Text (The Roman narrator now speaks about Orpheus:) "Non solum Hercules vivus illa loca atrocia petivit, ubi Pluto et Proserpina gentes mortuorum regunt. Quis ignorat Orpheum quoque acri dolore vexatum deos crudeles adisse, postquam anguis Eurydicam, uxorem eius, necavit? Qui postquam eam viam praecipitem carpsit, qua paulo ante Eurydica invita ierat, maestus et supplex Plutonem Proserpinamque adiit: "Vos, quibus omnes mortales parent, postquam vitam brevem vixerunt, vos, qui hoc regnum ingens, hanc sedem ultimam omnium hominum tenetis: Reddite mihi Eurydicam, uxorem fidelem, quam morte celeri amisi, sinite nos per breve tempus felices esse! Sin autem mihi uxorem innocentem negaveritis, ego ex his sedibus atrocibus non iam redibo. Gaudete morte duorum!"" --------------------------- Reading vocabulary you needn't learn: anguis, -is f: snake Vocabulary
| amittere (amisi, amissum) | to lose; let slip away | L24: mittere |
| carpere (carpsi, carptum) | to pluck, seize, grab | |
| reddere | to give back, return; render | |
| regere (rexi, rectum) | to guide, govern, rule | L33: rex |
| acer, acris, acre | sharp, keen, severe, fierce | |
| celer, celeris, celere | quick, swift, rapid, fast | |
| crudelis, crudele | cruel | cruel |
| fidelis, fidele | loyal, faithful, true | L6: fidus |
| atrox (Gen: atrocis) | terrible, cruel, horrible, harsh | |
| felix (Gen: felicis) | happy, lucky, fortunate | EO: felicxa |
| praeceps (Gen: praecipitis) | precipis | precipis |
| supplex (Gen: supplicis) | suppliant, kneeling, entreating | suppliant |
| paulum | a little | |
| ante | before, in front of, previously | |
| post | after, behind | L10: postea |
| paulo ante | shortly before | |
| paulo post | shortly after | |
| viam carpere | to cover a distance, travel |
Practise the vocabulary of this lesson by matching it. Grammar There's no new grammar in this lesson. Use it to revise adjectives of the I-Declension. Exercise Put the adjective in brackets into the right form (the case, number and gender should conform to one of the nouns in the sentence, preferably one that makes sense with that adjective). 1. Milites via (praeceps) summa cum difficultate ierunt. 2. Tyrannus servos (fidelis) sine causa verbis violavit. 3. (Brevis) tempus a patria aberamus. 4. Imperator virum (innocens) ad se vocavit. 5. Quid est vita sine uxore (fidelis)? Information on Orpheus Information on Eurydice Information on Pluto Information on Proserpina Exercise answers: 1. via praecipi (feminine Ablative singular) 2. servos fideles (masculine Accusative plural) 3. Breve tempus (neuter Accusative singular) 4. virum innocentem (masculine Accusative singular) 5. uxore fideli (feminine Ablative singular)