# Prīmus et Secundus Annus, Capita 11–15

Puer Romanus

Somnium vērum; Trium somniantium fābula facēta; Causae somniōrum; Magister laqueō suō captus; Colloquium cum patre

Source: https://1732studios.com/courses/la/11. Data: https://1732studios.com/courses/la/11.json.

## Somnium vērum (Puer Rōmānus 11)

**1** ‘Cum duo quīdam Arcades familiārēs iter ūnā facerent, et Megaram vēnissent, alter ad caupōnem, ad hospitem alter dēvertit.  
'When two friends from Arcadia were travelling together and had come to Megara, one turned aside to an inn, the other to a friend's house.

**2** Uterque cēnātus cubitum iit; deinde eī quī erat in hospitiō alter vīsus est in somnīs ōrāre ut subvenīret, quod sibi ā caupōne nex intenderētur.  
Each of them went to bed after dinner; then the one who was staying with his friend dreamed that the other was begging him to come to his help, because the innkeeper was plotting his death.

**3** Is prīmō perterritus somniō surrēxit; deinde cum sē collēgisset, idque vīsum prō nihilō habendum esse dūxisset, recubuit; tum dormientī īdem ille vīsus est ōrāre nē, cum sibi vīvō nōn subvēnisset, mortem suam inultam esse paterētur; se interfectum in plaustrum ā caupōne esse cōniectum, et suprā iniectum stercus.  
At first he was terrified by the dream and got up; then, when he had pulled himself together and decided that the vision was to be counted as nothing, he lay down again; then, as he slept, the same man seemed to beg him that, since he had not come to his help while he was alive, he should not let his death go unavenged; he said he had been killed and thrown into a cart by the innkeeper, with dung piled on top of him.

**4** Petiit ut māne ad portam adesset, priusquam plaustrum ex oppidō exīret.  
He asked him to be at the gate in the morning, before the cart left the town.

**5** Hōc iam somniō commōtus māne bubulcō obvius fit ad portam; quaerit ex eō quid in plaustrō esset.  
Moved by this second dream, he goes in the morning to meet the ox-driver at the gate; he asks him what was in the cart.

**6** Ille perterritus fūgit; mortuus ērutus est; caupō rē patefactā poenās dedit.’  
The man fled in terror; the dead body was dug out; the innkeeper, when the matter had come to light, paid the penalty.'

**7** Quā audītā fābulā frāter meus dīxit sē prōverbium— ‘Nōn omnēs stertentēs dormiunt’ audiisse, nescīre tamen quid sīgnificāret; cuī pater ‘Hoc quoque’, inquit, ‘alterum nārrandō somnium expōnere tibi possum,’ statimque hoc nārrat somnium.  
When this story had been heard my brother said that he had heard the proverb 'Not all who snore are asleep', but that he did not know what it meant; and my father said to him, 'This too I can explain to you by telling another dream,' and at once he tells this dream.

**8** Quid alter alterum ōrāvit ubi iterum cubiculum vīsus est intrāre?  
What did the one beg the other when he seemed to come into the bedroom a second time?

**9** Quid sibi accidisse nārrāvit?  
What did he say had happened to him?

**10** Quid ex alterō petiit?  
What did he ask of the other?

**11** Quid māne fēcit alter?  
What did the other do in the morning?

**12** Quid ē bubulcō quaesīvit?  
What did he ask the ox-driver?

**13** Quid fēcit bubulcus?  
What did the ox-driver do?

**14** Quid mortuō hominī accidit?  
What happened to the dead man?

**15** Quid deinde accidit?  
What happened next?

**16** Hāc nārrātā fābulā quid dīxit frāter meus?  
When this story had been told, what did my brother say?

**17** Quōmodo potuit pater prōverbium frātrī meō expōnere?  
How was my father able to explain the proverb to my brother?

| word | gloss |
|---|---|
| Arcades | box, chest |
| familiārēs | member of household, from familiaris |
| Megaram | my, from Megarus |
| hospitiō | hospitality, from hospitium |
| subvenīret | come to help, assist, from subvenio |
| nex | death |
| perterritus | terrify, frighten, from perterreo |
| somniō | dream |
| nihilō | nothing, from nihilum |
| inultam | unpunished, scot-free, from inultus |
| iniectum | hurl, from inicio |
| stercus | filth, manure |
| commōtus | moved, excited |
| bubulcō | one who drives, from bubulcus |
| obvius | in the way, easy |
| ērutus | pluck, overthrow |
| patefactā | reveal, from patefacio |
| prōverbium | proverb, saying |

## Trium somniantium fābula facēta (Puer Rōmānus 12)

**18** Ōlim trēs comitēs, quōrum duo mercātōrēs urbānī, tertius rūsticus quīdam erat, ad templum quoddam nūminis colendī causā profectī sunt; quibus prōgredientibus viātica dēficere incipiēbant.  
Once three companions, two of whom were townsmen and traders and the third a countryman, set out to a certain temple to worship the god; and as they went on their travelling money began to run short.

**19** Mox ad tantam inopiam redāctī sunt ut vix quicquam farris manēret.  
Soon they were reduced to such want that hardly any corn was left.

