Wiley's Real Latin

by Robert Maltby

  condō, -ere, condidī, conditum – establish; found

  conflīgō, -ere, conflīxī, conflictum – contend

  coniciō, -ere, -iēcī, -iectum – throw

  constituō, -ere, -uī, -ūtum – establish

  contendō, -ere, contendī, contentum – strive for; march

  criminor, -ārī, criminātus sum – charge; allege

  dēpellō, -ere, -pūlī, -pulsum – drive away; remove

  dēspiciō, -ere, -spexī, -spectum – look down upon; despise

  dīmittō, -ere, -mīsī, -missum – dismiss; send away

  effundō, -ere, -fūdī, -fūsum – pour forth; squander

  iactō, -āre – throw about; drive here and there

  inferō, -ferre, intulī, illātum – bring in; introduce

  occurrō, -ere, -currī, -cursum – (+ dat.) meet

  patior, -ī, passus sum – suffer; endure; undergo

  pellō, -ere, pepulī, pulsum – repel; drive back

  possum, posse, potuī – be able; have influence

  scandō, -ere – climb

  sē recipiō, -ere, -cēpī, -ceptum – withdraw; retreat; recover

  subeō, -īre, -iī, -itum – undergo

  violō, -āre – violate

  vītō, -are – avoid; escape

  Adjectives

  Albānus, -a, -um – Alban; relating to Alba Longa, the town traditionally founded by Aeneas’ son Ascanius

  aliēnus, -a, -um – belonging to another

  inīquus, -a, -um – unjust

  Lāvīnius, -a, -um – belonging to Lavinium; Lavinian

  memor, -oris – mindful; unforgiving

  nefārius, -a, -um – abominable; wicked

  ōrātōrius, -a, -um – relating to oratory

  posterus, -a, -um – next; future

  recens, -entis – new; fresh

  superī, -ōrum (or -um) – the gods above

  superior, -ius – past; previous

  ūtilis, -e – useful; beneficial

  Adverbs; Prepositions; Conjunctions

  aliquandō – sometimes

  noctū – by night

  occultē – in secret

  propius – nearer

  sānē – by all means

  unde – whence; from where

  usque – continuously

  English Derivations

  From which Latin roots do the following English words derive?

  (i) recent

  (ii) pulse

  (iii) occurrence

  (iv) conflict

  REVIEW: Chapters 17–21

  (A) Explain the case of the noun underlined: 1. nemini meus adventus labori fuit.

  2. hi sunt magnitudine paulo infra elephantos.

  3. celebritas mihi odio est.

  4. melior vir fuit Africano.

  5. Caesar navium parandarum causa moratur.

  (B) Identify and explain the verb underlined: 1. quaero cur bona non venierint.

  2. dum reliquae naves eo convenirent in ancoris expectavit.

  3. utrum indignum sit an non quaeritur.

  4. dixit se istum publice laudare.

  5. petis a me ut Bibulo te commendem.

  6. sequimini me.

  7. vereor ut Dolabella ipse satis nobis prodesse possit.

  8. si intus esset evocarem.

  9. quid enim ille facturus sit incertum est.

  (C) Supply the following verb parts: 1. iacto: present imperative singular

  2. dimitto: present imperative plural

  3. rogo: supine (accusative)

  4. effundo: 1st person singular pluperfect subjunctive active

  5. dico: supine (ablative)

  6. accedo: 3rd person plural future perfect indicative active

  7. effundo: genitive gerund

  8. criminor: present imperative singular

  (D) Translate into English: 1. quaero cur bona non venierint, cur ceteri sponsores et creditores non convenerint. (Cicero Pro Quinctio 73)

  2. is cum interrogaretur cur nullum supplicium constituisset in eum qui parentem necavisset, respondit se id neminem facturum putavisse. (Cicero Pro Roscio 70)

  3. ab intitio res quem ad modum gesta sit vobis exponemus, quo facilius audaciam eius cognoscere possitis. (Cicero Pro S. Roscio Amerino 14)

