, -ae, f., Rahab, a woman of Jericho.
rāmulus, -ī, m., twig, small branch.
rāmus, -ī, m., branch.
rapidē, adv., swiftly, quickly.
rapiō, rapere, rapuī, raptus, tr., seize, snatch, steal, draw, pull, sweep
(away), hurry.
raptim, adv., hurriedly, hastily.
rāritās, -ātis, f., scarcity, thinness.
rārō, adv., seldom, infrequently.
rārus, -a, -um, adj., thin, scattered, one by one.
ratiō, -ōnis, f., plan, reasoning, account, bill, statement.
ratis, -is, f., raft.
ratus, see reor.
raucus, -a, -um, adj., hoarse, rough.
recēdō, -cēdere, -cessī, -cessum, intr., recede, withdraw, fade; with ab and
abl., leave.
recēns, -entis, adj., fresh, new.
recipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus, tr., receive, accept, admit, welcome, gather,
take (to); withdraw; ad sē recipere, welcome; hospitiō recipere,
entertain; sē recipere, retire, withdraw, return, retreat, betake (one’s)
self, take refuge; come out, go.
recitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., read aloud, recite.
recordor, -ārī, -ātus sum, tr., recall, remember.
recreō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., rest; sē recreāre, recover.
rēctē, adv., rightly; comp., better; rēctē dīcere, be right; rēctē quaerere, be
right in asking. See habeō.
rēctor, -ōris, m., rider, driver.
rēctus, -a, -um, adj., straight; f. abl. as adv., rēctā, directly, straightway, in a
straight line.
recumbō, -cumbere, -cubuī, intr., recline, lie down, go to bed.
recūsō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., refuse, object to.
rēda, -ae, f., carriage, coach.
reddō, -dere, -didī, -ditus, tr., bring back, send back, restore, vouchsafe; sē
reddere (with dat.), rejoin.
redeō, -ire, -iī, -itum, intr., go back, return, withdraw, turn back, come back.
redigō, -igere, -ēgī, -āctus, tr., reduce (to), bring (into).
redimō, -imere, -ēmī, -ēmptus, tr., ransom.
redūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus, tr., bring back, recall, bring down, lead
away.
referō, -ferre, rettulī, -lātus, tr., bring back, repay, refer; repeat, tell; show
(gratitude); sē referre, return.
reficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus, tr., refresh, renew, repair, restore, rest; pass.,
rest.
refugiō, -fugere, -fūgī, intr., retreat, run away, take refuge, hurry for refuge,
fly for refuge.
Rēgillus, -ī, m., a lake in Latium.
rēgīna, -ae, f., queen.
regiō, -ōnis, f., region, district, country, part, part of the world; pl., locality,
district, country.
rēgius, -a, -um, adj., royal, regal, magnificent, splendid; king’s, of the king.
regō, regere, rēxī, rēctus, tr., guide, sail (ship).
Rēgulus, -ī, m., Marcus Atilius Regulus, a commander in the First Punic
War.
religiō, -ōnis, f., religion, cult; scruple, responsibility.
relinquō, -linquere, -līquī, -lictus, tr., leave, leave behind, abandon, desert,
neglect.
reliquiae, -ārum, f., residue, remnants, left-overs.
reliquus, -a, -um, adj., left, the rest of, the other, the following, other; as
noun, pl., the others, the rest.
relūceō, -lucēre, -lūxī, intr., cast glare, reflect.
reminīscor, reminīscī, tr., recall, remember, think of, think up.
remittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus, tr., send back, remand; check; forget
(cares).
removeō, -movēre, -mōvī, -mōtus, tr., remove, take away, carry away.
Remus, -ī, m., brother of Romulus.
renovō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., renew, take up again.
reor, rērī, ratus sum, tr., think; perf. part. as pres., ratus, -a, -um, thinking.
repente, adv., suddenly, of a sudden.
reperiō, reperīre, repperī, repertus, tr., find, run across.
repetō, -petere, -petīvī, -petitus, tr., call for, go back after, go back to.
replētus, -a, -um, adj., filled.
rēpō, rēpere, rēpsī, rēptum, intr., crawl, creep.
reportō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., bring back; carry away, carry off.
repugnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum, intr., resist; part. as adj., repugnāns, -antis,
contradictory.
rēs, reī, f., affair, circumstance, fact, matter, thing; act, action, arrangement,
business, deed, development, event, happening, it, news, occurrence,
outcome, story; pl., fortunes, possessions, troubles; mala rēs,
destruction; rēs dīvīna, sacrifice; rēs gestae, exploits; rēs novae,
revolution; rē vērā, actually, truly, in good earnest. See familiāris, gerō,
habeō, ob, and pūblicus.
resīdō, -sīdere, -sēdī, intr., settle down, calm down.
resistō, -sistere, -stitī, intr., resist, oppose, hold in check, stop.
resonō, -āre, -āvī, intr., echo, reverberate, ring, ring out.
respergō, -spergere, -spersī, -spersus, tr., spatter.
respiciō, -spicere, -spexī, -spectus, intr., look (back).
respondeō, -spondēre, -spondī, -spōnsus, tr., answer, reply, make answer,
make reply.
respōnsum, -ī, n., answer.
restituō, -stituere, -stituī, -stitūtus, tr., restore, stay, renew, rebuild.
restō, -stāre, -stitī, intr., remain.
retineō, -tinēre, -tinuī, -tentus, tr., hold back, hold, stop, keep.
retorqueō, -torquēre, -torsī, -tortus, tr., turn back; pinion, tie.
revellō, -vellere, -vellī, -vulsus, tr., pull out, take (from).
revertor, -vertī, (perf.) -vertī, (part.) -versus, intr., return.
revoco, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., recall, call away, call off, call in; turn back
(step); renew (laughter).
rēx, rēgis, m., king.
Rhēnus, -ī, m., the Rhine.
Rhodanus, -ī, m., the Rhone.
Rhodiī, -ōrum, m., the Rhodians.
Rhodos, -ī, f., Rhodes, an island southwest of Asia Minor.
rīdeō, rīdēre, rīsī, rīsum, intr., laugh, smile, grin.
rīdiculus, -a, -um, adj., laughable, funny.
rīma, -ae, f., crack.
rīpa, -ae, f., bank.
rīsus, -ūs, m., laughter, smile.
rīte, adv., properly, in the regular way.
rīvus, -ī, m., stream, brook.
rīxa, -ae, f., quarrel, brawl.
rōbur, -oris, n., power, strength; wood.
rogō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., ask.
Rōma, -ae, f., Rome.
Rōmānus, -a, -um, adj., Roman; as noun, Rōmānī, -ōrum, m., the Romans.
Rōmulus, -ī, m., reputed founder of Rome.
rōstrum, -ī, n., beak.
rota, -ae, f., wheel.
Rubicō, -ōnis, m., the Rubicon, a river of northern Italy bounding Caesar’s
province.
rudēns, -entis, m., rope.
ruīna, -ae, f., fall, collapse, ruin; pl., ruins, wreck, wreckage.
rūmor, -ōris, m., rumor.
rumpō, rumpere, rūpī, ruptus, tr., break.
ruō, ruere, ruī, ruitūrus, intr., rush on, charge.
rūrsus, adv., again.
rūs, rūris, n., country (as contrasted with city); pl., country districts, farm.
rūsticus, -a, -um, adj., country, from the country; as noun, rūsticus, -ī, m.,
countryman, bumpkin; pl., country people.
rutilus, -a, -um, adj., reddish.

saccus, -ī, m., bag.


sacer, -cra, -crum, adj., sacred, holy; accursed; as noun, sacra, -ōrum, n.,
sacred emblems.
sacerdōs, -ōtis, m., priest.
sacerdōtium, -ī, n., priesthood.
saepe, adv., often.
saeviō, -īre, -iī, -ītum, intr., rage, be savage, be unruly.
saevus, -a, -um, adj., savage, cruel, unfeeling.
sagum, -ī, n., cloak.
Salomōn, -ōnis, m., Solomon.
salsus, -a, -um, adj., brackish (water); witty.
saltem, adv., at least, at any rate.
saltō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum, intr., dance, jump.
saltus, -ūs, m., jumping, leap; (mountain) pass.
salūs, -ūtis, f., safety, escape, life; greeting.
salūtō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., greet, hail.
salveō, -ēre, intr., be well; salvē, salvēte, greeting, good day! multum
salvē, hearty greeting.
salvus, -a, -um, adj., safe, sound, well, recovered.
Samius, -a, -um, adj., of Samian ware (i.e., earthenware).
Samnītēs, -ium, m., the Samnites, a people of central Italy.
Samsōn, -ōnis, m., Samson.
sānctus, -a, -um, adj., holy, sacred.
sānē, adv., to be sure, of course.
sanguis, -inis, m., blood.
sānō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., make well, cure.
sapiō, -ere, -īvī, intr., be wise.
sapor, -ōris, m., flavor.
satis, adv. and indecl. noun, n., sufficiently, satisfactorily, quite, well, fully,
rather; enough; a sufficiency; satis dignus, adequate. See habeō.
Sāturnīnus, see Apōnius.
saxum, -ī, n., rock; pl., stone. See obruō.
scaena, -ae, f., stage.
scālae, -ārum, f., stairs.
scelestus, -a, -um, adj., rascally, wicked; as noun, scelestus, -ī, m., rascal;
scelesta, -ae, f., wicked woman.
scelus, -eris, n., crime.
scīlicet, adv., of course, indeed.
sciō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus, tr., know, be assured.
scīpiō, -ōnis, m., staff, stick.
Scīpiō, -ōnis, m., Publius Cornelius Scipio, wounded at the Ticinus, 218 . .
scopulus, -ī, m., cliff.
scribō, scrībere, scrīpsī, scrīptus, tr., write, trace.
scrīptor, -ōris, m., writer, author.
sēcēdō, -cēdere, -cessī, -cessum, intr., withdraw.
sēcrētum, -ī, n., retirement.
secundum, prep. with acc., along.
secundus, -a, -um, adj., second; favorable.
sēcūrus, -a, -um, adj., careless, at ease, oblivious.
sed, conj., but.
sedeō, sedēre, sēdī, sessum, intr., sit, squat.
sēdēs, -is, f., (sing. or pl.) abode; sēdēs bellī, base of operations.
seditiō, -ōnis, f., mutiny, rebellion.
seges, -etis, f., crop of grain, grain.
Seiānus, -ī, m., Lucius Aelius Sejanus, an officer of Tiberius.
sella, -ae, f., seat, sedan-chair.
semel, adv., once; semel atque (et) iterum, time and again, again and again,
once and again, several times.
sēminūdus, -a, -um, adj., half-naked.
semper, adv., always, (for)ever, all the time.
Semprōnius, -ī, m., Tiberius Sempronius Longus, defeated at the Trebia by
Hannibal in 218 . .
senātor, -ōris, m., senator.
senātus, -ūs, m., senate.
Seneca, -ae, m., a writer of Nero’s time.
senex, senis, m., old man, sir, grandpa; as adj., aged; comp., senior, -iōris,
elder, older, advanced in years.
sententia, -ae, f., purpose, idea, thought, view, sense.
Sentīnum, -ī, n., a town of Umbria.
sentiō, sentīre, sēnsī, sēnsus, tr. and intr., feel, know, realize, find, side
(with).
sepeliō, -pelīre, -pelīvī, -pultus, tr., bury.
septem, indecl. num., seven.
sepulchrum, -ī, n., tomb.
sequor, sequī, secūtus sum, tr., follow.
serēnus, -a, -um, adj., clear.
sermō, -ōnis, m., talk, conversation, converse, topic.
sērō, adv., late, too late.
serpēns, -entis, f., snake.
servitūs, -ūtis, f., slavery.
Servius, see Galba.
servō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., keep, save, guard, watch.
servus, -ī, m., slave.
sēstertia, -ōrum, n., thousands of sesterces.
sex, indecl. num., six.
Sextus, -ī, m., a boy’s or man’s name.
sī, conj., if, though; sī forte, if perchance, in the hope that; sī quandō, if at
