RITCHIE'S FABULAE FACILES RITCHIE'S SIMPLE STORIES: 60 RITCHIE’S FABULAE FACILES TRANSLATION – THE ARGONAUTS 60

60. THE BUILDING OF THE GOOD SHIP ARGO

THIS GREEK STAMP SHOWS WHAT THE ARGO MAY HAVE LOOKED LIKE - ELLAS (BOTTOM LEFT OF THE STAMP) IS GREEK FOR GREECE.

a)Cum tamen Colchis multórum diérum iter ab eó locó abesset, sólus Iásón proficíscí nóluit. Dímísit igitur núntiós in omnís partís, quí causam itineris docérent et diem certam conveniendí dícerent. Intereá, postquam omnia quae sunt úsuí ad armandás návís comportárí iussit, negótium dedit Argó cuidam, quí summam scientiam nauticárum rérum habébat, ut návem aedificáret. In hís rébus circiter decem diés cónsúmptí sunt; Argus enim, quí operí praeerat, tantam díligentiam adhibébat ut né nocturnum quidem tempus ad labórem intermitteret. Ad multitúdinem hominum tránsportandam návis pauló erat látior quam quibus in nostró marí útí cónsuévimus, et ad vim tempestátum perferendam tóta é róbore facta est.

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.

cum – often introduces a reason as here, ‘since ... Colchis was many days away’.

iter - accusative of extent, ‘a journey of many days (duration)’.

ab eo loco – ablative, ‘from that place’.

proficisci – deponent verb infinitive ‘to set out’.

noluit – third person singular perfect of nolle ‘he didn’t want’ which is often found before an infinitive, as it is in English, ‘he didn’t want ... to set out’.

dimisit – third person singular perfect of dimitto, -mittere, -misi, -missus, send different ways, send forth or away, despatch; let slip, lose.

in omnis partis – ‘to all parts;, ‘everywhere’.

qui ... docerent – refers to the purpose of the ‘messengers’ or ‘heralds’ (nuntios) being sent out who were to explain the reason for the journey.

docerent – third person plural imperfect subjunctive of doceo, -ere, -ui, -tus, teach, explain, in the purpose clause.

diem certam – this is feminine accusative; the fifth declension noun die dies, -ei, can be masc and feminine; it is usually feminine when referring to a specific day, as here.

conveniendi – genitive of the gerund of the verb convenire (the gerund is the verbal noun, e.g. ‘meeting’) meaning ‘of meeting’.

omnia quae – ‘all the things which’ ..

usui - dative of purpose. We say 'of use' or 'useful.'

ad armandas navis – ad before a gerundive denotes purpose, armandas is the gerundive (verbal adjective) of armo, -are, -avi, -atus, arm, equip, so altogether it means ‘for equipping ships’.

comportari iussit – turn it about in English ‘he ordered’, perfect third person singular of iubeo, iubere, iussi, iussus, bid, order, command, with the passive infinitive of the first conjugation verb comportare which is comportari, meaning to carry or bring together, to collect, so together it all means something like ‘he orderered (that all the things etc.) be brought.

Argo – dative of Argus ‘to Argus’ after ‘he gave’.

operi praeerat – ‘was in charge of the work’, operi is the dative case as it is governed by the compound verb praeerat which comes from praesum, -esse, -fui, be before, preside over, have charge of, command. Not all, but many verbs which are compounds of ad, ante, com (for cum), in, inter, ob, post, prae, pro, sub, and super do have the dative, and some compounds of circum.

ne ... quidem - , 'not ... even.' The word emphasized must stand between ne and quidem, here ‘not even at night’.

tantam – this is a signal word for a following result clause, ‘so great ... that etc.’ which is why we have ‘ut ..intermitteret’.

ad laborem.- we have ad again here expressing purpose ‘for the work’.

Ad multitudinem transportandam – ad again introducing purpose, transportandam is the gerundive of transportare ‘for transporting a multitude.

paulo erat latior – literally ‘by a little was more wide’ or more simply ‘a little wider’.

nostro mari – ‘our sea’ which in this context means the Mediterranean.

consuevimus.- ‘we are accustomed’ or literally ‘we have become accustomed’ from consuesco. Many verbs ending in sco are what we call inceptive verbs which means that they denote the beginning of an action or state. The perfect and pluperfect of such verbs often represent the state of things resulting from the completion of the action, and are then to be translated as present and imperfect respectively. So consuesco means 'I am becoming accustomed,' consuevi means 'I have become accustomed' or 'am accustomed,' consueveram means 'I had become accustomed' or 'was accustomed.'

ad perferendam – purpose again with gerundive ‘in order to withstand’ from perfero, -ferre, -tuli, -latus, bear endure, weather.

e robore – ablative after e meaning made out of, from robur, roboris, third declension neuter noun, oak ‘out of oak.

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.

Cum tamen Colchis multorum dierum

Since however Colchis many days

iter ab eo loco abesset,

journey from that place was distant,

solus Iason proficisci noluit.

Jason didn’t want to set out alone.

Dimisit igitur nuntios in omnis partis,

Therefore he sent out messengers into all parts,

qui causam itineris docerent

who the reason of the journey were to explain

et diem certam conveniendi dicerent.

and to inform (them) the specified day to meet.

Interea, postquam omnia quae sunt

Meanwhile, after all the things which

usui ad armandas navis comportari iussit,

of use to equip ships he ordered be brought together

negotium dedit Argo cuidam,

he gave the job to a certain Argus,

qui summam scientiam

who had the greatest knowledge

nauticarum rerum habebat,

of nautical things,

ut navem aedificaret.

to build the ship.

In his rebus circiter decem dies

In this task around ten days

consumpti sunt; Argus enim,

were taken up; for Argus,

qui operi praeerat,

who was in charge of the work,

tantam diligentiam adhibebat

displayed such great diligence

ut ne nocturnum quidem

that not even during the night

tempus ad laborem intermitteret.

was time lost to work.

Ad multitudinem hominum transportandam

To transport a multitude of men

navis paulo erat latior

the ship was a little wider

quam quibus in nostro mari

than those on our sea

uti consuevimus,

we are accustomed to use,

et ad vim tempestatum perferendam

and in order to withstand the force of storms

tota e robore facta est.

everthing was made out of oak.

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