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Fabulae Faciles 72
Seizing the fleece
Ritchie, Fabulae Faciles: The Argonauts. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō72.1Postrīdiē eius diēī Iāsōn cum sociīs suīs ortā lūce nāvem dēdūxit, et tempestātem idōneam nactī ad eum locum rēmīs contendērunt, quō in locō Mēdēa vellus cēlātum esse dēmōnstrābat.
On the day after that, Jason with his companions launched the ship at dawn, and finding suitable weather they rowed hard to the place where Medea showed that the fleece was hidden.
72.2Cum eō vēnissent, Iāsōn in terram ēgressus est, et sociīs ad mare relictīs, quī praesidiō nāvī essent, ipse cum Mēdēā in silvās sē contulit.
When they had come there, Jason went ashore, and leaving his companions by the sea to guard the ship, he himself went into the woods with Medea.
Note. praesidiō nāvī: a double dative, 'as a guard for the ship'.
72.3Pauca mīlia passuum per silvam prōgressus vellus quod quaerēbat ex arbore suspēnsum vīdit.
After going a few miles through the forest he saw the fleece he was looking for hanging from a tree.
72.4Id tamen auferre erat summae difficultātis; nōn modo enim locus ipse ēgregiē et nātūrā et arte erat mūnītus, sed etiam dracō quīdam speciē terribilī arborem custōdiēbat.
To carry it off, however, was extremely difficult; for not only was the place itself remarkably well protected both by nature and by art, but a certain dragon of terrifying appearance was also guarding the tree.
Note. summae difficultātis: a genitive of description, 'a matter of the greatest difficulty'.
72.5Tum Mēdēa, quae, ut suprā dēmōnstrāvimus, medicīnae summam scientiam habuit, rāmum quem dē arbore proximā dēripuerat venēnō īnfēcit.
Then Medea, who, as we have shown above, had the greatest knowledge of medicine, steeped in poison a branch that she had torn from the nearest tree.
72.6Hōc factō ad locum appropinquāvit, et dracōnem, quī faucibus apertīs eius adventum exspectābat, venēnō sparsit; deinde, dum dracō somnō oppressus dormit, Iāsōn vellus aureum dē arbore dēripuit et cum Mēdēā quam celerrimē pedem rettulit.
When this was done she approached the place and sprinkled with the poison the dragon, which with jaws wide open was waiting for her to come; then, while the dragon, overcome by sleep, was sleeping, Jason tore the golden fleece down from the tree and with Medea went back as quickly as possible.
Note. pedem rettulit: 'drew back his foot', that is, 'retreated'.
Vocabulary
| postrīdiē, adv. | the day after, the next day |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| socius, -ī, m. | companion, comrade, ally |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| orior, -īrī, -tus | arise, come forth, spring up; ortā lūce, at dawn |
| lūx, lūcis, f. | light |
| nāvis, -is, f. | ship |
| dēdūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead down or away, bring; nāvem dēdūcere, to draw down or launch a ship |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| tempestās, -tātis, f. | weather; storm, tempest |
| idōneus, -a, -um | suitable, fit; favorable |
| nancīscor, nancīscī, nactus | get, obtain, find |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| rēmus, -ī, m. | oar |
| contendō, -tendere, -tendī, -tentus | stretch, hasten |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| vellus, velleris, n. | fleece |
| cēlō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | hide, conceal |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| dēmōnstrō, -mōnstrāre, -mōnstrāvī, -mōnstrātus | point out, show; make known |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| eō (adv.) | to that place, thither; to that point (usque eō); (with comparatives) by so much, all the (more) |
| veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus | come |
| terra, -ae, f. | land, earth |
| ēgredior, -gredī, -gressus | go out or forth, go ashore, disembark |
| mare, maris, n. | sea |
| relinquō, -linquere, -līquī, -lictus | leave behind, leave |
| praesidium, -ī, n. | protection; guard, escort |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| silva, -ae, f. | wood, forest |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| cōnferō, cōnferre, contulī, conlātus | bring together; grant, confer; sē cōnferre, to betake oneself, make one's way |
| paucī, -ae, -a, plur. adj. | few |
| mīlle, indecl. adj. | a thousand; mīlia, -ium, n. plur., thousands; |
| passus, -ūs, m. | pace (mīlia passuum: miles) |
| per, prep, with ace. | through, by means of |
| prōgredior, -gredī, -gressus | go forward, advance |
| quaerō, quaerere, quaesīvī, quaesītus | seek; ask, inquire |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| arbor, -oris, f. | tree |
| suspendō, -pendere, -pendī, -pēnsus | hang up, hang |
| videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus | see; pass., seem |
| tamen, adv. | however, yet, nevertheless |
| auferō, auferre, abstulī, ablātus | bear away, carry off |
| summus, -a, -um | uppermost, highest, greatest |
| difficultas, -tātis, f. | difficulty |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| modo, adv. | only |
| enim, conj. | for |
| ēgregiē, adv. | excellently, splendidly, admirably |
| nātūra, -ae, f. | nature, character |
| ars, artis, f. | art |
| mūniō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus | fortify |
| sed, conj. | but |
| etiam, adv. | and now, also, too, even |
| dracō, -ōnis, m. | dragon, serpent |
| quīdam, quaedam, quoddam, indef. pron. | a certain, certain |
| speciēs, -ēī, f. | sight, appearance, shape |
| terribilis, -e | dreadful, terrible |
| custōdiō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus | guard |
| tum, adv. | then, at that time |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| suprā, adv. and prep. with acc. | above, before |
| medicīna, -ae, f. | art of healing, medicine |
| scientia, -ae, f. | knowledge, skill |
| habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | have, hold; consider |
| rāmus, -ī, m. | branch, bough |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| proximus, -a, -um | nearest, next |
| dēripiō, -ripere, -ripuī, -reptus | snatch away, tear off, pull down |
| venēnum, -ī, n. | poison |
| īnficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | stain, dye |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| appropinquō, -propinquāre, -propinquāvī, -propinquātus | approach to, approach |
| faucēs, -ium, f. plur. | throat |
| aperiō, -īre, -uī, -tus | open |
| adventus, -ūs, m. | approach, arrival |
| exspectō, -spectāre, -spectāvī, -spectātus | look out for, wait for, await, expect; wait |
| spargō, spargere, sparsī, sparsus | scatter, sprinkle |
| deinde, adv. | then, next |
| dum, conj. | while, as; as long as; until |
| somnus, -ī, m. | sleep, drowsiness |
| opprimō, -primere, -pressī, -pressus | press against, overpower, crush |
| dormiō, -īre, -īvī | sleep |
| aureus, -a, -um | of gold, golden |
| quam, adv. | how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible |
| celeriter, adv. | swiftly, quickly |
| pēs, pedis, m. | foot |
| referō, referre, rettulī, relātus | bring or carry back, return; pedem referre, to draw back, retire, retreat; grātiam referre, see grātia |