26.09.24: Level 2; Ora Maritima [24] and [25] (5); vocabulary

Inter viam patruus meus multa nōbīs dē bellō Rōmānōrum cum Britannīs narrāvit. Prīmō saeculō ante Christum nātum Gāius Iūlius in Galliā bellābat, et, postquam Nerviōs cēterōsque populōs Galliae Belgicae dēbellāvit, bellum contrā incolās insulae propinquae parāvit. Itaque annō quintō et quinquāgēsimō cōpiās suās in Britanniam [line 5] transportāvit. Dē locō unde nāvigāvit et dē locō quō nāvigia sua applicāvit, virī doctī diū disputāvērunt. Sed inter Dubrās et Rutupiās est locus ad nāvigia applicanda idōneus. Dubrās nōn poterat applicāre; nam scopulī ibi altī erant, ut nunc sunt, et in scopulīs cōpiae armātae Britannōrum stābant. Itaque ad alium locum nāvigāvit, ubi nullī scopulī fuērunt. Sed Britannī quoque per ōram maritimam ad locum properāvērunt, et ad [line 10] pugnam sē parāvērunt. Rōmānīs necesse erat nāvigia sua magna ad ancorās dēligāre. Britannīs vada nōta fuērunt; itaque in aquam equitāvērunt et cōpiam pugnae dedērunt.

Sed iam ad locum adventāverāmus, et patruus meus “Spectāte puerī” inquit; “hīc campus apertus est; scopulī dēsunt, et locus idōneus est ad cōpias explicandās. Illīc fortasse, ubi scaphās piscātōriās spectātis, Gāius Iūlius nāvigia Rōmāna ad ancorās [line 15] dēligāverat. Hīc Britannī cōpiās suās collocāverant, et equōs in aquam incitāverant. Nōnne potestis tōtam pugnam animō spectāre? Sed reliqua narrābō. Dum Rōmānī undīs sē dare dubitant, aquilifer ‘Ad aquilam vōs congregāte,’ inquit ‘nisi ignāvī estis. Ego certē officium meum praestābō.’

Et cum aquilā undīs sē dedit. Iam ūniversī Rōmānī ad aquiliferum sē congregāverant, et [line 20] cum Britannīs in undīs impigrē pugnābant. Confūsa et aspera fuit pugna. Prīmō labōrābant Rōmānī; sed tandem Britannōs prōpulsāvērunt et terram occupāvērunt. Ante vesperum Britannī sē fugae dederant. Numquam anteā cōpiae Rōmānae in solō Britannicō steterant. Audācia aquiliferī laudanda erat.”

[1] Find the Latin

• actively; energetically
• after (conjunction)
• already; now
• as; just as; like
• before evening
• certainly
• for ( = because)
• for a long time
• from where
• here
• in the 55^th year (what case is used to express this?)
• in the first century (what case is used to express this?)
• never before
• on the way
• over there (as if pointing to the place)
• perhaps
• surely?
• there
• therefore; and so
• unless

[2]

applicō, -āre, -āvī [1]: attach; (here) bring [a ship] to land

aquilifer, -ī [2/m]: standard-bearer, the one who carries the aquila [aquila, -ae (1/f): eagle], the (eagle) standard of the legion.

also: signifer, -ī [2/m]: standard-bearer 

Memorial to Lucius Duccius Rufinus, a standard-bearer of the Ninth Legion, Yorkshire Museum, York

By Carole Raddato from Frankfurt, Germany - Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34738952

cōpiam … dedērunt: they gave an opportunity

dēligō, -āre, -āvī [1]: tie / bind (together)

dēsum, -esse [irr.]: be lacking / missing

explicō, -āre, -āvī [1]: [i] unfold; unfurl [ii] (here) deploy (troops)

idōneus, -a, -um: suitable

nisi: unless; if not

The standard-bearer puts some mental pressure on his comrades:

‘Ad aquilam vōs congregāte,’ inquit ‘nisi ignāvī estis. │ If you’re not cowardly (cowards) / Unless you’re cowardly, gather yourselves / assemble at the (eagle) standard

nōtus, -a, -um: known

officium, -ī [2/n]: duty

praestō, -āre, -stitī (-āvī) [1]: (here) perform

vadum, -ī [2/n]: (here) a shallow body of water

And here's one more standard-bearer ...