Latin for Beginners, Benjamin Leonard D'Ooge [easy novels to read .TXT] 📗

et exanimātum hostēs scūtīs prōtegunt et in Pullōnem omnēs tēla coniciunt. Eius scūtum trānsfīgitur et tēlum in balteō dēfīgitur. Hic cāsus vāgīnam āvertit et dextram manum eius gladium ēdūcere cōnantis[9] morātur. Eum ita impedītum hostēs circumsistunt.

Tum vēro [10]eī labōrantī Vorēnus, cum sit inimīcus, tamen auxilium dat. Ad hunc cōnfestim [11]ā Pullōne omnis multitūdō sē convertit. Gladiō comminus pugnat Vorēnus, atque, ūnō interfectō, reliquōs paulum prōpellit. Sed īnstāns cupidius[12] īnfēlīx, [13]pede sē fallente, concidit.

Huic rūrsus circumventō auxilium dat Pullō, atque ambō incolumēs, plūribus interfectīs, summā cum laude intrā mūnītiōnēs sē recipiunt. Sic inimīcōrum alter alterī auxilium dedit nec de eōrum virtūte quisquam iūdicāre potuit.

[Footnote 1: A centurion commanded a company of about sixty men. He was a common soldier who had been promoted from the ranks for his courage and fighting qualities. The centurions were the real leaders of the men in battle. There were sixty of them in a legion. The centurion in the picture (p. 216) has in his hand a staff with a crook at one end, the symbol of his authority.]

[Footnote 2: «virtūte», §501.30.]

[Footnote 3: Abl. of manner.]

[Footnote 4: «cum … vidērentur», §501.46.]

[Footnote 5: «tardiōrēs», too slow, a not infrequent translation of the comparative degree.]

[Footnote 6: «Haec», obj. of «dīxisset». It is placed before «cum» to make a close connection with the preceding sentence. What is the construction of «dīxisset»?]

[Footnote 7: «vidēbatur, inrūpit». Why is the imperfect used in one case and the perfect in the other? Cf. §190.]

[Footnote 8: «vāllō», abl. of means, but in English we should say within the rampart. Cf. «ingentī stabulō», p. 201, l. 13, and note.]

[Footnote 9: «cōnantis», pres. part. agreeing with «eius».]

[Footnote 10: «eī labōrantī», indir. obj. of dat.]

[Footnote 11: «ā Pullōne», from Pullo, abl. of separation.]

[Footnote 12: «cupidius», too eagerly.]

[Footnote 13: «pede sē fallente», lit. the foot deceiving itself; in our idiom, his foot slipping.]

LXXI. THE ENEMY BESIEGING THE CAMP ARE REPULSED

Cum iam sex hōrās pugnatum esset[1] ac nōn sōlum vīrēs sed etiam tēla Rōmānōs dēficerent[1], atque hostēs ācrius instārent,[1] et vāllum scindere fossamque complēre incēpissent,[1] Caesar, vir reī mīlitāris perītissimus, suīs imperāvit ut proelium paulisper intermitterent,[2] et, signō datō, ex castrīs ērumperent.[2] [3]Quod iussī sunt faciunt, et subitō ex omnibus portīs ērumpunt. Atque tam celeriter mīlitēs concurrērunt et tam propinquī erant hostēs[4] ut spatium pīla coniciendī[5] nōn darētur. Itaque reiectīs pīlīs [6]comminus gladiīs pugnātum est. Diū et audācter hostēs restitērunt et in extrēmā spē salūtis tantam virtūtem praestitērunt ut ā dextrō cornū vehementer [7]multitūdine suōrum aciem Rōmanam premerent. [8]Id imperātor cum animadvertisset, Pūblium adulēscentem cum equitātū mīsit quī labōrantibus[9] auxilium daret. Eius impetum sustinēre nōn potuērunt hostēs[10] et omnēs terga vertērunt. Eōs in fugam datōs Pūblius subsecūtus est ūsque ad flūmen Rhēnum, quod ab eō locō quīnque mīlia passuum aberat. Ibi paucī salūtem sibi repperērunt. Omnibus reliquīs interfectīs, Pūblius et equitēs in castra sēsē recēpērunt. Dē hāc calamitāte fīnitimae gentēs cum certiōrēs factae essent, ad Caesarem lēgātōs mīsērunt et sē suaque omnia dēdidērunt.

    [Footnote 1: «pugnātum esset, dēficerent, īnstārent, incēpissent».
    These are all subjunctives with «cum». Cf. §501.46.]

    [Footnote 2: «intermitterent, ērumperent». What use of the
    subjunctive?]

    [Footnote 3: «Quod», etc., they do as ordered. The antecedent of
    «quod» is «id» understood, which would be the object of «faciunt».]

    [Footnote 4: «ut … darētur». Is this a clause of purpose or of
    result?]