  4. in ipsa enim Graecia philosophia tanto in honore numquam fuisset, nisi doctissimorum contentionibus dissensionibusque viguisset. (Cicero Tusculanae Disputationes 2.4)

  5. dum in his locis Caesar navium parandarum causa moratur, ex magna parte Morinorum ad eum legati venerunt, qui se de superioris temporis consilio excusarent. (Caesar De Bello Gallico 4.22.1)

  (E) Translate into Latin: 1. He asked who he was and what he wanted. (Caesar Bellum Civile 2.35)

  2. Do not think, judges, that the impudence of cheats and defaulters is not one and the same in all places. (Cicero Pro Flacco 48)

  3. Much greater eagerness and enthusiasm for fighting were instilled in the army. (Caesar De Bello Gallico 1.46.4)

  4. In these matters I do not doubt that I will not be able to avoid and escape the charge of negligence. (Cicero In Verrem 2.1.103)

  Figure R.3 Concordia denarius. © Leeds Museums and Galleries (Discovery Centre)

  Extra Passages

  Horace claims immortality because of his art.

  Exegi monumentum aere perennius

  regalique situ pyramidum altius,

  quod non imber edax, non aquilo impotens

  possit diruere aut innumerabilis

  annorum series et fuga temporum.

  non omnis moriar multaque pars mei

  vitabit Libitinam: usque ego postera

  crescam laude recens, dum Capitolium

  scandet cum tacita virgine pontifex:

  dicar, qua violens obstrepit Aufidus

  et qua pauper aquae Daunus agrestium

  regnavit populorum, ex humili potens

  princeps Aeolium carmen ad Italos

  deduxisse modos. sume superbiam

  quaesitam meritis et mihi Delphica

  lauro cinge volens, Melpomene, comam.

  (Horace Odes 3.30)

  Compare the way Ovid ends his poem, the Metamorphoses.

  Iamque opus exegi, quod nec Iovis ira nec ignis

  nec poterit ferrum nec edax abolere vetustas.

  cum volet, illa dies, quae nil nisi corporis huius

  ius habet, incerti spatium mihi finiat aevi:

  parte tamen meliore mei super alta perennis

  astra ferar, nomenque erit indelebile nostrum,

  quaque patet domitis Romana potentia terris,

  ore legar populi, perque omnia saecula fama,

  si quid habent veri vatum praesagia, vivam.

  (Ovid Metamorphoses 15.871–9)

  CONCLUSION

  At this stage you have met all the important elements of Latin grammar and word forms that you will need to tackle the reading of Latin prose and verse texts. Of course, you will need to go over the various forms and continue to build upon your knowledge of the grammatical constructions; however, one challenging and, we hope, enjoyable task remains: the best way to strengthen your knowledge and to improve vocabulary is to keep on reading Latin.

  The variety of texts before you is almost infinite. First there are the poets and prose-writers of the Classical period, upon whose works this course has been based. Our emphasis in the earlier parts of the course was mainly on the prose works of Cicero and Caesar, as they illustrate most clearly and unambiguously the points you need to master. But the second half introduced the poetry of Catullus and Ovid, of which there is much more for you to enjoy. From there you could move on to Horace and Virgil (whose works are only touched upon in our examples) and the love elegists, Propertius and Tibullus, whose poems can be compared with Ovid's Amores. On the prose side you could look at the histories of Sallust, Livy, and Tacitus, the letters of Seneca and the younger Pliny, and even perhaps that great treasure-house of ancient scientific knowledge, the Natural Histories of Pliny the elder. You have alrea
dy had some snippets from the comedies of Plautus and Terence, why not explore a whole play? Among the poets of the Empire you could delve into the Satires of Juvenal or the epigrams of Martial, both of which contain vivid insights into daily life in Rome under the emperors, the tragedies of Seneca (some of which may have influenced Shakespeare), and the epics of Lucan and Statius.

