 89. A Favor Repaid |
91. Evils of the Slave Trade  |
Cum iam colōnī plūrimī Britanniam Novam incolēbant, ōlim noctū, dum hominēs ferē omnēs somnō gravī quiēscunt, repente mōtus[1] terrae maximus factus est. Sonō horrendō ad aurīs adlātō, colōnī graviter permōtī ē lectīs cōnfēstim exsiluērunt, tēcta ratī undique labefactārī[2]; quīn etiam erant quī[3] timērent nē vēnisset diēs mundī[4] ultima aut certē adesset. Interim in marī nautae mōtum sensērunt, crēdēbantque nāvīs suās in saxa abscondita dēlātās esse; in agrīs autem[5] bovēs, cum mūgītūs maximōs ēderent[6], omnīs in partēs perterritī cucurrērunt.[7]
Quīdam[8] cōnfīrmant sē tum vīdisse ignem per[9] terram currere; ac certē quōdam locō erat terrae hiātus[10], ex quō pulvis levis[11] fūmō similis aliquamdiū efferēbātur[12]. Diēbus proximīs complūrēs cōnsecūtī sunt mōtūs, sed minōrēs; multīque hominēs, quī adhūc religiōnem sprēverant, propter timōrem ad cultum[13] deōrum sē convertērunt. Trāditum quoque est, aquam cuiusdam fontis, quī terrae mōtū humī[14] depressus erat[15], posteā hieme interdum glaciem factam esse, quamquam[16] anteā omnī tempore annī ūberius[17] fluere cōnsuēverat.
- ↑ mōtus (-ūs, M.): movement, lit..
- ↑ labefactārī: labefactō, 1: shake down.
- ↑ erant quī: there were (some) who. The subjunctive is used regularly after any tense of sunt quī or nēmō est quī.
- ↑ mundī: mundus, -ī: m, the world.
- ↑ autem: moreover.
- ↑ cum . . . ēderent: note the ē, and translate by a partic. phrase.
- ↑ mūgītūs: mūgītus, -ūs: m, bellowing.
- ↑ quīdam: here, noun.
- ↑ per: along.
- ↑ hiātus (-ūs, M.): with gen., cleft (in), lit. yawning (of).
- ↑ levis (-is, -e): light (of weight).
- ↑ efferēbātur: i.e. kept rising; lit. what?.
- ↑ cultum: cultus, -ūs: m, worship.
- ↑ humī: into the ground; what is the commoner meaning?.
- ↑ depressus erat: dēprimō, 3, -pressī, -pressus: sink.
- ↑ quamquam: whereas.
- ↑ ūberius: adv., (positive not in use), very freely.