Lectitō › Fabulae Faciles › Fabulae Faciles: The Argonauts
Fabulae Faciles 60
Building the Argo
Ritchie, Fabulae Faciles: The Argonauts. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō60.1Cum tamen Colchis multōrum diērum iter ab eō locō abesset, sōlus Iāsōn proficīscī nōluit.
But since Colchis was many days' journey from that place, Jason did not want to set out alone.
60.2Dīmīsit igitur nūntiōs in omnīs partīs, quī causam itineris docērent et diem certam conveniendī dīcerent.
So he sent messengers in all directions to explain the reason for the journey and to name a fixed day for gathering.
60.3Intereā, postquam omnia quae sunt ūsuī ad armandās nāvīs comportārī iussit, negōtium dedit Argō cuidam, quī summam scientiam nauticārum rērum habēbat, ut nāvem aedificāret.
Meanwhile, after he had ordered everything useful for equipping ships to be brought together, he gave the task of building a ship to a certain Argus, who had the greatest knowledge of seafaring.
Note. ūsuī: a dative of purpose, 'for use', 'useful'.
60.4In hīs rēbus circiter decem diēs cōnsūmptī sunt; Argus enim, quī operī praeerat, tantam dīligentiam adhibēbat ut nē nocturnum quidem tempus ad labōrem intermitteret.
About ten days were spent on these things; for Argus, who was in charge of the work, showed such diligence that he did not stop work even at night.
60.5Ad multitūdinem hominum trānsportandam nāvis paulō erat lātior quam quibus in nostrō marī ūtī cōnsuēvimus, et ad vim tempestātum perferendam tōta ē rōbore facta est.
To carry a large number of men the ship was a little broader than those we are used to using on our sea, and to withstand the force of storms it was made entirely of oak.
Note. quam quibus … ūtī cōnsuēvimus: 'than those which we are accustomed to use'; ūtor takes the ablative.
Vocabulary
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| tamen, adv. | however, yet, nevertheless |
| multus, -a, -um | much, great; plur., many |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| iter, itineris, n. | a going, journey, march; iter facere, to journey, march |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| absum, abesse, āfuī, āfutūrus | be away, be absent, be distant; be wanting |
| sōlus, -a, -um | alone |
| proficīscor, -ficīscī, -fectus sum | set out, depart, march |
| nōlō, nōlle, nōluī | not wish, be unwilling |
| dīmittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send different ways, send forth or away, despatch; let slip, lose |
| igitur, conj. | therefore |
| nūntius, -ī, m. | messenger; message |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| causa, -ae, f. | cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of |
| doceo, -ēre, -uī, -tus | teach, explain |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| certus, -a, -um | determined, fixed, certain; certiōrem facere, to make more certain, inform |
| conveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventus | come together, assemble |
| dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus | say, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day |
| intereā, adv. | in the meantime, meanwhile |
| postquam, conj. | later than, after, when |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| ūsus, -ūs, m. | use; experience |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| armō, -āre, -āvi, -ātus | arm, equip |
| nāvis, -is, f. | ship |
| comportō, -portāre, -portāvī, -portātus | carry or bring together, collect |
| iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussus | bid, order, command |
| negōtium, -ī, n. | business, matter; task, trouble, difficulty |
| dō, dare, dedī, datus | give |
| quīdam, quaedam, quoddam, indef. pron. | a certain, certain |
| summus, -a, -um | uppermost, highest, greatest |
| scientia, -ae, f. | knowledge, skill |
| nauticus, -a, -um | naval, nautical |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | have, hold; consider |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| aedificō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | make a building, build |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| circiter, prep. with acc. and adv. | about |
| decem, indecl. adj. | ten |
| cōnsūmō, -sūmere, -sūmpsī, -sūmptus | take completely, use up, consume, spend |
| enim, conj. | for |
| opus, operis, n. | work, task |
| praesum, -esse, -fuī | be before, preside over, have charge of, command |
| tantus, -a, -um | so great or much |
| dīligentia, -ae, f. | care, diligence, industry |
| adhibeō, -hibēre, -hibuī, -hibitus | hold to, employ, show |
| nē, adv. | not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest |
| nocturnus, -a, -um | of night, nocturnal; nocturnum tempus, night-time |
| quidem, adv. | in fact, indeed, certainly; nē ... quidem, not ... even |
| tempus, temporis, n. | time, season |
| labor, -ōris, m. | labor, toil |
| intermittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | leave off, interrupt; let pass; pass., be left between, intervene, elapse |
| multitūdō, -tūdinis, f. | multitude |
| homō, hominis, m. | man |
| trānsportō, -portāre, -portāvī, -portātus | carry across or over, transport |
| paulō, adv. | by a little, a little, somewhat |
| lātus, -a, -um | broad, wide |
| quam, adv. | how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible |
| noster, -tra, -trum | our |
| mare, maris, n. | sea |
| ūtor, ūtī, ūsus | use |
| cōnsuēscō, -suēscere, -suēvī, -suētus | become accustomed; in tenses of completed action, have become accustomed, be accustomed or wont |
| vīs, vīs, f. | violence, force; virtue, potency, efficacy; plur. vīrēs, -ium, strength; omnibus vīribus, with all one's strength, with might and main |
| tempestās, -tātis, f. | weather; storm, tempest |
| perferō, -ferre, -tulī, -lātus | bear through, bear, endure; weather |
| tōtus, -a, -um | all the, the whole or entire |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| rōbur, rōboris, n. | oak |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |