Lectitō › Fabulae Faciles › Fabulae Faciles: The Argonauts
Fabulae Faciles 77
Medea's magic
Ritchie, Fabulae Faciles: The Argonauts. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō77.1Hīs rēbus cognitīs Mēdēa rem aegrē tulit, et regnī cupiditāte adducta mortem rēgī per dolum īnferre cōnstituit.
When she learned this, Medea was angry, and led on by desire for the kingdom she decided to bring about the king's death by a trick.
77.2Hōc cōnstitūtō ad fīliās rēgis vēnit atque ita locūta est: "Vidētis patrem vestrum aetāte iam esse cōnfectum neque ad labōrem regnandī perferendum satis valēre.
Having decided this, she came to the king's daughters and spoke as follows: "You see that your father is already worn out with age and is not strong enough to bear the labor of ruling.
77.3Vultisne eum rūrsus iuvenem fierī?"
Do you want him to become young again?"
Note. Vultisne: -ne attached to the first word turns the sentence into a question.
77.4Tum fīliae rēgis ita respondērunt: "Num hoc fierī potest?
Then the king's daughters answered: "Surely this cannot be done?
Note. Num: introduces a question expecting the answer 'no'.
77.5Quis enim umquam ē sene iuvenis factus est?"
For who ever was made a young man from an old one?"
77.6At Mēdēa respondit: "Mē medicīnae summam habēre scientiam scītis.
But Medea replied: "You know that I have the greatest knowledge of medicine.
77.7Nunc igitur vōbīs dēmōnstrābō quō modō haec rēs fierī possit."
So now I will show you how this thing can be done."
77.8Postquam fīnem loquendī fēcit, arietem aetāte iam cōnfectum interfēcit et membra eius in vāse aēneō posuit, atque ignī suppositō in aquam herbās quāsdam īnfūdit.
After she had finished speaking, she killed a ram already worn out with age and put its limbs in a bronze pot, and lighting a fire underneath she poured certain herbs into the water.
Note. ignī suppositō: ablative absolute, 'a fire being placed beneath'.
77.9Tum, dum aqua effervēsceret, carmen magicum cantābat.
Then, while the water was boiling, she chanted a magic song.
77.10Mox ariēs ē vāse exsiluit et vīribus refectīs per agrōs currēbat.
Soon the ram leapt out of the pot and, its strength restored, ran about the fields.
Vocabulary
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| cognōscō, -gnōscere, -gnōvī, -gnitus | find out, learn; in tenses of completed action, have found out, know |
| aegrē, adv. | ill, with difficulty |
| ferō, ferre, tulī, lātus | bear, bring |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| regnum, -ī, n. | royal power, rule, throne; kingdom, realm |
| cupiditās, -tātis, f. | desire, longing, eagerness |
| addūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead to, bring, take; induce, influence |
| mors, mortīs, f. | death |
| rēx, rēgis, m. | king |
| per, prep, with ace. | through, by means of |
| dolus, -ī, m. | trick, craft |
| īnferō, īnferre, intulī, inlātus | bring in or against, wage against; inflict |
| cōnstituō, -stituere, -stituī, -stitūtus | set together or up; appoint; determine |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| fīlia, -ae, f. | daughter |
| veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus | come |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| ita, adv. | in this manner, thus, so; ita ut, as |
| loquor, loquī, locūtus | speak |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus | see; pass., seem |
| pater, patris, m. | father |
| vester, -tra, -trum | your |
| aetās, -tātis, f. | age |
| iam, adv. | now, already |
| cōnficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | make or do completely, complete, finish, accomplish, make; wear out |
| neque or nec, conj. | and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not |
| labor, -ōris, m. | labor, toil |
| regnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | reign, rule |
| perferō, -ferre, -tulī, -lātus | bear through, bear, endure; weather |
| satis, adv. | enough, sufficiently |
| valeō, -ēre, -uī, -itūrus | be strong or effectual, have effect, prevail |
| volō, velle, voluī | wish |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| rūrsus, adv. | again |
| iuvenis, -is, m. | young man, youth |
| fīō, fierī, factus sum | be done or made, become, happen |
| tum, adv. | then, at that time |
| respondeō, -spondēre, -spondī, -spōnsus | reply, answer |
| num, adv., introducing a question to which a negative answer is expected | untranslatable |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| quis, quid, interrog. pron. | who? which? what? |
| enim, conj. | for |
| umquam, adv. | ever |
| ex, ē (prep. + abl.) | out of, from; of (ē only before consonants) |
| senex, senis, m. | old man |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| at, conj. | but |
| ego, meī, pers. pron. | I |
| medicīna, -ae, f. | art of healing, medicine |
| summus, -a, -um | uppermost, highest, greatest |
| habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | have, hold; consider |
| scientia, -ae, f. | knowledge, skill |
| sciō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus | know |
| nunc, adv. | now |
| igitur, conj. | therefore |
| vōs | plur. of tū |
| dēmōnstrō, -mōnstrāre, -mōnstrāvī, -mōnstrātus | point out, show; make known |
| quī, quae, quod, interrog. pron. adj. | what? |
| modus, -ī, m. | way, manner |
| postquam, conj. | later than, after, when |
| fīnis, -is, m. | end, boundary; plur., borders, territory, country |
| ariēs, -etis, m. | ram |
| interficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | put out of the way, kill |
| membrum, -ī, n. | limb, member |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| vās, vāsis, n., plur. vāsa, -ōrum | vessel |
| aēneus, -a, -um | of copper or bronze |
| pōnō, pōnere, posuī, positus | place, put; pōnī with in and abl., to be placed in, rest or depend on |
| ignis, -is, m. | fire |
| suppōnō, -pōnere, -posuī, -positus | place or put under |
| aqua, -ae, f. | water |
| herba, -ae, f. | herb, plant |
| quīdam, quaedam, quoddam, indef. pron. | a certain, certain |
| īnfundō, -fundere, -fūdī, -fūsus | pour in or upon |
| dum, conj. | while, as; as long as; until |
| effervēscō, -fervēscere, -ferbuī | boil up or over, boil |
| carmen, -minis, n. | song, charm |
| magicus, -a, -um | magic |
| cantō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | sing |
| mox, adv. | soon |
| exsiliō, -silīre, -siluī | leap out or forth |
| vīs, vīs, f. | violence, force; virtue, potency, efficacy; plur. vīrēs, -ium, strength; omnibus vīribus, with all one's strength, with might and main |
| reficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | make anew, renew, repair |
| ager, agri, m. | field, land |
| currō, currere, cucurrī, cursus | run |