Pro Roscio 36

A murderer turned witness

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Rosc. Am. 36.1Alter ex ipsā caede volucrem nūntium Ameriam ad socium atque adeō magistrum suum mīsit ut, sī dissimulāre omnēs cuperent sē scīre ad quem maleficium pertinēret, tamen ipse apertum suum scelus ante omnium oculōs pōneret.One of them, straight from the murder itself, sent a winged messenger to Ameria to his partner, or rather his master, so that, even if all wished to conceal that they knew to whom the crime belonged, he himself nevertheless set his crime openly before the eyes of all. Rosc. Am. 36.1Alter, sī dīs immortālibus placet, testimōnium etiam in Sex. Roscium dictūrus est;The other, if it please the immortal gods, is even about to give evidence against Sextus Roscius; Rosc. Am. 36.1quasi vērō id nunc agātur, utrum is quod dīxerit crēdendum, ac nōn quod fēcerit vindicandum sit.as if indeed the question now were whether what he has said should be believed, and not whether what he has done should be punished. Rosc. Am. 36.1Itaque mōre maiōrum comparātum est ut in minimīs rēbus hominēs amplissimī testimōnium dē suā rē nōn dīcerent.Thus it was established by the custom of our ancestors that, even in the smallest matters, men of the highest standing did not give evidence in their own cause.

Rosc. Am. 36.103Āfricānus quī suō cognōmine dēclārat tertiam partem orbis terrārum sē subēgisse tamen, sī sua rēs agerētur, testimōnium nōn dīceret;Africanus, who declares by his surname that he subdued a third part of the world, would nevertheless not give evidence if his own interest were at stake; Rosc. Am. 36.103nam illud in tālem virum nōn audeō dīcere: Sī dīceret, nōn crēderētur.for I do not dare to say this of such a man: if he gave it, he would not be believed. Rosc. Am. 36.103Vidēte nunc quam versa et mūtāta in peiōrem partem sint omnia.See now how everything has been overturned and changed for the worse. Rosc. Am. 36.103Cum dē bonīs et dē caede agātur, testimōnium dictūrus est is quī et sector est et sīcārius, hoc est quī et illōrum ipsōrum bonōrum dē quibus agitur ēmptor atque possessor est et eum hominem occīdendum cūrāvit dē cuius morte quaeritur.When the case concerns property and murder, the man about to give evidence is one who is both a buyer of confiscated goods and an assassin, that is, one who is both the purchaser and possessor of the very property in question and who arranged the killing of the man whose death is being investigated.

Rosc. Am. 36.104Quid?Well? Rosc. Am. 36.104tū, vir optime, ecquid habēs quod dīcās?you, most excellent man, have you anything to say? Rosc. Am. 36.104mihi auscultā: vidē nē tibi dēsīs;listen to me: see that you do not fail yourself; Rosc. Am. 36.104tua quoque rēs permagna agitur.your own interest too is very much at stake. Rosc. Am. 36.104Multa scelerātē, multa audāciter, multa improbē fēcistī, ūnum stultissimē, profectō tuā sponte nōn dē Erucī sententiā: nihil opus fuit tē istīc sedēre.You have done many things wickedly, many audaciously, many dishonestly, one thing most foolishly, and surely of your own accord, not on Erucius' advice: there was no need at all for you to sit there. Rosc. Am. 36.104Neque enim accūsātōre mūtō neque teste quisquam ūtitur eō quī dē accūsātōris subselliō surgit.For no one makes use of a dumb prosecutor, nor of a witness who rises from the prosecutor's bench. Rosc. Am. 36.104Hūc accēdit quod paulō tamen occultior atque tēctior vestra ista cupiditās esset.Add to this that your greed would at least have been a little more hidden and concealed. Rosc. Am. 36.104Nunc quid est quod quisquam ex vōbīs audīre dēsīderet, cum quae facitis eius modī sint ut ea dēditā operā ā nōbīs contrā vōsmet ipsōs facere videāminī?As it is, what is there that anyone could wish to hear from you, when what you are doing is of such a kind that you seem to be doing it on purpose, on our side, against your very selves?

Rosc. Am. 36.104Age nunc illa videāmus, iūdicēs, quae statim cōnsecūta sunt.Come now, gentlemen, let us look at what followed immediately. Rosc. Am. 36.105Ad Volāterrās in castra L. Sullae mors Sex. Roscī quadrīduō quō is occīsus est Chrȳsogonō nūntiātur.The death of Sextus Roscius is reported to Chrysogonus in Lucius Sulla's camp at Volaterrae within four days of his being killed.

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

Latin vocabulary for this passage (143 words)

alter, -era, -erum	one or the other (of two); another, second
ex, ē (prep. + abl.)	out of, from; of (ē only before consonants)
ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron.	self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very
caedēs, -is, f.	cutting down, killing, slaughter
volucer, -cris, -cre	winged, swift
nūntius, -ī, m.	messenger; message
ad, prep. with acc.	to, toward; at, near; for
socius, -ī, m.	companion, comrade, ally
atque, ac (conj.)	and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants)
adeō (adv.)	so far, to such a degree; so
magister, -trī, m.	master
suus, -a, -um	his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their
mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus	send
ut, conj.	as; when; that; ita ut, as
sī, conj.	if
dissimulō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	hide, disguise, pretend not to notice
omnis, -e	all, every
cupiō, -ere, -īvī, -ītus	desire, long for, wish
suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron.	himself, herself, itself, themselves
sciō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus	know
quis, quid, interrog. pron.	who? which? what?
maleficium, -ī n.	harm, wrongdoing
pertineō, -ēre, -uī	extend, reach; tend toward, concern
tamen, adv.	however, yet, nevertheless
apertus, -a, -um	open
scelus, sceleris, n.	wickedness, crime
ante, prep, with acc. and adv.	before
oculus, -ī, m.	eye
pōnō, pōnere, posuī, positus	place, put; pōnī with in and abl., to be placed in, rest or depend on
deus, -ī, m.	god
immortālis, -e	immortal
placeō, -ēre, placuī, placitum (+ dat.)	please (placuit eī: he decided)
testimōnium, -ī n.	evidence, proof
etiam, adv.	and now, also, too, even
in, prep. with acc. and abl.	with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus	say, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day
sum, esse, fuī, futūrus	be
quasi, conj.	as if
vērō, adv.	in truth, indeed; however
is, ea, id, dem. pron.	this, that; he, she, it, they
nunc, adv.	now
agō, agere, ēgī, āctus	drive; do; pass, lead; grātiās agere, see grātia
utrum (conj.)	whether (utrum … an: whether … or)
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.	who, which
crēdō, -dere, -didī, -ditus	believe
nōn, adv.	not
faciō, facere, fēcī, factus	make, do; iter facere, see iter
vindicō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum	punish; claim
itaque, adv.	and so, accordingly, therefore
mōs, mōris, m.	way, manner, habit, custom
maiōrēs, -um m. pl.	ancestors
comparō, -parāre, -parāvī, -parātus	prepare, collect
parvus, -a, -um	little, small
rēs, reī, f.	thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really
homō, hominis, m.	man
amplus, -a, -um	large, great; distinguished
dē, prep, with abl.	down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of
cognōmen, -inis n.	surname, added name, nickname
dēclārō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum	make clear, declare
tertius, -a, -um	third
pars, partis, f.	part, side, direction
orbis, -is, m.	circle; orbis terrae or terrārum, circle of the earth or lands, earth, world
terra, -ae, f.	land, earth
subigō, -ere, -ēgī, -āctus	bring under, subdue; force, compel
nam, conj.	for
ille, illa, illud, dem. pron.	that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc
tālis, -e	such
vir, virī, m.	man
audeō, audēre, ausus sum	dare
videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus	see; pass., seem
quam, adv.	how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible
vertō, vertere, vertī, versus	turn
et, conj.	and; et ... et, both ... and
mūtō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	change
malus, -a, -um	bad
cum, conj.	when, while, after; since; although
bonum, -ī n.	a good thing, advantage; (pl.) goods
sector, -ōris m.	buyer of confiscated property at auction, speculator in such goods
sīcārius, -ī m.	assassin, cutthroat
hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron.	this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter
ēmptor, -ōris m.	buyer, purchaser
possessor, -ōris m.	owner, occupier (of land or property)
occīdō, -cīdere, -cīdī, -cīsus	cut down, kill
cūrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum	take care of; (+ gerundive) have something done
mors, mortīs, f.	death
quaerō, quaerere, quaesīvī, quaesītus	seek; ask, inquire
tū, tuī, pers. pron.	thou, you
bonus, -a, -um	good
ecquid (adv.)	at all? (introducing an eager question: 'do you at all ...?')
habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus	have, hold; consider
ego, meī, pers. pron.	I
auscultō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	listen to, give ear to
nē, adv.	not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest
dēsum, deesse, dēfuī	be lacking, fail
tuus, -a, -um	thy, thine, your
quoque, adv.	also
permagnus, -a, -um	very great, very large
multus, -a, -um	much, great; plur., many
scelerātē (adv.)	wickedly, criminally
audācter (adv.; comp. audācius)	boldly
improbē (adv.)	wickedly, shamelessly; immoderately
ūnus, -a, -um	one; only, alone
stultē (adv.)	foolishly
profectō, adv.	certainly, surely
sponte, f. abl. sing., modified by meā, tuā, suā	of one's own accord, voluntarily
sententia, -ae, f.	opinion; purpose
nihil, n., indecl.	nothing
opus, operis, n.	work, task
istīc (adv.)	there, where you are
sedeō, sedēre, sēdī, sessus	sit
neque or nec, conj.	and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not
enim, conj.	for
accūsātor, -ōris m.	accuser, prosecutor
mūtus, -a, -um	dumb, silent, speechless
testis, -is m./f.	witness
quisquam, quicquam, indef. pron.	any one, anything
ūtor, ūtī, ūsus	use
subsellium, -ī n.	bench, seat (in the senate or courts)
surgō, -ere, surrēxī, surrēctus	rise, get up, stand up
hūc, adv.	to this place, hither
accēdō, -ere, accessī, accessum	come near, approach; be added
quod, conj.	that, in that, because
paulō, adv.	by a little, a little, somewhat
occultus, -a, -um	hidden, secret
tēctus, -a, -um	hidden, secret, covert
vester, -tra, -trum	your
iste, ista, istud, dem. pron.	that of yours, that
cupiditās, -tātis, f.	desire, longing, eagerness
vōs	plur. of tū
audiō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus	hear; listen or attend to
dēsīderō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	long for, miss; require
modus, -ī, m.	way, manner
dēdō, -dere, -didī, -ditus	give away or up
opera, -ae, f.	effort, work, labor
ā, ab (prep. + abl.)	away from, from; by (ā only before consonants)
nōs	plur. of ego
contrā, prep, with acc.	against, contrary to
iūdex, iūdicis, m.	judge
statim, adv.	on the spot, forthwith, at once, immediately
cōnsequor, -sequī, -secūtus	follow up, follow; overtake
castra, -ōrum, n. plur.	camp
quadrīduum, -ī n.	period of four days
nūntiō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	report, announce

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.