A First Latin Reader/54

by Herbert Chester Nutting

Herbert Chester Nutting

A First Latin Reader

Lesson 54.
The Capture of a Man-of-War

1912

fons: librum vide

53. A Hasty Leave-Taking	55. The Fall of New London

LESSON 54

The Capture of a Man-of-War

Ōlim multī armātī^[1] Americānī ad Canadam versus iter faciēbant, ut ibi cum Gallīs pugnārent. Quī postrēmō pervēnērunt ad lacum, quī transeundus erat, sī longius prōgredī vellent; in lacū autem ultrō^[2] citrōque nāvis longa Gallica nāvigābat, nē quis^[3] ibi scaphīs transīre posset.

Americānī scīlicet nāvem longam sibi statim capiendam esse intellēxērunt. Conciliōque convocātō, cum variae sententiae^[4] dictae essent, subitō lēgātus quīdam, maximae virtūtis vir, imperātōrī “Ego,” inquit, “sī mihi mīlitēs sex et cuneōs complūrīs dabis, celeriter rem cōnficiam.” Mīlitibus cuneīsque datīs, lēgātus nocte intempestā^[5] ad navem longam clam scaphā vectus est; ubi cuneōs sīc īnseruit,^[6] ut^[7] gubernācula^[8] nūllam in partem movērī^[9] possent.

Māne Americānī lacum trānsīre coepērunt. Quō animadversō, Gallī, quī nihil suspicābantur, vēlās passīs^[10] in hostēs impetum facere cōnātī sunt; at nāvis, ventīs^[11] statim ad lītus delāta, facile capta est ā quibusdam Americānīs, quī ad id ipsum^[12] in litore moratī erant. Nāve longa captā, scaphae Americānōrum sine ūllō incommodō ad lītus ulterius^[13] pervēnērunt, mīlitēsque rursus ad Canadam per montēs silvāsque lēniter prōgressī sunt.

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1. armātī: strictly, noun; but the phrase may be rendered freely.
2. ultrō: not as on p. 62, 1. 10; see the Vocab.
3. nē quis: cf. the note on quid, p. 56, l. 1, so that no one.
4. sententiae: cf. sentiō.
5. nocte intempestā: cf. p. 43, l. 5.
6. īnseruit, īnserō, 3, -seruī, -sertus: force in.
7. ut: introducing a clause of result.
8. gubernācula: cf. the illustration facing p. 1.
9. movĕrī: note the last letter of the word.
10. passīs: passis from pandō.
11. ventīs: abl. of means.
12. id ipsum: this very purpose.
13. ulterius: modifier of lītus.