any time; sī quis, sī quid, if anyone, if anything; sī quī, sī qua, sī quod,
if any. See volō (velle).
Sibylla, -ae, f., the Sibyl.
sīc, adv., thus, so, in this way.
Sicilia, -ae, f., Sicily.
Siciliēnsis, -e, adj., of Sicily.
sīcubi, conj., if anywhere.
Siculus, -a, -um, adj., Sicilian.
signifer, -erī, m., standard-bearer, leader.
significō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr. and intr., mean, stand for, indicate, signal,
motion.
signum, -ī, n., sign, token, signal; standard, ensign.
silentium, -ī, n., silence.
Sīlēnus, -ī, m., an attendant upon Bacchus.
silva, -ae, f., forest, wood, grove.
similis, -e, adj., like, similar; as noun, neut., in phrase, vērī simile,
probable.
similitūdō, -inis, f., likeness.
sīmius, -ī, m., monkey.
Simōnidēs, -is, m., a famous Greek poet of the sixth century . .
simul, adv., at the same time, simultaneously, together, at once.
simulac and simulatque, conj., as soon as.
simulō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., pretend.
sīn, conj., but if; sīn autem, and if . . . not.
sine, prep. with abl., without.
singulī, -ae, -a, distrib. num. adj., one by one, one apiece, individual; as
noun, neut. pl., each thing.
singultus, -ūs, m., sob.
sinō, sinere, sīvī, situs, tr., allow; locate.
Sinuessa, -ae, f., a town of Campania.
sinus, -ūs, m., bay; lap.
Sīōn, -ōnis, f., Zion.
sīs (i.e., sī vis), see volō (velle).
sitis, -is, f., thirst.
sīve . . . sīve, conj., whether . . . or.
socius, -ī, m., partner, ally.
sōl, sōlis, m., sun, sunshine.
sōlārium, -ī, n., (flat) housetop.
soleō, solēre, solitus sum, intr., be accustomed, be wont; part. as adj.,
solitus, -a, -um, accustomed.
solidus, -a, -um, adj., firm, whole.
solium, -ī, n., throne.
sollertia, -ae, f., skill, ability, wit.
sollicitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., disturb, agitate.
sollicitus, -a, -um, adj., anxious.
sōlum, adv., alone, only.
sōlus, -a, -um, adj., alone, by oneself, unsupported, only.
solvō, solvere, solvī, solūtus, tr., open, loosen, relax, unmoor, throw off,
cast off; pay; pass., come apart; part. as adj., solūtus, -a, -um, free;
nāvēs solvere, set sail, set out.
somniō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., dream.
somnium, -ī, n., dream.
somnus, -ī, m., sleep, slumber, sleepiness; in somnīs, in a dream.
sonitus, -ūs, m., sound, rumble.
sonus, -ī, m., noise.
Sōracte, -is, n., a mountain near Horace’s farm.
sordidus, -a, -um, adj., unkempt, shabby, soiled, dark; humiliating.
soror, -ōris, f., sister.
sors, sortis, f., lot.
spargō, spargere, sparsī, sparsus, tr., scatter.
Sparta, -ae, f., Sparta.
spatium, -ī, n., length, extent, interval.
speciēs, -ēī, f., appearance, shape, likeness, mien; parade.
spectāculum, -ī, n., show; pl., games; tiers of seats, seats.
spectātor, -ōris, m., spectator; pl., audience.
spectō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr. and intr., view, see, look.
speculātor, -ōris, m., scout, spy, sentinel.
specus, -ūs, m., channel.
spēlunca, -ae, f., cave.
spernō, spernere, sprēvī, sprētus, tr., spurn, ignore.
spērō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr. and intr., hope, expect, hope for, look for.
spēs, -eī, f., hope, expectation.
spīna, -ae, f., thorn.
spīritus, -ūs, m., breath, blast.
splendidē, adv., nobly, splendidly, gloriously, with large promises.
splendidus, -a, -um, adj., shining, ornate, fine, magnificent, handsome,
impressive.
sponte (abl. only), f.; suā sponte, of (his) own accord, etc.
stabilis, -e, adj., steady, anchored.
stabulum, -ī, n., stable.
stadium, -ī, n., running course.
Stasimus, -ī, m., the name of a slave.
statim, adv., at once, immediately.
statiō, -ōnis, f., picket post; in statiōne, on guard.
statua, -ae, f., statue.
stella, -ae, f., star.
sternō, sternere, strāvī, strātus, tr., spread; part. as adj., strātus, -a, -um,
paved.
stilus, -ī, m., pen.
stīpendium, -ī, n., pay; campaign. See faciō.
stō, stāre, stetī, stātūrus, intr., stand.
strātus, see sternō.
strepitus, -ūs, m., clanking, crashing, racket.
stringō, stringere, strīnxī, strictus, tr., draw.
studeō, -ēre, -uī, intr., be interested (in), be eager, be devoted, be fond (of);
go to school; celeritātī studēre, desire to travel rapidly.
studiōsē, adv., zealously, attentively.
Studiōsus, -a, -um, adj., devoted; as noun, studiōsus, -ī, m., admirer.
studium, -ī, n., pursuit, study; liking, interest, affection, eagerness, desire,
curiosity; studium cognōscendī, curiosity.
stultitia, -ae, f., stupidity, folly.
stultus, -a, -um, adj., stupid, foolish; as noun, stultus, -ī, m., dullard, fool.
suādeō, suādēre, suāsī, suāsum, intr., urge, advise.
sub, prep with abl., beneath; before (a judge).
sub, prep with acc., beneath, under; (of time), just before, toward.
subeō, -īre, -iī, -itus, tr. and intr., pass under, risk; be at hand.
subigō, -igere, -ēgī, -āctus, tr., subdue.
subitō, adv., suddenly, unexpectedly, quickly, abruptly.
subitus, -a, -um, adj., sudden, unexpected.
sublātus, see tollō.
sublevō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., lighten, relieve.
submergō, -mergere, -mersī, -mersus, tr., sink, drown.
subsellium, -ī, n., bench, seat.
subsequor, -sequī, -secūtus sum, tr. and intr., follow, follow after, come up.
subsidium, -ī, n., help, support, aid. See veniō.
subveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventum, intr., come up, come up to assist.
Suēbī, -ōrum, m., a people of central and northwestern Germany.
Suētōnius, -ī, m., a writer of biography in the imperial period.
suī, sibi, reflex. pron., sing. and pl., himself, herself, etc.; his person; he,
she, etc., him, her, etc.; sēcum, by oneself. See inter.
Suionēs, -um, m., a people of Scandinavia.
sum, esse, fuī, futūrus, intr., be; in hospitiō esse, be entertained, accept
entertainment. See obvius and ūsus.
summissus, -a, -um, adj., low.
summus, see superus.
sūmō, sūmere, sūmpsī, sumptus, tr., take, take up; exact (punishment).
sūmptus, -ūs, m., expense.
supellex, -lectilis, f., furniture.
super, adv., more (than enough).
super, prep. with abl. and acc., above, on top of.
superbus, -a, -um, adj., proud, dainty.
superior, see superus.
superō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr. and intr., surpass, overcome, defeat, outclass,
beat, worst; win.
superstes, -stitis, adj., surviving; as noun, m. and f., survivor.
superstitiō, -ōnis, f., delusion.
supersum, -esse, -fuī, intr., survive, remain over.
superus, -a, -um, adj., upper; as noun, superī, -ōrum, m., the upper world;
comp., superior, -ius, upper, better; sup., suprēmus, -a, -um, most high,
and summus, -a, -um, greatest, highest, very great, marked, extreme,
utmost, severest, very dangerous; top of, top part of, depths of; all, top
(speed), all (one’s might).
supīnus, -a, -um, adj., on (one’s) back.
supplicium, -ī, n., punishment, penalty; execution.
suprā, adv., above; as prep. with acc., above.
suprēmus, see superus.
surgō, surgere, surrēxī, surrēctum, intr., rise, get up, arise.
suscipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus, tr., undertake, begin.
suspēnsus, -a, -um, adj., anxious, on the qui vive.
suspicor, -ārī, -ātus sum, tr., suspect, imagine.
sustineō, -tinēre, -tinuī, -tentus, tr. and intr., bear, endure, support, carry;
bear up, hold up; refrain.
sustulī, see tollō.
suus, -a, -um, poss. adj., his, hers, etc.; his own, her own, etc.; of his, of
hers, etc.; as noun, sui, -ōrum, m., his men, his soldiers, his friends; her
family, her household; their number, their own friends; etc.
Syrācūsae, -ārum, f., Syracuse.
Syrācūsānus, -a, -um, adj., from Syracuse.
Syria, -ae, f., Syria.

