RITCHIE'S FABULAE FACILES RITCHIE'S SIMPLE STORIES: 40 RITCHIE’S FABULAE FACILES TRANSLATION - HERCULES 40

HERCULES 40 - A MIRACULOUS HAIL-STORM

THIS IS A STATUE OF JUPPITER WHO SAVED HERCULES BY SENDING A HAIL STORM DURING HIS BATTLE WITH THE LIGURIANS

a)

Tum Herculés bovés per Hispániam et Liguriam compellere cónstituit; postquam igitur omnia paráta sunt, bovés ex ínsulá ad continentem tránsportávit. Ligurés autem, géns bellicósissima, dum ille per fínís eórum iter facit, mágnás cópiás coégérunt atque eum longius prógredí prohibébant. Herculés mágnam difficultátem habébat, barbarí enim in locís superióribus cónstiterant et saxa télaque in eum coniciébant. Ille quidem paene omnem spem salútis déposuerat, sed tempore opportúnissimó Iuppiter imbrem lapidum ingentium é caeló démísit. Hí tantá ví cecidérunt ut mágnum numerum Ligurum occíderint; ipse tamen Herculés (ut in tálibus rébus accidere cónsuévit) nihil incommodí cépit.

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.

per Hispaniam et Liguriam – per followed by accusative case of Hispania (the iberian penninsular comprising of what is today Spain and Portugal) PLEASE SEE MAP OF ROMAN EMPIRE NEXT POST and Liguria (Liguria).

omnia parata– literally ‘all things (neuter plural) having been prepared’ but we would probably say ‘when everything was ready’

ex insula ad continentem – insula is ablative as it is governed by the preposition ex (remember: ex before a word beginning with a vowel and e before words beginning with a consonant) meaning ‘from’, and continentem is accusative as it is governed by the preposition ad ‘towards’.

belicossima – superlative adjective feminine singular to agree with the third declension feminine noun gens (tribe, nation), meaning ‘most warlike, very warlike’.

dum ...iter facit – present tense in Latin after dum meaning ‘while’ meaning literally ‘while he is making the journey’ would be best rendered by a past tense in English ‘while he was making the journey’.

prohibebant – they were preventing, or they were attempting to prevent, or simply ‘they were trying to stop’; this is an example of the imperfect of attempted action. The imperfect tense can be used to express express customary/habitual, repeated, or

attempted action.

barbari – The Greeks called all peoples who were not Greek, barbarians and the Romans called all other nations who were not Greek or Roman barbarians.

in locis superioribus – in takes the ablative, ‘in higher places’.

ceciderunt – this is the third person plural of the perfect tense of the verb cado, cadere, cecidi, casurus, to fall, not to be confused with the perfect of the verb caedo, caedere, cedidi, caesus, to fell, beat, kill..In spoken Latin there would be no confusion between the perfect of cado and the perfect of caedo as, though they are spelled the same the i vowel in the perfect tense of caedo is pronounced long and the i in the perfect of cado is short.

tempore opportunissimo – ablative of time when, ‘at the most opportune time’ or more simply ‘just at the right moment’.

lapidum ingentium – genitive plural of the third declension masculine noun lapis, lapidis with the genitive plural of the adjective ingens, ingentis meaning ‘of huge stones’.

Hi tanta vi – hi is masculine plural pronoun standing in for the stones of the previous sentence which you now know are masculine; tanta vi ‘with such force’; we know that tanta is a signal word for a following subjunctive as it indicates a following result clause ‘ so great ... that etc’ and there it is ‘occiderint’ perfect subjunctive of occidere meaning ‘they fell’.

in talibus rebus – literally means ‘in such affairs’ or ‘in matters such as this’ which may mean in this instance that Hercules is quite used these sort of situations when a a god intervenes on behalf of his favourite.

consuevit – third person singular perfect of consuesco, consuescere, consuevi, consuetus, become accustomed; in tenses of completed action, it means to have become accustomed, to be accustomed.

nihil incommodi cepit – nihil is followed by the genitive , meaning literally ‘nothing of inconvenient’ followed by cepit from capio, ‘he caught, or he suffered’. together meaning ‘he came to no harm’ or ‘he suffered no harm’.

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.

Tum Hercules boves per Hispaniam et Liguriam compellere constituit;

Then Hercules decided to drive the cattle through Hispania and Liguria

postquam igitur omnia parata sunt,

therefore after everything was got ready,

boves ex insula ad continentem transportavit.

he transported the cattle from the island to the mainland.

Ligures autem, gens bellicosissima,

The Ligurians however, a most warlike people,

dum ille per finis eorum iter facit,

while he was making the journey through their territory

magnas copias coegerunt

gathered together great forces

atque eum longius progredi prohibebant.

and so they prevented him from advancing any further

Hercules magnam difficultatem habebat,

Hercules had great difficulty,

barbari enim in locis superioribus constiterant

for the barbarians had taken up positions in higher places

et saxa telaque in eum coniciebant.

and were hurling stones and weapons upon him.

Ille quidem paene omnem spem salutis deposuerat,

He indeed had almost given up all hope of safety,

sed tempore opportunissimo

But at the most opportune time

Iuppiter imbrem lapidum ingentium e caelo demisit.

Juppiter sent down from the sky a shower of huge stones

Hi tanta vi ceciderunt

These fell with such force

ut magnum numerum Ligurum occiderint;

that they killed a great number of the Ligurians.

ipse tamen Hercules

Hercules himself however

(ut in talibus rebus accidere consuevit)

who was accustomed to such things happening

nihil incommodi cepit.

suffered no harm.

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

Tum Hercules boves

per Hispaniam et Liguriam compellere constituit;