LectitōOpen the reader

Lectitō › Cicero › Pro Roscio Amerino (For Sextus Roscius) › Pro Roscio 3

Cicero · Pro Roscio Amerino

Pro Roscio 3

Cicero's counter-demand to the jury

English onlyRead it word by word

Rosc. Am. 3.1Prīmum ā Chrȳsogonō petō ut pecūniā fortūnīsque nostrīs contentus sit, sanguinem et vītam nē petat;First, I ask Chrysogonus to be content with our money and fortunes, and not to seek our blood and life; Rosc. Am. 3.1deinde ā vōbīs, iūdicēs, ut audācium scelerī resistātis, innocentium calamitātem levētis et in causā Sex. Roscī perīculum quod in omnīs intenditur prōpulsētis.next, I ask you, judges, to resist the crime of reckless men, to relieve the misfortune of the innocent, and in the case of Sextus Roscius to ward off the danger that threatens everyone. Rosc. Am. 3.8Quod sī aut causa crīminis aut factī suspīciō aut quaelibet dēnique vel minima rēs reperiētur quam ob rem videantur illī nōn nihil tamen in dēferendō nōmine secūtī, postrēmō sī praeter eam praedam quam dīxī quicquam aliud causae invēneritis, nōn recūsāmus quīn illōrum libīdinī Sex. Roscī vīta dēdātur.But if either a ground for the charge or a suspicion of the deed or, in short, any matter at all, however small, is found to show that they had at least some reason in bringing the prosecution, if finally you find any other motive apart from that plunder which I have mentioned, we do not refuse to let the life of Sextus Roscius be surrendered to their lust.

Rosc. Am. 3.8Sīn aliud agitur nihil nisi ut eīs nē quid dēsit quibus satis nihil est, sī hoc sōlum hōc tempore pugnātur ut ad illam opīmam praeclāramque praedam damnātiō Sex. Roscī velut cumulus accēdat, nōnne cum multa indigna tum vel hoc indignissimum est, vōs idōneōs habitōs per quōrum sententiās iūsque iūrandum id adsequantur quod anteā ipsī scelere et ferrō adsequī cōnsuērunt?But if nothing else is at stake except that those for whom nothing is enough should lack nothing, if the only fight at this time is for the condemnation of Sextus Roscius to be added like a crowning heap to that rich and splendid plunder, is it not, among many outrages, this above all that is most outrageous, that you have been thought fit instruments through whose verdicts and oaths they might gain what they have formerly been accustomed to gain by crime and the sword themselves? Rosc. Am. 3.8quī ex cīvitāte in senātum propter dignitātem, ex senātū in hoc cōnsilium dēlēctī estis propter sevēritātem, ab hīs hoc postulāre hominēs sīcāriōs atque gladiātōrēs, nōn modo ut supplicia vītent quae ā vōbīs prō maleficiīs suīs metuere atque horrēre dēbent vērum etiam ut spoliīs ex hōc iūdiciō ōrnātī auctīque discēdant?that you, who have been chosen from the citizen body into the senate for your worth, and from the senate onto this jury for your strictness, should be asked by assassins and gladiators not only to let them escape the punishments which they ought to fear and dread at your hands for their misdeeds, but even to let them depart from this trial adorned and enriched with spoils?

Read the Latin itself: tap any word for its meaning and grammar, save words to review, and keep your place.