tabellārius, -ī, m., letter-bearer, messenger.


taberna, -ae, f., shop.
tabernāculum, -ī, n., tent.
tabula, -ae, f., tablet (for painting or writing).
taceō, -ēre, -uī, tacitus, tr. and intr., be still, be quiet; part. as adj., tacēns, -
entis, silent, silent(ly), without speaking; and tacitus, -a, -um, in
silence, silent(ly), unresponsive.
Tacitus, -ī, m., a historian of the imperial period.
taedet, -ēre, -uit, impers., it tires; mē taedet, I am tired, etc.
taeter, -tra, -trum, adj., dreadful.
tālis, -e, adj., such, such (as this), this.
tam, adv., so; with adj., such.
tamen, adv., however, still, yet, nevertheless.
Tamesis, -is, m., the Thames.
tandem, adv., at length.
tangō, tangere, tetigī, tāctus, tr., touch.
Tantalus, -ī, m., a sufferer in the Lower World.
tantō, adv. with comp., so much, in that measure; tantō magis, all the more.
See quantō.
tantopere, adv., so, so much, so (wildly).
tantum, adv., only, merely; so much. See valeō.
tantus, -a, -um, adj., so great, such great, such, such heavy, so long, so
much; hic tantus, this great; is tantus, this terrible; tantus . . . quantus,
as great . . . as; tantī facere, care enough for. See tantō and tantum.
tardē, adv., slowly.
tardus, -a, -um, adj., slow, moving slowly.
Tarentīnus, -a, -um, adj., of Tarentum.
Tarentum -ī, n., a city of southern Italy.
Tartara, -ōrum, n., the Lower World.
taurus, -ī, m., bull.
tēctum, -ī, n., building, dwelling; pl., house.
tegō, tegere, tēxī, tēctus, tr., cover, conceal.
tēlum, -ī, n., weapon.
temere, adv., rashly, hastily, at random.
temperō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr. and intr., control; refrain.
tempestās, -ātis, f., storm, weather,
templum, -ī, n., temple; aisle.
temptō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., try.
tempus, -oris, n., time; pl., days.
tendō, tendere, tetendī, tentus, tr. and intr., stretch, spread; travel, journey,
be headed (for), make for; iter tendere, journey.
tenebrae, -ārum, f., shadows, darkness, gloom.
teneō, -ēre, -uī, tr., hold, keep, hold back, keep back.
tener, -era, -erum, adj., frail, soft, graceful.
tenuis, -e, adj., thin, poor, slight, not worth mentioning.
ter, num. adv., three times.
tergum, -ī, n., back; ā tergō, in the rear, from behind, behind. See vertō.
terō, terere, trīvī, trītus, tr., pass, while away (time).
terra, -ae, f., land, ground, dirt, earth; pl., world, earth. See mōtus, orbis,
and tremor.
terreō, -ēre, -uī, -itus, tr., terrify, terrorize, alarm, frighten.
terribilis, -e, adj., terrible, awful, shocking.
terror, -ōris, m., terror, alarm, fright.
tertius, -a, -um, num. adj., third.
testimōnium, -ī, n., testimony, evidence.
testūdō, -inis, f., tortoise.
tetigī, see tangō.
Thapsus, -ī, f., a city of northern Africa.
theātrum, -ī, n., theater.
Thermopylae, -ārum, f., a pass in Greece.
Thēseus (dissyl.), -eī, m., slayer of the Minotaur.
Thisbē, -ēs, f., a maiden of Babylon.
Tiberis, -is, m., the Tiber.
Tiberius, -ī, m., emperor 14-37 . .
Tīcīnum, -ī, n., a town of northern Italy.
Tīcīnus, -ī, m., a stream of northern Italy, tributary to the Po.
timeō, -ēre, -uī, tr. and intr., fear, be afraid, be alarmed.
Tīmocharēs, -is, m., a courtier of Pyrrhus.
timor, -ōris, m., fear, alarm.
titulus, -ī, m., placard, notice; glory.
Titus, -ī, m., a boy’s or man’s name; the emperor Titus, who reigned 79-81
. .
Tmōlus, -ī, m., a mountain of Lydia.
tollō, tollere, sustulī, sublātus, tr., raise up, lift up, catch up, take up, pick
up, set up, send up, raise, lift; remove, carry off, put out of the way, get
rid of.
Torquātus, -ī, m., a friend of Cornelius.
torreō, torrēre, torruī, tostus, tr., roast, scorch.
tot, indecl. adj., so many.
totidem, indecl. adj., so many, just so many, the same number of.
totiēns, adv., so often.
tōtus, -a, -um, adj., entire, whole, all.
tractō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., handle, treat, discuss.
trādō, -dere, -didī, -ditus, tr., give, confer, assign, impart; bequeath, leave;
deliver, hand over, hand, turn over, surrender; pass, pass along; transmit,
hand down, relate, record, say.
trādūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus, tr., bring across, take across, transport,
carry over; deliver; introduce.
trahō, trahere, trāxī, tractus, tr., drag, draw out, draw, protract, prolong,
spin out, while away (time); acquire; pass., (of time) pass.
Traiānus, -ī, m., the emperor Trajan, who reigned 98-117 . .
tranquillus, -a, -um, adj., calm, quiet, undisturbed.
trāns, prep. with acc., across, over.
Trānsalpīnus, -a, -um, adj., across the Alps, Transalpine.
trānseō, -īre, -iī, -itus, tr. and intr., cross, cross over, go across, pass; (of
time), pass, go by.
trānsfīgō, -fīgere, -fīxī, -fīxus, tr., pierce, run through.
trānsigō, -igere, -ēgī, -āctus, tr., handle; pass (time).
trānsiliō, -silīre, -siluī, tr., leap over, vault over.
trānsvehō, -vehere, -vexī, -vectus, tr., convey across, carry across,
transport, send over; pass., sail across, cross, cross over.
trānsverberō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., transfix, pierce.
Trasumēnus, -ī, m., Trasimenus, a lake of Etruria where Hannibal won a
great victory in 217 . .
Trebia, -ae, m., a river of northern Italy, tributary to the Po.
tremor, -ōris, m., shock, chill; terrae tremor, quake, earthquake.
trepidāns, -antis, part., trembling, frightened.
trepidātiō, -ōnis, f., confusion, alarm.
trepidus, -a, -um, adj., anxious.
trēs, tria, num. adj., three.
tribūnus, -ī, m., tribune.
triclīnium, -ī, n., dining room.
trīgintā, indecl. num., thirty.
trīstis, -e, adj., gloomy, rueful, sad, dejected; bad (omen).
Trītōn, -ōnis, m., a sea divinity.
Trivīcum, -ī, n., a village in southern Italy.
Trōia, -ae, f., Troy.
trucīdō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., butcher, slaughter, kill, murder.
tū, tuī, pers. pron., you, yourself.
tuba, -ae, f., trumpet.
Tullius, -ī, m., a Roman family name; e.g., Marcus Tullius Cicero, the
orator.
tum, adv., then, at the time, at that time.
tumultus, -ūs, m., din, disturbance, confusion.
turba, -ae, f., confusion, trouble; throng.
turbidus, -a, -um, adj., boisterous, upset, roiled.
turbō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., upheave; spoil.
turpis, -e, adj., disgraceful.
turris, -is, f., tower.
tūtō, adv., safely, in safety.
tūtus, -a, -um, adj., safe.
tuus, -a, -um, poss. adj., your.
tyrannus, -ī, m., tyrant.
Tyrus, -ī, f., Tyre, a city of the Phoenicians.

