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A First Latin Reader/131

Nexus addere
E Wikisource
Herbert Chester Nutting
A First Latin Reader
Lesson 131.
The Death of Caesar
1912

fons: librum vide
 129-130. An Episode from the Civil War 132-133. The Fate of Hannibal 
THE DEATH OF CAESAR
(Suetonius, Iūlius, 81, 82)
LESSON 131

As a result of the civil war, Caesar became master of the Roman world. Many did not approve of his absolute power, and a plot was formed to take his life. As he left home for the senate house on the fatal day, some one pushed into his hand a document telling of the conspiracy; but he did not stop to examine it.

Plūribus[1] hostiīs[2] caesīs[3], cum[4] litāre[5] nōn posset, introiit[6] cūriam[7] sprētā[8] religiōne Spurinnam[9]que irrīdēns[10] et ut falsum[11] arguēns[12], quod[13] sine ūllā suā noxā[14] Īdūs Mārtiae adessent: quamquam is[15] vēnisse quidem eās dīceret, sed nōn praeterisse. Assidentem[16] cōnspīrātī[17] speciē officiī[18] circumstetērunt; īlicō[19]que Cimber Tillius, quī prīmās partēs[20] suscēperat, quasi aliquid rogātūrus[21] propius accessit, renuentī[22]que et gestū[23] in aliud tempus differentī[24] ab[25] utrōque umerō togam[26] apprehendit[27]; deinde clāmantem[28], “Ista[29] quidem vīs[30] est,” alter ē Cascīs[31] āversum[32] vulnerat, paulum īnfrā[33] iugulum[34].

Caesar Cascae bracchium[35] arreptum graphiō[36] trāiēcit[37], cōnātusque prōsilīre[38] aliō vulnere tardātus est[39]; ut[40]que animadvertit undique sē strīctīs[41] pūgiōnibus[42] petī, togā[43] caput obvolvit[44], simul sinistrā[45] manū sīnum[46] ad īma crūra[47] dēduxit, quō honestius[48] caderet, etiam īnferiōre corporis parte vēlātā[49]. Atque ita tribus et vīgintī plāgīs[50] cōnfossus est, ūnō[51] modō[52] ad[53] prīmum īctum[54] gemitū sine vōce[55] ēditō; etsī trādidērunt quīdam Mārcō Brūtō inruentī[56] dīxisse[57], “Καὶ[58]” σύ, τέκνον;” Exanimis[59], diffugientibus[60] cūnctīs[61], aliquamdiū iacuit, dōnec lectīcae[62] impositum, dēpendente[63] bracchiō[64], trēs servolī[65] domum rettulērunt[66]. Nec in[67] tot vulneribus, ut Antistius medicus[68] exīstimābat, lētāle[69] ūllum repertum est, nisi quod[70] secundō[71] locō in pectore[72] accēperat.

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 Imago hoc loco in textu apparere debet, vide Normas imaginum.
Si eam praebere potes, vide Auxilium:Imagines addendae pro instructionibus onerandis.
Caius Iūlius Caesar

A Roman of distinguished family, and one of the ablest warriors the world has known.

