Latin for Beginners Part 50

II. In the princ.i.p.al sentence of an indirect statement after verbs of _saying _and _mental action_. The subject is in the accusative (----416, 418, 419).

<458.>> The subjunctive is used:

1. To denote purpose (----349, 366, 372).

2. To denote consequence or result (----385, 386).

3. In relative clauses of characteristic or description (--390).

4. In > clauses of time, cause, and concession (--396).

5. In indirect questions (--432).

<459.>> EXERCISES

I. 1. Caesar, c.u.m pervenisset, milites hortabatur ne consilium oppidi capiendi omitterent. 2. Rex, castris prope oppidum positis, misit exploratores qui cognoscerent ubi exercitus Roma.n.u.s esset. 3. Nemo relinquebatur qui arma ferre posset. 4. Nuntii viderunt ingentem armorum mult.i.tudinem de muro in fossani iactam esse. 5. Dux suos transire flumen iussit. Transire autem hoc flumen erat difficillimum.

6. Romani c.u.m hanc calamitatem moleste ferrant, tamen terga vertere recusaverunt. 7. Hoc rumore audito, tantus terror omnium animos occupavit ut ne fortissimi quidem proelium committere vellent. 8. Erant qui putarent tempus anni idoneum non esse itineri faciendo. 9. Tam acriter ab utraque parte pugnabatur ut multa milia hominum occiderentur.

10. Quid times? Timeo ne Romanis in animo sit totam Galliam superare et n.o.bis iniurias inferre.

II. 1. Do you not see who is standing on the wall? 2. We hear that the plan of taking the town has been given up. 3. Since the Germans thought that the Romans could not cross the Rhine, Caesar ordered a bridge to be made. 4. When the bridge was finished, the savages were so terrified that they hid themselves. 5. They feared that Caesar would pursue them.

6. Caesar [1]asked the traders what the size of the island was. 7. The traders advised him not [2]to cross the sea. 8. He sent scouts [3]to choose a place for a camp.

[Footnote 1: >.]

[Footnote 2: Not infinitive.]

[Footnote 3: Use the gerundive with

READING MATTER

INTRODUCTORY SUGGESTIONS

> You have already had considerable practice in translating simple Latin, and have learned that the guide to the meaning lies in the endings of the words. If these are neglected, no skill can make sense of the Latin. If they are carefully noted and accurately translated, not many difficulties remain. Observe the following suggestions:

1. Read the Latin sentence through to the end, noting endings of nouns, adjectives, verbs, etc.

2. Read it again and see if any of the words you know are nominatives or accusatives. This will often give you what may be called the backbone of the sentence; that is, subject, verb, and object.

3. Look up the words you do not know, and determine their use in the sentence from their endings.

4. If you cannot yet translate the sentence, put down the English meanings of all the words _in the same order as the Latin words_. You will then generally see through the meaning of the sentence.

5. Be careful to

_a._ Translate adjectives with the nouns to which they belong.

_b._ Translate together prepositions and the nouns which they govern.

_c._ Translate adverbs with the words that they modify.

_d._ _Make sense._ If you do not make sense, you have made a mistake. One mistake will spoil a whole sentence.

6. When the sentence is correctly translated, read the Latin over again, and try to understand it as Latin, without thinking of the English translation.

> You will now meet somewhat longer sentences than you have had before. To a.s.sist in translating them, remember, first of all, that every sentence conveys a meaning and either tells us something, asks a question, or gives a command. Every sentence must have a subject and a verb, and the verb may always have an adverb, and, if transitive, will have a direct object.

However long a sentence is, you will usually be able to recognize its subject, verb, and object or predicate complement without any difficulty. These will give you the leading thought, and they must never be lost sight of while making out the rest of the sentence. The chief difficulty in translating arises from the fact that instead of a single adjective, adverb, or noun, we often have a phrase or a clause taking the place of one of these; for Latin, like English, has adjective, adverbial, and substantive clauses and phrases. For example, in the sentence _The idle boy does not study_, the word _idle_ is an adjective.

In _The boy wasting his time does not study_, the words _wasting his time_ form an adjective phrase modifying _boy_. In the sentence _The boy who wastes his time does not study_, the words _who wastes his time_ form an adjective clause modifying _boy_, and the sentence is complex.

These sentences would show the same structure in Latin.

