RITCHIE'S FABULAE FACILES RITCHIE'S SIMPLE STORIES: 67 RITCHIE’S FABULAE FACILES TRANSLATION

THE ARGONAUTS 67 - A HEAVY TASK

THIS SEVENTEENTH CENTURY PAINTING BY CHARLES LA FOSSE AT VERSAILLES PALACE DEPICTS JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS DISEMBARKING AT COLCHIS.
a) Breví intermissó spatió Argonautae ad flúmen Phásim vénérunt, quod in fínibus Colchórum erat. Ibi cum návem appulissent et in terram égressí essent, statim ad régem Aeétem sé contulérunt et ab eó postulávérunt ut vellus aureum sibi tráderétur. Ille cum audívisset quam ob causam Argonautae vénissent, írá commótus est et diú negábat sé vellus tráditúrum esse. Tandem tamen, quod sciébat Iásonem nón sine auxilió deórum hóc negótium suscépisse, mútátá sententiá prómísit sé vellus tráditúrum, sí Iásón labórés duós difficillimós prius perfécisset; et cum Iásón díxisset sé ad omnia perícula subeunda parátum esse, quid fierí vellet ostendit. Prímum iungendí erant duo taurí specié horribilí, quí flammás ex óre édébant; tum hís iúnctís ager quídam arandus erat et dentés dracónis serendí. Hís audítís Iásón etsí rem esse summí perículí intellegébat, tamen, né hanc occásiónem reí bene gerendae ámitteret, negótium suscépit.
b)

Some words have been chosen for special consideration and are listed below. For the words not included in this list please refer to the WORDLIST in PAGES TOP RIGHT SIDE BAR. If you need help with points of grammar raised in today's excerpt, consult ESSENTIAL GRAMMAR NOTES also top right side bar.

brevi intermisso spatio – ‘in a short space of time’, ablative of time within which.

appullissent ... egressi essent – subjunctives after cum introducing past clauses.

in terram – preposition in followed by the accusative when indicating motion in to.

se contulerunt – ‘they made their way’ third person plural, perfect tense of the verb se confero, conferre, contuli, conlatus, ‘betake oneself, make one's way’.

vellus – notice that this is a third declension neuter noun, not second declension masculine as you might have thought: vellus, velleris, n., ‘fleece’.

traderetur – third person singular imperfect subjunctive; the subjunctive is used here as this is another example of indirect discourse with the verb is in a clause following a verb of petition or asking.

negabat - . Third person singular imperfect tense of negare; this verb is often used instead of dico when a negative statement follows; when thus used, it should be translated by 'say' with the appropriate negative, here 'said that he would not.'

se traditurum esse - accusative infinitive construction as this is indirect discourse, ‘he said that he would not hand over’. Notice that later we have promisit se vellus traditurum, ‘he promised he would hand over the fleece’ and esse is left out this often happens when the participle is part of the infinitive.

Iasonem ... suscepisse – Accusative infinitive after sciebat ‘he knew’.

prius - Notice that Latin is here more exact than English, using the comparative because only two actions are spoken of.

Primum – ‘first’ or ‘first of all’; primum is chiefly used in enumeration, primo in contrasting an action or state with one that follows it.

quid fieri vellet – literally ‘what to be done he was wanting’.

iungendi erant – ‘had to be joked together’; the gerundive is used with sum to denote necessary action. This is called the passivecperiphrastic conjugation.

rei bene gerendae - 'of accomplishing his mission', literally ‘of doing the thing well’.

Note: This section is not translated into idiomatic English but is intended, together with the notes, to give you the gist of the meaning; you can then come up with your own improved translation.

Brevi intermisso spatio Argonautae

In a short space of time the Argonauts

ad flumen Phasim venerunt,

came to the river Phasis

quod in finibus Colchorum erat.

which was in the territory of the Colchians

Ibi cum navem appulissent

Here when they had moored the ship

et in terram egressi essent,

and had disembarked on land,

statim ad regem Aeetem se contulerunt

they made they way at once to King Aeetes

et ab eo postulaverunt

and requested from him

ut vellus aureum sibi traderetur.

that he hand over to them the golden fleece.

Ille cum audivisset

He, when he had heard

quam ob causam Argonautae venissent,

for what reason the Argonauts had come,

ira commotus est et diu

he was angry and for a long time

negabat se vellus traditurum esse.

said that he would not hand over the fleece.

Tandem tamen, quod sciebat Iasonem

At length however, since he knew that Jason

non sine auxilio deorum hoc negotium suscepisse,

had not undertaken this business without the help of the gods,

mutata sententia promisit se

he changed his mind and promised he

vellus traditurum, si Iason

would hand over the fleece if Jason

labores duos difficillimos prius perfecisset;

would first carry out two most difficult tasks

et cum Iason dixisset se

and when Jason had said that he

ad omnia pericula subeunda paratum esse,

was prepared to suffer all dangers

quid fieri vellet ostendit.

he explained what he wanted to be done.

Primum iungendi erant

Firstly had to be joked together

duo tauri specie horribili,

two bulls of horrible appearance,

qui flammas ex ore edebant;

which poured forth flames from their mouths;

tum his iunctis ager quidam

then when these were yoked a certain field

arandus erat et dentes draconis serendi.

had to be ploughed and dragon’s teeth had to be sown.

His auditis Iason etsi

When he had heard this, Jason though

rem esse summi periculi intellegebat,

he understood the task to be most dangerous

tamen, ne hanc occasionem

yet, not this opportunity

rei bene gerendae amitteret,

to lose of accomplishing his mission

negotium suscepit.

undertook the business.

d) The following section is for you to copy and translate.