**20** Quae cum urbānī illī callidī intellegerent hōc modō inter sē colloquēbantur.  
When those crafty townsmen saw this they talked together in this way.

**21** ‘Parum pānis iam nōbīs restat; comes tamen noster edendō nimis indulget, quāpropter necesse est cōnsilium inīre quō sī quid habēmus eō īnsciō edāmus.’  
'We have too little bread left; but our companion is far too fond of his food, and so we must think of a plan by which we may eat whatever we have without his knowing.'

**22** Cum igitur pānem aquā sparsum manibusque tractātum, prope īgnem, ut coquerētur, posuissent, rūsticum illum dēcipere cōnstituērunt atque hōc modō eum allocūtī sunt: ‘Omnēs statim dormiāmus, sitque pānis eī praemium quī ex nōbīs somnium vīderit mīrābilissimum.’  
So when they had sprinkled the bread with water and worked it with their hands and set it near the fire to bake, they decided to cheat the countryman, and spoke to him in this way: 'Let us all go to sleep at once, and let the bread be the prize of whichever of us has the most wonderful dream.'

**23** Quō pāctō omnēs cubitum eunt.  
On this bargain they all go to bed.

**24** Rūsticus autem, fraudis aliquid suspicātus, pānem sēmicoctum ex īgnī extractum sōlus tōtum dēvorāvit, iterumque sē somnō dedit.  
But the countryman, suspecting some trick, pulled the half-baked bread out of the fire and ate it all up by himself, and gave himself to sleep again.

**25** Nōn ita multō post alter negōtiātor, tamquam mīrābilī quōdam somniō perterritus, surgere incēpit, alterīque negōtiātōrī quam ob rem ita timēret rogantī, respondit: ‘Māgnō terrōre māximāque ob somnium admīrātiōne affectus sum.  
Not very long afterwards one of the traders, as though terrified by some wonderful dream, began to get up, and when the other trader asked why he was so frightened, he answered: 'I have been filled with great terror and the greatest astonishment by a dream.

**26** Duo enim geniī mihi vidēbantur appropinquāre, summāque cum laetitiā mē ad Ēlysium comportāre.’  
For two spirits seemed to come up to me and to carry me off with the greatest joy to Elysium.'

**27** Cuī comes ‘Mīrābile nīmīrum’ inquit, ‘somnium nārrās; mīrābilius tamen audī; namque ego duōs percipiēbam geniōs quī mē ad Tartarum portābant.’  
His companion said to him, 'A wonderful dream indeed you tell; but hear a more wonderful one; for I saw two spirits carrying me off to Tartarus.'

**28** Quae cum rūsticus ille audīret etiam tum dormīre simulābat; urbānī tamen ut dolus sibi bene prōcēderet eum excitāvērunt, quī, admīrantī similis, callidē rogāvit ‘Quis mē vocat?’  
When the countryman heard this he still pretended to be asleep; but the townsmen, so that their trick might turn out well for them, woke him up, and he, looking like a man astonished, cunningly asked, 'Who is calling me?'

**29** Cuī respondērunt urbānī ‘Comitēs sumus tuī’.  
The townsmen answered him, 'We are your companions.'

**30** Quae cum audīvisset ille ‘Quō modō’ rogāvit ‘iam redīvistis?’  
When he had heard this he asked, 'How have you come back already?'

**31** ‘Numquam,’ respondērunt, ‘hinc abīvimus; cūr reducēs vocās quī numquam abīvimus?’  
'We have never gone away from here,' they answered; 'why do you call us returned when we have never gone away?'

**32** Quibus rūsticus ille ‘Geniī duo’, respondit, ‘mihi vidēbantur alterum vestrum ad Ēlysium, ad Tartarum alterum auferre, et mēcum reputābam neutrum hūc reditūrum esse unde, ut poēta dīcit, negant redīre quemquam; itaque ego experrēctus pānem tōtum sōlus dēvorāvī.’  
The countryman answered them, 'Two spirits seemed to me to be carrying one of you off to Elysium and the other to Tartarus, and I reckoned to myself that neither of you would come back here from the place from which, as the poet says, they say no one comes back; and so I woke up and ate all the bread by myself.'

**33** Quae cum audīvisset frāter meus dīxit sē iam intellegere quid sīgnificāret prōverbium: ‘Nōn omnēs stertentēs dormiunt.’  
When my brother had heard this he said that he now understood what the proverb means: 'Not all who snore are asleep.'

**34** Cūr ad templum profectī sunt comitēs?  
Why did the companions set out to the temple?

**35** Quid eīs prōgredientibus accidit?  
What happened to them as they went on?

**36** Quantam ad inopiam redāctī sunt?  
To how great a want were they reduced?

**37** Quāle cōnsilium iniērunt urbānī?  
What plan did the townsmen make?

**38** Cūr posuērunt pānem prope īgnem?  
Why did they put the bread near the fire?

**39** Quid deinde prōposuērunt?  
What did they then propose?

**40** Cūr ex īgnī pānem sēmicoctum extrāxit rūsticus?  
Why did the countryman pull the half-baked bread out of the fire?

