Herculés iam aduléscéns Thébís habitábat. Réx Thébárum, vir ígnávus, Creón appellábátur. Minyae, géns bellicósissima, Thébánís fínitimí erant. Légátí autem á Minyís ad Thébánós quotannís mittébantur; hí Thébás veniébant et centum bovés postulábant. Thébání enim ólim á Minyís superátí erant; tribúta igitur régí Minyárum quotannís pendébant. At Herculés cívís suós hóc stípendió líberáre cónstituit; légátós igitur comprehendit, atque aurís eórum abscídit. Légátí autem apud omnís gentís sánctí habentur.
b)
The words below have been selected for special attention. For the words not included in this list pease refer to the WORDLIST in PAGES TOP RIGHT SIDE BAR. Points of grammar can be found in alphabetical order in ESSENTIAL GRAMMAR NOTES, also to be found in PAGES TOP RIGHT SIDE BAR.
c)
Habitabat – note the use of the imperfect to describe continued action in the past best rendered by ‘he used to etc’.
Appellabatur – passive ‘he was called’; active would be ‘he called’.
Bellicossima – superlative adjective, ‘most or very or extremely warlike’.
Finitimus – neighbouring, adjoining. Finitimi erant – literally ‘were neighbouring’.
Autem - conj., can mean however, or moreover; or as here ‘now’.
Legatus – ambassador.
A Minyis, ad Thebanos – notice a followed by ablative; ad is followed by accusative plural.
Hi – personal pronoun, see GRAMMAR NOTES meaning ‘these men’.
Veniebant, postulabant – notice use of imperfect tense because we are talking about repeated actions in the past.
Superati erant – ‘had been overcome’, pluperfect passive which could be translated as ‘had been beaten in battle’
Pendebant – used to pay, from pendo, pendere, pependi, pensus, weigh out, pay. Notice that this again is repeated action in the past and is signposted by ‘quotannis’ ‘every year’.
Hoc stipendio – ablative of adjective ‘this’ (See Hic, Haec, Hoc in GRAMMAR NOTES) agreeing with the ablative of the noun stípendium, -í, n., tax, tribute.
Eorum – ‘their’, genitive plural of is, ea, id ‘of them’ meaning ‘the ears of them’ or more idiomatically ‘their ears’.
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.
Herculés iam aduléscéns Thébís habitábat.
Hercules when a young man used to live at Thebes.
Réx Thébárum, vir ígnávus, Creón appellábátur.
The king of the Thebans, a cowardly man, was called Creon.
Minyae, géns bellicósissima, Thébánís fínitimí erant.
The Minyae, a most warlike people, lived next door to the Thebans.
Légátí autem á Minyís ad Thébánós quotannís mittébantur;
Now every year embassadors were sent from Minyans to the Thebans
hí Thébás veniébant et centum bovés postulábant.
These men used to come to the Thebans and demand a hundred cattle.
Thébání enim ólim á Minyís superátí erant;
For the Thebans had once been beaten in battle by the Minyans.
tribúta igitur régí Minyárum quotannís pendébant.
A tribute therefore was paid to the king of the Minyans.
At Herculés cívís suós hóc stípendió líberáre cónstituit;
But Hercules resolved to free his citizens from this tax;
légátós igitur comprehendit, atque aurís eórum abscídit.
He seized the ambassadors therefore, and cut off their ears.
Légátí autem apud omnís gentís sánctí habentur.
Ambassadors however among all peoples are considered sacrosanct.
d) The following section is for you to copy and compose your own translation.
Hercules iam adulescens Thebis habitabat. Rex Thebarum, vir ignavus, Creon appellabatur. Minyae, gens bellicosissima, Thebanis finitimi erant. Legati autem a Minyis ad Thebanos quotannis mittebantur; hi Thebas veniebant et centum boves postulabant. Thebani enim olim a Minyis superati erant; tributa igitur regi Minyarum quotannis pendebant. At Hercules civis suos hoc stipendio liberare constituit; legatos igitur comprehendit, atque auris eorum abscidit. Legati autem apud omnis gentis sancti habentur.
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