A First Latin Reader/84

by Herbertus Chester Nutting

Herbert Chester Nutting

A First Latin Reader

Lesson 84
Burned at the Stake

1912

fons: librum vide

83. An Intrepid Commander	85. An Early Morning Surprise

LESSON 84

Burned at the Stake

Dē crūdēlitāte Indōrum multa nārrantur. Sīcut, cum oppidum colōnōrum quoddam ā Gallīs barbarīsque esset expugnātum, amplius^[1]que quīnquāgintā oppidānī captī essent, hostēs cum captīvīs miserīs cōnfēstim domum contendērunt. Dum autem iter faciunt, ūnus ē captīvīs, homō obēsus^[2], quī onus^[3] grave ferre coāctus tardius^[4] sequēbātur, sē posse clam effugere ratus, onus subitō in viā dēposuit atque in arbore cavā latēre conātus est.

Hīc^[5] autem ab Indīs brevī repertus, veste^[6] dētractā per nivem nūdus prōgredī est coāctus; quō modō usque ad noctem iter factum est^[7]. Tum barbarī, captīvō ad arborem religātō, ignem^[8] pedetemptim admovēbant^[9], dōnec homō moribundus vīsus est; deinde rursus paulum redūcēbant^[10], quō^[11] diūtius cruciārētur^[12]. Quīn etiam, nē hōc^[13] quidem contentī^[14], frūsta^[15] abscīdērunt vīscerum^[16], ut cruciātū^[17] captīvī oculōs suōs pāscerent^[18], cum interim canerent aut saltārent rīdentēs; et postrēmō, nē contumēlia ūllā deesset^[19], corpus mortuī^[20] in favīllam^[21] resīdere^[22] passī sunt, quō^[23] posteā maiōre^[24] amīcī^[25] dolōre afficerentur, cum eius cāsum vidērent miserrimum.

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1. amplius: i.e. more (than); cf. such expressions as “above a thousand”.
2. obēsus, -a, -um: stout.
3. onus, -eris: n, load.
4. tardius: absol. compar..
5. Hīc: adv., the adv..
6. veste: i.e. vestimentō.
7. iter factum est: translate by an active form.
8. ignem: m, the fire.
9. admovēbant: kept moving up.
10. redūcēbant: sc. eum (i.e. ignem), For the force of this imperfect, cf. sapiēbant, p. 7, l. 17.
11. quō: replacing ut, as it regularly does when the purpose clause contains a comparative.
12. cruciārētur: cruciō, 1: (keep in) torture.
13. hōc: (neut.) noun.
14. contentī: contentus, -a, -um: with abl., content (with).
15. frūsta: not frūstrā.
16. vīscerum: viscus, -eris: n, (sing. and pl.), flesh.
17. cruciātū: m, Strictly, cruciātū is abl. of means.
18. pāscerent: pāscō, 3, pāvī, pāstus: with abl., feast … (upon).
19. dēesset: what is the literal force of the word (dē + sum)?.
20. mortuī: m, as noun (gen. mortuōrum).
21. favīllam: favīlla, -ae: f, embers.
22. resīdere: resīdō, 3, -sēdī: sink down.
23. quō: cf. p. 101, l. 12.
24. maiōre: (all the) greater.
25. amīcī: m, nom. pl..