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A First Latin Reader/5

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 4. Christopher Columber (Concluded) 6. Captain John Smith 
LESSON 5
The Cabots

Interim vir quīdam, nōmine Cabot, ā[1] Britanniā cum nāve parvā nautīsque paucīs profectus est atque ad Americam pervēnit. Quī[2] nōn sōlum īnsulās adiit, sed etiam eam[3] terram, quae nunc Canada appellātur. Posteā īdem cum fīliō ad Americam iterum nāvigāvit, ac multa mīlia passuum secundum lītus prōgressus, Indōs vīdit multōs. Interim nautae prope īnsulās quāsdam morābantur, ut piscīs caperent. Quī, cum[4] domum incolumēs[5] redīssent, amīcīs suīs multa[6] nārrāvērunt dē rēbus mīrīs, quās vīderant; quīn etiam dīxērunt sē ursās[7] vīdisse in mare prōgredientēs, ut piscīs raperent.

Cabot fīlius[8] posteā omnīs in partēs nāvigāvit, ac diū cōnātus est viam invenīre, quā[9] circum Eurōpam nāvigāre atque ita ad Asiam pervenīre posset; eam tamen viam numquam invēnit, neque[10] nunc nōta est. Ōlim, cum iam esset senex neque ipse diūtius[11] nāvigāre posset, dōna magna dīcitur[12] dedisse nautīs quibusdam, quōs forte cōgnōverat parvā in nāve ad terrās īgnōtās profectūrōs esse[13]; adeō nāvīs nautāsque semper amāvit.


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  1. ā: from.
  2. quī he.
  3. eam: the.
  4. quī, cum: (and) when they.
  5. incolumēs: cf. p. 4, l. 14.
  6. multa: cf. ea, p. 2, l. 13, and multa, p. 3, l. 6. This noun use of the neuter of adjectives and pronouns is exceedingly frequent in Latin. The English rendering varies with the context.
  7. ursās: ursa, -ae, f., bear.
  8. fīlius:: the younger.
  9. quā: abl. of way by which; cf. quā, p. 1., l. 12.
  10. neque: cf. nec, p. 2, l. 4.
  11. diūtius: (any) longer.
  12. dīcitur: lit. he is said. This personal passive construction is common in the present, and future tenses of verbs of saying, thinking, and the like.
  13. profectūrōs esse: cf. reditūrus esset, p. 4, l. 3.