Vocabulary

• English vocabularies of Latin roots
  • ferocious savagely fierce, cruel, violent
  • dire extremely serious or urgent
  • spectacular beautiful in a dramatic way
  • ordinal of position in a series
  • client a plebeian under the protection of a patrician
  • inimical tending to obstruct or harm
  • innumerable too many to be counted

Caesaris triumphī

tempus celeriter fugit. Quintus iam quinque annos(for five years) Romae manserat. plures amicos habebat quam numerare poterat(as much he can count); in dies(day by day) laetior febat(happier became). mēnse Quīntīlī(in the month of July) C. Iūlius Caesar ab Africa Romam tandem rediit. quattuor iam annos bellum civile per tōtum orbem terrarum gesserat(for four years, civil war carried all around the world). omnes inimicos vicerat(conquer), totum imperium(empire) Romanum regebat(ruled). constituit igitur(so) triumphos agere(to hold triumphs) ob victorias quas reportaverat(because of victories he had won) in Gallia, in Aegypto, in Ponto, in Africa. ferias(holiday) pronuntiavit(declared) quindecim dierum(15 days). spectacula omnis generis edidit(he gave all kinds of shows), munera gladiatoria(gladiatorial shows), venatrones(wild beast hunts), ludos scaenicos(dramatic shows) et tragicos et comicos. nemo umquam ludos splendidiores ediderat quam illos(then them).

primo die feriarum Quintus mane surrexit(rose up early). patrem valere iussit festinavitque ad scholam Orbili, ubi amico cuidam, Publio nomine, occurrit. sine mora(without delay) ad forum contenderunt. ubi advenerunt, iam aderat ingens multitudo(huge crowd), viri, feminae, pueri, et cives et servi; Quintus numquam maiorem turbam viderat quam illam. interdum senator per mediam turbam cum comitatu(crowd with retinue) clientium perrupit(burst through). interdum mulier nobilis(female nobles) ad Capitolium procedebat lectica imposita(lying on a litter), quam ferebant(which carried) octo servi. crustularii botulariique(cake-sellers and sausage-sellers) per turbam ambulabant qui merces suas(their wares) maxima voce venditabant(advertised). Quintus ad botularium praetereuntem(passing) accessit(approached) plurimosque botulos emit(bought); in gradibus templi cum amico sedit botulosque avide(greedly) devoravit(devour, swallow).

mox pompa triumphalis(the triumphal procession) accedebat. Quintus Publiusque clamores plaususque(applaused of) spectatorum audire poterant. in primum prdinem(first order) se truserunt(pushed themselves) pompamque accedentem(approached procession) spectabant. pompam duxerunt legionarii(legionary soldiers), armis fulgentibus induti(dressed in shining armors). deinde plaustra(wagons) innumerabilia praeterierunt, quae spolia(spoils) belli vehebant(carried); plaustra titulos(notices) ferebant qui nomina urbium captarum exhibebant(displayed). plaustrum quod spolia Pontici belli vehebat hunc titulum solum exhibebat: VENI, VIDI, VICI.

post plaustra captivi contendebant, catenis(weighed down by chains), inter quos(between which) erat Vercingetorix, Gallorum fortissimus; nemo Caesari hostis(no Caesar's enemies) ferocior(fierce) fuerat quam ille; etiam nunc(even now) superbe se gerebat(bore himself, behaved), quamquam(although) mortem crudelissimam mox obiturus erat(was about to meet a cruel death).

denique(finally) Caesar ipse in conspectum veniebat(came in sight). paludamentum purpureum(a purple cloak) gerebat et in capite(head) coronam lauream(a laurel crown). curru quadriiugo(four-horsed chariot) vectus(riding in) manum dextram(right hand) identidem(again and again) tollebat, turbam spectatorum salutans. curus Quintum praeteribat cum subito axis fractus est(when suddenly an axle broke); Caesar ipse paene(nearly) ad terram cecidit sed sine mora surrexit montemque Capitolinum pedibus ascendit inter duos ordines(ranked) elephantorum.

• Word-building: adjective pairs
  • amīcus, inimīcus friend, enemy
  • cautus, incautus cautious
  • certus, incertus certain
  • dignus, indignus worthy of
  • felix, infelix lucky
  • memor, immemor memorable
  • notus, ignotus known

Quintus fortūnam suam cognōscit

Quintus Publiusque se verterunt et summa difficultate(greatest difficulty) per turbam se truserunt. ad curiam advenerant cum anus divina(an old fortune-teller) eis obstetit(stood in their way) illa 'nonne vultis, iuvenes,' inquit, 'fortunam vestram cognoscere? age(come on), belle iuvenis(pretty, handsome young man), manum tuam mihi da.' sic dixit et manum Publii prehendit(seized) . Publius invitus concessit(unwillingly gave in). illa manum eius diu inspexit. deinde 'iuvenis es summa virtute qui miles(soldier) fortissimus fies(you'll become). sed cave(beware), iuvenis, cave Germaniam. noli in Germania militare(carry out a campaign). mortem provideo(forsee), mortem crudelissimam in silvis(forest) Germaniae.' Publius manum suam avulsit(snatched away). risit et 'nolo plura cognoscere,' inquit: 'age, Quinte, tu fortunam tuam cognosce.'

Quintus invitus divinam sivit manum suam inspicere. illa, ubi manum Quinti inspexit, ei arrisit(smiled at him). 'fortunam optimam tibi provideo,' inquit. 'es iuvenis summo ingenio. poeta clarissimus(brightest) fies principumque comes(prince's companion). age, carissime, fortunam meliorem nemini(to no one) providi quam tibi; itaque praemium(reward) fortuna tua dignum(worthy of) mihi trade(hand over).' Quintus crumenam(his purse) e sinu(pocket) sumpsit argentumque(took out silver, money) ei tradidit. continuo Publium valere iussit domumque cucurrit. diu cogitabat de eis quae(thought, reflected about what ..") divina ei dixerat sed nemini rem rettulit(did not re-raise to anyone), ne patriquidem(not even father). tandem divina illa ex memoria eius(out of his memory) cecidit, sed paucis post annis verba eius in animum revocaturus erat(was going to recall)

Grammar

Degree of comparison

Irregular adjectives:

• bonus, melior, optimus good
• malus, peior, pessimus bad
• magnus, maior, maximus big, bigger, biggest
• multus, plūs, plūrimus many, more, most/very many
• parvus, minor, minimus small, smaller, smallest

quam than

• Marcus fortior est quam Quintus. Marcus is stronger than Quintus.
• numquam iuvenem fortiōrem vīdī quam Marcum. I have never seen a young man stronger than Marcus.

Exercises

24.3 Translation

1. I am making a very long journey. I am looking for a bitter ship than this. facio longissimus iter major navis quam haec quaere.
2. This ship is very good; you cannot find a better ship in all the harbor. navis huic optimus est; potest non melior naves in omnes portum quaere.
3. The traveller boarded the ship unwillingly. When they reached the open sea, he was very afraid. viator ingentus navem conscedit. ubi apertum mare pervenem, valde timuit.
4. The ship was very small; the waves were very big. Navis minimus fuit; undis maximus fuerunt.
5. When they reached land, 'I have never made' he said 'a worse journey than this.' ubi terram contingebant, 'Numquam feci', dixit, 'iterum peiorem quam humc.'