# Prīmus et Secundus Annus, Capita 21–25

Puer Romanus

Fābula dē Thrasyllō; Simōnidēs poēta; Comitēs Ulixis; Caesar Rubicōnem trānsit; Cubitum eō

Source: https://1732studios.com/courses/la/13. Data: https://1732studios.com/courses/la/13.json.

## Fābula dē Thrasyllō (Puer Rōmānus 21)

**1** Thrasyllus valdē amābat Charitēn, eamque in mātrimōnium dūcere cupiēbat.  
Thrasyllus was deeply in love with Charite and wanted to marry her.

**2** Hoc autem nūllō modō facere poterat, nam Charitē Tlēpolemō cuīdam iam nūpserat, marītumque suum māximē dīligēbat.  
But he could in no way do this, for Charite had already married one Tlepolemus, and loved her husband dearly.

**3** Thrasyllus igitur Tlēpolemum, nūllō cōnsciō, interficere cōnstituit.  
So Thrasyllus decided to kill Tlepolemus, with no one knowing.

**4** Hic quondam, comitante Thrasyllō, capreās vēnātum profectus—neque enim ferōciōrēs ferās, dente vel cornū armātās, Charitē marītum suum quaerere patiēbātur—ad silvam dēnsissimam cum canibus vēnāticīs pervēnit.  
One day Tlepolemus, with Thrasyllus for company, set out to hunt roe deer (for Charite would not let her husband go after fiercer beasts, armed with tusk or horn) and came with the hunting dogs to a very thick wood.

**5** Repente ē mediā silvā immānis exsurgit aper, saetīs inhorrentibus squālidus, dentibusque frendentibus spūmeus, et fortiōrēs canum comminus aggrēssus, dentibus hāc illāc iactātīs lacerāvit interfēcitque; deinde calcātīs rētibus, quae prīmum retinuerant impetum, effūgit et sēsē in fugam dedit.  
Suddenly a huge boar rises out of the middle of the wood, shaggy with bristling hairs and foaming with gnashing tusks, and, attacking the stronger of the dogs at close quarters, tore and killed them, tossing them this way and that with his tusks; then, trampling down the nets which had at first held back his charge, he escaped and took to flight.

**6** Quae cum ita gererentur, Thrasyllus fraudis occāsiōnem nactus, sīc Tlēpolemum compellat.  
While this was going on, Thrasyllus, having found his chance for treachery, addresses Tlepolemus thus.

**7** ‘Quid hīc dubitāmus pavōre perculsī et tam opīmam praedam ē mediīs manibus āmīttimus? quīn equōs ascendimus? quīn ōcius īnstāmus? ēn cape vēnābulum et ego sūmam lanceam.’  
'Why do we hang back here, struck with fear, and let so rich a prize slip out of our very hands? Why not mount our horses? Why not press on quickly? Here, take the hunting spear, and I shall take the lance.'

**8** Neque morātī prōtinus īnsiliunt equōs summō studiō aprum īnsequentēs.  
Without delay they leap on their horses at once and follow the boar with the greatest eagerness.

**9** Prior Tlēpolemus iaculum, quod gerēbat, īnsuper dorsum ferae contorsit.  
Tlepolemus first hurled the javelin he was carrying down on the beast's back.

**10** At Thrasyllus ferae quidem pepercit, sed equī, quō vehebātur Tlēpolemus, postrēmōs poplitēs lanceā amputat.  
But Thrasyllus spared the beast, and cut through the hind hamstrings of the horse Tlepolemus was riding with his lance.

**11** Quadrupes dēlāpsus, quā sānguis efflūxerat, tōtō tergō supīnātus, invītus dominum suum ad terram dēvolvit; nec mora, sed eum ferōcissimus aper invādit iacentem, āc prīmō vestēs ēius, mox ipsum resurgentem multō dente laniāvit.  
The animal slipped down where the blood had flowed, rolled over on its whole back, and unwillingly threw its master to the ground; and without delay the savage boar attacks him as he lies there, and tore first his clothes and then, as he got up, the man himself with many a tusk.

**12** Nec coeptī nefāriī bonum piguit amīcum, sed Tlēpolemō volnerāta crūra contegentī, auxiliumque miserē rogantī, per femur dexterum dīmīsit lanceam; ipsam quoque feram facilī manū transfōdit.  
Nor was the good friend sorry for his wicked undertaking, but as Tlepolemus was covering his wounded legs and piteously begging for help, he drove his lance through his right thigh; and he ran the beast itself through as well with an easy hand.

**13** Ad hunc modum interfectō dominō, servī ēius, quisque ē suā latebrā, concurrērunt.  
When his master had been killed in this way, his slaves ran up, each from his own hiding place.

**14** At ille, quamquam, vōtī compos, et prōstrātō inimīcō, laetus agēbat, voltū tamen gaudium tegēbat, dolōremque simulābat, et cadāver, quod ipse strāverat, avidē complexus omnia quidem lūgentium officia affīnxit.  
But Thrasyllus, although he was glad, having got his wish and laid his enemy low, all the same covered his joy with his face, and pretended grief, and greedily embraced the body which he himself had laid low, and put on all the duties of a mourner.

**15** Sīc ad nostrī similitūdinem, quī vērē lāmentābāmur, maerōre fictō, manūs suae culpam aprō dabat.  
So, in feigned grief like ours, who were truly lamenting, he laid the guilt of his own hand on the boar.

**16** Charitē autem simul atque audīvit marītum suum esse mortuum, summā celeritāte ad silvam contendit et tōtam sē super corpus effūdit; aegrē manibus suōrum ērepta domum rediit; saepenumerō Thrasyllus manūs ēius ā pectore pulsandō āmovēre, lūctum sēdāre, blandīs vōcibus dolōrem mulcēre frustrā cōnābātur.  
But Charite, as soon as she heard that her husband was dead, hurried to the wood at the greatest speed and threw herself right over the body; she was with difficulty pulled away by the hands of her household and went home; again and again Thrasyllus tried in vain to draw her hands away from beating her breast, to calm her mourning and to soothe her grief with coaxing words.

**17** Sed officiīs fūneris statim exāctīs, id prōtinus puella agēbat ut mortem quam celerrimē obīret ipsa.  
But as soon as the funeral rites had been carried out, the young woman at once set about dying herself as quickly as she could.

**18** Crēderēs eam inediā velle vītam fīnīre; nihil enim edēbat, īmīs in tenebrīs abscondita lūcem sōlis vītābat.  
You would have believed that she wanted to end her life by starving; for she ate nothing, and hidden in the deepest darkness she shunned the light of the sun.

**19** Sed Thrasyllus tandem, adiuvantibus amīcīs, eī persuasit ut aliquantulum cibī ederet, neque corpus suum omnīnō neglegeret.  
But Thrasyllus at last, with the help of her friends, persuaded her to eat a little food and not to neglect her body altogether.

**20** Nec sē retinēre potuit quīn flāgitāret eam, adhūc flentem marītum, adhūc vestēs lacerantem, capillōs adhūc distrahentem, ut priōris marītī oblīta sibi nūberet.  
Nor could he hold himself back from pressing her, while she still wept for her husband, still tore her clothes, still pulled at her hair, to forget her first husband and marry him.

**21** Sed Charitē ā nefandō prōpositō abhorruit, cōnābāturque efficere ut flāgitantem dēciperet.  
But Charite shrank from the wicked proposal, and tried to deceive the man who pressed her.

**22** Tālia recordantī somniīs umbra miserē trucidātī Tlēpolemī, saniē cruenta et pallōre dēfōrmis, surgere vidēbātur atque hunc in modum loquī.  
As she turned such things over, the ghost of the piteously slaughtered Tlepolemus seemed in her dreams to rise up, bloody with gore and hideous with pallor, and to speak in this way.

**23** ‘Mea cōniux, vēnī ut necem meam in Thrasyllō vindicēs, nam scelestus ille lanceā suā mē ad Orcum mīsit.’  
'My wife, I have come so that you may avenge my murder on Thrasyllus, for that wicked man sent me to Orcus with his lance.'

**24** Deinde omnibus rēbus patefactīs umbra ēvānuit.  
Then, when everything had been made plain, the ghost vanished.

**25** Charitē tamen nēquissimum percussōrem pūnīre et miseriīs vītae sēsē subtrahere cōnstituit.  
Charite, however, decided to punish the utter villain who had struck him down, and to take herself out of the miseries of life.

**26** Thrasyllum igitur prīmā vigiliā tacitum iūssit ad forēs suās accēdere nūllōque cōnsciō domum intrāre.  
So she ordered Thrasyllus to come silently to her door at the first watch and to enter the house with no one knowing.

**27** Placuit Thrasyllō hoc cōnsilium; nec fraudis aliquid suspicātus, sed spē sublātus, cubiculum irrēpsit, Charitēque eī vīnum sopōriferō venēnō immīxtum dedit, quō pōtū sōpītum eum aggrēssa est, acūque ē crīnibus dēpromptā oculōs ēius volnerāvit prōrsusque caecum illum relīquit.  
This plan pleased Thrasyllus; and suspecting no trick, but lifted up with hope, he crept into the bedroom, and Charite gave him wine mixed with a sleeping drug, and when he had been put to sleep by the drink she set upon him, and drawing a pin from her hair she wounded his eyes and left him altogether blind.

**28** Tunc nūdō gladiō arreptō per mediam urbem sē prōripuit āc prope marītī sepulcrum mortem sibi cōnscīvit.  
Then, snatching up a naked sword, she rushed out through the middle of the city and took her own life near her husband's tomb.

