Pro Roscio 11

Cicero vows to speak freely

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Rosc. Am. 11.1Quid prīmum querar aut unde potissimum, iūdicēs, ordiar aut quod aut ā quibus auxilium petam?What shall I complain of first, or where, judges, shall I best begin, or what help shall I seek, or from whom? Rosc. Am. 11.1deōrumne immortālium, populīne Rōmānī, vestrāmne quī summam potestātem habētis hōc tempore fidem implōrem?shall I implore the protection of the immortal gods, of the Roman people, or yours, who hold the supreme power at this time? Rosc. Am. 11.30Pater occīsus nefāriē, domus obsessa ab inimīcīs, bona adēmpta, possessa, dīrepta, fīlī vīta īnfesta, saepe ferrō atque īnsidiīs appetīta.A father wickedly murdered, a house besieged by enemies, property taken away, occupied, plundered, the son's life threatened, often attacked with the sword and with ambushes. Rosc. Am. 11.30Quid ab hīs tot maleficiīs sceleris abesse vidētur?What crime seems to be missing from these many misdeeds? Rosc. Am. 11.30Tamen haec aliīs nefāriīs cumulant atque adaugent, crīmen incrēdibile cōnfingunt, testīs in hunc et accūsātōrēs huiusce pecūniā comparant;Yet they heap up and increase these with other wicked acts, they invent an incredible charge, they procure witnesses against this man and accusers with this man's own money; Rosc. Am. 11.30hanc condiciōnem miserō ferunt ut optet utrum mālit cervīcēs T. Rosciō dare an īnsūtus in culleum per summum dēdecus vītam āmittere.they offer the wretched man this choice, that he should decide whether he would rather offer his neck to Titus Roscius or be sewn into a sack and lose his life in the utmost disgrace.

Rosc. Am. 11.30Patrōnōs huic dēfutūrōs putāvērunt;They thought advocates would be lacking for him; Rosc. Am. 11.30dēsunt;they are lacking; Rosc. Am. 11.30quī līberē dīcat, quī cum fidē dēfendat, id quod in hāc causā satis est nōn dēest profectō, iūdicēs.but one who will speak freely, who will defend him with good faith, which is enough in this case, is certainly not lacking, judges. Rosc. Am. 11.31Et forsitan in suscipiendā causā temerē impulsus adulēscentiā fēcerim;And perhaps in undertaking the case I have acted rashly, driven by youth; Rosc. Am. 11.31quoniam quidem semel suscēpī, licet hercules undique omnēs minae terrōrēs perīculaque impendeant omnia, succurram ac subībō.but since I have once undertaken it, then, by Hercules, though all threats, terrors and dangers hang over me from every side, I shall come to his aid and face them all. Rosc. Am. 11.31Certum est dēlīberātumque quae ad causam pertinēre arbitror, omnia nōn modo dīcere vērum etiam libenter audācter līberēque dīcere;I am resolved and determined to say everything that I think relevant to the case, and not only to say it but to say it willingly, boldly and freely; Rosc. Am. 11.31nūlla rēs tanta exsistet, iūdicēs, ut possit vim mihi maiōrem adhibēre metus quam fidēs.nothing will arise so great, judges, that fear can exert a greater force on me than good faith.

Rosc. Am. 11.32Etenim quis tam dissolūtō animō est quī haec cum videat tacēre ac neglegere possit?For who is of so lax a spirit that, when he sees these things, he can keep silent and disregard them? Rosc. Am. 11.32Patrem meum, cum prōscrīptus nōn esset, iugulāstis, occīsum in prōscrīptōrum numerum rettulistis, mē domō meā per vim expulistis, patrimōnium meum possidētis.'You murdered my father, though he had not been proscribed; when he was killed you entered him in the number of the proscribed; you drove me out of my house by force; you hold my patrimony. Rosc. Am. 11.32Quid voltis amplius?What more do you want? Rosc. Am. 11.32etiamnē ad subsellia cum ferrō atque tēlīs vēnistis ut hīc aut iugulētis aut condemnētis?have you come even to these benches with sword and weapons, so that here you may either cut my throat or condemn me?'