**41** Quid deinde fēcit?  
What did he do next?

**42** Quid fēcit alter negōtiātor?  
What did one of the traders do?

**43** Quid alterī dīxit?  
What did he say to the other?

**44** Quid respondit alter negōtiātor?  
What did the other trader answer?

**45** Quibus audītīs, quid fēcit rūsticus?  
When he had heard this, what did the countryman do?

**46** Cūr eum excitāvērunt urbānī?  
Why did the townsmen wake him up?

**47** Quid rogāvit rūsticus?  
What did the countryman ask?

**48** Quid respondērunt urbānī?  
What did the townsmen answer?

**49** Quid deinde rogāvit rūsticus?  
What did the countryman ask next?

**50** Quid respondērunt urbānī?  
What did the townsmen answer?

**51** Deinde quid nārrāvit rūsticus?  
What did the countryman then tell them?

**52** Hāc audītā fābulā quid dīxit frāter meus?  
When this story had been heard, what did my brother say?

**53** Quālis est fābula?  
What is the story like?

**54** Quid est viāticum?  
What is travelling money?

**55** Quid est contrārium verbōrum dēficere? inopia?  
What is the opposite of the words to run short? want?

**56** Quālis est negōtiātor?  
What sort of man is a trader?

**57** Quālis fābula est fābula facēta?  
What sort of story is a funny story?

**58** Quid est fār?  
What is corn?

**59** Quālis puer praemium accipit?  
What sort of boy gets a prize?

**60** Quid interest inter Ēlysium atque Tartarum?  
What is the difference between Elysium and Tartarus?

**61** Quid est dolus?  
What is a trick?

**62** Unde negant poētae quemquam redīre?  
From where do the poets say that no one comes back?

**63** Quis est redux?  
Who is a man returned?

| word | gloss |
|---|---|
| mercātōrēs | trader, merchant, from mercator |
| urbānī | of the city, from urbanus |
| rūsticus | country, rural |
| nūminis | divine will, divinity, from numen |
| prōgredientibus | move forward, advance, from progredior |
| viātica | provision for a journey, traveling, from viaticum |
| dēficere | fail, disappoint, from deficio |
| inopiam | want, lack, from inopia |
| farris | husked wheat, from far |
| Parum | too, not enough |
| indulget | indulge, from indulgeo |
| quāpropter | wherefore, why |
| necesse | necessary, essential |
| inīre | enter, from ineo |
| īnsciō | not knowing, ignorant, from inscius |
| sparsum | scatter, strew, from spargo |
| tractātum | dealing w, from tractatus |
| coquerētur | cook, from coquo |
| allocūtī | speak to |
| mīrābilissimum | wonderful, marvelous |
| pāctō | compose, from pango |
| fraudis | fraud, from fraus |
| sēmicoctum | half-cooked, from semicoctus |
| tamquam | so, so much |
| mīrābilī | wonderful, marvelous, from mirabilis |
| admīrātiōne | admiration, astonishment, from admiratio |
| affectus | affection, passion |
| geniī | guardian spirit, from genius |
| laetitiā | joy |
| comportāre | carry, transport, from comporto |
| Mīrābile | miracle |
| nīmīrum | without doubt, evidently |
| percipiēbam | secure, gain |
| Tartarum | infernal regions, the underworld, from Tartara |
| dolus | trick, device |
| callidē | expertly, skillfully |
| redīvistis | hangnail |
| abīvimus | depart, go away |
| reducēs | party in law suit, from redux |
| reputābam | think over, reflect, from reputo |
| neutrum | neither, from neuter |
| prōposuērunt | display, from propono |
| facēta | witty, humorous, from facetus |

## Causae somniōrum (Puer Rōmānus 13)

**64** Posterō diē, ut accidit, hanc sententiam apud Tullium in lūdō recitābāmus.  
The next day, as it happened, we were reading out this sentence from Cicero at school.

**65** ‘Quae in vītā ūsūrpant hominēs, cōgitant, cūrant, vident, quaeque agunt vigilantēs agitantque, ea cuīque in somnō accidunt.’— Quae cum audīrem nōn poteram mē retinēre quīn puerum recitantem interpellārem magistrumque rogārem nūm rē vērā putāret hās esse somniōrum causās.  
'The things men busy themselves with in life, think about, care for and see, and the things they do and turn over while awake, these come to each man in his sleep.' When I heard this I could not keep myself from interrupting the boy who was reading and asking the master whether he really thought that these were the causes of dreams.

**66** Iste autem magister, interrogātiōne meā neglēctā, dīxit oportēre omnēs, dum alius recitat, tacēre, iūssitque mē hoc carmen ēdiscere memoriter:—  
But that master took no notice of my question and said that everyone ought to be quiet while another is reading, and ordered me to learn this poem by heart:

**67** Omnia quae sēnsū volvuntur vōta diurnō,  
All the wishes that are turned over by the waking sense,

**68** pectore sōpītō reddit amīca quies.  
kindly rest gives back to the sleeping breast.

**69** vēnātor dēfessa torō cum membra repōnit,  
When the hunter lays his tired limbs on the couch,

**70** mēns tamen ad silvās et sua lustra redit.  
his mind still goes back to the woods and its own lairs.

**71** iūdicibus lītēs, aurīgae somnia currūs,  
Judges dream of lawsuits, charioteers of their cars,

**72** vānaque nocturnīs mēta cavētur equīs.  
and the empty turning-post is avoided by horses in the night.

**73** mē quoque Mūsārum studium sub nocte silentī  
Me too the love of the Muses, in the silent night,

**74** artibus assuētīs sollicitāre solet.  
is wont to busy with my accustomed arts.

**75** Carmen nunc memoriā teneō.  
I now know the poem by heart.

**76** Sed utrum magister poētae cōnsentiat necne nūllō modō invenīre possum.  
But whether the master agrees with the poet or not I can in no way find out.

