Vocabulary

Quintus togam virilem sumit

Quintus iam non puer erat sed iuvenis, togam virilem sumere paratus. amicorum plurimi a ludo Orbilii discesserant(departed) et rhētoricae(rhetoric) studebant. ipse nōlēbat(refused to) diūtius in ludo studere; cupiēbat(I desired) latiorem campum(field) inīre(begin). hiems praeterierat(winter passed), vēr(spring) iam aderat. Quintus in schola sedebat dum(while) Orbilius de poeta quōdam(certain) vetere disserēbat(was lecturing); Quintus nulli poetae studuerat frīgiodiōrī(more boring) quam illī. Orbilium non audiebat, sed carmen ipse scribebat; hos versūs(verses) iam fēcerat(made) qui ei maxime placebant:

diffūgērunt(fled away) nivēs(the snows), redeunt iam grāmina(grass) campīs(plain) arboribusque comae(leaves)...

Orbilius eum vidit scribentem. 'Quinte,' inquit, 'quid facis?' Quintus respondit: 'ego, magister? nihil(nothing) faciō. te audio.' Orbilius 'non tibi credo, Quinte,' inquit. 'veni huc et dā(give) mihi illam tabulam(that tablet).'

Quintus invitus magistro pāruit(obeyed). surrexit tabulamque ei tradidit. Orbilius iratus erat, sed ubi tabulam eius inspexit, etiam(even) magis(more) iratus erat. nam in angulō(corner) tabulae Quintus imāginem(picture) scripserat magistrī(of magister).

ille Quintum ferōciter(fiercely) inspexit et maxima voce 'quid?' inquit, 'quid? dum ego poetam optimum expono(explain), tu imagines magistri scribis et versus pessimos? vide! hi versus nē rēctī quidem(not even right) sunt. veni huc.' haec dixit et ferulam(cane) sumpsit(take on); sex plāgās(six strokes) Quinto dedit, tres quod magistrum non audiverat, tres quod malos versus scripserat Quintus ad sedem rediit, et dolēns(smarting, in pain) et iratus.

Quintus, ubi domum rediit, patri omnia narravit. Flaccus, ubi omnia cognovit, 'Quinte,' inquit, 'paene quinque annos in ludo Orbilii mānsistī(waited for nearly five years); diligentissime studuisti. iam iuvenis es. tempus est togam virilem sūmere et studia puerilia dēpōnēre(to put down). iam debes ad rhētorem(the rhetoric teacher) īre.' postridie Quintus, qui vīgintī annōs nātus(twenty years old) erat, togam virīlem sūmpsit.

paucis post diebus Flaccus filium ad Hēliodōrum dūxit. ille optimus erat rhētorum, qui iuvenes orationes facere īnstituēbat(easily trained) ac multa docēbat dē iūre(justice) et lēgibus(laws). discipulōrum(pupils) eius plurimi in republica insignes fiebant. Heliodorus pauca eum rogavit; Quintus ad omnia facillimē respondit. ille Flacco dixit: 'iuvenis est magno ingeniō. paucos libentius(more gladly) in numerum discipulōrum meorum accepi.'

• Word-building: adjective pairs

labōriōsus, -a, -um 

labor

perīculōsus, -a, -um 

dangerous

glōriōsus, -a, -um 

glorious

fābulōsus, -a, -um 

fabulous

ōtiōsus, -a, -um 

at leisure

fōrmōsus, -a, -um 

beautiful

Quintus rhētoricae studet

cotidie Quintus ad scholam Heliodori ibat et cum iuvenibus nobilibus rhetoricae studebat. oratione componere discebat; contrōversiīs(debates) intererat; plurima de iūre, plurima de legibus cognoscebat. studia longa et difficillima erant nec Quintum multum dēlectābant(pleased); mālēbat enim litterīs studere in primis(above all) poetis Graecis. nihilōminus(nevertheless) summa diligentia studebat quod patri placere cupiebat.

Idibus Martiis(on 15th of March) Quintus, ubi Heliodorus discipulos dimisit, domum lente redibat, illa nocte maxima tempestas fuerat, sed iam dies amoenus(pleasant) erat; sōl lucebat, aura lēnis(gentle) per vias flābat(was blowing). itaque Quintus cōnstituit ad Campum Martium ire; volebat enim in flūmine Tiberī natāre(to swim). forum transiit et mox ad Viam Triumphalem advenit. sed ubi ad theatrum Pompei venit, maximam turbam hominum vidit pro theatro stantem.

Grammar

Irregular superlatives

celer, celerior, celerrimus

miser, miserior, miserrimus

pulcher, pulchrior, pulcherrimus

facilis, facilior, facillimus

difficilis, difficilior, difficillimus

Comparison of adverbs

fortiter, fortius, fortissimē bravely, more bravely, very bravely

quam with the superlative

• quam celerrimae as quickly as possible
• quam maximus as large as possible
• quam prīmum as soon as possible

Exercises

25.2 Translation

1. petauristae Venusiam advēnerant; Scintilla Horatiam iussit se quam celerrime parare. acrobats arrived in Venusia; Scintilla ordered Horatia to get herself ready as quickly as possible
2. ubi ad forum pervenerunt, plurimi homines iam concurrebant. Scintilla locum vacuum difficillime quarebat. When rached forum, many people now ran together. Scintilla searched for a vacant spot with difficulty.
3. 'festina, Horatia,' inquit, 'ad templi gradus; optimum locum video unde omnia melius videre possumus.' 'Hurry, Horatia,' she said, 'steps to temple; I see a very good seat from where we can see everything better.'
4. templi gradus ascenderunt unde petauristas clarissime videre poterant. They went up the temple steps from where they can see acrobats very clearly.
5. petauristae optimi erant; alii per circulos ardentes saliebant, alii per funes altōs ambulabant. acrobats were the best; some others jumped through burning hoops, while others walked through high ropes.
6. Scintilla 'nihil spectare malo' inquit 'quam petauristas.' Scintilla said 'nothing I prefer to watch than acrobats.'
7. Horatia 'nemo' inquit 'fortior est quam ille petaurista, qui per funem altissimum ambulavit.' Horatia said, 'no one is braver than those acrobats, who walked through high ropes.'
8. diutissime petauristas spectabant. Scintilla 'numquam' inquit 'melius spectaculum vidi quam hoc.' For a very long time, they watched acrobats. Scintilla said, 'never I have seen better shows than this.'
9. Horatia 'cur non saepius' inquig 'Venusiam venrunt petausristae?' Horatia said, 'why not more often acrobats come to Venusia?'
10. tandem vesper aderat; discesserunt homines. Horatia miserrima erat quod ludi confecti sunt. at last evening came; men left. Horatia was sad because games were finished.

25.3 Translation

1. Quintus no longer enjoyed his studies. Quintus non longior studia eius laudebat.
2. He was very miserable and very often wished to leave school. miserrima erat et valde saepea ludo discessere cupivit.
3. At last his father said, 'Quintus, why aren't you enjoying your studies more?' tandem eius pater inquit, 'Quintus cur non tuum studiis plus gaudisti?'
4. Quintus replied: 'All my friends have left school. I want to leave as soon as possible.' Quintus respondit 'omnes amici ludo discesserunt. cupio discessere quam primum.'
5. Flaccus said, 'My son, you are no longer a boy, but a young man now. You must leave school and put on the toga of manhood.'Flaccus inquit, 'meus filio, tu non diutius puer es, sed iam iuvenis esti. Debes ludō discessere et togam virilem sumere.'