ūber, -eris, n., udder.


ubi, adv., where; as conj., when.
ubique, adv., everywhere, anywhere; in all (contests).
ulcīscor, ulcīscī, ultus sum, tr., avenge, punish.
ūllus, -a, -um, adj., any. See nec.
ulterior, -ius, adj., farther; sup., ultimus, -a, -um, last, final.
ultrā, adv., further; as prep. with acc., beyond, over.
ultrō, adv., actually, voluntarily; ultrō citrōque, back and forth.
ululātus, -ūs, m., shriek.
umbra, -ae, f., shade, shadow, ghost; pl., shades (of the dead).
umerus, -ī, m., shoulder.
umquam, adv., ever. See nec, negō, and nēve.
ūnā, adv., in company, together; ūnā cum, in the company of, together with.
uncus, -ī, m., hook.
unda, -ae, f., wave; pl., water.
unde, adv., whence, from which, from what, out from which; where; from
there.
ūndecimus, -a, -um, num. adj., eleventh.
undique, adv., on all sides, on every hand, on every side, everywhere.
ūnicē, adv., best of all, above all else.
ūniversus, -a, -um, adj., general; in a body.
ūnus, -a, -um, num. adj., a single, one; ad ūnum, to a man.
urbānus, -a, -um, adj., of the city, city.
urbs, urbis, f., city.
urna, -ae, f., urn, pitcher.
ursa, -ae, f., she-bear, and ursus, -ī, m., bear.
Usīpī, -ōrum, m., a people of western Germany.
usquam, adv., anywhere. See nec.
usque, adv., ever; even (to), as far as; with ad, up to, as far as; usque eō, to
such a point.
ūsus, -ūs, m., usefulness, possibilities; ūsuī esse, be useful.
ut, conj., (purpose) that, in order that, so that, to; (result) that; (temporal)
when (see prīmum); (interrog.) how; (rel.) as, as (being), like;
(stipulative) on condition that.
uterque, utraque, utrumque, pronom. adj., each (of two).
utinam, adv., would that! oh that! I wish, etc.
ūtor, ūtī, ūsus sum, intr., use, wear, make use of. take, have; speak (a
language); gerundive, ūtendus, -a, -um, as a loan.
utrum, conj., whether; utrum . . . an, whether . . . or; utrum . . . necne,
whether . . . or not.
uxor, -ōris, f., wife.

vacuus, -a, -um, adj., bare, empty, stripped.