**77** Semper enim rogātus verba poētārum aliōrumve scrīptōrum commemorat.  
For whenever he is asked he quotes the words of the poets or of other writers.

**78** Equidem vērō putābam eum nescīre.  
For my part I thought that he did not know.

**79** Posterō igitur diē, hōc carmine recitātō, iterum eum rogāvī quid rē vērā ipse dē somniīs cēnsēret.  
So the next day, when this poem had been recited, I asked him again what he himself really thought about dreams.

**80** Sed utinam nōn rogāvissem!  
But I wish I had not asked!

**81** Mē miserum!  
Poor me!

**82** Iterum nihil respondit sed hoc alterum carmen mihi ēdiscendum dedit.  
Again he answered nothing, but gave me this second poem to learn by heart.

**83** Et quō quisque ferē studiō dēvīnctus adhaeret  
And whatever pursuit a man is generally bound to and clings to,

**84** aut quibus in rēbus multum sumus ante morātī  
or whatever things we have lingered much over before,

**85** atque in eā ratiōne fuit contenta magis mēns,  
and the mind has been the more busy with that matter,

**86** in somnīs eadem plērumque vidēmur obīre;  
in our dreams we seem for the most part to be at the same things:

**87** causidicī causās agere et compōnere lēgēs,  
pleaders plead cases and draw up laws,

**88** induperātōrēs pūgnāre āc proelia obīre,  
generals fight and go into battle,

**89** nautae contractum cum ventīs dēgere bellum.  
sailors carry on the war they have joined with the winds.

**90** Ō! crūdēlem magistrum! quam nimia est tibi poētārum admīrātiō!  
Oh, cruel master! how excessive is your admiration for the poets!

**91** Quid dē somniīs apud Tullium in lūdō recitābāmus?  
What did we read out from Cicero at school about dreams?

**92** Quibus audītīs quid ego fēcī?  
When I had heard this, what did I do?

**93** Quid respondit magister?  
What did the master answer?

**94** Quid mihi faciendum dedit?  
What did he give me to do?

**95** Quid accidit vēnātōrī somniantī?  
What happens to the hunter as he dreams?

**96** Quid iūdicibus?  
What to judges?

**97** Et aurīgae?  
And to the charioteer?

**98** Et poētae?  
And to the poet?

**99** Cōnsentitne magister poētae?  
Does the master agree with the poet?

**100** Quid putāvit Lūcius dē magistrō suō?  
What did Lucius think about his master?

| word | gloss |
|---|---|
| recitābāmus | read aloud, recite |
| ūsūrpant | seize upon, usurp, from usurpo |
| agitantque | stir |
| interpellārem | interrupt, break in on |
| interrogātiōne | interrogation, inquiry, from interrogatio |
| neglēctā | disregard, neglect, from neglego |
| ēdiscere | learn by heart, from edisco |
| memoriter | from memory |
| sēnsū | thought, from sensus |
| volvuntur | roll, cause to roll, from volvo |
| vōta | vow, pledge, from votum |
| diurnō | Book of Hors, from diurnum |
| pectore | breast, heart, from pectus |
| sōpītō | cause to sleep, render insensible, from sopio |
| quies | quiet, calm |
| torō | swelling, protuberance, from torum |
| lustra | bog, muddy place, from lustrum |
| iūdicibus | judge, from judex |
| lītēs | lawsuit, from lis |
| aurīgae | charioteer, driver, from auriga |
| mēta | cone, pyramid |
| Mūsārum | mouse, from Musa |
| studium | zeal, eagerness |
| assuētīs | sew or patch on, from assuo |
| sollicitāre | disturb, worry, from sollicito |
| cōnsentiat | join, from consentio |
| aliōrumve | garlic, from allium |
| utinam | if only, would that |
| dēvīnctus | attached |
| adhaeret | adhere, stick, from adhaereo |
| obīre | go to meet, from obeo |
| causidicī | office of an advocate, from causidicus |
| lēgēs | law, from lex |
| induperātōrēs | put on, clothe |
| contractum | enter into, deal with, from contraho |
| dēgere | spend, from dego |
| nimia | excessive, too great, from nimius |
| vēnātōrī | hunter's, from venatorius |
| Cōnsentitne | join |

## Magister laqueō suō captus (Puer Rōmānus 14)

**101** Interdum tamen et discipulīs nōbīs magistrī haec tanta, poētārum admīrātiō prōdest.  
Sometimes, though, the master's great admiration for the poets is of use to us pupils as well.

**102** Quid enim vōbīs accidat nesciō, sed nōs saltem Rōmānōs puerōs saepenumerō discere taedet priusquam fīnis sessiōnī adsit.  
What happens to you I do not know, but we Roman boys at least are often sick of learning before the end of the lesson comes.