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  1. ↑ plūribus: i.e. complūribus.
  2. ↑ hostiīs: hostia, -ae: f, sacrificial victim.
  3. ↑ caesīs: caedō, 3, cecīdī, caesus: slay.
  4. ↑ cum: concessive.
  5. ↑ litāre: litō, 1, -āvī, -ātum est: secure favorable omens; the condition of the entrails of the slaughtered animals being supposed to portend good fortune or the reverse.
  6. ↑ introiit: introeō, -īre, -iī, -itus: enter.
  7. ↑ cūriam: cūria, -ae: f, senate house.
  8. ↑ sprētā: from spernō.
  9. ↑ Spurinnam: m, a priest who had predicted peril for Caesar on the 15th of March (Īdūs Mārtiae, l. 3).
  10. ↑ irrīdēns (-entis, part.): deriding.
  11. ↑ ut falsum: as (a) false (prophet).
  12. ↑ arguēns (-entis, part.): assailing.
  13. ↑ quod: as on p. 55, l. 11.
  14. ↑ suā noxā (noxa, -ae, F.): f, harm to him (Caesar).
  15. ↑ is: i.e. Spurinna.
  16. ↑ Assidentem: sc. Caesarem (assīdō, 3, -sēdī, -sessum est), take one's seat.
  17. ↑ cōnspīrātī (-ōrum, M.): m, the conspirators.
  18. ↑ officiī: n, of (showing) respect.
  19. ↑ īlicō: adv., i.e. statim.
  20. ↑ prīmās partēs: f, i.e. the leading rôle.
  21. ↑ aliquid rogātūrus: lit. what?, intending to make some request.
  22. ↑ renuentī: sc. Caesarī (renuō, 3, -nuī, shake (one's) head), translate by a clause introduced by “as”; the lit. meaning of the dat. is “for.”.
  23. ↑ gestū: gestus, -ūs: m, gesture.
  24. ↑ differentī: sc. eum, lit. putting (him) off.
  25. ↑ ab: cf. the use of ex in phrases like omnibus ex partibus, at.
  26. ↑ togam: toga, -ae: f, robe.
  27. ↑ apprehendit: apprehendō, 3, -prehendī, -prehēnsus: lay hold of.
  28. ↑ clāmantem: sc. Caesarem.
  29. ↑ Ista: for istud (subject of est); cf. the agreement of quod, p. 30, l. 6.
  30. ↑ vīs: f, (downright) violence.
  31. ↑ Cascīs: m, the two were brothers (nom. Casca).
  32. ↑ āversum: lit. turned away, from behind.
  33. ↑ īnfrā: prep., below.
  34. ↑ iugulum: iugulum, -ī: n, neck.
  35. ↑ bracchium: bracchium, -ī: n, arm.
  36. ↑ graphiō: graphium, -ī: n, stylus.
  37. ↑ trāiēcit: trāiciō, 3, -iēcī, -iectus: pierce.
  38. ↑ prōsilīre: prōsiliō, 4, -uī: leap forward.
  39. ↑ tardātus est: tardō, 1: stop.
  40. ↑ ut: i.e. ubi.
  41. ↑ strīctīs: strictus, -a, -um: part., drawn.
  42. ↑ pūgiōnibus: pūgiō, -ōnis: m, i.e. sīcīs.
  43. ↑ togā: cf. l. 2.
  44. ↑ obvolvit: obvolvō, 3, -volvī, -volūtus: shroud.
  45. ↑ sinistrā: sinister, -tra, -trum: sc. manū, left.
  46. ↑ sīnum: sinus, -ūs: m, translate here as pl., fold; (its) folds.
  47. ↑ ad īma crūra: n, i.e. to his ankles (crūs, crūris, N., leg).
  48. ↑ honestius: honestē: adv., in seemly fashion.
  49. ↑ vėlātā: i.e. tēctā (vēlō, 1).
  50. ↑ plāgīs: f, i.e. vulneribus (plāga, -ae, F.).
  51. ↑ ūnō: construe with gemitū.
  52. ↑ modō: i.e. tantum.
  53. ↑ ad: at.
  54. ↑ īctum: īctus, -ūs: m, blow.
  55. ↑ vōce: f, articulation.
  56. ↑ inruentī: inruēns, -entis: part., pressing forward.
  57. ↑ dīxisse: sc. eum (i.e. Caesarem).
  58. ↑ Καὶ σὺ τέκνον: you too, my boy?.
  59. ↑ Exanimis: exanimis, -is, -e: lifeless.
  60. ↑ diffugientibus: diffugiō, 3, -fūgī: scatter.
  61. ↑ cūnctīs: i.e. omnibus, as noun (cūnctī, -ae, -a).
  62. ↑ lectīcae: lectīca, -ae: f, litter.
  63. ↑ dēpendente: dēpendēns, -entis: part., hanging down.
  64. ↑ bracchiō: cf. p. 168, l. 5.
  65. ↑ servolī: servolus, -ī: m, cf. servus, young slave.
  66. ↑ rettulērunt: sc. eum.
  67. ↑ in: amongst.
  68. ↑ medicus: medicus, -ī: m, physician.
  69. ↑ lētāle: i.e. exitiāle (lētālis, -is, -e).
  70. ↑ nisi quod: excepting (one) which.
  71. ↑ secundō: i.e. specially vulnerable; lit. favorable.
  72. ↑ pectore: pectus, -oris: n, chest.
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