vadum, -ī, n., shoal, shoal water; pl., ford.
vae, interj., woe, alas!
vafer, -fra, -frum, adj., mischievous, sly, tricky; as noun, vafer, -frī, m.,
rascal.
vagor, -ārī, -ātus sum, intr., rove, range, roam, wander, stray, wander
around, range about, run about, walk about, stroll.
vagus, -a, -um, adj., stray, traveling.
vāh, interj., ugh, oh, dear me, ooh!
valeō, -ēre, -uī, -itūrus, intr., be well, keep well, be strong; imper., valē,
valēte, good-by, farewell; valeant, good-by to; tantum grātiā valēre, be
so influential.
validus, -a, -um, adj., strong, powerful, violent.
vānus, -a, -um, adj., silly, foolish.
varius, -a, -um, adj., varied, various, different.
Varrō, -ōnis, m., Gaius Terentius Varro, a commander at the Battle of
Cannae, 216 . .
vās, vāsis (pl., vāsa, -ōrum), n., jar, vessel, dish.
vāstus, -a, -um, adj., extensive, open (sea); terrifying.
vātēs, -is, m., prophet, seer.
vector, -ōris, m., passenger, traveler,
vehementer, adv., vigorously, strongly, energetically, exceedingly, earnestly,
much, greatly, deeply, roundly, bitterly, violently, fiercely.
vehiculum, -ī, n., vehicle, carriage,
vehō, vehere, vexī, vectus, tr., draw, carry, transport, bring; pass., travel,
sail, ride, proceed, journey.
Vēiēns, -entis, adj., Veientian, i.e., pertaining to Veii; pl., Vēientēs, -ium,
m., the people of Veii, the Veientians.
Vēientānus, -a, -um, adj., at Veii.
Vēiī, -ōrum, m., a town of Etruria.
vel, adv. and conj., even; vel . . . vel, either . . . or.
vēlāmen, -inis, n., wrap.
vēlum, -ī, n., sail.
velut, adv. and conj., like; as, for example, as if, as it were.
vēna, -ae, f., blood-vessel; channel.
vēnābulum, -ī, n., hunting spear.
vēnātiō, -ōnis, f., hunting.
vēndō, -dere, -didī, -ditus, tr., sell, sell off.
venēnum, -ī, n., poison.
vēneō, -īre, -iī, intr., be sold.
venia, -ae, f., pardon.
veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventum, intr., come, get (to), appear; subsidiō venīre,
(with dat.) assist. See obviam.
vēnor, -ārī, -ātus sum, tr. and intr., hunt.
ventus, -ī, m., wind.
Venus, -eris, f., Venus; love.
Venusia, -ae, f., a town of southern Italy, the birthplace of the poet Horace.
verberō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., beat.
verbum, -ī, n., word.
Vercellae, -ārum, f., a town of northern Italy, where the Cimbri were
defeated by Marius and Catulus, 101 . .
vērē, adv., truly, really.
vereor, -ērī, -itus sum, tr. and intr., fear, be afraid; respect, reverence, love;
fancy, believe; perf. part. as pres., veritus, -a, -um, fearing.
Vergilius, -ī, m., the poet Vergil.
vērō, adv., however, on the other hand, but; indeed, in fact, truly, in truth;
moreover; yes. See immō and ita.
versō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., turn, ply.
versor, -ārī, -ātus sum, intr., be (in, on); stand.
versus, prep. with acc., toward; ad . . . versus, in the direction of.
versus, -ūs, m., line, verse.
vertō, vertere, vertī, versus, tr., turn, overturn; terga vertere, retreat.
vērus, -a, -um, adj., real, very, actual, true, frank; neut. sing. and pl. as
noun, the truth. See rēs and similis.
vēscor, -ī, intr., eat, feed (on).
Vespasiānus, -ī, m., Vespasian, emperor 69-79 . .
vesper, -erī, m., evening; abl. as adv., vesperī, at evening, in the evening.
Vestālis, -is, f., Vestal virgin.
vester, -tra, -trum, poss. adj., your.
vēstīgium, -ī, n., footstep, trace, spot. See pōnō.
vestīmentum, -ī, n., garment, coverlet.
vestiō, -ire, -īvī, -ītus, tr., clothe, dress.
vestis, -is, f., dress, garment, clothing, clothes.
Vesuvius, -ī, m., the volcano Vesuvius.
veterānus, -a, -um, adj., veteran; as noun, veterānus, -ī, m., veteran soldier,
veteran.
vetō, -āre, -uī, -itus, tr., forbid, say “no”
vetus, -eris, adj., old.
via, -ae, f., route, way, road, street; journey. See dux.
viātor, -ōris, m., traveler.
vīcīnus, -a, -um, adj., adjacent, not far away, nearby; as noun, vīcīnus, -ī,
m., neighbor.
victor, -ōris, m., victor; as adj., victorious.
victōria, -ae, f., victory.
vīcus, -ī, m., hamlet; (city) block.
videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus, tr., see, look, look at, investigate.
videor, -ērī, vīsus sum, intr., seem, appear; impers., vidētur, it seems, it
seems best.
vigilia, -ae, f., loss of sleep; pl., wakefulness; guards.
vigilō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum, intr., watch, keep watch, keep awake, lie awake, be
awake.
vīgintī, indecl. num., twenty.
vīlis, -e, adj., cheap, worthless.
vīlla, -ae, f., villa, farmhouse, country house, country estate, estate, farm.
vinciō, vincīre, vīnxī, vīnctus, tr., bind.
vincō, vincere, vīcī, victus, tr. and intr., defeat, overcome, crush, beat; win.
vinculum -ī, n., chain, cable, rope.
vir, virī, m., man, husband.
virga, -ae, f., rod.
virgō, -inis, f., maid, maiden, girl.
virtūs, -ūtis, f., courage, valor, manliness.
vīs, ——, dat., vī, f., force, power, dash, intensity, violence, violent action,
might, efficacy; amount, quantity, weight; pl., strength.
vīsō, vīsere, vīsī, vīsus, tr., visit, see.
vīta, -ae, f., life.
Vitelliānus, -a, -um, adj., of Vitellius; pl., Vitelliānī, -ōrum, m., the
Vitellians.
Vitellius, -ī, m., emperor in 69 . .
vitulus, -ī, m., calf.
vīvō, vīvere, vīxī, vīctum, intr., live.
vīvus, -a, -um, adj., alive, live, living.
vix, adv., hardly, scarcely, scarce, with difficulty.
vōciferor, -ārī, -ātus sum, intr., shout aloud, scream, yell.
vocō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., call, call for, name.
volitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum, intr., flit (about).
volō, -āre, -āvī, -ātūrus, intr., fly.
volō, velle, voluī, tr., wish, want, will, mean, like, desire, choose, care; be
prepared, be willing, be kind enough, be pleased, please, be anxious;
quid tibi vīs? what do you mean? sīs, sī vīs, please, will you; part. as
adj., volēns, -entis, willing.
voluptās, -ātis, f., pleasure.
Volusēnus, -ī, m., an officer of Caesar.
vorō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., devour, consume, eat, eat up, swallow.
vōtum, -ī, n., prayer.
vōx, vōcis, f., voice, speech, utterance, words, tone; pl., words spoken, cries.
vulnerō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus, tr., wound.
vulnus, -eris, n., wound.
vultus, -ūs, m., countenance, expression, looks.

