Learning Latin With Plutarch: Anseres Sacri
Hostes ipsi nobis viam ostenderunt qua nos eos petemusque quam non ante scivimus, et nos docuerunt esse non tam difficileque impossibile.
I’ve started working on a second volume of my Learning Latin With Plutarch series which provides excerpts from Plutarch’s Lives in intermediate Latin. You can check out Volume I here, and I will posting sections from Volume II as I finish them. If you like this sort of thing, please show your support by liking posts, buying books and leaving favorable reviews for books!
Anseres Sacri
Mox fama victoriae Camilli urbes vicinas advenit, et iuvenes undique ad Ardeam venerunt. Romani, qui e proelium Aliae ad Veios fugerant, de Camillo audiverunt, et lacrimaverunt, “O caela, quam magnum ducem providentia ex Roma rapuit! Urbs illa, quae tot viros genuit, perdita est, et nos, sine duce ignave sedentes, in moenibus alienis cludimur dum Italia pro oculis nostris perditur. Nunc ducem ab Ardeatibus rogeamus,[1] aut ad eum cum armis in manibus nostribus eamus. Non iam exsul est cum patria perdita sitque sit in manibus hostium.”
Milites itaque Romani nuntium Camillo misit, sed Camillus recusavitque dixit, “Non ibo donec iure viris in Capitolio eligor, nam ei sunt patria mea dum vivent. Si autem me mandant, celeriter cum exercitu ad Romam ibo.” Responso accepto[2] Romani pudoremque temperantia eius admirati sunt; desperaverunt autem neminem nuntium Camilli ad Capitolium ferre posse dum hostes urbem tenent.
Pontius Cominius, qui est plebs sed cupidus honoris, iit, et Capitolium per viam secretam advenit. Ibi victoriam Camilli narravitque suasit Senatum Camillum dictatorem eligere. Senatus declaravit Camillum esse dictatorem, et Cominius cum nuntium rediit. Tunc Camillus cum exercitu suo Veios iitque sibi viginti mille Romanos coniunxit, et exercitus ad Romam discessit.
In autem Roma Galli ulli viam Cominii invenerunt, eam Brenno dixerunt qui ipse venit ut viam inspiceret. Rex locutus est, “Hostes ipsi nobis viam ostenderunt qua nos eos petemusque quam non ante scivimus, et nos docuerunt[3] esse non tam difficileque impossibile. Erit calamitas magna si urbem non capimusque locum tam munitum rapimus cum hostes ipse nobis viam, qua urbs capi potest, ostenderint. Via, quam vir unus facile ascendit, non erit difficilis multis qui una ascendent. Praemiaque honores viris omnibus qui apicem advenient dabuntur.”
Nocte manus magna Gallorum tacite Capitolium ascenderuntque custodes Romanos qui dormiunt necaverunt. Quidem Galli ea nocte ipsa[4] urbem cepissent[5] si anseres Romam non servavissent. Quamquam Romani Gallos non audiunt, anseres sacri templi Iunonis adventum Gallorum audiveruntque Roman castra omnia cum strepitu excitaverunt. Tunc Romani arma rapueruntque Gallos irruerunt. Manlius, vir dignitatis consularis et corporisque animi valentis, primum Gallos occurit, et Gallos duos necavit. Primum Gallum cum ensi necavit, et Gallum secundum e Capitolio cum scuto pepulit. Cum Romanis aliis Manlius Gallos e Capitolio pepulitt et urbem servavit.
[1] The hortatory subjunctive: let us ask for
[2] An ablative absolute
[3] Introduces an indirect statement
[4] ea nocte ipsa- an ablative of time: that very night
[5] Cepissent…servavissent- a contrary to fact condition: would have captured… had not saved…
Vocabulary
Admiror, ārī, admirātus sum- to admire, wonder at
Advenio, īre, advēnī, adventus- to arrive
Aliēnus, a, um- foreign, another’s
Apex, apicis, - summit, peak, top m.
Audīo, īre, īvī, ītus- to hear
Brennus- king of the Gauls
Calamitās, calamitātis, f.- disaster
Capitōlium, ī, n.- the Capitoline Hill
Cēdō, ere, cessī, cessus- to go, yield
Clūdō, ere, clūsī, clūsus- to shut, close in
Cupidus, a, um- eager, desirous
Dēclārō, āre, āvī, ātus- to declare
Dēspērō, āre, āvī, ātus- to despair
Dīcō, ere, dīxī, dictus- to say
Dūcō, ere, dūxī, ductus- to lead
Eligō, ere, ēlēgī, ēlectus- to choose, elect
Exercitus, ūs, m.- army
Exsul, exulis, c.- exile, banished person
Ferō, ferre, tulī, lātus- to bring, carry
Fuga, ae, f.- flight, escape
Fugiō, fugere, fūgī- to flee
Galli, ōrum, m. pl.- the Gauls
Genū, ūs, n.- knee
Gignō, ere, genuī, genitus- to beget, give birth to, produce
Honor, honōris, m.- honor, public office
Hostis, is, c.- enemy
Ignāvus, a, um- cowardly, lazy
Imperium, ī, n.- power, command
Inspiciō, ere, īnspexī, īnspectus- to inspect, look into
Invēniō, īre, invēnī, inventus- to find
Iūstus, a, um- just, rightful
Iuvenis, is, m.- young man
Lacrimō, āre, āvī, ātus- to weep
Loquor, loquī, locutus est- to speak
Mīles, mīlitis, m.- soldier
Mūniō, īre, īvī, ītus- to fortify
Nūntius, ī, m.- messenger, message
Occurrō, ere, occurrī, occursus- to meet, run to
Ōrō, āre, āvī, ātus- to beg, plead
Ostendō, ere, ostendī, ostentus- to show
Pēto, ere, petīvī, petītus- to seek, attack
Plebs, plēbis, f.- common people, plebeians
Praemium, ī, n.- reward, prize
Prīmus, a, um- first
Proelium, ī, n.- battle
Providentia, ae, f.- foresight, providence
Pūdor, ōris, m.- shame, modesty
Rapiō, ere, rapuī, raptus- to seize, snatch
Recūsō, āre, āvī, ātus- to refuse
Rōgō, āre, āvī, ātus- to ask, request
Sacer, sacra, sacrum- sacred, holy
Scūtum, ī, n.- shield
Senātus, ūs, m.- Senate
Servō, āre, āvī, ātus- to save, preserve
Somnus, ī, m.- sleep
Strepitus, ūs, m.- noise, uproar
Suādeō, ēre, suāsī, suāsus- to advise, persuade
Tacitē- silently
Temperantia, ae, f.- self-control, moderation
Undique- from all sides, everywhere
Urbs, urbis, f.- city
Valeō, ēre, uī, itus- to be strong, well
Veiī, ōrum, m. pl.- Veii, Etruscan city
Veniō, īre, vēnī, ventus- to come
Vīgintī- twenty
Vīvō, ere, vīxī, victus- to live
Translation
Soon rumor of the victory of Camillus reached the nearby cities, and young men from everywhere came to Ardea. The Romans, who had fled to Veii, heard about Camillus and cried, “O heavens, how great a leader has providence snatched from Rome! That city, which produced so many men, has been destroyed, and we, sitting idly without a leader, are enclosed in foreign walls while Italy is destroyed before our eyes. Now let us ask for a leader from the Ardeates or go to him with weapons in our hands. No longer is he an exile when his country has been destroyed and is in the hands of enemies.”
And so the Roman soldiers sent a messenger to Camillus, but Camillus refused and said, “I will not go unless I am chosen lawfully by the men in the Capitoline, for they are my country while they live. However, if they command me, I will quickly go to Rome with an army.” Once that response had been received, the Romans admired his modesty and temperance; however, they despaired that no one was able to bring Camillus’s message to the Capitoline while the enemies held the city.
Pontius Cominius, who was a plebeian but desirous of honor, went, and arrived at the Capitoline through a secret route. There he told them of Camillus’s victory and persuaded the senate to elect Camillus as dictator. The senate declared that Camillus was dictator, and Cominius returned with the message. Then Camillus went with his army to Veii and joined twenty thousand Romans to himself, and the army departed for Rome.
In Rome, however, some Gauls found the path of Cominius and told it to Brennus who himself came to inspect the route. The king said, “The enemy himself has shown us the way by which we will attack them and which we did not know before, and he has taught us that it is not so difficult and impossible. There will be a great calamity if we do not capture the city and grab a place so fortified when the enemy himself has shown to us the path by which the city can be captured. The path, which one man can easily ascend, will not be difficult for many who climb together. Rewards and honors will be given to every man who reaches the top.”
At night a great band of Gauls silently climbed to the Capitoline and killed the Roman guards who were sleeping. Indeed the Gauls would have captured the city that very night if geese had not saved Rome. Although the Romans did not hear the Gauls, the sacred geese of the temple of Juno heard the arrival of the Gauls and woke the whole Roman camp with their noise. Then the Romans grabbed their arms and charged the Gauls. Manlius, a man of consular dignity and a mighty body and mind, first met the Gauls, and he slew two Gauls. The first Gaul he killed with his sword, and the second Gaul he drove from the Capitoline with his shield. With the other Romans, Manlius drove the Gauls from the Capitoline and saved the city.