a)Rés igitur male sé habébat cum Argonautae návem appulérunt. Phíneus autem simul atque audívit eós in suós fínís égressós esse, mágnopere gávísus est. Sciébat enim quantam opíniónem virtútis Argonautae habérent, nec dubitábat quín sibi auxilium ferrent. Núntium igitur ad návem mísit, quí Iásonem sociósque ad régiam vocáret. Eó cum vénissent, Phíneus démónstrávit quantó in perículó suae rés essent, et prómísit sé mágna praemia datúrum esse, sí illí remedium repperissent. Argonautae negótium libenter suscépérunt, et ubi hóra vénit, cum rége accubuérunt; at simul ac céna apposita est, Harpýiae cénáculum intrávérunt et cibum auferre cónábantur. Argonautae prímum gladiís volucrés petiérunt; cum tamen vidérent hóc nihil pródesse, Zétés et Calais, quí álís erant ínstrúctí, in áera sé sublevávérunt, ut désuper impetum facerent. Quod cum sénsissent Harpýiae, reí novitáte perterritae statim aufúgérunt, neque posteá umquam rediérunt.
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.
c)
Res .. male se habebat – res we know is hard to pin down in a translation as it can have so many meanings: ‘things’ meaning ‘the way things are going’, or ‘events’, or ‘proceedings’, or ‘matter’ or ‘affair’, so this expression means something like ‘the situation was desperate’.
se habebat – habere is another word which has multiple meanings amongst which are: have, hold, consider, think, reason; manage, keep, spend, pass time.
appulerunt – third person plural perfect indicative active of appello, -pellere, -puli, -pulsus, drive to, bring to; with or without navem, put in, meaning therefore ‘they brought in’ or ‘they docked’.
simul atque – simul is an adverb meaning ‘at the same time’; simul atque or ac, is an adverbial phrase meaning ‘as soon as’.
eos ... egressos esse – accusative and infinitive construction after ‘he heard .. that they had entered’.
gavisus est – third person singular perfect tense of the semi-deponent verb gaudeo, gaudere, gavisus est, be glad, rejoice, which takes passive verb forms in the perfect system.
quantam ..haberent – quantam (agreeing with the femininine accusative opinionem) is we know a signal word for a following result clause which requires the verb be in the subjunctive... ‘how great a reputation they had’.
virtutis – notice that this is genitive form of the third declension feminine noun, virtus, -tutis, manliness, courage, bravery, and means literally ‘a reputation of bravery/virtue’ whereas in English we would say ‘a reputation for bravery’ using the dative.
nec dubitabat quin – negative expressions of doubt as here ‘he did not doubt that’ are regularly followed by the subjunctive, hence ferrent, third person plural imperfect subjunctive of fero, meaning ‘they would bring’. You should learn the irregular forms of this verb as it is very common: fero, ferre, tuli, latus.
qui ... vocaret – the relative pronoun often introduces what is in effect a purpose clause as here, literally ‘who was to summon/call Jason to the palace’ or ‘in order to call Jason to the palace.’
quanto ... essent – quanto is a signal word for a following result clause, ‘in what great danger ... they were’.
si ..repperissent – if introducing a conditional clause ‘if they discovered’ requires the subjunctive and so heer we have the third person plural pluperfect subjunctive of reperio, reperire, repperi, repertus, find, discover, meaning therefore ‘if ...they discovered’.
accuberunt – third person plural perfect indicative active of accumbo, -cumbere, -cubui, -cubitus, lie down (at table) as the Romans used to lie down on couches to dine.
conabantur – third person plural imperfect of the deponent verb conor, conari ‘they were trying’.
petierunt – we often find the ‘v’ or ‘iv’ missing in the perfect system of verbs, the alternative here is ‘petiverunt’ , third person plural perfect tense of petere; this is called a syncopated form and is very common.
cum ... viderent – cum introducing a clause which provides an explanation as here takes the subjunctive, ‘when or since they could see’.
alis – ablative plural of the first declension feminine noun ala, alae, wing, meaning ‘by or in the use of wings’.
ut ... facerent – ut introducing a purpose clause requires the subjunctive ‘in order that they might attack’.
aufugerent – third person plural imperfect subjunctive of aufugio, -fugere, -fugi
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.
Res igitur male se habebat
And so things were going badly
cum Argonautae navem appulerunt.
when the Argonauts docked their boat.
Phineus autem simul atque audivit
Now Phineus as soon as he heard
eos in suos finis egressos esse,
they had entered his territory
magnopere gavisus est.
rejoiced greatly.
Sciebat enim quantam opinionem
For he knew how great a reputation
virtutis Argonautae haberent,
for bravery the Argonauts had,
nec dubitabat quin sibi auxilium ferrent.
and he did no doubt they would bring him help.
Nuntium igitur ad navem misit,
And so he sent a messenger to the ship,
qui Iasonem sociosque ad regiam vocaret.
to call Jason and his allies to the palace.
Eo cum venissent,
When they had come there,
Phineus demonstravit
Phineus explained,
quanto in periculo suae res essent,
in what great danger his affairs were,
et promisit se magna praemia daturum esse,
and promised he would give great rewards,
si illi remedium repperissent.
if they would find the remedy.
Argonautae negotium libenter susceperunt,
The Argonauts undertook the business gladly,
et ubi hora venit, cum rege accubuerunt;
and when the time came, they reclined to dine with the king
at simul ac cena apposita est,
and as soon as the dinner was put down,
Harpyiae cenaculum intraverunt
the harpies entered the dining room
et cibum auferre conabantur.
and were trying to steal the food.
Argonautae primum gladiis volucres petierunt;
The Argonauts at first went after the birds with swords;
cum tamen viderent hoc nihil prodesse,
when however they could see that this did no good,
Zetes et Calais, qui alis erant instructi,
Zetes and Calais who had been trained in the use of wings,
in aera se sublevaverunt,
raised themselves into the air,
ut desuper impetum facerent.
in order to make an attack from above.
Quod cum sensissent Harpyiae,
When the Harpies became aware
rei novitate
of the unusualness of the proceedings
perterritae statim aufugerunt,
terrified, they fled at once,
neque postea umquam redierunt.
nor afterwards did they ever return.
d) The following section is for you to copy and translate.
Res igitur male se habebat
cum Argonautae navem appulerunt.
Phineus autem simul atque audivit
eos in suos finis egressos esse,
magnopere gavisus est.
Sciebat enim quantam opinionem
virtutis Argonautae haberent,
nec dubitabat quin sibi auxilium ferrent.
Nuntium igitur ad navem misit,
qui Iasonem sociosque ad regiam vocaret.
Eo cum venissent,
Phineus demonstravit
quanto in periculo suae res essent,
et promisit se magna praemia daturum esse,
si illi remedium repperissent.
Argonautae negotium libenter susceperunt,
et ubi hora venit, cum rege accubuerunt;
at simul ac cena apposita est,
Harpyiae cenaculum intraverunt
et cibum auferre conabantur.
Argonautae primum gladiis volucres petierunt;
cum tamen viderent hoc nihil prodesse,
Zetes et Calais, qui alis erant instructi,
in aera se sublevaverunt,
ut desuper impetum facerent.
Quod cum sensissent Harpyiae,
rei novitate
perterritae statim aufugerunt,
neque postea umquam redierunt.