**103** Ō quotiēns lūdum frequentāmus!  
Oh, how often we go to school!

**104** Prīmā lūce ē lectulīs est surgendum et quasi mediā nocte ad lūdum eundum.  
At first light we must get up out of our beds and go to school as if it were the middle of the night.

**105** Ut lucernae, quās nōbīscum portāmus, olent!  
How the lamps we carry with us smell!

**106** Quam dēcolōrēs fīunt librī fūmō tot lucernārum!  
How discoloured our books become with the smoke of so many lamps!

**107** Nigra fūlīgō adhūc Marōnī meō haeret!  
Black soot still clings to my Virgil!

**108** Ōlim plūs solitō discendī mē taedēbat—media erat aestās et Sīrius īgnibus torrentibus in caelō ardēbat— hoc igitur cōnsilium iniī ut postrēmam sessiōnis partem omītterēmus.  
Once I was sicker than usual of learning (it was midsummer, and the Dog Star was burning in the sky with scorching fires), and so I made this plan, to get the last part of the lesson left out.

**109** Magistrum māne lūdum intrantem rogāvī num semper oportēret nōs praeceptīs pārēre poētārum.  
I asked the master, as he came into the school in the morning, whether we always ought to obey the teaching of the poets.

**110** Ille āit; itaque ego hoc Mārtiālis carmen statim dēclāmāre incēpī:—  
He said yes; and so I began at once to declaim this poem of Martial's:

**111** Lūdī magister, parce simplicī turbae;  
Schoolmaster, spare the simple crowd;

**112** sīc tē frequentēs audiant capillātī,  
so may the long-haired boys come in throngs to hear you,

**113** et dēlicātae dīligat chorus mēnsae,  
and the company of your elegant table love you,

**114** nec calculātor, nec notārius vēlox  
and may no reckoning-master, no swift shorthand writer

**115** māiōre quisquam circulō corōnētur;  
be crowned with a larger circle than yours;

**116** albae Leōne flammeō calent lūcēs,  
the bright days are hot with the Lion's flame,

**117** tostamque fervēns Iūlius coquit messem:  
and burning July bakes the parched harvest:

**118** cirrāta lōrīs horridīs Scythae pellis,  
let the Scythian hide, fringed with its rough thongs,

**119** quā vāpulāvit Marsyas Celaenaeus,  
with which Marsyas of Celaenae was flogged,

**120** ferulaeque trīstēs, scēptra paedagōgōrum,  
and the grim canes, the sceptres of the tutors,

**121** cēssent, et Īdūs dormiant in Octōbrēs:  
rest, and sleep until the Ides of October:

**122** aestāte puerī sī valent, satis discunt.  
in summer, if boys keep well, they learn enough.

**123** Quibus scīlicet dēclāmātīs versibus, ‘Quam cito’ inquit magister, ‘tempus fugit!  
When these verses had been declaimed, the master said, 'How quickly time flies!

**124** Rēctē scrīpsit Ovidius Nāso:—  
Ovid Naso wrote rightly:

**125** Ipsa quoque assiduō lābuntur tempora mōtū,  
Time itself also glides on with unceasing motion,

**126** nōn secus āc flūmen; neque enim cōnsistere flūmen  
just like a river; for neither the river

**127** nec levis hōra potest; sed ut unda impellitur undā,  
nor the swift hour can stand still; but as wave is driven on by wave,

**128** urgēturque eadem veniēns urgetque priōrem,  
and the same wave, as it comes, is pressed on and presses the one before,

**129** tempora sīc fugiunt pariter, pariterque sequuntur,  
so the times flee alike, and alike follow,

**130** et nova sunt semper, nam quod fuit ante relictum est,  
and are always new, for what was before has been left behind,

**131** fitque quod haud fuerat, mōmentaque cūncta novantur.’  
and what had not been comes to be, and every moment is made new.'

**132** Hōs versūs recitāvit magister quia ōtium nōbīs dare nōlēbat, sed nōn facere potuit (nē ā Mārtiāle praeclārissimō poētā abhorrēret) quīn lūsum nōs omnēs dīmītteret.  
The master recited these verses because he did not want to give us a holiday, but he could not help letting us all go off to play, for fear of falling out with Martial, that most famous poet.

**133** Condiscipulī meī grātiās mihi ēgērunt quam māximās et valdē mihi grātulātī sunt quod tam callidum mē praestitissem.  
My schoolfellows thanked me as heartily as they could and congratulated me warmly on having shown myself so clever.

**134** Īmmō vērō dīxērunt mē cornīcum oculōs cōnfīxisse.  
Indeed they said that I had put out the eyes of the crows.

**135** Quid causidicī videntur in somniīs agere?  
What do pleaders seem to do in their dreams?

**136** Quid imperātōrēs videntur in somniīs agere?  
What do generals seem to do in their dreams?

**137** Quid nautae videntur in somniīs agere?  
What do sailors seem to do in their dreams?

**138** Quando saepenumerō discere taedet puerōs Rōmānōs?  
When are Roman boys often sick of learning?

**139** Quōmodo et discipulīs prōdest magistrī admīrātiō poētārum?  
How is the master's admiration for the poets of use to his pupils as well?

