Learning Latin With Plutarch II: Fuga Camilli
Postea milites Romani Camillo iratus sunt.
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!
Fuga Camilli
Postea milites Romani Camillo iratus sunt. Quod Camillus Falerios sine proelio ceperat, milites urbem spoliare non poterant. Populi autem Camillum qui libere consilium urbis dividendi condemnat odiverunt. Lucius Apuleius Camillum publice accusavit, sed Camillus calumniam certare non poterat. Nam unus filiorum duorum Camilli mortuus erat, et Camillus tam dolore immoderato opprimebatur ut inter feminas deploraretque domu non abiret.
Camillus amicosque familiam rogavit ut nomen defenderent, sed omnes constiterunt calumniam vinci numquam posse; potius pecuniam poenae collecturos esse. Camillus autem fiebat iratus, et constituit se urbe discessurumque in exilium iturum esse. Uxoremque filium relinquens ad portam urbis iit, et ibi, consistensque vertens, manus ad Capitolium extenditque oravit, “O Dei, si ego non ob vitium meum sed per malitiamque violentiam populi in exilio depellor, Romani celeriter poeniteant, et homo totus necessitatem Romanorum et cupiditatem reditui Camilli videat.”
Sic similis Achilli, qui in comitibus imprecatus est, ex urbe discessit.
Vocabulary
Accūsō, āre, āvī, ātus- to accuse
Ad- to, toward (+ acc.)
Amīcus, ī, m.- friend
Aperiō, īre, aperuī, apertus- to open
Calumnia, ae, f.- false charge, slander
Capitōlium, ī, n.- Capitol (temple of Jupiter in Rome)
Caput, capitis, n.- head
Certō, āre, āvī, ātus- to contend, struggle
Cēterī, ae, a- the rest, remaining
Condemnō, āre, āvī, ātus- to condemn
Consilium, ī, n.- plan, advice
Consisto, ere, constiti, constitutus- to stop, halt
Cōnstituō, ere, uī, ūtus- to decide
Consto, are, constiti, constitus- to agree
Culpō, āre, āvī, ātus- to blame
Cupīditas, cupiditatis, f.- desire, longing
Depello, ere depuli, depulsus- to drive out, expel
Dēplōrō, āre, āvī, ātus- to bewail, lament
Discedō, ere, discessī, discessus- to leave, depart
Dīvidō, ere, vīsī, vīsus- to divide
Dolor, ōris, m.- pain, grief
Domus, ūs, f.- home, house
Eō, īre, iī, itus- to go, to proceed
Exilium, ī, n.- exile
Falsus, a, um- false, dishonest
Familia, ae, f.- family
Fēmina, ae, f.- woman
Fīlius, ī, m.- son
Fiō, fierī, factus sum- to become, be made
Fugiō, ere, fūgī, fugitus- to flee
Hōmō, hominis, m.- man, human, mankind
Immoderatus, a, um- immoderate, unrestrained
Imprecor, ari, imprecatus sum- to call down on; curse; invoke
Īrāscor, ī, īrātus sum- to grow angry
Īrātus, a, um- angry
Iubeō, ēre, iussī, iussus- to order
Libere (adv.)- freely
Malitia, ae, f.- wickedness
Manus, ūs, f.- hand
Mīles, itis, m.- soldier
Moneō, ēre, uī, itus- to warn, advise
Mortuus, a, um- dead
Necēsse (indecl.)- necessary
Nōmen, inis, n.- name, reputation
Ob+acc.- on account of, because of
Odiō, īre, īvī- to hate
Oppprimō, ere, pressī, pressus- to overwhelm
Ōrō, āre, āvī, ātus- to pray
Pecūnia, ae, f.- money
Poeniteo, ere, poenitui- to displease, regret
Populus, ī, m.- people
Porta, ae, f.- gate
Posteā- afterwards
Praebeō, ēre, uī, itus- to offer, provide
Proelium, ī, n.- battle
Pūblicē (adv.)- publicly
Reditus, us, m.- return
Relinquō, ere, līquī, lictus- to leave behind
Rogō, āre, āvī, ātus- to ask
Rōmānī, ōrum, m. pl.- Romans
Rōmānus, a, um- Roman
Sententia, ae, f.- opinion, feeling
Similis, e+dat.- like, similar to
Spoliō, āre, āvī, ātus- to plunder
Tamen- nevertheless
Urbs, urbis, f.- city
Ut- that, so that; as
Uxor, ōris, f.- wife
Verto, ere, verti, versus- to turn
Videō, ēre, vīdī, vīsus- to see
Violentia, ae, f.- violence
Vītum, ī, n.- fault, vice
Vocō, āre, āvī, ātus- to call
Votum, ī, n.- vow, prayer
Vultus, ūs, m.- face, expression
Translation
Afterwards the Roman soldiers were angry with Camillus. Because Camillus had captured Falerii without a battle, the soldiers were not able to plunder the city. Moreover, the people hated Camillus who gladly condemned the plan of dividing the city. Lucius Apuleius publicly accused Camillus, but Camillus was not able to contest the charge. For one of the two sons of Camillus had died, and Camillus was so overwhelmed by immoderate grief that he lamented among the women and would not leave his home.
Camillus asked his friends and family to defend his name, but everyone agreed that the false charge was not able to be defeated; instead they would collect the money for the fine. Camillus, however, became angry and decided that he would depart from the city and go into exile. Leaving his wife and son, he went to the gate of the city, and there, halting and turning, he extended his hands to the Capitol and prayed, “O gods, if I am driven out into exile not on account of my fault but by the maliciousness and violence of the people, let the Romans quickly regret it, and let all of mankind see the necessity of the Romans and their desire for the return of Camillus.”
Thus like Achilles, who prayed against his companions, he departed from the city.