A First Latin Reader/52

by Herbertus Chester Nutting

Herbert Chester Nutting

A First Latin Reader

Lesson 52. An Example of Fortitude

1912

fons: librum vide

51. How the Town was Saved	53. A Hasty Leave-Taking

LESSON 52

An Example of Fortitude

Indī Americānī summum cruciātum sine gemitū patī possunt, atque Indī Asiāticī nūdī^[1] dīcuntur inter nivēs vītam^[2] agere, neque ēdere^[3] gemitum, etsī ^[4] ignēs^[5] admoveantur.^[6] Illī tamen cruciātū fortiter ferendō^[7] Rōmānōs nūllō modō superant. Nam olim, cum diū neque fēlīciter ^[8] bellum cum rēge Porsinnā^[9] gestum esset, C.^[10] Mūcius, clārus iuvenis Romānus, Tiberim^[11] cōnstituit sōlus trānsīre rēgemque hostium, sī^[12] posset, interficere. Itaque tēlō veste ^[13] tēctō profectus est; cumque flūmen clam trānsīsset, in castra hostium incolumis pervenit. Ibi tamen rēgem a comitibus internōscere^[14] nōn potuit, ac prō Porsinnā scrībam^[15] occīdit; deinde frūstrā effugere cōnātus ad^[16] rēgem ipsum dēductus est. Quī^[17] cum vellet^[18] penitus^[19] cōgnōscere cōnsilia, quae in ^[20] sē inita erant,^[21] ignēs iussit admovērī, ut iuvenis omnia^[22] prōdere cōgerētur. Ille autem ultrō dextram in ignem porrēxit, cruciātumque sine gemitū passus est. Quō^[23] vīsō rex, tantam fortitūdinem admīrātus, captīvum incolumem dīmīsit, ac paulō post ā Rōmānīs pācis condiciōnēs petīvit, quod^[24] cum gente, ex quā erant iuvenēs^[25] tantae virtūtis,^[26] diūtius bellum gerere nōllet.

————————

1. nūdī: pred. adj.
2. vitam: translate as pl.
3. êdere: not edere.
4. etsī: even though.
5. ignēs: translate as sing.
6. admoveantur: sc. eīs; subjunctive, because part of the indirect discourse. Render the whole phrase freely.
7. ferendō: in (the matter of) bearing, cf. īnferendis, 1. 8. The ablative expresses specification.
8. neque fēlīciter: and unsuccessfully, cf. the note on p. 17, 1. 8.
9. Porsinnā: Porsinnā king of Etruria, a district of Italy just north of Latium.
10. C.: i.e. Cāius, (Gaius).
11. Tiberim: acc. sing. of Tiberis.
12. si: if.
13. vestimentus: i.e. vestīmentō, cf. p. 57, 1. 8.
14. internōscere: internōscō, 3, -novi, -nōtus: distinguish.
15. scrībam: scrība, -ae: m, clerk.
16. ad: before.
17. Quī: the king.
18. cum vellet: translate by a participial phrase.
19. penitus: adv., fully.
20. in: against.
21. inita erant: ineō, -īre, -iī, enter into.
22. omnia: everything.
23. quō: neut.
24. quod: because (as he said).
25. ex quã … invenēs: freely, the young men of which.
26. tantae virtūtis: the gen. expresses characteristic or quality; translate first literally and then freely.