**140** Quando ē lectulō puerō Rōmānō est surgendum?  
When must a Roman boy get up out of bed?

**141** Quid sēcum portābant puerī Rōmānī cum lūdum peterent?  
What did Roman boys carry with them when they made for school?

**142** Quā rē dēcolōrēs fīunt librī?  
By what are the books made discoloured?

**143** Quid Lūcius rogāvit magistrum māne lūdum intrantem?  
What did Lucius ask the master as he came into the school in the morning?

**144** Quid deinde fēcit Lūcius?  
What did Lucius do next?

**145** Quid est mēta?  
What is a turning-post?

**146** Quis est causidicus?  
Who is a pleader?

**147** Quid est fūlīgō?  
What is soot?

**148** Quid facit calculātor?  
What does a reckoning-master do?

**149** Quid facit notārius?  
What does a shorthand writer do?

**150** Quae sunt scēptra paedagōgōrum?  
What are the sceptres of the tutors?

**151** Quando ardet Sīrius?  
When does the Dog Star burn?

**152** Quis erat Marsyas?  
Who was Marsyas?

**153** Quid accidit Idibus Octōbribus?  
What happens on the Ides of October?

**154** Quid sīgnificat prōverbium ‘cornīcum oculōs cōnfīgere’?  
What does the proverb 'to put out the eyes of the crows' mean?

| word | gloss |
|---|---|
| prōdest | be useful, be advantageous, from prosum |
| saepenumerō | repeatedly |
| sessiōnī | sitting |
| lucernae | oil lamp, from lucerna |
| olent | smell of, smell like, from oleo |
| dēcolōrēs | discolor, alter normal color of, from decoloro |
| tot | so many |
| fūlīgō | soot |
| haeret | stick, adhere, from haereo |
| solitō | custom, from solitum |
| torrentibus | torrent, rushing stream, from torrens |
| sessiōnis | sitting, from sessio |
| omītterēmus | lay aside |
| pārēre | obey, from pareo |
| parce | sparing, frugal, from parcus |
| simplicī | single, from simplex |
| frequentēs | crowded, from frequens |
| capillātī | long hairs |
| dēlicātae | luxurious, addicted to pleasure, from delicatus |
| dīligat | love, hold dear, from diligo |
| chorus | site for a monument |
| calculātor | one versed in |
| notārius | notary |
| vēlox | swift |
| circulō | make circular |
| flammeō | flame colored veil, from flammeum |
| calent | announce, proclaim, from caleo |
| tostamque | parch, roast |
| fervēns | be hot, from ferveo |
| messem | harvest, crop, from messis |
| cirrāta | curly-haired, from cirratus |
| lōrīs | leather strap, thong, from lorum |
| horridīs | wild, frightful, from horridus |
| vāpulāvit | be beaten, from vapulo |
| Marsyas | Mars, Roman god of war |
| scēptra | scepter, from sceptrum |
| dēclāmātīs | declaim, make speeches |
| Ovidius | egg |
| Nāso | nose |
| assiduō | continually, constantly |
| secus | otherwise |
| cōnsistere | stop, from consisto |
| levis | light, thin |
| unda | wave |
| impellitur | drive, from impello |
| urgēturque | press hard, urge, from urgeō |
| pariter | equally |
| mōmentaque | moment, importance |
| cūncta | altogether, in a body, from cunctus |
| novantur | make new, renovate, from novo |
| abhorrēret | abhor, shrink back, from abhorreo |
| grātulātī | congratulate, from gratulor |
| praestitissem | excel, surpass, from praesto |
| cōnfīxisse | fasten, construct, from configo |

## Colloquium cum patre (Puer Rōmānus 15)

**155** Eōdem diē, quoniam magister nīl mihi dē somniīs exposuerat, patrem vesperī iterum quaesīvī, quem in tablīnō invēnī.  
On the same day, since the master had explained nothing to me about dreams, I looked for my father again in the evening, and found him in the tablinum.

**156** Rēbus nescioquibus occupātum esse vīdī, rogāvī tamen num mihi vacāret, et pater quamquam negōtiōsus erat, benīgnē mihi respondit ‘Quid vīs, mī fīlī?’—quantō benīgnior pater est magistrō!—Cuī ego ‘Velim’ respondī, ‘iterum tē audīre dē somniīs loquentem’.  
I saw that he was busy with something or other, but all the same I asked whether he had time for me, and my father, although he was busy, answered me kindly, 'What do you want, my son?' How much kinder a father is than a master! I answered him, 'I should like to hear you speak about dreams again.'

**157** ‘Nunc autem nōn possum’ inquit pater ‘namque epistulam ad amīcum quendam scrībō; sed, ut accidit, dē somniīs est epistula mea; tacē igitur et, cum scrīpserō, tibi recitābō’.  
'Just now I cannot,' said my father, 'for I am writing a letter to a friend; but, as it happens, my letter is about dreams; so keep quiet, and when I have written it I shall read it to you.'

**158** Conticuī igitur, et librum quendam ē forulīs acceptum, dum pater scrībit, legēbam.  
So I kept quiet, and while my father was writing I took a book from the shelves and read it.