  Latin has many varieties, some of which diverge considerably from the literary Classical Latin taught in our course. How did Romans actually speak? Some indications of spoken Latin can be found in the more colloquial literary genres, such as comedy, satire, and technical works such as the Roman cookery book of Apicius, or the horse-curing manual known as the Mulomedicina Chironis. The language of the slaves in Petronius’ Cena Trimalchionis is peppered with the Greek loan-words and colloquialisms that must have characterized their speech in real life. From a later date we have the Peregrinatio Aetheriae, a colloquial account of a pilgrimage to the Holy Land undertaken by a nun around ad 400. Perhaps nearer to everyday life are the inscriptions found on the walls of Pompeii, buried in the devastating lava flow from Vesuvius in ad 79 and collected by scholars for you to read in printed collections and online. The content varies from election posters and bar menus to the sort of obscene comments that would be at home today on any washroom wall. The most recent set of inscriptions to be available online are those from Hadrian's Wall, the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire in Britain. These are written in ink on thin slivers of wood and contain military records about leave-rotas and supplies, as well as more personal messages, such as a letter home from a soldier to his mother, asking for warmer socks and pants, and an invitation to a birthday party written by a camp commandant's wife.

  While colloquial Latin continued to exist and develop at the spoken level, eventually developing into the modern Romance languages such as French, Spanish, and Italian, written or literary Latin continued to be taught and used right through the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance. The syntax of Medieval Latin is in fact very similar to that of Classical, although in vocabulary the distinction between prose and verse features tends to break down. In fact Medieval Latin continued as the international language of science until the nineteenth century. This makes Medieval Latin an essential tool for history students of all kinds. The grammatical rules you have learnt on this course, together with a good Medieval Latin dictionary, will equip you to embark on the translation of these texts. From the time of the Latin Church Fathers, such as Augustine and Jerome, Christian Latin, as seen most clearly in the Latin Vulgate, developed its own style, adopting a number of more colloquial features and influenced, in particular, by the language of the Greek New Testament. Right up until the present day Latin is used as an international language by the Vatican, and scholars are employed there to invent Latin words for the latest items of modern technology, such as mobile phones and lap-tops.

  In conclusion we hope to have whetted your appetite to take your Latin studies further. The hardest part of the task, the acquisition of the basic rules, is now behind you, and although you will find it rewarding and necessary to continue to review the forms and the grammatical rules that you have learnt, what remains is the more enjoyable prospect of applying what you have learnt to wherever your Latin explorations may lead.

  APPENDICES

  Appendix 1 Some Verbs Followed by a Complementary Infinitive

  Appendix 2 Idem, Iste, Ipse

  Appendix 3 Numerals

  Appendix 4 Nōlō, Mālō, Fīō

  Appendix 5 Perfect and Pluperfect Subjunctive

  Appendix 6 Roman Nomenclature

  Appendix 7 So-Called Future Imperative

  Appendix 8 Timeline

  Appendix 1 Some Verbs Followed by a Complementary Infinitive

  audeō – dare

  coepī – began

  cōnor – try

  cōnstituō – determine; decide

  cōnsuēscō – become accustomed

  contendō – hasten; strive

  cupiō – desire

  debeō – ought

  dēcernō – decide; determine

  dēsinō – cease

  dēsistō – cease

  discō – learn; am taught

  doceō – teach

  dubitō – hesitate

  incipiō – begin

  instituō – undertake; begin

  malō – prefer

  nesciō – not to know how

  nōlō – am unwilling; do not wish

  parō – prepare

  possum – am able; can

  sciō – know how

  soleō – am accustomed

  statuō – resolve

  studeō – am eager

  timeō – am afraid; fear

  vereor – am afraid; fear

  videor – seem

  volō – wish; want; am willing

  Appendix 2 Idem, Iste, Ipse

  īdem, eadem, idem – same; the same

  iste, ista istud – this; that: iste, like hic and ille, is a demonstrative pronoun; it is frequently used in legal contexts for the defendant

  ipse, ipsa, ipsum – -self: ipse is an intensive pronoun, emphasizing the word it modifies; for example ego ipse – I myself; nos ipsi – we ourselves, etc.

