Aeneid 1:12-18 Course Notes

Latin IV:  Vergil, Aeneid

Instructor:  James Ransom

June 1, 2014

Aeneid 1:12-18

Course Notes
© 2014 James Ransom, M.A., J.D.

Urbs antiqua fuit, Tyrii tenuere coloni,
Karthago, Italiam contra Tiberinaque longe
ostia, dives opum studiisque asperrima belli;
quam Iuno fertur terris magis omnibus unam               15
posthabita coluisse Samo; hic illius arma,
hic currus fuit; hoc regnum dea gentibus esse,
si qua fata sinant, iam tum tenditque fovetque.

Urbs antiqua fuit, Tyrii tenuere coloni,
Karthago…

There once was a citadel, founded by Tyrian exiles: 

Carthage…

“fuit” is third person singular perfect indicative active of sum, esse, fui, futurus.  “tenuere” is an archaic and poetic alternative to “tenuerunt,” which is third person plural perfect indicative active of teneo, tenere, tenui, tentum, “to hold, possess, occupy, control.” 

“urbs” is nominative singular of urbs, urbis, f. (3^rd), “a walled city.”  The adjective “antiqua” is nominative feminine singular of antiquus, antiqua, antiquum (1^st/2^nd).  “Tyrii” is genitive plural of Tyrus, Tyrii, f. (2^nd), “Tyre” (Phoenician city).  “coloni” is nominative plural of colonus, coloni, m. (2^nd).  “Karthago” is nominative of Karthago, Karthaginis, f. (3^rd), Carthage, in North Africa, near present-day Tunis. 

…Italiam contra Tiberinaque longe
ostia…

Across the sea from distant Italy and the Tiber’s mouth;

“Italiam” is accusative of Italia, Italiae, f. (1st), “Italy.”  The preposition “contra”=”against, opposite,” and takes the accusative: here, both the direct objects “Italiam” and  “Tiberina…ostia.” “Tiberina” is neuter accusative plural of Tiberinus, Tiberina, Tiberinum.  “ostia” is accusative plural of ostium, ostii, n., “entrance, estuary, mouth.” The adverb “longe”=  “distant, afar.”

  …dives opum studiisque asperrima belli

…rich in banked wealth, and masters in the savage art of  war;

“dives” is feminine nominative singular of dives, divitis (3^rd), “rich, wealthy, talented.” “opum” is genitive plural of opes, opum, f. (3^rd), “power, resources, wealth.”  “studiis” is ablative plural of  studium, studii, n. (2^nd), “study, eagerness, zeal.” Ablative of respect; see Ganiban note 14.  “asperrima” is superlative of the adjective asper, aspera, asperum (1^st/2^nd), “rough, rude, savage.”  “belli” is genitive singular of bellum, belli, n. (2^nd), “war.”   

 quam Iuno fertur terris magis omnibus unam               15
posthabita coluisse Samo;

And, legend relates, favored by Juno far above all other lands, leaving even Samos in the dust;

“fertur” is third person singular present indicative passive of fero, ferre, tuli, latum, “to bear, report.”  Construe with “coluisse, the perfect infinitive active of colo, colere, colui, cultum, “to worship, honor.”:  “is said to have cherished…”

“quam”: conjunction=”than.” “Iuno”:  nominative of Iuno, Iunonis, f. (3^rd). “terris” is ablative plural of terra, terrae, f. (1^st); ablative of comparison. “magis”: indeclinable adverb=”more, greater.” “omnibus” is feminine ablative plural of the adjective omnis, omne, m./f. (3^rd), “every, all.”  “unam”is accusative feminine singular of unus.  Here it has intensive effect. 

“posthabita…Samo”:  ablative absolute.  “posthabita” is perfect passive participle of posthabeo, posthabere, posthabui, posthabitum, “to place, after, esteem less.”  “Samo”:  ablative of Samos, f., island birthplace of Juno and home to her major cult.    

                                     …hic illius arma,
hic currus fuit;…

In Carthage were her sword and shield, here stood her chariot;

“fuit” is third person singular perfect indicative active of sum, esse, fui, futurus. 

The adverb “hic”= “here,” i.e, at Carthage.  “illius” is genitive singular of the personal pronoun ille, illa, illud. “arma” is nominative of arma, armorum, n.  “currus” is nominative singular of currus, currus, m. (4^th), “chariot.” 

