Text Ac profecto non cuncti Romani duri et asperi erant, non cuncti servi a dominis caedebantur, torquebantur, contumeliis violabantur. Multis servis a dominis humanis pecunia dabatur, interdum etiam sic monebatur: "Laborate magna cum diligentia, servi; nam servi dominorum contentorum aliquando servitio liberabuntur. Tu, Afer, officia semper bene explevisti. Itaque primus a me mitteris. Vos quoque, Lyde et Dace, testamento meo mittemini. Semper enim fidi et impigri fuistis." Tum Afer et Lydus et Dacus laeti clamaverunt: "Aliquando fortuna nostra mutabitur, aliquando negotiis molestis solvemur et liberabimur!" "Tum ego", inquit Afer, "libertus dicar; tu quoque, Lyde, libertus diceris, et tu, Dace! Fortasse in patriam redibimus - aut hic manebimus et inter Romanos liberos liberi vivemus!" --------------------------- Reading vocabulary you needn't learn: libertus: freed man (a rank in Roman society) Vocabulary
| mutare | to change, alter, exchange | mutate |
| explêre (explevi) | to fill, fulfill | L16: implere |
| mittere | to send; let go; free | |
| solvere | to solve; release, free; pay | solve |
| vivere | to live | I: vivere, F: vivre, EO: vivi |
| pecunia, -ae | money, wealth | |
negotium, -i |
business, task |
|
| testamentum, -i | testament | testament |
| vinculum, -i | band, chain; Plural: prison | |
| molestus, -a, -um | troublesome, bothersome, annoying | D: lästig |
| primus, -a, -um | the first | prime |
| asper, aspera, asperum | rough, strict | |
| impiger, impigra, impigrum | indefatiguable, assiduous, diligent, hard-working | I: pigro |
| ac / atque | and, and also (very strong relation) | |
| aut | or | |
| inter | between; during; under | inter-national |
| profecto | really, in fact, indeed, at all events, by any means | |
| vel | or; even | math: v |
| officium explere | to fulfill duty | |
| ac profecto | and indeed, and in fact | |
| aut... aut | either... or |
Practise the vocabulary of this lesson by matching it. Grammar As you might have noticed in the text, we're now ready to use the passive voice in other tenses, too, not just the present tense. It is actually quite easy: In the past tense, you can use the active form up to the -ba- and then you don't add the normal verb ending (-m, -s, -t, -mus, -tis, -nt) but the passive ones, which you learned in the last lesson. The only difference is that the o of -or melts with the a of -ba- for the first person singular, so the ending is just -r. Example: voca-ba-r (I was called) voca-ba-ris (You were called) voca-ba-tur (He/she/it was called) voca-ba-mur (We were called) voca-ba-mini (You were called) voca-ba-ntur (They were called). In the future tense, it is similar. Again, you can use the active form if you just switch the personal ending (that is why people say that Latin grammar works like a construction set). However, -be- replaces -bi- in the second person for no obvious reason except that the Romans didn't like the combination -biris. And in the first person singular of the Consonantic Conjugation, we see a melting again: duc-a-or becomes duc-a-r. Examples, with the active forms in brackets: voca-b-or (voca-b-o) duc-a-r (duc-a-m) voca-be-ris (voca-bi-s) duc-e-ris (duc-e-s) voca-bi-tur (voca-bi-t) duc-e-tur (duc-e-t) voca-bi-mur (voca-bi-mus) duc-e-mur (duc-e-mus) voca-bi-mini (voca-bi-tis) duc-e-mini (duc-e-tis) voca-bu-ntur (voca-bu-nt) duc-e-ntur (duc-e-nt)
Exercise Transform these verbs first into passive, then past tense and future tense: demonstrat, torquetis, lacesso, nominas, monemus, dicunt
Information: Slaves III That slaves were legally "unfree" didn't mean that they couldn't move freely. Many became their masters' trustees or assumed important positions. However, it occurred as often that slaves tried to run away or kill their master. Slave owners always had to live with that fear. So the fate and the life of a slave depended on his masters' character and his area of work. Accordingly, there were different moral criteria for judging slaves: A "good citizen" and a "good slave" are different. A slave is only good if he is obedient, hard-working, easily satisfied and loyal to his master. Generally it was seen as a sad fate to become a slave. This threat was always there. The only hope, the only goal of any slave was to be liberated one day and escape this unworthy life. The big number of Freed People (liberti) in Roman society shows, that this possibility actually existed for many slaves. Exercise answers: demonstrat: demonstratur, demontrabatur, demonstrabitur torquetis: torquemini, torquebamini, torquebimini lacesso: lacessor, lacessebar, lacessar nominas: nominaris, nominabaris, nominaberis monemus: monemur, monebamur, monebimur dicunt: dicuntur, dicebantur, dicentur