**29** Thrasyllus vērō, omnibus rēbus cōgnitīs, nūllō aliō modō sē tantum scelus expiāre posse ratus, nec tantō facinorī gladium sufficere, sponte suā ad sepulcrum sē recēpit et ‘Ēn ultrō vōbīs, īnfestī Mānēs, adest victima’, saepe clāmitāns, valvīs super sēsē dīligenter obserātīs, inediā statuit fīnīre vītam suā sententiā damnātam.  
But Thrasyllus, when he had learnt everything, thinking that he could atone for so great a crime in no other way, and that a sword was not enough for so great a deed, took himself of his own accord to the tomb, and crying out again and again, 'See, hostile ghosts, here is your victim, of his own free will,' he barred the doors carefully over himself and resolved to end by starving the life he had himself condemned.

**30** Aprum cōnsecūtus quid fēcit Thrasyllus?  
When he had come up with the boar, what did Thrasyllus do?

**31** Quid equō accidit?  
What happened to the horse?

**32** Deinde aper quid fēcit?  
What did the boar do next?

**33** Quid ōrāvit Tlēpolemus?  
What did Tlepolemus beg?

**34** Sed Thrasyllus quid fēcit?  
But what did Thrasyllus do?

**35** Tlēpolemō interfectō quid fēcērunt servī ēius?  
When Tlepolemus had been killed, what did his slaves do?

**36** Intereā quid simulābat Thrasyllus?  
Meanwhile what was Thrasyllus pretending?

**37** Quid fēcit Charitē cum audīvisset Tlēpolemum esse mortuum?  
What did Charite do when she had heard that Tlepolemus was dead?

**38** Quōmodo servī eam domum reportāvērunt?  
How did the slaves carry her home?

**39** Posteā quid frustrā cōnābātur Thrasyllus facere?  
What did Thrasyllus afterwards try in vain to do?

**40** Fūnere dūctō quid ēgit Charitē?  
When the funeral had been held, what did Charite do?

**41** Quid dē eā crēderēs?  
What would you have believed about her?

**42** Cūr hoc crēderēs?  
Why would you have believed this?

**43** Quid tandem eī persuāsit Thrasyllus?  
What did Thrasyllus at last persuade her to do?

**44** Sed quid deinde eam flāgitābat?  
But what did he then press her to do?

**45** Cum ab hōc prōpositō abhorrēret Charitē quid facere cōnābātur?  
When Charite shrank from this proposal, what did she try to do?