In translating, it is important to keep the parts of a phrase and the parts of a clause together and not let them become confused with the princ.i.p.al sentence. To distinguish between the subordinate clauses and the princ.i.p.al sentence is of the first importance, and is not difficult if you remember that a clause regularly contains a word that marks it as a clause and that this word usually stands first. These words join clauses to the words they depend on, and are called _subordinate conjunctions_. They are not very numerous, and you will soon learn to recognize them. In Latin they are the equivalents for such words as _when, while, since, because, if, before, after, though, in order that, that_, etc. Form the habit of memorizing the Latin subordinate conjunctions as you meet them, and of noting carefully the mood of the verb in the clauses which they introduce.

[Ill.u.s.tration: HERCULES]

THE LABORS OF HERCULES

Hercules, a Greek hero celebrated for his great strength, was pursued throughout his life by the hatred of Juno. While yet an infant he strangled some serpents sent by the G.o.ddess to destroy him. During his boyhood and youth he performed various marvelous feats of strength, and on reaching manhood he succeeded in delivering the Thebans from the oppression of the Minyae. In a fit of madness, sent upon him by Juno, he slew his own children; and, on consulting the Delphic oracle as to how he should cleanse himself from this crime, he was ordered to submit himself for twelve years to Eurystheus, king of Tiryns, and to perform whatever tasks were appointed him. Hercules obeyed the oracle, and during the twelve years of his servitude accomplished twelve extraordinary feats known as the Labors of Hercules. His death was caused, unintentionally, by his wife Deiani'ra. Hercules had shot with his poisoned arrows a centaur named Nessus, who had insulted Deianira.

Nessus, before he died, gave some of his blood to Deianira, and told her it would act as a charm to secure her husband's love. Some time after, Deianira, wishing to try the charm, soaked one of her husband's garments in the blood, not knowing that it was poisoned. Hercules put on the robe, and, after suffering terrible torments, died, or was carried off by his father Jupiter.

[Ill.u.s.tration: HERCULES ET SERPENTES]

LIII.[1] THE INFANT HERCULES AND THE SERPENTS

Di[2] grave supplicium summit de malis, sed ii qui legibus[3] deorum parent, etiam post mortem curantur. Illa vita dis[2] erat gratissima quae hominibus miseris utilissima fuerat. Omnium autem praemiorum summum erat immortalitas. Illud praemium Herculi datum est.

Herculis pater fuit Iuppiter, mater Alcmena, et omnium hominum validissimus fuisse dicitur. Sed Iuno, regina deorum, eum, adhuc infantem, interficere studebat; nam ei[1] et[2] Hercules et Alcmena erant invisi. Itaque misit duas serpentis, utramque saevissimam, quae media nocte domum[3] Alcmenae venerunt. Ibi Hercules, c.u.m fratre suo, non in lectulo sed in scuto ingenti dormiebat. Iam audaces serpentes adpropinquaverant, iam scutum movebant. Tum frater, terrore commotus, magna voce matrem vocavit, sed Hercules ipse, fortior quam frater, statim ingentis serpentis manibus suis rapuit et interfecit.

[Footnote 1: This number refers to the lesson after which the selection may be read.]

[Footnote 2: > and > are from >. Cf. --468.]

[Footnote 3: >, --501.14.]

[Footnote 1: >, _to her_, referring to Juno.]

[Footnote 2: >, _both ... and_.]

[Footnote 3: >, --501.20.]

LIV. HERCULES CONQUERS THE MINYae

Hercules a puero[1] corpus suum gravissimis et difficillimis laboribus exercebat et hoc modo vires[2] suas confirmavit. Iam adulescens Thebis[3] habitabat. Ibi Creon quidam erat rex. Minyae, gens validissima, erant finitimi Thebanis, et, quia olim Thebanos vicerant, quotannis legatos mittebant et vectigal postulabant. Hercules autem const.i.tuit civis suos hoc vectigali liberare et dixit regi, "Da mihi exercitum tuum et ego hos superbos hostis superabo." Hanc condicionem rex non recusavit, et Hercules nuntios in omnis partis dimisit et copias coegit.[4] Tum tempore opportunissimo proelium c.u.m Minyis commisit. Diu pugnatum est, sed denique illi impetum Thebanorum sustinere non potuerunt et terga verterunt fugamque ceperunt.