**159** Paulō posteā hanc epistulam mihi recitāvit:—  
A little later he read me this letter:

**160** Sex. Cornēlius Polliō Suētōniō Tranquillō Suō S.  
Sextus Cornelius Pollio to his friend Suetonius Tranquillus, greeting.

**161** ‘Scrībis tē perterritum somniō verērī nē quid in āctiōne patiāris, rogās ut dīlātiōnem petam et pauculōs diēs, certē proximum, excūsem.  
'You write that you are terrified by a dream and afraid that something may go against you in your case, and you ask me to seek a postponement and to excuse you for a few days, or at least for the next one.

**162** Difficile est, sed experiar.  
It is difficult, but I shall try.

**163** Rēfert tamen, ēventūra soleās an contrāria somniāre.  
It matters, though, whether you usually dream what will happen or the opposite of it.

**164** Mihi reputantī somnium meum istud, quod timēs tū, ēgregiam āctiōnem portendere vidētur.  
When I think over my own dream, that dream of yours which you fear seems to me to promise a splendid case.

**165** Suscēperam causam Iūnī Pastōris, cum mihi quiēscentī vīsa est socrus mea advolūta genibus nē agerem obsecrāre.  
I had taken up the case of Junius Pastor, when, as I slept, my wife's mother seemed to fall at my knees and beg me not to plead it.

**166** Et eram āctūrus adulēscentulus adhūc, eram in quadruplicī iūdiciō, eram contrā potentissimōs cīvitātis atque etiam Caesaris amīcōs, quae singula excutere mentem mihi post tam trīste somnium poterant.  
And I was going to plead while I was still a very young man, I was to plead before the four united courts, I was to plead against the most powerful men in the state and even against friends of Caesar, any one of which things could have knocked the wits out of me after so gloomy a dream.

**167** Prōsperē tamen cessit, atque ideō illa āctiō mihi aurēs hominum, illa iānuam fāmae patefēcit.  
All the same it turned out well, and so that case opened men's ears to me, and opened the door of my fame.

**168** Proinde dīspice, an tū quoque sub hōc exemplō somnium istud in bonum vertās, aut, sī tūtius putās illud cautissimī cūiusque praeceptum: ‘Quod dubitēs, nē fēceris,’ id ipsum rescrībe.  
So consider whether you too, following this example, may turn that dream of yours to good; or, if you think that the rule of every very cautious man is safer, 'What you doubt about, do not do,' write back and say so.

**169** Ego aliquam stropham inveniam agamque causam tuam, ut istam agere tū, cum volēs, possīs.  
I shall find some way round it and plead your case, so that you may plead that one of yours when you wish.

**170** Est enim sānē alia ratiō tua, alia mea fuit.  
For your case is quite different from what mine was.

**171** Nam iūdicium centumvirāle differrī nūllō modō, istud aegrē quidem, sed tamen potest.  
For a trial before the Hundred cannot be put off in any way, but yours can, with difficulty, all the same.

**172** Valē.’  
Farewell.'

**173** Recitātā hāc epistulā ‘Perquam, pater’ inquam, ‘velim scīre, esse phantasmata et habēre propriam figūram nūmenque aliquod putēs an inānia et vāna ex metū nostrō imāginem accipere.’  
When this letter had been read I said, 'Father, I should very much like to know whether you think that ghosts exist and have a shape and a power of their own, or that they are empty and unreal and take their appearance from our own fear.'

**174** ‘Ego ut esse crēdam’ respondit ‘in prīmīs eō addūcor, quod audiō accidisse Curtiō Rūfō.  
'What leads me above all to believe that they exist,' he answered, 'is what I hear happened to Curtius Rufus.

**175** Tenuis adhūc et obscūrus obtinentī Āfricam comes haeserat.  
While he was still poor and unknown he had attached himself as a companion to the governor of Africa.

**176** Inclīnātō diē spatiātur in porticū; offertur eī mulieris figūra grandior hūmānā pulchriorque; perterritō Āfricam sē futūrōrum praenūntiam dīxit; itūrum enim eum Rōmam honōrēsque gestūrum atque etiam cum summō imperiō in eandem prōvinciam reversūrum et moritūrum.  
Towards the end of the day he is walking in a colonnade; the figure of a woman appears to him, taller and more beautiful than a human being; as he stood terrified she told him that she was Africa, foretelling what was to come; for he would go to Rome and hold offices and even come back to that same province with the highest command, and there he would die.

**177** Quae facta sunt omnia.  
All of which came true.

**178** Praetereā accēdentī Carthāginem ēgredientīque nāve eadem figūra in lītore occurrisse nārrātur.  
Besides, it is said that the same figure met him on the shore as he came to Carthage and was leaving his ship.

**179** Ipse certē implicitus morbō futūra praeteritīs, adversa secundīs augurātus, spem salūtis, nūllō suōrum dēspērante, prōiēcit.’  
Certainly when he was caught by illness he judged what was to come from what had passed, and bad fortune from good, and threw away all hope of recovery, though none of his household despaired.'