Aeneid 1:29-33 Course Notes

Latin IV:  Vergil, Aeneid

Instructor:  James Ransom

May 27, 2014

Aeneid 1:29-33

Course Notes
© 2014 James Ransom, M.A., J.D.

His accensa super, iactatos aequore toto
Troas, reliquias Danaum atque immitis Achilli,               30
arcebat longe Latio, multosque per annos
errabant, acti fatis, maria omnia circum.
Tantae molis erat Romanam condere gentem!

His accensa super, iactatos aequore toto
Troas

Still burning with resentment, Juno kept the Trojans on the storm-tossed sea

“accensa” is nominative feminine singular perfect passive participle of accendo, accendere, accensi, accendi, accensum, “to inflame, arouse.” 

“iactatos” is accusative masculine plural of the perfect passive participle of iacto, iactare, iactavi, iactatum, “to toss, throw; to disturb, disquiet.”

“his”: ablative plural of “hic.” The adverb “super”=  “in addition, besides.”  “aequore”: ablative singular of aequor, aequoris, n. (3^rd), “the sea.”  The adjective “toto” is ablative  masculine singular of totus, tota, totum (1^st/2^nd).  “Troas” is accusative plural of Tros, Trois, Troy’s founder, Tros, here=Trojans.

reliquias Danaum atque immitis Achilli,               30
arcebat longe Latio, multosque per annos
errabant, acti fatis, maria omnia circum.

Achilles’ rage and genocidal Greeks they had survived; 
but, far from their new home, and lost at sea,  

sentenced by fate to ride the rolling waves, 
they marked the passing years, while time stood still;  

 “arcebat” is third person singular imperfect indicative active of arceo, arcere, arui, arcitumi, “to shut up, enclose, trap.”  “errabant” is third person singular imperfect indicative active of erro, errare, erravi, erratum, “to wander.” 

“reliquias” is accusative plural of reliquiae, reliquiarum, f., “that which is left, remnant.”  “Danaum” the alternative genitive form of Danai, Danaorum, “the Greeks.”  The adjective immitis, immitis, immite= “bitter, harsh, fierce,” i.e. the “rage of Achilles.”  “Achilli” is the alternative genitive form of Achilles, Achillis, m.  The adverb longe=”far, afar.”  “Latio” is ablative of Latium, Latii, n.  “multos” is accusative masculine plural of multus, multa, multum (1^st/2^nd).  The preposition “per”=”through, throughout.”  “annos” is accusative plural of annus, anni, m. (2^nd).  “fatis” is ablative plural of fatum, fati, n. (2^nd), “destiny, fate.”  “acti” is perfect passive participle of ago, agere, egi, actum (3^rd).  “maria” is accusative plural of mare, maris, n. (3^rd). “omnia” is accusative plural of omnis, omne, m.f. (3^rd).  The preposition “circum” takes the accusative and controls “maria omnia.”  

Tantae molis erat Romanam condere gentem!

Such hardships bore the men who founded Rome;

“condere” is present infinitive of condo, condere, condidi, conditum, “to build, establish; to thrust or strike in deep, plunge” (cf. Ganiban note 33 and Aeneas’ slaying of Turnus at 12:950).  “erat” is third person singular imperfect indicative active of sum, esse, fui, futurus.   

“tantae molis”:  genitive of description.  “molis” is genitive singular of moles, molis, f.(3^rd), “rock, boulder.”  The adjective “Romanam” is accusative feminine singular of Romanus, Romana, Romanum.   “gentem” is accusative singular of gens, gentis, f.(3^rd).  

Aeneid 1:19-28 Course Notes

Latin IV:  Vergil, Aeneid

Instructor:  James Ransom

May 25, 2014

Aeneid 1:19-28

Course Notes
© 2014 James Ransom, M.A., J.D.

Progeniem sed enim Troiano a sanguine duci
audierat, Tyrias olim quae verteret arces;               20
hinc populum late regem belloque superbum
venturum excidio Libyae: sic volvere Parcas.
Id metuens, veterisque memor Saturnia belli,
prima quod ad Troiam pro caris gesserat Argis—
necdum etiam causae irarum saevique dolores               25
exciderant animo: manet alta mente repostum
iudicium Paridis spretaeque iniuria formae,
et genus invisum, et rapti Ganymedis honores.