Zama, -ae, f., a town of northern Africa, where Hannibal was defeated in
202 . .
zōna, -ae, f., girdle, belt.
BRIEF SUBJECT INDEX

(References are to pages)


A , 191
A , 203
A , 74
A , 145, 188, 193
A , 82
A , 217
A , 190
A M , 130
A ; , 173
A , 147
A F , 71
A , 62
A , 24
A :
defeated by Romans, 28, 114
his troops, 115
receives Hannibal, 28
A , 122
A F , 123
A , 70
A , 27
A , 116
A , 153
A , 58, 79
A , 33
A , 34, 158, 229

B , 211
B , 121; cf. 206
B , 82, 84
B , 101
B , 31
B L , 102
B :
circumnavigated, 183
history of invasions, 216; cf. 77
short nights, 60
B ; , 43
B ; , 132

C (J ):
among pirates, 18
at Alexandria, 173
at Corfinium, 182
at the Rubicon, 180
baldness, 84
clemency, 182
commentaries, 180
in Britain, 61, 216
Isthmus of Corinth, 29
omen of fall in Africa, 158
C :
auction, 79
avarice, 78
baldness, 84
designs on Britain, 77
infancy, 77
Isthmus of Corinth, 29
men used as fodder, 120
name, 77
races and Incitatus, 78; cf. 80
C M , 132, 147
C A W , 129
C , 100
C :
gladiatorial school at, 118
shelters Romans after defeat, 106
C , 140
C ; , 176
C F , 105
C - , 195
C , 187
C , , 33
C , 124
C :
Catiline’s Conspiracy, 147
consulship, 147
on gladiatorial shows, 118
verse, 148
C ; M M , 150
C :
in Britain, 217
sham naval battle, 121
C ; , 226
C , 182
C :
burned, 197
rebuilt, 207
C , 118
C (M ), 171

D , 96
D , 222
D , ’ , 48
D :
and Absolom, 191
and Goliath, 38
well at Bethlehem, 39
D S , 137
D M , 169
D , 130, 225
D , 189
D , 99
D :
and Damocles, 96
quarries as prison, 99
writings, 97
D , 87
D :
baldness, 82
cruelty, 81
treatise on care of hair, 84
D , 228

E , 76, 111
E :
at Metaurus, 176
at Thapsus, 102
called Boves Lucae, 102
cross Rhone, 103
duels with men, 102
fear mice, 104
fight with serpents, 104
walk tight-rope, 120
E , 82
E , 185

F :
family sacrifice, 150
war with Veii, 148
F M (Q ), 113
F :
city mouse and country mouse, 94
farmer and birds, 66
F :
among actors, 73
in circus, 78, 80
F , 66
F , 71
F , 140

G :
death, 136
games, 120
judgment, 219
G , 134
G , 91
G , 73
G , 118, 121
G , 156

H ’ , 217
H :
after Metaurus, 177
against Eumenes, 22
against Fabius Maximus, 113
against Rhodians, 22
at Cannae, 100
character, 103, 177
death, 114
elephants across Rhone, 103
in Crete, 27
jest on troops of Antiochus, 115
prisoners fight, 103, 119
Ticinus and Trebia, 207
with Antiochus, 28, 114
H ; M , 175
H :
in Babylon, 36
in Egypt, 57
H :
birthplace and childhood, 84
farm, 136
H - , 78, 80

I , 120
I , 78
I , 86
I F , 151
I C , 29

J , 199
J , 137
J , 53
J , 137, 139
J , 200, 204

L C , 173
L , 99
L , 43, 78
L A , 159

M M , 149
M , 100
M , 132
M , 175
M :
fable, 94
feared by elephants, 104
M , 121
M , 115
M , 153
M , 225
M , 24
M , 26
M :
birth, 178
leader out of Egypt, 57
M B , 147

N , 120
N F , 189
N :
artist, 75
family, 189
fire at Rome, 144
gifts to populace, 73
Icarus, 120
Isthmus of Corinth, 29
kills mother, 145
missiles from proscenium, 73
omens attending death, 132, 159
persecutes Christians, 126
racing, 80
sham naval battle, 120
treasure in Africa, 189
wanton mischief, 81
N , 173

O , 33, 86, 132, 158, 159, 181


see A
O , 185
O , 149
O :
battle near Cremona, 196
death, 133
pranks, 81
tomb, 133

P ; , 139
P , 122
P , A , 123
P , 88
P ; , 140
P , 99
P A , 18
P ( E ), 108
P ( Y ):
founds school, 226
hunting, 225
on Christians, 124
on ghosts, 91
Vesuvius, 111
P , 187
P , 114
P , 155
P , 18, 43
P : see O and A
P , 73
P , 68, 185, 187
P , 114
P , 211
P :
at Beneventum, 102
introduces elephants into Italy, 102
plan to poison, 114

Q S , 99

R , 78, 80
R , 200
R B D , 190
R S , 58
R , 190
R :
commander in Africa, 105
kills monster serpent, 105
messenger from Carthage, 126
R ; H , 103
R :
buildings, 143
burned by Gauls, 143
burned in Nero’s time, 144
R , 180

S F , 150
S , 37
S , 155
S , 169
S , 60
S , 103, 104
S , 120
S , 188, 192
S :
dream, 228
epitaph of Spartans, 173
S , 220
S ; , 173
, 105
S :
quarries, 99
taken by Romans, 70

T , 102
T , 71
T , 26
T , 211
T ; , 155
T , 207
T ; J , 137
T , 132
T , 81
T ; C , 125
T , 177
T , 207

V , 148
V , 84
V :
at Carmel, 140
Cremona rebuilt, 207
in the East, 137
Nero’s tours, 76
V , 108
V :
appetite, 134
death, 133
omen of fire, 158
on Otho’s tomb, 133
welcomed at Cremona, 197

Z , 28, 114
Transcriber’s Notes

In the original text the footnotes were identified by line number within
the chapter. Each footnote was given a link at the appropriate location in the
text, and the line numbers were removed. The footnotes in each chapter been
collected, and moved to the end of each chapter. The numbering of footnotes
was restarted in each new chapter.

[The end of Ad Alpēs. A Tale of Roman Life by Herbert Chester Nutting]

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