**180** Cūr iterum quaesīvī patrem meum?  
Why did I look for my father again?

**181** Quid eum rogāvī?  
What did I ask him?

**182** Quid mē rogāvit pater?  
What did my father ask me?

**183** Quid ego respondī?  
What did I answer?

**184** Cūr nōn poterat pater dē somniīs loquī?  
Why could my father not speak about dreams?

**185** Quid prōmīsit pater sē factūrum esse?  
What did my father promise to do?

**186** Intereā quid fēcī?  
What did I do meanwhile?

**187** Quid timēbat Suētōnius Tranquillus?  
What was Suetonius Tranquillus afraid of?

**188** Quid ōrāvit patrem meum?  
What did he ask my father?

**189** In somniīs interpretandīs quid māximē rēfert?  
In interpreting dreams what matters most?

**190** Quāle somnium percēpit pater meus?  
What sort of dream did my father have?

**191** Quālī in iūdiciō erat āctūrus?  
In what sort of court was he going to plead?

**192** Sed quōmodo cessit āctiō?  
But how did the case turn out?

**193** Quid est cautissimī cūiusque praeceptum?  
What is the rule of every very cautious man?

**194** Quid interest inter iūdicium centumvirāle atque iūdicium quod Suētōnius Tranquillus agēbat?  
What is the difference between a trial before the Hundred and the case Suetonius Tranquillus was pleading?

**195** Quid est tablīnum?  
What is the tablinum?

**196** Quid continent forulī?  
What do the shelves hold?

**197** Cūr nōnnumquam petunt hominēs ut āctiō differātur?  
Why do men sometimes ask that a case be put off?

**198** Quōmodo appellātur socrūs marītus?  
What is a wife's mother's husband called?

**199** Hāc epistulā recitātā, quid dīxī mē velle scīre?  
When this letter had been read, what did I say I wanted to know?

**200** Quā rē addūctus est pater ut crēderet esse phantasmata?  
What led my father to believe that ghosts exist?

**201** Quid accidit Curtiō Rūfō dum in porticū spatiātur?  
What happened to Curtius Rufus while he was walking in the colonnade?

**202** Quid dīxit sē esse haec figūra?  
What did this figure say she was?

**203** Quid de Curtiō Rūfō dīxit?  
What did she say about Curtius Rufus?

**204** Quid accidit eī dum ē nāve ēgreditur?  
What happened to him as he was leaving his ship?

**205** Cūr implicitus morbō omnem spem dēposuit?  
Why did he lay aside all hope when he was caught by illness?

| word | gloss |
|---|---|
| quoniam | where, to what place |
| tablīnō | terrace, from tabulinum |
| nescioquibus | not know |
| vacāret | be empty, from vaco |
| negōtiōsus | active, occupied |
| Conticuī | cease to talk, fall silent, from conticesco |
| forulīs | gangway in a ship, from foruli |
| Paulō | a little, somewhat, from paulum |
| Suētōniō | his men, his friends, from Suetonius |
| Tranquillō | calm weather, from tranquillum |
| āctiōne | act, action, from actio |
| dīlātiōnem | adjournment, from dilatio |
| pauculōs | not very much, a little, from pauculus |
| excūsem | excuse, from excuso |
| experiar | test, put to the test, from experior |
| Rēfert | fill up, stuff |
| soleās | sandal, sole fastened w, from solea |
| ēgregiam | singular, from egregius |
| portendere | predict, foretell, from portendo |
| Suscēperam | undertake, from suscipio |
| quiēscentī | rest, keep quiet, from quiesco |
| socrus | father-in-law |
| advolūta | roll to, from advolvo |
| obsecrāre | entreat, from obsecro |
| adulēscentulus | young woman |
| quadruplicī | fourfold, from quadruplex |
| cīvitātis | citizenship, from civitas |
| excutere | shake out or off, from excutio |
| Prōsperē | day before, abb. pr, from prosperus |
| cessit | go, from cedo |
| ideō | therefore, for the reason that |
| aurēs | ear, from auris |
| fāmae | rumor, from fama |
| Proinde | hence, so then |
| dīspice | look about, discover espy, from dispicio |
| exemplō | adduce |
| dubitēs | doubt, from dubito |
| rescrībe | write back in reply, from rescribo |
| stropham | trick, artifice, from stropha |
| agamque | unmarried |
| centumvirāle | of, from centumviralis |
| differrī | postpone |
| aegrē | be sick, from aegreo |
| Perquam | extremely |
| phantasmata | ghost, from phantasma |
| figūram | shape, form, from figura |
| inānia | empty space, hollow, from inane |
| Tenuis | thin, fine |
| obtinentī | possess, occupy, from obtineo |
| Inclīnātō | bend, from inclino |
| mulieris | woman, from mulier |
| pulchriorque | pretty |
| perterritō | frighten thoroughly, terrify |
| praenūntiam | acting as harbinger, from praenuntius |
| Praetereā | in addition, besides |
| accēdentī | come near, approach, from accedo |
| ēgredientīque | go |
| lītore | seashore, beach, from litus |
| implicitus | implicate, from inplico |
| praeteritīs | past, from praeterita |
| secundīs | after-birth, from secunda |
| augurātus | office of augur |
| prōiēcit | throw down, throw out, from proicio |
| interpretandīs | explain, from interpretor |
| percēpit | secure, gain, from percipio |
| differātur | postpone |
| marītus | nuptial |
| ēgreditur | move out, disembark, from egredior |