Progeniem sed enim Troiano a sanguine duci
audierat

And yet--she’d heard that some new race, men drawn from Trojan blood…

“audierat” is third person singular pluperfect indicative active of audio, audire, audivi, auditum (4^th), “to hear, listen, pay attention.” “duci” is present passive infinitive of duco, ducere, duxi, ductum, “to lead, guide; draw, pull.” 

“progeniem” is accusative singular of progenies, progenei, f., “offspring, progeny, race.”  “sed enim”: see Ganiban note 19.  The adjective  “Troiano” is ablative singular of Troianus, Troiana, Troianum, “Trojan.” “sanguine” is ablative singular of sanguis, sanguinis, f. (3^rd), “blood.” 

Tyrias olim quae verteret arces;               20

Might some day soon shatter the walls of Tyre;

“verteret” is third person singular imperfect subjunctive active of verto, vertere, versi, versum, “overthrow, turn around, reverse.”

The adjective “Tyrias” is feminine accusative plural of Tyrius, Tyria, Tyrium, “Tyrian,” here=Carthaginian.  The adjective modifies “arces,” the plural accusative of arx, arcis, f. (3^rd), “citadel, defenses.” The adverb “olim”=”some day, one day.” 

hinc populum late regem belloque superbum
venturum excidio Libyae: sic volvere Parcas.

Engross the globe, and level Libya 
by ruthless war: so read the scroll of Fate. 

“venturum” is future active participle of venio, venire, veni, ventum.  “volvere” is present infinitive of volvo, volvere, volvi, volutum, “to roll.” 

The adverb “hinc”=“the race of Troy.”  “populum” is accusative singular of populum, populi, m. (2^nd).   in agreement with “regem.”  The adverb “late”= “broadly, widely”; qualifies “regem.”  “regem” is accusative singular of rex, regem, m. (3^rd).  “populum late regem”= “a people ruling widely.” cf. Ganiban note 21.  “bello”  is ablative singular of bellum, belli, n. (2^nd).  The adjective  “superbum” is accusative singular of superbus, superba, superbum, n., “proud, arrogant, haughty.”

“excidio” is dative singular of excidium, excidii, n. (2^nd), “destruction in war, demolition.” “Libyae” is dative of Libya, Libyae, f.  “Parcas”: accusative plural;  “the Fates.”

   Id metuens, veterisque memor Saturnia belli,
prima quod ad Troiam pro caris gesserat Argis—

Dreading all this, the thoughts of Saturn’s child 
drift back to the late war with hated Troy, 
the war which she had started and had waged 
to crush the Trojans and exalt the Greeks;

“metuens” is present participle of metuo, metuere, metui, metitum (3^rd), “to fear, to be afraid.”  “gesserat” is third person singular pluperfect indicative active of gero, gerere, gessi, gestum (3^rd), “to wage, carry on.” 

“veteris…belli”: “the old war”; i.e. the Trojan war.  The adjective “memor” is nominative singular of memor, memoris here=”mindful of.” “Saturnia”:  Juno is the daughter of Saturn; feminine nominative singular of Saturnius, Saturnia, Saturnium.  “belli” is genitive singular of bellum, belli, n. “prima”: feminine nominative singular of the superlative adjective primus, prima, primum.  See Ganiban note 24.  “quod”:  neuter accusative singular of the relative pronoun quis, quae, quod.. “ad Troiam”:  “at Troy.”  Argis, ablative masculine plural of Argi, Argorum, n. (2^nd),  here stands for “the Greeks” generally. “caris”:  ablative masculine plural of the adjective carus, cara, carum, “beloved.”

necdum etiam causae irarum saevique dolores               25
exciderant animo:

Her rage and grief for ancient grievances

Still festered in her soul even today:

“exciderant” is third person plural pluperfect indicative active of excido, excidere, excidi, “to slip out or escape from memory.” 

“necdum”=conjunction, “not yet, yot even yet.” etiam=conjunction, “also, and.”  “causae” is genitive plural of causa, causae, f., “cause.”  “irarum”:  genitive plural of ira, irae, f. (1^st).  The adjective “saevi” is masculine genitive singular of saevus, saeva, saevum, “furious, fierce, violent, savage.”  “dolores” is accusative plural of dolor, doloris, m. (3^rd). “animo” is ablative singular of animus, animi, m. (2^nd). 

