Vocabulary

• English vocabularies of Latin roots
  • retentive able to remember easily
  • related belonging to the same family, group
  • ingenious clever, original, inventive
  • celerity swiftness of movement
  • petition formal written request, typically signed by many people, appealing to authority with respect to a particular case

Marcus Quīntum ad balnea dūcit

Quintus iam diu in ludo Orbilii studduerat. puer erat summā industriā(of the greatest industry, extremely hardworking) studiisque gaudēbat(rejoiced). quondam(once) ubi Orbilius poueros dimisit, Marcus Quintto 'ego' inquit 'ad balnea eō. nōnne(don't you wanna) vis mecum venire? forō(forum) non longe absunt(absent).' Quintus ōtiōsus(at leisure) erat Marcōque pārēre(follow) volēbat. continuō ad balnea prōcedebant; Flaccus cum Marci paedagōgō(tutor) post eōs(after them) ambulabat.

mox advenerunt. intraverunt et circumspectābant(looked around). plūrimī(very many) homines in ātriō erant; clamores undique(from all sides) circumsonābant(echoed around). aliī in piscīnam(the pool) sonō ingenti īnsiliebant(were jumping into), aliī pilīs(with balls) lūdēbant. botulāriī(sausage-sellers) crustulāriīque(cake-sellers) mercēs suās(their wares) magnā vōcē laudābant. Quintus omnia summā admīrātiōne(greatest admiration) spectābat cum Marcus amicum quendam vīdit(saw); Quintum relīquit(leave behind) et ad eum accessit. Quintus solus ad apodȳtērium(the changing room) discessit. vestīmenta(clothes) exuit(took off) et in armāriō(cupboard) posuit(placed). primum in tepidārium iniit et paulīsper(for a little) in aqua tepidā(warm) iacebat(lie down); deinde in calidārium(the hot room) iit; dēnique(finally) in piscīnam īnsiluit(jumped in) et aliquamdiū(for some time) sē exercēbat(exercised).

tandem ad apodȳtērium rediit vestimentaque quaesīvit(looked for). sed ubi armārium aperuit, nihil inerat; aliqouis(someone) vestimenta rapuerat(stole). Quintus in atrium recurrit et circumspectabat. subitō(suddenly) hominem cōnspexit(caught sight of) ad ianuam festīnantem(hurrying) qui vestimenta manibus(on hands) ferēbat(carried). Quintus statim magna voce clamavit: 'dēprehende(seize!) illum fūrem(thief) vestimenta mea aufert(carried away).' Flaccus, qui in atrio manebat, eum audivit, furem vidit, sine morā petīvit(without delay pursued). ille iam ad portam fugiebat sed Flaccus summā celeritāte(greatest speed) cucurrit ipsōque(himself) in līmine(threshold) eum dēprehendit. vestimenta rapuit(seized) rettulitque(carry back) ad filium. Quintus patri gratias egit vestimentaque celeriter induit(put on).

• Word-building: compounds of ferō, ferre, tulī I carry, bear
  • afferō (adferō), afferre, attulī I carry to, I report (ad-:towards)
  • auferō (abferō), auferre, abstulī I carry away
  • cōnferō, cōnferre, contulī I carry together
  • efferō, efferre, extulī I carry out
  • īnferō, īnferre, intulī I carry into, carry against
  • prōferō, prōferre, prōtulī I carry forwards, bring out
  • referō, referre, rettulī I carry back, I report

Marcus ēbrius est

Quintus, ubi vestimenta induit, in atrium cucurrit Marcumque quaesivit. diu quaerebat; tandem eum invenit in terrā iacentem(lying) post columnam(behind a column). Quintus eum tollere temptavit; ille aegrē(with difficulty) surrēxit; vacillāvit(tottered: to move in an unsteady way) iterumque ad terram dēcidit(fall down). Quintus eum summa anxietate spectabat; sed Marcus non aeger erat; nimium vini cum amicis biberat et plānē(completely) ēbrius erat. iam accurrerat eius paedagōgus(tutor), qui eum sustulit(raised him) et domum dūxit. Flaccus, his rēbus(rushed) commōtus(moved), Quintum domum rapuit(snatched).