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Grammar in this passage: purpose clauses ×2, indirect statement ×3, gerunds and gerundives ×1, ablative absolute ×1

Latin vocabulary for this passage (152 words)

quis, quid, interrog. pron.	who? which? what?
prīmum, adv.	first, in the first place
queror, -ī, questus sum	complain
aut, conj.	or; aut ... aut, either ... or
unde, adv.	whence
potissimum (adv.)	above all, in preference to all others
iūdex, iūdicis, m.	judge
ordior, -īrī, orsus sum	begin
quī, quae, quod, interrog. pron. adj.	what?
ā, ab (prep. + abl.)	away from, from; by (ā only before consonants)
auxilium, -ī, n.	help, aid
petō, -ere, -īvī or -iī, -ītus	seek, ask; attack
deus, -ī, m.	god
immortālis, -e	immortal
populus, -ī m.	people, nation
Rōmānus, -a, -um	Roman
vester, -tra, -trum	your
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.	who, which
summus, -a, -um	uppermost, highest, greatest
potestās, -ātis f.	power, authority
habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus	have, hold; consider
hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron.	this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter
tempus, temporis, n.	time, season
fidēs, -eī f.	faith, trust; pledge
implōrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum	beg for, appeal for
pater, patris, m.	father
occīdō, -cīdere, -cīdī, -cīsus	cut down, kill
nefāriē, adv.	wickedly, abominably
domus, -ūs, f.	house, home
obsideō, -sidēre, -sēdī, -sessus	beset, besiege
inimīcus, -a, -um	unfriendly, hostile
bonum, -ī n.	a good thing, advantage; (pl.) goods
adimō, -imere, -ēmī, -ēmptus	take to oneself, take away
possideō, -sidēre, -sēdī, -sessus	hold, possess
dīripiō, -ere, -ripuī, -reptum	plunder
fīlius, -ī, m.	son
vīta, -ae, f.	life
īnfestus, -a, -um	unsafe, dangerous
saepe, adv.	often, frequently
ferrum, -ī n.	iron; iron point, sword
atque, ac (conj.)	and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants)
īnsidiae, -ārum, f. plur.	ambush; plot, stratagem
appetō, -petere, -petīvī, -petītus	draw near
tot (indecl.)	so many
maleficium, -ī n.	harm, wrongdoing
scelus, sceleris, n.	wickedness, crime
absum, abesse, āfuī, āfutūrus	be away, be absent, be distant; be wanting
videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus	see; pass., seem
tamen, adv.	however, yet, nevertheless
alius, -a, -ud	another, other; aliī ... aliī, some ... others
nefārius, -a, -um	wicked, criminal
cumulō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	heap up; crown, cap (one deed with another)
adaugeō, -ēre, -auxī, -auctum	increase, add to, eke out
crīmen, -inis n.	charge, accusation; crime
incrēdibilis, e	incredible
cōnfingō, -ere, -fīnxī, -fictus	fabricate, invent, make up
testis, -is m./f.	witness
in, prep. with acc. and abl.	with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
et, conj.	and; et ... et, both ... and
accūsātor, -ōris m.	accuser, prosecutor
pecūnia, -ae, f.	money (the possession of cattle constituting wealth in early times)
comparō, -parāre, -parāvī, -parātus	prepare, collect
condiciō, -ōnis f.	terms; condition, status
miser, misera, miserum	wretched, unhappy
ferō, ferre, tulī, lātus	bear, bring
ut, conj.	as; when; that; ita ut, as
optō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	wish for, desire; pray for
utrum (conj.)	whether (utrum … an: whether … or)
mālō, mālle, māluī	wish rather, prefer
cervīx, -īcis f.	neck (often pl.)
dō, dare, dedī, datus	give
an, conj.	or (in questions)
īnsuō, -ere, -suī, -sūtus	sew in, sew up; work into (by stitching)
culleus (cūleus), -ī m.	leather sack, in which parricides were sewn and drowned
per, prep, with ace.	through, by means of
dēdecus, -decoris, n.	dishonor, disgrace
āmittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus	send away, lose
patrōnus, -ī m.	patron, protector
dēsum, deesse, dēfuī	be lacking, fail
putō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	think
līberē (adv.; comp. līberius)	freely, frankly
dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus	say, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day
cum, prep, with abl.	with
dēfendō, -fendere, -fendī, -fēnsus	ward off; defend
is, ea, id, dem. pron.	this, that; he, she, it, they
causa, -ae, f.	cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of
satis, adv.	enough, sufficiently
sum, esse, fuī, futūrus	be
nōn, adv.	not
profectō, adv.	certainly, surely
forsitan (adv.)	perhaps
suscipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus	undertake
temerē, adv.	rashly
impellō, -pellere, -pulī, -pulsus	drive or urge on, incite, urge
adulēscentia, -ae, f.	youth
faciō, facere, fēcī, factus	make, do; iter facere, see iter
quoniam, conj.	since now, since
quidem, adv.	in fact, indeed, certainly; nē ... quidem, not ... even
semel (adv.)	once (semel atque iterum: again and again)
licet, -ēre, -uit or -itum est, impers.	is lawful or permitted
hercle (interj.)	by Hercules!, indeed
undique, adv.	from or on all sides
omnis, -e	all, every
minae, -ārum, f. plur.	threats
terror, -ōris, m.	terror, fright
perīculum, -ī, n.	danger, peril, risk
que, enclitic conj.	and
impendeō, -ēre	hang over, overhang
succurrō, -ere, -currī, -cursum	run to help, aid
subeō, -īre, -iī, -itus	go under; undergo, submit to, sustain, bear, endure
certus, -a, -um	determined, fixed, certain; certiōrem facere, to make more certain, inform
dēlīberō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum	consider, deliberate
ad, prep. with acc.	to, toward; at, near; for
pertineō, -ēre, -uī	extend, reach; tend toward, concern
arbitror, -ārī, -ātus	consider, think, judge
modo, adv.	only
vērum (conj.)	but, but in fact; nōn modo ... vērum etiam: not only ... but also
etiam, adv.	and now, also, too, even
libenter, adv.	willingly, gladly
audācter (adv.; comp. audācius)	boldly
nūllus, -a, -um	not any, none, no
rēs, reī, f.	thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really
tantus, -a, -um	so great or much
exsistō, -ere, -stitī	come forth, arise; appear
possum, posse, potuī	be able, have power, can
vīs, vīs, f.	violence, force; virtue, potency, efficacy; plur. vīrēs, -ium, strength; omnibus vīribus, with all one's strength, with might and main
ego, meī, pers. pron.	I
magnus, -a, -um	large, big, great, mighty; loud
adhibeō, -hibēre, -hibuī, -hibitus	hold to, employ, show
metus, -ūs m.	fear, dread
quam, adv.	how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible
etenim (conj.)	for indeed, and in fact
tam, adv.	so
dissolvō, -ere, -solvī, -solūtus	loosen, break up; dissolūtus: lax, negligent
animus, -ī, m.	mind; heart; spirit, courage
cum, conj.	when, while, after; since; although
taceō, -ēre, -uī, -itus	be silent
neglegō, -legere, -lēxī, -lēctus	disregard, neglect
meus, -a, -um	my, mine
prōscrībō, -ere, -scrīpsī, -scrīptus	publish; outlaw (put a man's name on a list, his life and property forfeit)
iugulō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	cut the throat of, murder
numerus, -ī, m.	number
referō, referre, rettulī, relātus	bring or carry back, return; pedem referre, to draw back, retire, retreat; grātiam referre, see grātia
expellō, -pellere, -pulī, -pulsus	drive out, expel
patrimōnium, -ī n.	inheritance, family estate
volō, velle, voluī	wish
amplius (adv.)	more, further
subsellium, -ī n.	bench, seat (in the senate or courts)
tēlum, -ī, n.	missile, spear, weapon
veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus	come
hīc, adv.	here; hereupon
condemnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	condemn; (+ gen.) convict of

Cicero, Pro Roscio Amerino. Latin text: A. C. Clark, M. Tulli Ciceronis Orationes I (Oxford, 1908), public domain; digital text from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA. Word analysis: drafted by our own tagger (trained on the hand-checked texts on this site), with every doubtful word checked by hand. English translation and section titles: written for this app, each checked against the Latin by a second reader.