Helps to Latin Translation at Sight
Chapter 5 : NOTE The use of a personal mode of address in the following Demonstrations is explained

NOTE

The use of a personal mode of address in the following Demonstrations is explained by the fact that they are written primarily for the use of boys. It is hoped, however, that they may be found useful to masters also, and that the fulness with which each pa.s.sage is treated may supply some helpful suggestions.

DEMONSTRATION I.

_Fierce encounter with the Germans._

(a) Reiectis pilis cominus gladiis pugnatum est. |II| At Germani celeriter, ex consuetudine sua, phalange facta, impetus gladiorum exceperunt. |III| Reperti sunt complures nostri milites, qui in phalangas insilirent, et scuta manibus revellerent, et desuper vulnerarent. |IV| c.u.m hostium acies a sinistro cornu pulsa atque in fugam conversa esset, a dextro cornu vehementer mult.i.tudine suorum nostram aciem premebant. |V| Id c.u.m animadvertisset Publius Cra.s.sus adulescens, qui equitatui praeerat, quod expeditior erat quam hi qui inter aciem versabantur, tertiam aciem laborantibus nostris subsidio misit. |VI| Ita proelium rest.i.tutum est. ||

CAESAR.

_Fierce encounter with the Germans._

(b) Reiectis pilis cominus gladiis +pugnatum est+. {II} At +Germani+ celeriter, ex consuetudine sua, phalange facta, +impetus+ gladiorum +exceperunt+. {III} +Reperti sunt+ complures nostri +milites+ [_qui in phalangas insilirent, et scuta manibus revellerent, et desuper vulnerarent_.] {IV} [_c.u.m hostium acies a sinistro cornu pulsa atque in IV fugam conversa esset,_] a dextro cornu vehementer mult.i.tudine suorum nostram +aciem premebant+. {V} [_Id c.u.m animadvertisset +Publius Cra.s.sus+ adulescens,_] [_qui equitatui praeerat,_]

[_quod expeditior erat quam hi qui inter aciem versabantur,_]

tertiam +aciem+ laborantibus nostris subsidio +misit+. {VI} Ita proelium +rest.i.tutum est+.

CAESAR.

DEMONSTRATION I.

CAESAR, _B. G._ i. 52. _Reiectis pilis ... rest.i.tutum est._

_Heading and Author._--This tells you enough for working purposes, even if you do not remember the outline facts of Caesar's campaign against Ariovistus, the chief of the Germans, called in by the Gauls in their domestic quarrels, who conquered and ruled them until he was himself crushed by the Romans.

_Read through the pa.s.sage carefully._--As you do this, notice all allusions and key-words that help you to the sense of the pa.s.sage, _e.g._ +Germani+, +nostri milites+, +Publius Cra.s.sus+. The general sense of the pa.s.sage should now be so plain (_i.e._ an incident in a battle between the Germans and the Romans) that you may begin to translate sentence by sentence.

+I.+ +Reiectis pilis cominus gladiis pugnatum est.+

(i.) _Vocabulary._--

+Reiectis+ = +re + iacio+ = _throw back_ or _away_. The context will tell you which is the better meaning for +re-+. Notice the force of all prefixes in composition, whether separate or inseparable as here. For +re-+, see pp. 280, 281. [[Appendix II.II: Separable Particles]]

+pilis+ = the +pilum+, the distinctively _Roman_ missile weapon.

+cominus+ = +comminus+: _i.e._ +con (= c.u.m) + ma.n.u.s+ = _hand to hand._ N.B.--In composition _a_ often becomes _i_, cf. +iacio+, +re-icio+; and cf. +e-minus+ = _at a distance_.

(ii.) _Translation._--

+PUGNATUM EST+. The only finite verb in the sentence, and the princ.i.p.al one. The form shows you it is a so-called impersonal verb, and therefore the subject must be sought from the verb itself in connection with the context. Here, clearly, you must translate _the battle was fought_.

+cominus+ tells us _how_, i.e. _hand to hand_.

+reiectis pilis+. You will recognise this as an _ablative absolute_ phrase. But do not translate this literally _their javelins having been thrown away_, for this is not English. Let the princ.i.p.al verb and the sense generally guide you to the force of the phrase. Thus you can see here that the Roman soldiers had no use for their javelins, and so threw them away as a useless enc.u.mbrance. (The context tells us that the Roman soldiers had no time to hurl their javelins against the foe.) You can now translate the whole sentence--_(and so) the Romans threw away their javelins and fought hand to hand with swords_.

+II.+ +At Germani celeriter, ex consuetudine sua, phalange facta, impetus gladiorum exceperunt.+

(i.) _Vocabulary._--

+ex consuetudine sua + = _according to their custom_. You will probably have met with +consuetudo+, or +consuesco+, or +suesco+. Our own word _custom_ comes from it through the French _coutume_. For this use of +ex+ cf. +ex sententia+, +ex voluntate+.

+phalange+ = _phalanx_. If you learn Greek, you will readily think of the famous Macedonian phalanx.

+impetus+ = _attacks_ = +in + peto+ (= _aim at_). Cf. our _impetus_, _impetuous_.

(ii.) _Translation._--This sentence contains only one finite verb, the princ.i.p.al one.

+EXCEPERUNT+ = _(they) received_. _Who_ received? Clearly

+GERMANI+ = _the Germans_. Received _what_?

+IMPETUS+ = _the attacks_. +impetus+ must be Acc. Plur.

All you now have to do is to a.s.sign to their proper places the words and phrases that remain. Of these

1. +celeriter+ } 2. +ex consuetudine sua+ } 3. +phalange facta+ } modify the action of +exceperunt+, telling us _when_ and _how_ they received, and 4. +gladiorum+ belongs to +impetus+.

Now translate the whole sentence. _But the Germans quickly formed into a phalanx, as was their custom, and received the attacks of the swords_ (i.e. _of the Romans with drawn swords_).

+III.+ +Reperti sunt complures nostri milites, qui in phalangas insilirent, et scuta manibus revellerent, et desuper vulnerarent.+

(i.) _Vocabulary._--

+insilirent+ = +in + salio+ = _leap-on_. And cf. our _insult_. Notice the usual phonetic change of vowel from _a_ to _i_. (English derivatives will often help you to the meaning of a Latin word, though, for reasons that are explained to you in the Introduction, pp. 1, 2, -- 4, you must let them lead you up to the _root-meaning_ of the Latin word rather than to an exact translation.)

+revellerent+ = +re + vello+ = _pluck-away_. If you forget the meaning of +vello+, the supine +vulsum+ through some English derivative--e.g.

_re-vulsion_, _con-vulsion_--will probably help you to the root-meaning.

(ii.) _Translation._--This sentence contains four finite verbs. As you read it through, underline the princ.i.p.al verb, clearly +REPERTI SUNT+, and bracket +qui+ to +vulnerarent+. You cannot doubt which verbs to include in your bracket, for +qui+, which is a subordinate conjunction as well as a relative p.r.o.noun, serves as a sure signpost. Also +revellerent+ and +vulnerarent+ are joined by +et--et+ to +insilirent+, so your bracket includes all from +qui+ to +vulnerarent+. The commas in the pa.s.sage will often help you to the beginning and end of a subordinate clause. Now begin with the princ.i.p.al verb +REPERTI SUNT+ and its subject +complures nostri MILITES+, _many of our soldiers were found_.

+qui ... vulnerarent+. This subordinate clause describes, just as an adjective does, _the character_ of these +complures nostri+, so that +qui = tales ut+--i.e. _brave enough to leap upon the phalanxes, and pluck away the s.h.i.+elds (of the Germans) and wound them from above_.

+IV.+ +c.u.m hostium acies a sinistro cornu pulsa atque in fugam conversa esset, a dextro cornu vehementer mult.i.tudine suorum nostram aciem premebant.+

(i.) _Vocabulary._--

+acies+ = _line of battle_.

v+ac+ = _sharp_ (cf. +acer+), perhaps thought of as the _edge_ of a sword.

+cornu+ = _horn_; so, figuratively, _the wing of an army_.

(ii.) _Translation._--This sentence contains three finite verbs.

Underline +PREMEBANT+, clearly the princ.i.p.al verb, and bracket +c.u.m+ to +conversa esset+. Here the signpost is the subordinate conjunction +c.u.m+. Next find the subject of +premebant+: obviously no word from +a dextro+ to +aciem+ can be the subject; it is implied in +premebant+--i.e. _they_, which as context shows = +Germani+. Now find the object = +nostram aciem+ = _our line_.

Thus you have as the backbone of the whole sentence:--

_They (the Germans) were pressing our line._