24.09.25: Level 2; Easy Latin Plays (Newman: 1913); Māter Gracchōrum [3]; Scaena Tertia; text, vocabulary, questions and answers

SCAENA TERTIA: IN FORŌ VESPERĪ

Persōnae: Cīvēs, Tiberius Gracchus, Fīlius Tiberī Praetextātus

CĪVIS PRĪMUS

Quid tū sentīs? Num Gracchus...

CĪVIS ALTER

Hoc equidem sentiō. Gracchus... sed ecce! Inde venit ipse.

(Intrat Tiberius Gracchus cum fīliō)

TIBERIUS GRACCHUS

Cīvēs! Amīcī! Mihi sī crās erit ultimus diēs, excipite hunc, fīlium meum cārissimum. Hodiē vōbīs hunc trādō; crās animam meam fortasse prō vōbīs dēpōnam.

CĪVĒS OMNĒS

Vīvēs, Gracche! Vīvēs et superābis. Iterum eris tribūnus. Eugē, eugē! Salvē, Gracche! (exeunt)

Vocabulary

anima, -ae [1/f]: soul; spirit; life; breath

dēpōnō, -ere, -posuī, dēpositus [3]: (here) give up

excipiō, -ere, excēpī, exceptus [3-iō]: (here) receive; welcome

eugē!: hurray!

trādō, -ere, trādidī, trāditus [3]: hand over

ultimus, -a, -um: last

praetextātus, -a: wearing a toga; the toga praetexta with a broad purple border (praetextus, -a, -um: fringed) worn by priests, magistrates and, relevant to this scene, boys (and sometimes girls) before reaching adulthood: fīlius Tiberī praetextātus

Questions [answers are at the end of the post]

[A]

[i] Why do the citizens stop their conversation? (1)

[ii] Who accompanies Gracchus? (1)

[iii] What does Gracchus ask the citizens to do, and why? (2)

[iv] Translate: Hodiē vōbīs hunc trādō; crās animam meam fortasse prō vōbīs dēpōnam. (7)

[v] How do the citizens respond? (3)

[B] Match the words and phrases from the text with their grammatical descriptions listed below.

[i] cārissimum

[ii] eugē

[iii] Gracche

[iv] hunc

[v] ipse

[vi] iterum

[vii] mihi sī crās erit ultimus diēs

[viii] quid

[ix] sed

[x] vōbīs

adverb; conditional clause; conjunction; demonstrative pronoun; emphatic pronoun; interjection; interrogative pronoun; personal pronoun (dative); superlative adjective; vocative case

[A]

[i] Gracchus enters │ Intrat Tiberius Gracchus

[ii] his son │ cum fīliō

[iii] (i) Accept / receive his son │ excipite hunc, fīlium meum

(ii) tomorrow may be Gracchus’ last day │ Mihi sī crās erit ultimus diēs

[iv] (i) Today (ii) I hand him over (iii) to you; (iv) tomorrow (v) I shall perhaps give up / lay down (vi) my life (vii) for you.

[v] (they say that) (i) he will live (ii) conquer (iii) be the tribune again

[B]

[i] superlative adjective

[ii] interjection

[iii] vocative case

[iv] demonstrative pronoun

[v] emphatic pronoun

[vi] adverb

[vii] conditional clause

[viii] interrogative pronoun

[ix] conjunction

[x] personal pronoun (dative)