Read the text for
understanding; don’t be concerned by any word or phrase you don’t know. We’ll
look at the text a second time in the next post.
The first purpose of this
text is to see 4th declension nouns in context.
Look at the cases of the
nouns in bold and see how they are being used. Then try the exercise that
follows the text.
DĒ EXERCITIBUS RŌMĀNĪS I
[Chesnutt: Road to Latin]
equitātus, -ūs [4/m]:
cavalry
exercitus, -ūs [4/m]: army
impetus, -ūs [4/m]: attack
ūsus, -ūs [4/m]: use;
service
cornū, -ūs [4/n]: (here)
wing (of an army)
Exercitus Rōmānus, quem Caesar in Galliam
dūcēbat, in trēs partēs dīvīsus est. Ūna pars exercitūs equitātus erat,
altera pars auxilia, tertia pars peditēs, quī mīlitēs legiōnāriī appellābantur.
Potentissima pars exercitūs Rōmānī erant
legiōnēs, nam habēbant mīlitēs legiōnāriōs, virōs maximae virtūtis, quī pīlīs
gladiīsque pugnābant. Ubi Caesar signum dedit [gave], mīlitēs
prīmī in hostēs appropinquantēs pīla mittēbant; tum gladiīs in eōs impetum faciēbant.
Post proelium equitātus, quī in cornū dextrō et
in cornū sinistrō cōnstiterat [had halted],
in hostēs fugientēs impetum faciēbat et eōs caedēbat. Ante
proelium quoque equitātus Caesarī et exercituī magnō
auxiliō erat, nam equitātus cum equitātū hostium
proelium saepe committēbant. Auxilia, vel peditēs levis armātūrae, proeliīs nōn
saepe pugnābant. Eae cōpiae tamen magnō ūsuī erant, quod
ad exercitum frūmentum ā fīnitimīs gentibus coāctum portābant.
Ab exercitū Caesaris multae gentēs victae sunt; nam mīlitēs
Rōmānī virtūte vīribusque omnēs aliōs superāvērunt [overcame].
Exercitūs Rōmānī ad multās terrās sociīs
praesidiō mittēbantur. Mīlitēs eōrum exercituum terrā marīque
pugnābant. Nūllī exercitūs exercitibus Rōmānīs parēs erant
virtūte. Omnēs nātiōnēs orbis terrārum igitur potentēs exercitūs Rōmānōs
timēbant. Diū cum Rōmānīs bellum gerēbant, sed frūstrā pugnābant, nam omnēs
nātiōnēs ab exercitibus Rōmānīs victae sunt.
Below are English translations of phrases from the text:
find the sentences and phrases and note in particular the 4th declension nouns
and how they are working. They aren’t in order; they’re listed according to
cases.
1. The Roman army [nominative]
… was divided into three parts
2. Roman armies [nominative
plural] were often sent to many lands
3. The most powerful part
¦ of the Roman army [genitive] ¦ were the
legions
4. The soldiers ¦ of their armies [genitive
plural] ¦ would fight on land and at sea
5. One part ¦ of the
army [genitive] ¦ was ¦ the cavalry [nominative]
6. Before the battle the
cavalry was of great assistance to Caesar and to the army [dative]
7. These troops were ¦ of
great use [dative; a note on this will be given in the next post]
8. No armies [nominative
plural] were ¦ equal to the Roman armies [dative
plural] ¦ in courage
9. Then they would
make an attack [accusative] on them with swords
10. They carried grain
¦ to the army [accusative with preposition]
11. They feared the powerful
Roman armies [accusative plural]
12. on the
right wing [ablative]
13. on the
left wing [ablative]
14. Many nations were
conquered ¦ by Caesar’s army [ablative]
15. All the nations were
conquered ¦ by the Roman armies [ablative
plural]
16. for ¦ the
cavalry [nominative] ¦ would often commence battle ¦ with the
cavalry [ablative] ¦ of the enemy