**46** Quid eī accidit tālia recordantī?  
What happened to her as she turned such things over?

**47** Quid dīxit umbra?  
What did the ghost say?

**48** Hīs dictīs quid cōnstituit Charitē facere?  
When this had been said, what did Charite decide to do?

**49** Quid igitur Thrasyllum iūssit facere?  
What then did she order Thrasyllus to do?

**50** Quid dedit eī cubiculum ingrēssō?  
What did she give him when he had come into the bedroom?

**51** Deinde quid fēcit Charitē?  
What did Charite do next?

**52** Nūdō arreptō gladiō quō sē prōripuit?  
When she had snatched up a naked sword, where did she rush out to?

**53** Quid apud sepulcrum fēcit?  
What did she do at the tomb?

**54** Hīs rēbus cōgnitīs quid putābat Thrasyllus?  
When he had learnt all this, what did Thrasyllus think?

**55** Quid igitur fēcit?  
What then did he do?

**56** Quid clāmābat?  
What was he crying out?

**57** Quōmodo mortem sibi cōnscīvit?  
How did he take his own life?

**58** Hāc nārrātā fābulā quid dīxit alius convīva?  
When this story had been told, what did another guest say?

**59** Quid omnēs reliquī flāgitābant?  
What did all the rest press for?

**60** Quam pater tuus in mātrimōnium dūxit?  
Whom did your father marry?

**61** Cūr nūpsit māter?  
Why did your mother marry?

**62** Quālēs sunt canēs vēnāticī?  
What are hunting dogs like?

**63** Quid facimus in latebrīs?  
What do we do in hiding places?

| word | gloss |
|---|---|
| Charitēn | dear, beloved |
| mātrimōnium | marriage |
| Charitē | dear, beloved |
| nūpserat | marry, be married to, from nubo |
| capreās | roe deer, from caprea |
| vēnātum | hunting, hunt, from venatus |
| armātās | equip, fit with armor, from armo |
| immānis | huge |
| exsurgit | bestir oneself, from exsurgo |
| saetīs | hair, from saeta |
| inhorrentibus | stand on end, from inhorreo |
| squālidus | squalid, filthy |
| frendentibus | gnash the teeth, grind up, from frendo |
| spūmeus | foamy, frothy |
| comminus | hand to hand |
| aggrēssus | approach, advance, from aggredior |
| iactātīs | throw away, throw out, from jacto |
| lacerāvit | mangle, from lacero |
| calcātīs | filling for ditches, fsacines, from calcata |
| rētibus | net, snare, from rete |
| retinuerant | hold back, restrain |
| fugam | flight, from fuga |
| occāsiōnem | favorable opportunity, favorable moment, from occasio |
| nactus | obtain, get, from nanciscor |
| compellat | address, speak to, from compello |
| pavōre | fear, panic, from pavor |
| praedam | booty, spoils, from praeda |
| ōcius | swifter, more speedy, from ocior |
| vēnābulum | hunting-spear |
| lanceam | lance, from lancea |
| īnsiliunt | come, from insilio |
| īnsuper | above, on top |
| dorsum | back, range |
| contorsit | stir up, make rough, from contorqueo |
| poplitēs | knee, from poples |
| Quadrupes | four-footed |
| supīnātus | lay on the back, from supino |
| invītus | reluctant |
| resurgentem | rise, from resurgo |
| laniāvit | tear, mangle, from lanio |
| coeptī | undertaking, enterprise, from coeptum |
| nefāriī | crime, from nefarium |
| piguit | be weakened, from pigeo |
| contegentī | cover up, conceal, from contego |
| auxiliumque | help, assistance |
| femur | thigh |
| transfōdit | transfix, pierce, from transfodio |
| latebrā | hiding place, retreat |
| concurrērunt | run together, from concurro |
| compos | in control of, master of |
| prōstrātō | knock over, lay low, from prosterno |
| dolōremque | pain, anguish, from dolor |
| cadāver | corpse, cadaver |
| avidē | greedily, hungrily |
| complexus | embrace, hug, from complector |
| officia | duty, from officium |
| affīnxit | add to, attach |
| similitūdinem | likeness, imitation, from similitudo |
| vērē | really, truly |
| lāmentābāmur | lament, from lamento |
| maerōre | grief, sorrow, from maeror |
| fictō | fig, from fictum |
| culpam | fault, from culpa |
| ērepta | snatch from, from eripio |
| āmovēre | move, remove, from amoveo |
| lūctum | grief, sorrow, from luctus |
| sēdāre | sit, remain, from sedo |
| mulcēre | beat up, thrash, from mulceo |
| frustrā | in vain |
| cōnābātur | attempt, try, from conor |
| inediā | fasting, starvation |
| tenebrīs | darkness, obscurity, from tenebra |
| abscondita | hide, conceal, from abscondo |
| adiuvantibus | help, aid, from adjuvo |
| distrahentem | draw, wrench, from distraho |
| nefandō | impious, wicked, from nefandus |
| abhorruit | dread, become terrified, from abhorresco |
| recordantī | think over, from recordor |
| trucidātī | slaughter, butcher, from trucido |
| saniē | ichorous, from sanies |
| cruenta | bloody, from cruentus |
| pallōre | wanness, from pallor |
| dēfōrmis | deformed |
| cōniux | spouse, from conjunx |
| vindicēs | defender, protector, from vindex |
| scelestus | infamous, wicked |
| ēvānuit | vanish, from evanesco |
| percussōrem | murderer, assassin, from percussor |
| miseriīs | misery, distress, from miseria |
| subtrahere | carry off, from subtraho |
| tacitum | Tacitus |
| irrēpsit | creep in or into, from irrepo |
| Charitēque | dear, beloved |
| sopōriferō | bringing sleep or unconsciousness, from soporifer |
| venēnō | imbue or infect with poison |
| immīxtum | mix in, mingle, from immisceo |
| pōtū | drink, from potus |
| acūque | needle, from acus |
| crīnibus | hair, from crinis |
| volnerāvit | wound, pain |
| prōrsusque | forwards, right onward, from prorsus |
| caecum | blind person |
| arreptō | take hold of, from arripio |
| prōripuit | drag or snatch away, from proripio |
| cōnscīvit | ordain, from conscisco |
| scelus | crime |
| expiāre | make amends for, atone for, from expio |
| facinorī | deed, from facinus |
| sufficere | be sufficient, suffice, from sufficio |
| sponte | free will |
| ultrō | besides, beyond |
| valvīs | double or folding door, one, from valva |
| obserātīs | bolt, fasten, from obsero |
| statuit | fix, decide, from statuo |
| damnātam | pass, find guilty, from damno |
| cōnsecūtus | follow, go, from consequor |
| reportāvērunt | bring back, restore, from reporto |
| dūctō | lead |
| reliquī | remaining, rest of, from reliquus |

## Simōnidēs poēta (Puer Rōmānus 22)

**64** Quibus iam nārrātis alius quīdam dīxit fābulam dē Gabiēnō sibi in memoriam revocāvisse et aliam dē poētā Simōnide fābulam, omnibusque flāgitantibus ut nārrāret sīc incēpit: ‘Ōlim Simōnidēs, cum ad lītus nāvem appulisset, inhumātumque corpus ibi inventum sepultūrā affēcisset, admonitus ab umbrā nē proximō diē nāvigāret, nam sī nāvigāsset naufragiō esse peritūrum, in terrā remānsit.  
When these stories had been told, another man said that the story of Gabienus had brought back to his mind another story too, about the poet Simonides, and when they all pressed him to tell it he began thus: 'Once Simonides, when he had brought his ship to shore and had given burial to a body he found unburied there, was warned by the ghost not to sail the next day, for if he sailed he would die in a shipwreck; and so he stayed on land.

**65** Quī inde solverant, flūctibus et procellīs in cōnspectū ēius obrutī sunt.  
Those who had set sail from there were overwhelmed by the waves and the storm in his sight.

