14.08.24: Level 2; Practice in reading the perfect tense; A First Latin Reader (Vincent) [9]

Brennus, quī erat rēx Gallōrum, cōpiās Rōmānās superāvit et Rōmae appropinquābat. Sed Rōmānī fēminās et puellās et puerōs in locum tūtum mīsērunt; mīlitēs Capitōlium dēfendēbant. Gallī, ubi oppidum intrāvērunt, senātōrēs, quī sōlī sedēbant in forō, necāvērunt et Capitōlium oppugnāvērunt. Noctū Gallī ad summum Capitōlium viā sēcrētā ascendēbant, sed Rōmānī in Capitōliō ānserēs multōs, quī erant sacrī deae Iūnōnī, habēbant. Ānserēs, ubi Gallōs vīdērunt, cūstōdēs Rōmānōs clāmōre magnō excitāvērunt et Capitōlium servāvērunt.

[i] summus, -a, -um: highest; greatest; it can be used to convey the English noun “the top” for example:

summus mons: the top of the mountain

Gallī ad summum Capitōlium … ascendēbant │ The Gauls went up to the top of the Capitoline Hill

[ii] dative usage

appropinquō, -āre, -āvī [1]: approach; the verb is followed by the dative case

Rōmae appropinquābat │ (Brennus) … was approaching Rome.

… ānserēs multōs, quī erant sacrī deae Iūnōnī  [dative] │ … many geese which were sacred to the goddess Juno

[iii] ablative usage

Gallī ad summum Capitōlium viā sēcrētā ascendēbant │  the Gauls ascended to the top of the Capitoline Hill by a secret way

cūstōdēs Rōmānōs clāmōre magnō excitāvērunt │ they roused the Roman guards with a great cry

[iv] Two points to note about the following extracts:

Image:  sentence structure

[1] Look out for words that indicate clauses in a sentence:

Gallī, ¦ ubi oppidum intrāvērunt, ¦ senātōrēs, ¦ quī sōlī sedēbant in forō, ¦ necāvērunt ¦ et Capitōlium oppugnāvērunt. │ The Gauls, when they entered the town, killed the senators who were sitting alone in the Forum and attacked the Capitoline Hill.

Ānserēs, ¦ ubi Gallōs vīdērunt, ¦ cūstōdēs Rōmānōs clāmōre magnō excitāvērunt ¦ et Capitōlium servāvērunt. │ The geese, when they saw the Gauls, roused the Roman guards with a great cry and saved the Capitoline Hill.

[2] Note that, whereas English often begins a sentence with ‘when’, Latin tends to rework it so that the subject comes first:

Gallī, ubi oppidum intrāvērunt, …. │ The Gauls, when they entered the town … =  When the Gauls entered the town …

Ānserēs, ¦ ubi Gallōs vīdērunt, … │ The geese, when they saw the Gauls … = When the geese saw the Gauls …

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Brennus, who was king of the Gauls, overcame the Roman forces and was approaching Rome. But the Romans sent the women and girls and boys were sent to a safe place; the soldiers were defending the Capitoline Hill. When the Gauls entered the town, they killed the senators who were sitting alone in the forum, and attacked the Capitoline Hill. At night the Gauls went up to the top of the Capitoline Hill by a secret way, but the Romans had many geese on the Capitoline Hill, which were sacred to the goddess Juno. When the geese saw the Gauls, they roused the Roman guards with a great cry and saved the Capitoline Hill.

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