Tum Marcus "ō gentem fortem et admīrābilem Britannōrum!" inquit. "Nam insigne erat facinus quod contrā Rōmānōs, victōrēs orbis terrārum, tam fortiter et nōnnumquam prosperē pugnāvērunt. Nōn mīrum est, sī Rōmānī victōriam reportāvērunt." Nōs sententiam Marcī comprobāvimus. Sed iam nōna hōra erat, cum Alexander, digitō ad orientem monstrāns, "Nōnne nāvēs procul ā lītore spectātis?" inquit. Et patruus meus "Ita est" inquit; "nam illīc est statiō** tūta nāvibus. Sed illae nāvēs, ut putō, nāvēs longae sunt ex classe Britannicā; nam pars classis nostrae nunc in fretō Gallicō est." Tum ego "eugē, optimē!" inquam; "nāvem longam adhūc nōn spectāvī. Sed nōn tam grandēs sunt quam putāvī." "Pergrandēs sunt," inquit patruus meus "sed procul a lītore sunt; omnēs lāminīs ferreīs, nōnnullae arietibus vel turribus armātae sunt."
* The title of the
text - rōbur et aes triplex – is a quotation from the Roman poet Horace
which symbolises great strength and courage and used here to refer both to the Ancient
Britons in their battles with the Romans and to the modern British war-ships.
illī rōbur et aes
triplex / circā pectus erat (Horace: Odes 1.3) │ Oak and brass of triple
fold / Encompass'd sure that heart, … [He had a heart encased in oak and triple
bronze, …]
rōbur, rōboris [3/n]: oak tree; strength
aes, aeris [3/n]: brass
triplex, triplicis: triple; three-fold
** statiō,
satiōnis [3/f]: (here) roadstead, a partly sheltered area near the shore
where ships can anchor
[i] Vocabulary
review: match the Latin and English
adhūc
ariēs, arietis
[3/m]
comprobō, -āre,
-āvī, -ātus [1]
eugē
facinus, facinoris
[3/n]
grandis, -e
illīc
insignis, -e
mīrus, -a, -um
nōnnumquam
orbis, -is [3/m]
terrārum
pergrandis, -e
prosperus, -a, -um
sententia, -ae
[1/f]
turris, -is [3/f]
tūtus, -a, -um
approve; big; deed
/ action; distinguished; favourable / successful; globe; hurray / bravo!; opinion;
over there; ram; safe; sometimes; still / thus far; tower / turret; very big; wonderful
/ surprising
[ii] Find the
Latin:
- pointing ¦ with (his) finger ¦ to the east
- over there is a safe roadstead for the ships
- as I think i.e. in my opinion
- they’re not as big as I thought
- some are armed with towers
No comments:
Post a Comment