postridie Marcus ad ludum non venit. nam pater, qui valde iratus erat, eum domi retinēbat(to retain; hold back); Cicero ipse, vir summā doctrīnā(of the greatest learning), filiī studia cūrābat(look after). postero anno Cicero eum Athēnās mīsit ad Lycēum(the Lyceum: one of the two universities in Athens), ubi philosophiae studebat. sed Marcus in studiīs non multum prōfēcit(made progress); nam ludere mālēbat(preferred) quam studere. Quintus tristis erat quod amicum tam bonum perdiderat(lost); neque eum posteā Rōmae vīdit(no longer he saw him in Rome afterwards.), sed paucīs post annīs eī Athēnīs occurrit; ipse enim(for) eō tempore in Acadēmīā(the Academy: the other university in Athens) studebat.

Roman day

• salutatio: morning greeting
• sportula: a small present of money
• Campus Martius: plain of Mars
• balnea: public baths
  • apodyterium: changing room
  • tepidarium: warm room, to immerse in warm water in preparation
  • calidarium: hot room, hypocaust heated
  • oiled then scraped off with a strigil
  • frigidarium: cold room, to get leapt into cold water
  • post scriptum

Grammar

ferō

ferō, ferre, tulī = I carry, bear

imperatives: fer, ferte infinitive: ferre has no perfect, but uses another stem (tul-)

Ablative case

• with/by: express the means or instrument with or by which something is done

me gladio vulneravit he wounded me with a sword

pilis ludebant they were playing with balls

ad urbem pedibus ibant they were going on foot to the city

equo vectus carried by a horse

gladio armatus armed with a sword

• with: express the manner in which something is done

summa celeritate rediit he returned with the greatest speed

magna voce clamavit he shouted in (with) a loud voice

• with/of: used in describing qualities

est puer magno ingenio he is a boy of great talent

puella summa virtute a girl of the greatest courage

vir parva prudentia a man of little prudence

• some adjectives take the ablative for genitive English words

iuvenis dignus est laude the young man is worthy of praise

urna aqua plena erat the pot was full of water

Exercises

• 23.3 Case correction

1. prima luce Quintus cum patrem domum discessit. at first light, Quintus left home with his father
2. ludus Orbilii forō non longe aberat. brevo tempō ad ludum advenerant. Orbilius' school was not long away from the city center. they arrived in school in short time.
3. amici, ubi Quintum cōnspēxērunt, magnō vocē eum vocaverunt. pupils, when they caught sight of Quintus, called him with loud voice.
4. magister, clamorum puerorum commotus, e ludō exiit puerosque vultum severus spectavit. master, moved by boys shouting, exited school and looked at boys with severe face.
5. 'nolite, pueri,' inquit 'totam urbem tanti clamores excitare, celeriter intrare.' he inquired, 'don't wake up the whole city with so great voices, quickly enter.'

• 23.4 Translation

1. undie Quintus ad ludum festinabat.
2. foro transebat cum aliquis in magno voce clamabat.
3. se vertit Marcusque spectavit, quis ad eum summa celeritate cucurrebat per turbam.
4. 'Quintus', inquit, 'es puerum industria, sed non ad ludum ire potest, veni mecum ad circum.'
5. Marcus eum ab foro ad Circum Maximus duxit, quid plenum viris et feminis.

• 23.5 Perfect tense

1. ianuam aperivit
2. urnam frangisisti
3. aquam tuli
4. Romam contendimus
5. domi manserunt
6. canem quaesivi
7. pecuniam tradis hand over money
8. togam emiit
9. omnia cognoverunt they think of all
10. in casa quievimus rest in house