Read in Lectitō

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

Latin vocabulary for this passage (125 words)
prīmum, adv.first, in the first place
ā, ab (prep. + abl.)away from, from; by (ā only before consonants)
petō, -ere, -īvī or -iī, -ītusseek, ask; attack
ut, conj.as; when; that; ita ut, as
pecūnia, -ae, f.money (the possession of cattle constituting wealth in early times)
fortūna, -ae, f.fortune
que, enclitic conj.and
noster, -tra, -trumour
contentus, -a, -umcontent, satisfied (+ abl.)
sum, esse, fuī, futūrusbe
sanguis, sanguinis, m.blood
et, conj.and; et ... et, both ... and
vīta, -ae, f.life
nē, adv.not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest
deinde, adv.then, next
vōsplur. of tū
iūdex, iūdicis, m.judge
audāx, -ācisbold, daring, reckless
scelus, sceleris, n.wickedness, crime
resistō, -sistere, -stitīstand back, resist
innocēns, -entisharmless; innocent
calamitās, -tātis, f.misfortune, calamity, disaster
levō, -āre, -āvī, -ātuslift; lighten, relieve
in, prep. with acc. and abl.with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
causa, -ae, f.cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of
perīculum, -ī, n.danger, peril, risk
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.who, which
omnis, -eall, every
intendō, -tendere, -tendī, -tentusstretch out; stretch, draw, aim
prōpulsō, -āre, -āvī, -ātumdrive back
quod, conj.that, in that, because
sī, conj.if
aut, conj.or; aut ... aut, either ... or
crīmen, -inis n.charge, accusation; crime
factum, -ī n.deed, act
suspīciō, -ōnis, f.suspicion
quīlibet, quaelibet, quodlibetany you please, any at all
dēnique, adv.lastly, finally
velor; vel … vel: either … or
parvus, -a, -umlittle, small
rēs, reī, f.thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really
reperiō, reperīre, repperī, repertusfind, discover
ob, prep. with acc.on account of, for; in compounds, to, against
videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsussee; pass., seem
ille, illa, illud, dem. pron.that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc
nōn, adv.not
nihil, n., indecl.nothing
tamen, adv.however, yet, nevertheless
dēferō, -ferre, -tulī, -lātusbear or carry away or off
nōmen, -minis, n.name (that by which one is known)
sequor, sequī, secūtusfollow
postrēmō (adv.)finally, at last
praeter, prep. with acc.before, past, by; besides, except
is, ea, id, dem. pron.this, that; he, she, it, they
praeda, -ae, f.booty, spoil, plunder
dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictussay, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day
quisquam, quicquam, indef. pron.any one, anything
alius, -a, -udanother, other; aliī ... aliī, some ... others
inveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventuscome upon, find
recūsō, -cūsāre, -cūsāvī, -cūsātusgive a reason against, refuse
quīn, conj.so that ... not, but that, but
libīdō, -inis f.desire, lust; caprice
dēdō, -dere, -didī, -ditusgive away or up
sīn (conj.)but if
agō, agere, ēgī, āctusdrive; do; pass, lead; grātiās agere, see grātia
nisi, conj.if not, unless
quis, qua, quid, indef. pron.any one, anybody, anything, some one, somebody, something
dēsum, deesse, dēfuībe lacking, fail
satis, adv.enough, sufficiently
hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron.this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter
sōlus, -a, -umalone
tempus, temporis, n.time, season
pugnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusfight
ad, prep. with acc.to, toward; at, near; for
opīmus, -a, -umrich; spolia opīma: the spoils taken by a commander who killed the enemy commander
praeclārus, -clāra, -clārumvery bright; splendid, remarkable, famous
damnātiō, -ōnis f.condemnation
veluteven or just as, as
cumulus, -ī m.heap, pile
accēdō, -ere, accessī, accessumcome near, approach; be added
nōnne, adv., introducing a question to which an affirmative answer is expectednot?
cum, conj.when, while, after; since; although
multus, -a, -ummuch, great; plur., many
indignus, -a, -umunworthy; shameful
tum, adv.then, at that time
idōneus, -a, -umsuitable, fit; favorable
habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itushave, hold; consider
per, prep, with ace.through, by means of
sententia, -ae, f.opinion; purpose
iūs, iūris, n.right, justice, law; iūs dīcere, to pronounce judgment; iūs iūrandum, iūris iūrandī, oath
iūrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusswear; iūs iūrandum, oath
adsequor, -sequī, -secūtus sumovertake; gain, achieve
anteā, adv.before
ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron.self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very
ferrum, -ī n.iron; iron point, sword
cōnsuēscō, -suēscere, -suēvī, -suētusbecome accustomed; in tenses of completed action, have become accustomed, be accustomed or wont
ex, ē (prep. + abl.)out of, from; of (ē only before consonants)
cīvitās, -tātis, f.state
senātus, -ūs m.senate
propter, prep. with acc.on account of, because of
dignitās, -ātis f.rank, standing, prestige
cōnsilium, -ī, n.advice; plan, design, purpose; prudence
dēligō, -ligere, -lēgī, -lēctuschoose out, choose, select
sevēritās, -ātis f.strictness, severity
postulō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusask, request, demand
homō, hominis, m.man
sīcārius, -ī m.assassin, cutthroat
atque, ac (conj.)and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants)
gladiātor, -ōris m.gladiator; as an insult: cutthroat, ruffian
modo, adv.only
supplicium, -ī, n.punishment, torture
vītō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusavoid, escape
prō, prep. with abl.before, in front of; for, in behalf of; for, as; in return for, for
maleficium, -ī n.harm, wrongdoing
suus, -a, -umhis, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their
metuō, -ere, metuīfear, be afraid of
horreō, -ēre, horruīshudder at, dread
dēbeō, -ēre, -uī, -itusowe; with infin., ought
vērum (conj.)but, but in fact; nōn modo ... vērum etiam: not only ... but also
etiam, adv.and now, also, too, even
spolium, -ī n.spoils, booty (usu. pl.)
iūdicium, -ī n.trial, court; judgment
ōrnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusequip, adorn
augeō, -ēre, auxī, auctumincrease, enlarge
discēdō, -cēdere, -cessī, -cessusgo apart, withdraw, depart
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.