**66** Ipse gāvīsus est, quod vītam suam somniō quam nāvī crēdere māluisset.  
He was glad that he had chosen to trust his life to a dream rather than to a ship.

**67** Memor autem beneficiī ēlegantissimō carmine virum celebrāvit, quō melius illī et diūturnius in animīs hominum sepulcrum cōnstituit quam quod in dēsertīs arēnīs strūxerat.’  
And remembering the good turn done him, he honoured the man in a most graceful poem, and so set up for him a better and a longer lasting tomb in men's minds than the one he had built on the lonely sands.'

**68** Mihi quidem brevior haec fābula multō magis placuit quam illa dē Thrasyllō longior, neque mē retinēre poteram quīn ita dīcerem.  
To me at any rate this shorter story was much more pleasing than that longer one about Thrasyllus, and I could not hold myself back from saying so.

**69** Quibus dictīs, longiōris fābulae auctor dīxit oportēre puerulōs tacēre neque stultōs sē praestāre, cuī is quī de Simōnide nārrāverat ‘Interdum’ respondit, ‘etiam stultus bene loquitur’.  
When I had said this, the teller of the longer story said that little boys ought to keep quiet and not show themselves fools, and the man who had told the story of Simonides answered him, 'Sometimes even a fool speaks well.'

**70** Quid fēcit Simōnidēs in lītore?  
What did Simonides do on the shore?

**71** Quid eum monuit umbra?  
What did the ghost warn him?

**72** Cūr hoc eum monuit?  
Why did it warn him of this?

**73** Itaque quid fēcit Simōnidēs?  
So what did Simonides do?

**74** Quid accidit eīs quī iam solverant?  
What happened to those who had already set sail?

**75** Cūr gāvīsus est Simōnides?  
Why was Simonides glad?

**76** Quōmodo grātiās ēgit prō tam praeclārō beneficiō?  
How did he give thanks for so splendid a good turn?

**77** Quid ego dē hāc fābulā dīxī?  
What did I say about this story?

**78** Quid respondit fābulae dē Thrasyllō auctor?  
What did the teller of the story about Thrasyllus answer?

**79** Cuī quid dīxit is quī dē Simōnide nārrāverat?  
And what did the man who had told the story of Simonides say to him?

| word | gloss |
|---|---|
| revocāvisse | call back, recall |
| Simōnide | simony, from Simonides |
| inhumātumque | unburied |
| sepultūrā | burial |
| admonitus | warning |
| nāvigāret | sail, from navigo |
| naufragiō | shipwreck, from naufragium |
| remānsit | flow back, from remaneo |
| flūctibus | wave, billow, from fluctus |
| procellīs | storm, gale, from procella |
| obrutī | cover up, hide, from obruo |
| beneficiī | kindness, favor, from beneficium |
| ēlegantissimō | elegant, fine, from elegans |
| melius | better |
| diūturnius | lasting, lasting long, from diuturnus |
| puerulōs | little boy, from puerulus |
| monuit | remind, advise, from moneo |

## Comitēs Ulixis (Puer Rōmānus 23)

**80** Hī igitur iūrgiō alius alium lacessere coepērunt neque multum aberat quīn ē iūrgiō rīxa orerētur.  
So these two began to provoke each other with quarrelling, and it was not far from a brawl arising out of the quarrel.

**81** Itaque pater statim ‘Ulixem’ inquit, ‘trāditum est errantem, ēversō iam Iliō, tempestātibus hūc illūc et ad aliās Ītaliae āc Siciliae urbēs et Temessam etiam appulsum; ibi dē nāvālibus sociīs ēius ūnum, virgine per vīnum violātā, ab oppidānīs contumēliam vindicantibus lapidibus obrutum.  
So my father said at once, 'It is handed down that Ulysses, as he wandered after Troy had been overthrown, was driven by storms this way and that, to other cities of Italy and Sicily and to Temesa as well; and that there one of his shipmates, having wronged a girl in his drink, was stoned to death by the townsmen avenging the outrage.

**82** Ulixem quidem nūllā ratiōne mortem ulcīscendī initā inde profectum; peremptī vērō sociī mānēs nūllum saeviendī fīnem in cūiuslibet aetātis hominēs fēcisse, dōnec patriam relictūrī Temessēnsēs, ut eam pestem effugerent, Pȳthicī Apollinis respōnsō hērōem plācāre iūssī sunt et cōnsecrātō eī solō templum aedificāre; dēvovēre eī praetereā quotannīs virginem illam, quae ipsīs fōrmōsissima vīsa esset.  
Ulysses, it is said, took no measures to avenge his death and sailed away from there; but the ghost of the murdered shipmate made no end of raging against men of every age, until the people of Temesa, who were about to leave their country in order to escape that plague, were ordered by an answer of Pythian Apollo to appease the hero, to set aside ground for him and build a temple, and besides to dedicate to him every year that girl who seemed to them the most beautiful.