Latin III Caesar: De Bello Gallico Final Examination Instructions

LATIN III:  CAESAR, DE BELLO GALLICO

Instructor:  James Ransom 

FINAL EXAMINATION

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

9:15-10:30 AM
© 2014 James Ransom, M.A., J.D.

Instructions

1.            The examination is closed book.  You may not consult any materials other than those provided to you in the examination room.

2.            The examination focuses on Book 5 of DBG.

·      Within Book 5, the examination concentrates on the Cotta-Sabinus episodes (Chapters 5:26-39).

3.            The examination lasts 75 minutes, and consists of the following sections:

(a)            Multiple choice             (~20 minutes)

·      A series of multiple choice questions regarding the meaning, grammar and syntax of a selected passage from DBG; please circle the correct answer choice.

(b)            Translation                         (~15 minutes)

·      Provide a literal and accurate translation of  short (~4 line) excerpt from DBG.   Write your answer in the bluebook provided. 

(c)            Short Analysis            (~15 minutes)

·      On a brief Latin passage, you are asked to provide a short comment written in English, but quoting the Latin relevant to your analysis.  Write your analysis in the bluebook provided. Your answer should be no longer than one paragraph. There are 3 short analysis questions; select only 2. 

(d)            Essay                                    (~25 minutes)

·      On a brief (~7 line) passage from DBG, you are asked to write a well-organized essay.  Support your assertions with references to the Latin text.  Follow the essay prompt closely. 

Write your essay in the bluebook provided. 

Aeneid 1: 8-11 Course Notes

Latin IV:  Vergil, Aeneid

Instructor:  James Ransom

May 21, 2014

Aeneid 1:8-11
Course Notes
© 2014 James Ransom, M.A., J.D.

Musa, mihi causas memora, quo numine laeso,
quidve dolens, regina deum tot volvere casus
insignem pietate virum, tot adire labores               10
impulerit. Tantaene animis caelestibus irae?

Musa, mihi causas memora

O Muse, recall to me the causes…

“memora” is second person singular present active imperative of memoro, memorare, memoravi, memoratum (1^st), “to remind, tell, recount.” 

“Musa” is vocative singular of musa, musae, f. (1^st). “mihi” is dative singular of the pronoun ego, mei (irregular).  “causas” is accusative plural of causa, causae, f. (1^st), “cause, reason, motive.” 

… quo numine laeso,
quidve dolens,…

...for what sacrilege to her divinity, or what bitter grievance

“laeso” is perfect passive participle (in ablative absolute construction) of laedo, laedere, laesi, laesus, “to injure, displease, offend.” “dolens” is present participle of doleo, dolere, dolui, dolitum (2^nd), “to grieve, to suffer.”

“quo” is ablative singular of qui, quae, quod.  “numine” is ablative singular of numen, numinis, n.(3^rd), “divine presence.”  “quid” is the neuter singular form of the interrogative pronoun quis, quae, quid.  “-ve”:  post-positive particle= “or.”

…regina deum tot volvere casus
insignem pietate virum, tot adire labores               10
impulerit… 

            …does Juno, queen of the gods, drive Aeneas, most loyal of men,

through such an endless round of disasters and such extremes of unremitting toil…

“volvere,” controlled by “impulerit,” is present infinitive of volvo, volere, volui, volutus, “to roll, turn around, undergo.”  “adire,” also controlled by “impulerit,” is present infinitive of adeo, adire, adivi, aditum (irregular), “go to, approach.” “impulerit” is third person singular perfect subjunctive active of impello, impellere, impuli, impulsum (3^rd), “drive on, push”; subjunctive of indirect question.

“regina,” the subject of “impulerit,” is nominative singular of regina, reginae (1^st), “queen.”  “deum” is the alternative contracted form of the genitive plural of deus, dei, m. (2^nd), “god.”  “tot” is an indeclinable adjective = “so many.”  “casus” is accusative plural of casus, casus, m., “misfortune.”  “insignem” is masculine singular accusative of the adjective insignis, insigne (3^rd), “marked, notable, standing out.” “pietate” is ablative singular of pietas, pietatis, f. (3^rd), “pious, dutiful, loyal.”  “virum”is accusative singular of vir, viri, m. (2^nd).   “labores” is accusative plural of labor, laboris, m. (3^rd).   