[Footnote 5: «coniciendī», §402.]

    [Footnote 6: «comminus gladiīs pugnātum est», a hand-to-hand
    conflict was waged with swords.]

    [Footnote 7: «multitūdine suōrum», by their numbers. «suōrum» is
    used as a noun. What is the literal translation of this expression?]

    [Footnote 8: «Id imperātor. Id» is the obj. and «imperātor» the
    subj. of «animadvertisset».]

[Footnote 9: «labōrantibus». This participle agrees with «iīs» understood, the indir. obj. of «daret; qui … daret» is a purpose clause, §501.40.]

[Footnote 10: «hostēs», subj. of «potuērunt».]

LXXII. PUBLIUS GOES TO GERMANY · ITS GREAT FORESTS AND STRANGE ANIMALS

Initā aestāte Caesar litterīs certior fīēbat et per explōrātōrēs cognōscēbat plūrīs cīvitātēs Galliae novīs rēbus studēre,[1] et contrā populum Rōmānum coniūrāre[1] obsidēsque [2]inter sē dare,[1] atque cum hīs Germānōs quōsdam quoque sēsē coniūnctūrōs esse.[1] Hīs litterīs nūntiīsque commōtus Caesar cōnstituit quam celerrimē in Gallōs proficīscī,[3] ut eōs inopīnantīs opprimeret, et Labiēnum lēgātum cum duābus legiōnibus peditum et duōbus mīlibus equitum in Germānōs mittere.[3] [4]Itaque rē frūmentāriā comparātā castra mōvit. Ab utrōque[5] rēs bene gesta est; nam Caesar tam celeriter in hostium fīnīs pervēnit ut spatium [6]cōpiās cōgendī nōn darētur[4]; et Labiēnus dē Germānīs tam grave supplicium sūmpsit ut nēmō ex eā gente in reliquum tempus Gallīs auxilium dare audēret.[7]

Hoc iter in Germāniam Pūblius quoque fēcit et, [8]cum ibi morārētur, multa mīrābilia vīdit. Praesertim vērō ingentem silvam mīrābātur, quae tantae magnitūdinis esse dīcēbātur [9]ut nēmō eam trānsīre posset, nec quisquam scīret aut initium aut fīnem. Quā dē rē plūra cognōverat ā mīlite quōdam quī ōlim captus ā Germānīs multōs annōs ibi incoluit. Ille[10] dē silvā dīcēns, “Īnfīnītae magnitūdinis est haec silva,” inquit; “nee quisquam est [11]huius Germāniae [12]quī initium eius sciat aut ad fīnem adierit. Nāscuntur illīc multa tālia animālium genera quālia reliquīs in locīs nōn inveniuntur. Sunt bovēs quī ūnum[13] cornū habent; sunt etiam animālia quae appellantur alcēs. Hae nūllōs crūrum[14] articulōs habent. Itaque, sī forte concidērunt, sēsē ērigere nūllō modō possunt. Arborēs habent prō[15] cubīlibus; ad eās sē applicant atque ita reclīnātae quiētem capiunt. Tertium est genus eōrum quī ūrī appellantur. Hī sunt paulō minōrēs elephantīs.[16] Magna vis eōrum est et magna vēlōcitās. Neque hominī neque ferae parcunt.[17]”

[Footnote 1: Observe that all these infinitives are in indirect statements after «certior fīēbat», he was informed, and «cognōscēbat», he learned. Cf. §501.48, 49.]

[Footnote 2: «inter sē», to each other.]

[Footnote 3: «proficīscī, mittere». These infinitives depend upon «cōnstituit».]

[Footnote 4: Before beginning a campaign, food had to be provided. Every fifteen days grain was distributed. Each soldier received about two pecks. This he carried in his pack, and this constituted his food, varied occasionally by what he could find by foraging.]

[Footnote 5: Abl. of personal agent, §501.33.]

[Footnote 6: «cōpiās cōgendī», §501.37.1.]

[Footnote 7: «darētur, audēret», §501.43. «audēret» is not from «audiō».]

[Footnote 8: «cum … morārētur», §501.46.]

[Footnote 9: «ut … posset, … scīret», §501.43.]

[Footnote 10: «Ille», subj. of «inquit».]

[Footnote 11: «huius Germāniae», of this part of Germany.]

[Footnote 12: «quī … scīat … adierit», §501.45.]

[Footnote 13: «ūnum», only one.]

[Footnote 14: «crūrum», from «crūs».]

[Footnote 15: «prō», for, in place of.]

[Footnote 16: «elephantīs», §501.34.]

[Footnote 17: «parcunt». What case is used with this verb?]

