RITCHIE'S FABULAE FACILES RITCHIE'S SIMPLE STORIES: 21/10/2012

76. - THE BARGAIN WITH PELIAS

This vase painting depicts Jason bringing the golden fleece to Pelias. (Picture from Wikimedia Commons)

a)Tandem post multa perícula Iásón in eundem locum pervénit unde profectus erat. Tum é náví égressus ad régem Peliam, quí régnum adhúc obtinébat, statim sé contulit, et vellere aureó mónstrátó ab eó postulávit ut régnum sibi tráderétur; Peliás enim pollicitus erat, sí Iásón vellus rettulisset, sé régnum eí tráditúrum. Postquam Iásón quid fierí vellet ostendit, Peliás prímó nihil respondit, sed diú in eádem trístitiá tacitus permánsit; tandem ita locútus est: "Vidés mé aetáte iam esse cónfectum, neque dubium est quín diés suprémus mihi appropinquet. Liceat igitur mihi, dum vívam, hóc régnum obtinére; cum autem tandem décesseró, tú mihi succédés." Hác órátióne adductus Iásón respondit sé id factúrum quod ille rogásset.

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.

tandem - tandem, adv., at length or last, finally.

multa pericula – accusative case after the preposition post, multa is the adj agreeing with the plural neuter noun pericula ‘many dangers’.

in eundem locum – in denoting motion into is followed by the accusative, here of idem locus making eundem locum ‘the same place’.

unde – adverb, ‘from where’.

profectus erat – pluperfect of the deponent verb proficiscor, proficisci, profectus sum, depart, set out, proceed, meaning therefore ‘he had set out’.

e navi – ablative case after e (ex before a vowel) meaning ‘out of’; notice that navi ends in i because this is an i stem third declension noun.

quid fieri vellet ostendit – means literally: what - to happen - he was wanting - he showed but ‘he made known what he wanted to happen’, gives you a better idea of what it means.

ita locutus est - literally ‘thus he spoke’, ita being ‘thus, in this way’ and locutus being the perfect third person singular of the deponent verb loquor, but we would probably say, ‘he said this’.

vides – we have here a verb of sensory perception followed by the accusative infinitive construction ‘you see me to be worn out’ vides me esse confectum’.

aetate – ablative indicating cause ‘by age’, i.e. worn out by age.

appropinquet – third person singular present subjunctive of the first conjugation verb appropinquare. There is no doubt but that (quin) is followed by subjunctive mihi appropinquet – also remember that appropinquare is followed by the dative which is why we have mihi here ‘to me it approaches’.

dies supremus – supremus can mean highest, greatest and also as here ‘last’; he means his last day, i.e. the day of his death is approaching.

liceat – third person present subjunctive, ‘let it be permitted’ or ‘let it be allowed’.

liceat igitur mihi – liceat takes the dative so we have mihi here ‘let it be permitted to me’ and notice that igitur is second (it can never come first in its clause).

dum vivam – ‘while I live’, the present subjunctive is required here, as it means ‘so long as I am alive’, this is a temporal clause of time expectancy.

hoc regnum – We have come across this before, the long o in neuter nominative hoc which is found in the writings of the Latin teachers till about mid-twentieth century. (see GRAMMAR NOTES)

mihi succedes – ‘you will succeed me’. Mihi as succedo takes the dative; succedes is the second person future of the verb succedo -cedere, -cessi, -cessus, ‘go/come under, follow after, succeed’.

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.

Tandem post multa pericula

At length, after many dangers,

Iason in eundem locum pervenit

Jason came to the same place

unde profectus erat.

from where he had set out.

Tum e navi egressus

Then when he had left the ship

ad regem Peliam,

to King Pelias

qui regnum adhuc obtinebat,

who still ruled the kingdom

statim se contulit,

at once he made his way,

et vellere aureo monstrato

and when he had showed him the golden fleece

ab eo postulavit

he demanded of him

ut regnum sibi traderetur;

that he hand over the kingdom to him;

Pelias enim pollicitus erat,

for Pelias had promised,

si Iason vellus rettulisset,

if Jason brought back the fleece,

se regnum ei traditurum.

he would give him the kingdom.

Postquam Iason quid fieri vellet ostendit,

After Jason made known what he wanted to happen,

Pelias primo nihil respondit,

Pelias at first replied nothing,

sed diu in eadem tristitia

but for a long time in the same sadness;

tacitus permansit;

remained silent;

tandem ita locutus est:

at last he said this:

"Vides me aetate iam esse confectum,

‘You see me already worn out with age,

neque dubium est

nor can there be any doubt

quin dies supremus mihi appropinquet.

but that my last day approaches.

Liceat igitur mihi,

Allow me therefore,

dum vivam, hoc regnum obtinere;

whilst I live, to rule this kingdom;

cum autem tandem decessero,

when however at length I shall depart life,

tu mihi succedes."

you will succeed me.’

Hac oratione adductus

Persuaded by this speech

Iason respondit se id facturum

Jason answered that he would do

quod ille rogasset.

what he had asked.

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