                        Tantaene animis caelestibus irae?

                        Can such hellish anger lurk in the heavenly will?

“Tantae” is feminine nominative plural of the adjective tantus, tanta, tantum, “so great.”  “-ne” is a postpositive interrogative particle.  “animis” is dative plural of animus, animi, m. (2^nd). “caelestibus” is dative plural of the adjective caelestis, caeleste, “heavenly.”  “irae” is nominative plural of ira, irae, f. (1^st)., “wrath, anger.” 

Vergil Aeneid 1:1-7 Course Notes

Latin IV:  Vergil, Aeneid Book I

Instructor, James Ransom

May 22, 2014

Aeneid I:1-7

Course Notes
© 2014 James Ransom, M.A., J.D.

P. VERGILI MARONIS AENEIDOS LIBER PRIMVS

Arma virumque cano, Troiae qui primus ab oris
Italiam, fato profugus, Laviniaque venit
litora, multum ille et terris iactatus et alto
vi superum saevae memorem Iunonis ob iram;
multa quoque et bello passus, dum conderet urbem,               5
inferretque deos Latio, genus unde Latinum,
Albanique patres, atque altae moenia Romae.

Arma virumque cano

Of arms and the man I sing;

“cano” is first person singular present indicative active of the third conjugation verb cano, canere, cecini, cantum, “to sing.” 

…Troiae qui primus ab oris / Italiam, fato profugus Laviniaque venit / litora--
The first man driven by fate as an exile from the shores of Troy to Italy and the Lavinian coast

“profugus” is nominative masculine singular of the verbal adjective profugus, profuga, profugum,  “that which flees, has fled, fugitive, banished.”  “Troiae”: genitive singular of Troia, Troiae, f. ; possessive genitive, “shores of Troy.”  “qui” is nominative singular of the relative pronoun qui, quae, quod.  “primus” is nominative singular of primus, -a, -um. Agreeing with “qui.”

“ab”:  ablative of place from which.  “oris”:  ablative plural of ora, orae, f. (1^st), “coast, border.”   “Italiam”:  accusative of motion toward, Italia, Italiae, f. (1^st).  “fato”:  ablative of cause, fatum, fati, n. (2^nd).  “Lavinia”:  accusative plural of Lavinius, Lavinia, Lavinium, “Lavinian.”  “venit” is third person singular perfect indicative active of venio, venire, veni, ventum (4^th).

multum ille et terris iactatus et alto
vi superum saevae memorem Iunonis ob iram;

A man constantly tormented both on land and sea

By the gods above, due to Juno’s savage and remorseless anger;

“multum” is neuter accusative singular of multus, multa, multum, qualifying “iactatus.” “iactatus” is nominative masculine singular perfect passive participle of iacto, iactare, iactavi, iactatum; construe with “ille.”  “ille”:  nominative masculine singular of the demonstrative pronoun ille, illa, illud; in apposition to “qui.”  “terris”:  locative ablative of terra, terrae, f. (1^st).  “alto” is ablative singular of altum, alti, n. (2d).

“vi”: ablative singular of vis, f. (3^rd). =”strength, force.”  “superum” archaic alternative of genitive plural “superorum,” of the adjective superus, supera, superum, lit., “higher,” in masculine plural =”gods.”   “saevus”: genitive singular of saevus, saeva, saevum (1^st/2^nd), “furious, barbarous, cruel, savage”; construe with “Iuonis.”   “Iuonis”: genitive of Iuno. “iram”:  accusative singular of ira, irae, f., “wrath.” 

multa quoque et bello passus…

And in war also suffered greatly; “multa” is accusative plural of multus, multa, multum; construe with “passus.”  “passus”:  perfect participle of the deponent verb patior, pati, passus sum (3^rd), “to suffer, endure.”  “bello”: ablative singular of bellum, belli, n. (2^nd).

“quoque”:  postpositive conjunction. 