  Appendix 3 Numerals

  Cardinal Numbers Ordinal Numbers

  ūnus, -a, -um – one prīmus, -a, -um – first

  duo, duae, duo – two secundus, -a, -um – second

  trēs, tria – three tertius, -a, -um – third

  quattuor – four quārtus, -a, -um – fourth

  quīnque – five quīntus,- a, -um – fifth

  sex – six sextus, -a, -um – sixth

  septem – seven septimus, -a, -um – seventh

  octō – eight octāvus, -a, -um – eighth

  novem – nine nōnus, -a, -um – ninth

  decem – ten decimus, -a, um – tenth

  mīlle – one thousand

  mīlia, -ium (n.) – thousands

  Declension of Mīlia

  Nom. mīlia

  Gen. mīlium

  Dat. mīlibus

  Acc. mīlia

  Abl. mīlibus

  Appendix 4 Nōlō, Mālō, Fīō

  Nōlō, Nōlle, Nōluī

  Present Indicative

  SINGULAR PLURAL

  1st person nōlō nōlumus

  2nd person nōn vīs nōn vultis

  3rd person nōn vult nōlunt

  Future Indicative

  SINGULAR PLURAL

  1st person nōlam nōlēmus

  2nd person nōlēs nōlētis

  3rd person nōlet nōlent

  Imperfect Indicative

  SINGULAR PLURAL

  1st person nōlēbam nōlēbāmus

  2nd person nōlēbās nōlēbātis

  3rd person nōlēbat nōlēbant

  The forms of the perfect, pluperfect and future perfect are regular.

  Present Subjunctive

  SINGULAR PLURAL

  1st person nōlim nōlīmus

  2nd person nōlīs nōlītis

  3rd person nōlit nōlint

  The other tenses of the subjunctive are regular. Imperfect: nōllem, etc.; perfect: nōluerim, etc.; pluperfect: nōluissem, etc.

  Mālō, Mālle, Māluī

  Present Indicative

  SINGULAR PLURAL

  1st person mālō mālumus

  2nd person māvīs māvultis

  3rd person māvult mālunt

  Future Indicative

  SINGULAR PLURAL

  1st person mālam mālēmus

  2nd person mālēs mālētis

  3rd person mālet mālent

  Imperfect Indicative

  SINGULAR PLURAL

  1st person mālēbam mālēbāmus

  2nd person mālēbās mālēbātis

  3rd person mālēbat malēbant

  The forms of the perfect are regular.

  Present Subjunctive

  SINGULAR PLURAL

  1st person
mālim mālīmus

  2nd person mālīs mālītis

  3rd person mālit mālint

  The other tenses of the subjunctive are regular. Imperfect: māllem, etc.; perfect: māluerim, etc.; pluperfect: māluissem, etc.

  Fīō, Fierī, Factus Sum

  Present Indicative

  SINGULAR PLURAL

  1st person fīō (fīmus)

  2nd person fīs (fītis)

  3rd person fit fīunt

  Future Indicative

  SINGULAR PLURAL

  1st person fīam fīēmus

  2nd person fīēs fīētis

  3rd person fīet fīent

  Imperfect Indicative

  SINGULAR PLURAL

  1st person fīēbam fīēbāmus

  2nd person fīēbās fīēbātis

  3rd person fīēbat fīēbant

  Present Subjunctive

  SINGULAR PLURAL

  1st person fīam fīāmus

  2nd person fīās fīātis

  3rd person fīat fīant

  Imperfect Subjunctive

  SINGULAR PLURAL

  1st person fīerem fīerēmus

  2nd person fīerēs fīerētis

  3rd person fīeret fīerent

  Appendix 5 Perfect and Pluperfect Subjunctive

  Perfect Subjunctive Active

  First Conjugation

  SINGULAR PLURAL

  1st person amāverim amāverimus

  2nd person amāverīs amāverītis

  3rd person amāverit amāverint

  Second Conjugation