[Illustration: VINEA]

LXXIII. THE STORMING OF A CITY

Pūblius plūrīs diēs in Germāniā morātus[1] in Galliam rediit, et ad Caesaris castra sē contulit. Ille quia molestē ferēbat Gallōs[2] eius regiōnis obsidēs dare recūsāvisse et exercituī frūmentum praebēre nōluisse, cōnstituit eīs[3] bellum īnferre. Agrīs vāstātīs, vīcīs incēnsīs, pervēnit ad oppidum validissimum quod et nātūrā et arte mūnītum erat. Cingēbātur mūrō vīgintī quīnque pedēs[4] altō. Ā lateribus duōsitum, praeruptō fastīgiō ad plānitiem vergēgat; ā quārtō tantum[5] latere aditus erat facilis. Hoc oppidum oppugnāre, [6]cum opus esset difficillimum, tamen cōnstituit Caesar. Et castrīs mūnītīs Pūbliō negōtium dedit ut rēs [7]ad oppugnandum necessāriās parāret.

Rōmānōrum autem oppugnātiō est haec.[8] Prīmum turrēs aedificantur quibus mīlitēs in summum mūrum ēvādere possint[9]; vīneae[10] fīunt quibus tēctī mīlitēs ad mūrum succēdant; pluteī[11] parantur post quōs mīlitēs tormenta[12] administrent; sunt quoque arietēs quī mūrum et portās discutiant. Hīs omnibus rēbus comparātīs, deinde [13]agger ab eā parte ubi aditus est facillimus exstruitur et cum vīneīs ad ipsum oppidum agitur. Tum turris in aggere prōmovētur; arietibus quī sub vīneīs conlocātī erant mūrus et portae discutiuntur; ballistīs, catapultīs, reliquīsque tormentīs lapidēs et tēla in oppidum coniciuntur. Postrēmō cum iam turris et agger altitūdinem mūrī adaequant et arietēs moenia perfrēgērunt,[14] signō datō mīlitēs inruunt et oppidum expugnant.

[Footnote 1: «morātus». Is this part. active or passive in meaning?]

[Footnote 2: «Gallōs», subj. acc. of the infins. «recūsāvisse» and «nōluisse». The indirect statement depends upon «molestē ferēbat».]

[Footnote 3: «eīs», §501.15.]

[Footnote 4: «pedēs», §501.21.]

[Footnote 5: «tantum», adv. only.]

[Footnote 6: «cum … esset», a clause of concession, §501.46.]

[Footnote 7: «ad oppugnandum», a gerund expressing purpose.]

[Footnote 8: «haec», as follows.]

[Footnote 9: «possint», subjv. of purpose. Three similar constructions follow.]

[Footnote 10: «vīneae». These «vīneae» were wooden sheds, open in front and rear, used to protect men who were working to take a fortification. They were about eight feet high, of like width, and double that length, covered with raw hides to protect them from being set on fire, and moved on wheels or rollers.]

[Footnote 11: «pluteī», large screens or shields with small wheels attached to them. These were used to protect besiegers while moving up to a city or while serving the engines of war.]

[Footnote 12: «tormenta». The engines of war were chiefly the catapult for shooting great arrows, and the ballista, for hurling large stones. They had a range of about two thousand feet and were very effective.]

[Footnote 13: The «agger», or mound, was of chief importance in a siege. It was begun just out of reach of the missiles of the enemy, and then gradually extended towards the point to be attacked. At the same time its height gradually increased until on a level with the top of the wall, or even higher. It was made of earth and timber, and had covered galleries running through it for the use of the besiegers. Over or beside the agger a tower was moved up to the wall, often with a battering-ram (aries) in the lowest story. (See picture, p. 221.)]

[Footnote 14: «perfrēgērunt», from «perfringō».]

[Illustration: BALLISTA]

[Illustration: TURRES, ARIETES, VINEA]

LXXIV. THE CITY IS TAKEN · THE CAPTIVES ARE QUESTIONED

Omnibus rēbus necessāriīs ad oppugnandum ā Pūbliō comparātīs, dēlīberātur in conciliō quod cōnsilium [1]oppidī expugnandī ineant.[2] Tum ūnus[3] ex centuriōnibus, vir reī mīlitāris perītissimus, “Ego suādeō,” inquit, “ut ab eā parte, ubi aditus sit[5] facillimus, aggerem exstruāmus[4] et turrim prōmoveāmus[6] atque ariete admōtō simul mūrum discutere cōnēmur.[5]” [6]Hoc cōnsilium cum omnibus placēret, Caesar concilium dīmīsit. Deinde mīlitēs hortātus ut priōrēs victōriās memoriā[7] tenērent, iussit aggerem exstruī, turrim et arietem admovērī. Neque oppidānīs[8] cōnsilium dēfuit. Aliī ignem et omne genus tēlōrum dē mūrō in turrim coniēcērunt, aliī ingentia saxa