                         …dum conderet urbem,               5
inferretque deos Latio,

                        ...until he might build a city

and bear Troy’s gods to Latium…

“dum”:  temporal conjunction, “while” or “until”; here the latter reading is preferable, and dum=until usually takes the subjunctive, cf. “conderet” and “inferret.”  “conderet” is third person singular imperfect subjunctive active of condo, condere, condidi, conditum, “establish, build, construct.”  “inferret” is third perfect singular imperfect subjunctive active of infero, inferre, intuli, illatum.  “deos” is accusative plural of deus, dei, m. (2^nd). “Latio”=dative singular of Latium, Latii, n.

…genus unde Latinum,
Albanique patres, atque altae moenia Romae.

which was the progenitor of the Latin race

And our Alban ancestors, and indeed the lofty battlements of Rome.

“genus” is nominative singular of genus, generis, n. (3^rd). “unde”=conjunctive adverb, “whence.”  “Latinum” is nominative singular neuter of the adjective Latinus, Latina, Latinum.  “Albani” is masculine nominative plural of Albanus, Albana, Albanum.  “patres” is nominative plural of pater, patris, m. (3^rd). “altae” is feminine genitive singular of the adjective altus, alta, altum.  “moenia” is nominative plural of moenia, moenium, n. (no singular), “defensive walls, battlements.”  atque=emphatic conjunction throwing a dramatic spotlight on Rome. 

                        

Caesar De Bello Gallico 5 48 Course Notes

Latin III:  Caesar, De Bello Gallico

Instructor:  James Ransom

May 17, 2014

Caesar DBG 5:48

Course Notes
© 2014 James Ransom, M.A., J.D.

[48] 1       Caesar consilio eius probato, etsi opinione trium legionum deiectus ad duas redierat, tamen unum communis salutis auxilium in celeritate ponebat. Venit magnis itineribus in Nerviorum fines.     2       Ibi ex captivis cognoscit, quae apud Ciceronem gerantur, quantoque in periculo res sit.          3  Tum cuidam ex equitibus Gallis magnis praemiis persuadet uti ad Ciceronem epistolam deferat.     4       Hanc Graecis conscriptam litteris mittit, ne intercepta epistola nostra ab hostibus consilia cognoscantur.   5       Si adire non possit, monet ut tragulam cum epistola ad amentum deligata intra munitionem castrorum abiciat.     6       In litteris scribit se cum legionibus profectum celeriter adfore; hortatur ut pristinam virtutem retineat.  7  Gallus periculum veritus, ut erat praeceptum, tragulam mittit.  8  Haec casu ad turrim adhaesit neque ab nostris biduo animadversa tertio die a quodam milite conspicitur, dempta ad Ciceronem defertur.           9       Ille perlectam in conventu militum recitat maximaque omnes laetitia adficit.    10     Tum fumi incendiorum procul videbantur; quae res omnem dubitationem adventus legionum expulit.

__________________________________________________________

1          Caesar consilio eius probato Caesar, agreeing with Labienus;  

etsi opinione trium legionum deiectus ad duas redierat though his plan to deploy three legions had to be scrapped, and he’d have to make do with two; “redierat” is third person singular pluperfect indicative active of redeo, redire, redii, reditum, “to be reduced to.”

 tamen unum communis salutis auxilium in celeritate ponebat nevertheless he placed the highest priority on speed in order to assure the safety of all; “ponebat” is third person singular imperfect indicative active of pono, ponere, posui, positum, “to put, place, ordain.” 

Venit magnis itineribus in Nerviorum fines So Caesar marched double-time to the Nervian border; “venit” is third person singular present indicative active of venio, venire, veni, ventum. 

2          Ibi ex captivis cognoscit, quae apud Ciceronem gerantur, quantoque in periculo res sit There, through interrogation of prisoners, he learned details of the crisis bearing down on Cicero and just how serious the military situation had become; “sit” is third person singular present subjunctive active of sum, esse, fui, futurus.  “gerantur” is third person singular present passive subjunctive of gero, gerere, gessi, gestum.  “cognoscit” is third person singular present indicative active of cognosco, cognoscere, cognovi, cognitum.

3  Tum cuidam ex equitibus Gallis magnis praemiis persuadet uti ad Ciceronem epistolam deferat Then, by offering a huge cash incentive, Caesar talked one of the Gaulish mounted troops into getting a message through to Cicero; “deferat” is third person singular present subjunctive active of defero, deferre, detuli, delatum, “to bear, transfer, deliver.”  “persuadet” is third person singular present indicative active of persuadeo, persuadere, persuasi, persuasum, “to convince, induce.”