**83** Quod cum illī ex ōrāculō facere pergerent, nihil omnīnō gravius dehinc passī sunt.  
And when they went on doing this according to the oracle, they suffered nothing worse at all from then on.

**84** Forte vērō cum vēnisset Euthȳmus Temessam, eō ipsō tempore quō sollemne nūminī sacrum fīēbat, rē tōtā cōgnitā, āiunt illum postulāsse ut in templum intrōmītterētur; ibi virginem cōnspicātum, prīmō misericordiā commōtum, deinde etiam amōre incēnsum; āc puellam quidem, sī ab eō servāta esset, sē in ēius manum conventūram, fidem dedisse.  
But it happened that when Euthymus had come to Temesa, at the very time when the yearly sacrifice to the spirit was being made, he learned the whole story, and they say he asked to be let into the temple; that there he caught sight of the girl, and was moved at first by pity and then set on fire by love; and that the girl gave her word that, if she were saved by him, she would come into his hand in marriage.

**85** Armīs igitur captīs cum geniō congrēssum; illum victum moenibus et agrō excessisse, ē cōnspectū prōrsus hominum in mare dēmersum ēvānuisse.  
So he took his arms and fought the spirit; and it was beaten and left the walls and the land, and sank into the sea and vanished clean out of men's sight.

**86** Fuisse memorant, cīvitāte ūniversā ē foedissimā calamitāte līberātā, māximē illūstrēs Euthȳmī nūptiās’.  
They relate that, now that the whole state had been freed from a most hideous disaster, the wedding of Euthymus was a very splendid one.'

**87** Quibus nārrātīs ‘Mīrum’ inquit, ‘quam mīrābilēs apud māiōrēs nostrōs rēs acciderint; nūsquam tālia hodiē audīmus’.  
When this had been told, he said, 'It is a wonder what marvellous things happened in the days of our forefathers; nowhere do we hear such things today.'

**88** ‘Sed accidunt’ respondit alius, ‘et apud nōs.’  
'But they do happen,' answered another, 'among us too.'

**89** Ēversō iam Īliō ubi appulsus est Ulixēs?  
After Troy had been overthrown, where was Ulysses driven?

**90** Quid Temessae accidit ūnī ex comitibus Ulixis?  
What happened at Temesa to one of the companions of Ulysses?

**91** Num Ulixēs cōnsilium iniit ut mortem ēius ulcīscerētur?  
Surely Ulysses did not make a plan to avenge his death?

**92** Quid posteā Temessēnsibus accidit?  
What happened to the people of Temesa afterwards?

**93** Cūr Delphōs mīsērunt nūntium?  
Why did they send a messenger to Delphi?

**94** Quid respondit Apollō?  
What did Apollo answer?

**95** Quando Temessam vēnit Euthȳmus?  
When did Euthymus come to Temesa?

**96** Quid ōrāvit Euthȳmus cum dē virgine sacrificandā audiisset?  
What did Euthymus ask when he had heard about the girl who was to be sacrificed?

**97** Quid in templō accidit?  
What happened in the temple?

**98** Cūr adeō illūstrēs erant Euthȳmī nūptiae?  
Why was the wedding of Euthymus so splendid?

| word | gloss |
|---|---|
| iūrgiō | quarrel, from jurgium |
| lacessere | provoke, excite, from lacesso |
| Ulixem | Ulysses, from Ulixes |
| ēversō | sweep, from everro |
| tempestātibus | season, time, from tempestas |
| appulsum | landing, from appulsus |
| nāvālibus | naval, from navalis |
| virgine | maiden, young woman, from virgo |
| violātā | violate, dishonor, from violo |
| oppidānīs | townsman, from oppidanus |
| contumēliam | indignity, affront, from contumelia |
| vindicantibus | claim, vindicate, from vindico |
| ulcīscendī | avenge, from ulciscor |
| initā | enter, from inito |
| peremptī | kill, destroy, from peremo |
| aetātis | age, from aetas |
| dōnec | while, as long as |
| pestem | plague, pestilence, from pestis |
| hērōem | hero, from Hero |
| plācāre | appease, from placo |
| cōnsecrātō | consecrated, holy, from consecratus |
| dēvovēre | devote, consecrate, from devoveo |
| ōrāculō | oracle, from oraculum |
| dehinc | hereafter, henceforth |
| sollemne | solemn, ceremonial, from sollemnis |
| postulāsse | demand, from postulo |
| intrōmītterētur | admit, let into |
| cōnspicātum | catch sight of, see, from conspicor |
| misericordiā | pity, sympathy |
| commōtum | shake, agitate, from commoveo |
| incēnsum | incense |
| captīs | catch, from captus |
| congrēssum | meet, approach, from congredior |
| excessisse | pass, withdraw, from excedo |
| dēmersum | depressed, from demersus |
| memorant | remember, from memoro |
| ūniversā | whole, entire, from universus |
| foedissimā | foul, from foedus |
| calamitāte | loss, disaster, from calamitas |
| nūptiās | marriage, nuptials, from nuptiae |
| nārrātīs | narrative, story, from narratum |
| Mīrum | wonderful, marvelous, from mirus |
| māiōrēs | ancestors, from majores |
| nūsquam | nowhere |
| Delphōs | goddess, from Delphi |
| sacrificandā | sacrificing priest |

## Caesar Rubicōnem trānsit (Puer Rōmānus 24)

**99** Quid enim Caesarī ōlim accidit dubitantī utrum Rubicōnem flūmen trānsīret necne?  
For what happened once to Caesar when he was in doubt whether to cross the river Rubicon or not?

**100** Nam post sōlis occāsum, mūlīs ē proximō pistrīnō ad vehiculum iūnctīs, occultissimum iter modicō comitātū ingrēssus est; et cum, lūminibus exstīnctīs, dēcessisset viā, diū errābundus, tandem sub lūcem duce repertō, per angustissimōs trāmitēs pedibus ēvāsit; cōnsecūtusque cohortēs ad Rubicōnem flūmen, quod prōvinciae ēius fīnis erat, paulum cōnstitit, āc reputāns quantum mōlīrētur, conversus ad proximōs ‘Etiam nunc’, inquit ‘regredī possumus; quod sī ponticulum trānsierimus, omnia armīs agenda erunt’.  
For after sunset, with mules harnessed to a carriage from the nearest mill, he set out on a most secret journey with a small escort; and when, the lights having gone out, he had left the road and wandered for a long time, at last towards dawn he found a guide and got through on foot along the narrowest paths; and coming up with his cohorts at the river Rubicon, which was the boundary of his province, he halted a little, and reflecting how great a thing he was setting in motion, he turned to those nearest him and said, 'Even now we can go back; but if we cross this little bridge, everything will have to be settled by arms.'

**101** Cūnctantī ostentum fit hūiusmodi.  
As he hesitates, a portent of this kind occurs.

**102** Quīdam eximiā magnitūdine et fōrmā proximē sedēns repente appāruit, harundine canēns; ad quem audiendum cum praeter pastōrēs plūrimī etiam ex statiōnibus mīlitēs concurrissent, raptā ab ūnō tubā, ad flumen prōsiluit et ingentī spīritū classicum exōrsus ad alteram rīpam pertendit.  
A man of outstanding size and beauty suddenly appeared sitting close by, playing on a reed; and when, besides the shepherds, very many soldiers too had run together from their posts to hear him, he snatched a trumpet from one of them, leapt down to the river, and, striking up the call to arms with a mighty breath, made for the other bank.

**103** Tunc Caesar ‘Eātur’ inquit ‘quō deōrum ostenta vocant; iacta ālea est’.  
Then Caesar said, 'Let us go where the portents of the gods call us; the die is cast.'

**104** Quid dubitāvit Caesar?  
What was Caesar in doubt about?

**105** Quid post sōlis occāsum fēcit?  
What did he do after sunset?

**106** Lūminibus vehiculī exstīnctīs quid eī accidit?  
When the lights of the carriage had gone out, what happened to him?

**107** Quōmodo sub lūcem pedibus ēvāsit?  
How did he get through on foot towards dawn?

**108** Deinde quō contendit?  
Where did he then hurry?

**109** Cum reputāret quantum mōlīrētur quid adstantibus dīxit?  
When he reflected how great a thing he was setting in motion, what did he say to those standing by?

**110** Quid repente appāruit?  
What suddenly appeared?

**111** Cūr cōncurrērunt omnēs?  
Why did they all run together?

**112** Quid deinde imāgō fēcit?  
What did the apparition then do?

**113** Quid dīxit Caesar?  
What did Caesar say?

| word | gloss |
|---|---|
| Rubicōnem | red dye, from Rubico |
| occāsum | setting, from occasus |
| pistrīnō | mill, from pistrinum |
| occultissimum | swift, at speed, from occulo |
| modicō | modest, ordinary, from modicus |
| dēcessisset | withdraw, go off, from decedo |
| errābundus | wandering |
| trāmitēs | footpath, track, from trames |
| ēvāsit | evade, escape, from evado |
| cohortēs | cohort, from cohors |
| mōlīrētur | struggle, labor, from molio |
| conversus | sweep, from converro |
| ponticulum | little bridge, from ponticulus |
| ostentum | prodigy, marvel |
| eximiā | select, from eximius |
| magnitūdine | size, magnitude, from magnitudo |
| fōrmā | form, beauty |
| proximē | nearest, next |
| harundine | reed, cane, from harundo |
| statiōnibus | outpost, picket, from statio |
| raptā | plunder |
| spīritū | breath, breathing, from spiritus |
| classicum | trumpeter |
| pertendit | persevere, persist, from pertendo |
| ālea | game of dice |
| adstantibus | stand at, from asto |

## Cubitum eō (Puer Rōmānus 25)

**114** Equidem vērō quamquam vehementer cupiēbam fābulās audīre in summō eram terrōre nē quis mē dē Dāvī somniō percontārētur.  
For my part, although I very much wanted to hear the stories, I was in the greatest terror that someone might question me about Davus' dream.

**115** Īmmō vērō dum pater nārrat mihi cōnscius eram animī perturbātiōnis neque procul aberam quīn rubēscendō omnēs certiōrēs facerem mē perturbārī.  
Indeed, while my father was telling it, I was conscious of my own uneasiness, and was not far from letting everyone know by blushing that I was uneasy.

**116** Nam Valerium, avunculum meum, foedā speciē senem et mihi invīsum, cūriōsē mē spectāre vidēbam.  
For I saw that Valerius, my mother's brother, an old man of ugly looks whom I disliked, was watching me curiously.

**117** Id igitur ēgī ut quam celerrimē ē cōnspectū ēius effugerem, quārē hiāre incipiēbam et omnibus modīs simulāre mē fessum esse.  
So I set about getting out of his sight as quickly as I could, and began to yawn and to pretend in every way that I was tired.

**118** Quibus animadversīs pater ‘Iamdūdum’ inquit ‘puerulōs dormīre oportet; age nunc, mī Lūcī, iubē omnēs valēre et ad cubiculum abī’.  
Noticing this my father said, 'Little boys ought to have been asleep long ago; come now, my dear Lucius, bid everyone good night and go off to your bedroom.'

**119** Simul atque haec audīvī summō cum gaudiō, salūtātīs convīvīs, discessī, nam, quamquam plērumque cubitum īre nōlō, sed adultōrum rītū pervigilāre mālō,—neque intellegere possum quam ob rem parentēs aliīque adultī tam mōrōsōs sē praestent ut iūniōrēs semper cubitum dīmīttant priusquam ipsī dormīre velint,—tunc autem minimē aegrē ferēbam mē dīmīttī.  
As soon as I heard this I greeted the guests and went off with the greatest joy; for although as a rule I do not want to go to bed, but would rather stay up in the manner of grown-ups (and I cannot understand why parents and other grown-ups show themselves so peevish as always to send the younger ones off to bed before they want to sleep themselves), yet at that moment I did not in the least mind being sent away.

**120** Quis enim serēnus esse potest cuī semper aliquis adsit terror?  
For who can be untroubled if some fear is always with him?

**121** Beātum illum, cuī mēns rēctī sibi cōnscia; sed nēmo, cuī animī serēnitās abest, beātus dīcī potest quamvīs sit dīves.  
Happy is the man whose mind knows itself to be upright; but no one from whom peace of mind is absent can be called happy, however rich he may be.

**122** Ut Horātius dīcit:—  
As Horace says:

**123** Dēstrīctus ēnsis cuī super impiā  
The man over whose guilty neck a drawn

**124** cervīce pendet, nōn Siculae dapēs  
sword hangs will find no sweet savour

**125** dulcem ēlabōrābunt sapōrem,  
drawn out for him by Sicilian feasts,

**126** nōn avium citharaeque cantūs  
nor will the song of birds and lyre

**127** somnum redūcent.  
bring back his sleep.

**128** Quid timēbam dum fābulae nārrantur?  
What was I afraid of while the stories were being told?

**129** Dum pater nārrat cūius reī mihi cōnscius eram?  
While my father was telling his story, what was I conscious of?

**130** Quis erat Valerius?  
Who was Valerius?

**131** Quid vīdī eum facere?  
What did I see him doing?

**132** Cūr hiāre incēpī?  
Why did I begin to yawn?

**133** Quid mihi dīxit pater?  
What did my father say to me?

**134** Cūr plērumque cubitum īre nōlō?  
Why do I usually not want to go to bed?

**135** Cūr illō tempore nōn aegrē ferēbam mē dīmīttī?  
Why did I not mind being sent away at that time?

**136** Quālis numquam potest serēnus esse?  
What sort of man can never be untroubled?

**137** Quid dīcit Horātius dē tālibus?  
What does Horace say about such men?

| word | gloss |
|---|---|
| vehementer | eagerly, vehemently |
| percontārētur | inquire, from perconto |
| perturbātiōnis | disturbance, from perturbatio |
| rubēscendō | turn red, redden |
| perturbārī | confuse, throw into confusion, from perturbo |
| Valerium | of Valerius, Roman gens, from Valerius |
| avunculum | maternal uncle, mother's brother, from avunculus |
| cūriōsē | why, wherefore, from curiosus |
| effugerem | drive away |
| quārē | in what way? how? by |
| Iamdūdum | long ago, from jamdudum |
| aliīque | some ... others |
| mōrōsōs | hard to please, persnickety, from morosus |
| serēnus | clear, fair |
| serēnitās | fine weather |
| quamvīs | however much |
| Dēstrīctus | strict, severe |
| ēnsis | sword |
| impiā | wicked, impious, from impius |
| dapēs | sacrificial feast, from daps |
| ēlabōrābunt | take pains, exert oneself, from elaboro |
| sapōrem | taste, flavor, from sapor |
| citharaeque | cithara, lyre, from cithara |
| cantūs | tire, iron ring around a |
| redūcent | lead back, bring back, from reduco |