4          Hanc Graecis conscriptam litteris mittit, ne intercepta epistola nostra ab hostibus consilia cognoscantur This dispatch was coded using Greek characters, so that if the enemy intercepted it our plans would be indecipherable; “cognoscantur” is third person plural present passive subjunctive of cognosco, cognoscere, cognosci, cognitum. “intercepta” is perfect passive participle of intercipio, intercipere, intercepi, interceptum, “to intercept, rob, steal.”  “mittit” is third person singular present indicative active of mitto, mittere, misi, missum. 

5          Si adire non possit, monet ut tragulam cum epistola ad amentum deligata intra munitionem castrorum abiciat Caesar further instructed this agent that, if he couldn’t reach Cicero personally, he should tie the message to a spear and airmail it over the wall of the camp; “abiciat” is third person singular present subjunctive active of abicio, abicere, abieci, abiectum, “to throw or hurl.”  “deligata” is perfect passive participle of deligo, deligare, deligavi, deligatum, “to tie, bind, bandage.”  “monet” is third person singular present indicative active of moneo, monere, monui, monitum, “to advise, warn.”  “possit” is third person singular present subjunctive active of possum, posse, potui.  “adire” is present infinitive of adeo, adire, adii, aditum, “to approach, go to.”

6          In litteris scribit se cum legionibus profectum celeriter adfore; hortatur ut pristinam virtutem retineat In the letter, Caesar wrote to Cicero encouraging him to continue to hang tough, because Caesar would soon be there at the head of his legions;  “retineat” is third person singular present subjunctive active of retineo, retinere, retinui, retentum, “to hold fast, maintain, preserve.”  “hortatur” is third person singular present indicative active of the deponent hortor, hortari, hortatus sum, “to urge, exhort.”  “profectum” is perfect passive participle of the deponent proficiscor, proficisci, profectum sum, “to set out, depart.” “scribit” is third person singular present indicative active of scribo, scribere, scripsi, scriptum. 

7  Gallus periculum veritus, ut erat praeceptum, tragulam mittit The Gallic operative did sense danger, and so threw his spear as instructed; “mittit” is third person singular present indicative active of mitto, mittere, misi, missum.  “erat” is third person singular imperfect indicative active of sum, esse, fui, futurus.  “veritus” is perfect active participle of the deponent vereor, vereri, veritus sum, “to fear, dread.” 

8  Haec casu ad turrim adhaesit As luck would have it, the spear lodged in a turret on the battlements; “adhaesit” is third person singular perfect indicative active of adhaereo, adhaerere, adhaesi, adhaesum, “to stick to, cling to.” 

neque ab nostris biduo animadversa nobody noticed it for 48 hours; “animadversa” is perfect passive participle of animadverto, animadvertere, animadverti, animadversum, “to notice or observe.” 

 tertio die a quodam milite conspicitur, dempta ad Ciceronem defertur but on the third day one of our men spotted and retrieved it, and it was taken to Cicero; “defertur” is third person singular present indicative passive of defero, deferre, detuli, delatum.  “dempta” is perfect participle of demo, demere, dempsi, demptum, “to take down.”  “conspicitur” is third person singular present indicative passive of conspicio, conspicere, conspexi, conspectum.

9          Ille perlectam in conventu militum recitat maximaque omnes laetitia adficit He reviewed it, and then read it aloud to the troops in formation.   Their reaction was one of general rejoicing;  “adficit” is third person singular present indicative active of adficio, adficere, adfeci, adfectum, “to affect.”  “recitat” is third person singular present indicative active of recito, recitare, recitavi, recitatum, “to read aloud, recite.”  “perlectam” is perfect passive participle of perlego, perlegere, perlegi, perlectum, “to read, through, scan.”

10        Tum fumi incendiorum procul videbantur; quae res omnem dubitationem adventus legionum expulit Then, the smoke of distant fires was seen from the fort; and this banished any doubt that the legions were almost arrived; “expulit” is third person singular perfect indicative active of expello, expellere, expuli, expulsum, “to expel, banish.”  “videbantur” is third person plural imperfect indicative passive of video, videre, visi, visum.