Lectitō › Fabulae Faciles › Fabulae Faciles: Hercules
Fabulae Faciles 15
Hercules escapes sacrifice
Ritchie, Fabulae Faciles: Hercules. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō15.1Dē Hercule haec etiam inter alia narrantur.
Among other things, these stories too are told about Hercules.
15.2Ōlim dum iter facit, in fīnīs Aegyptiōrum vēnit.
Once, while he was on a journey, he came into the land of the Egyptians.
15.3Ibi rēx quīdam, nōmine Būsīris, illō tempore regnābat; hic autem vir crūdēlissimus hominēs immolāre cōnsuēverat.
A certain king named Busiris was reigning there at that time; this very cruel man had been in the habit of sacrificing human beings.
Note. vir crūdēlissimus: 'a very cruel man'; the superlative often just means 'very'. cōnsuēverat: 'had become used to', so 'was in the habit of'.
15.4Herculem igitur corripuit et in vincula coniēcit.
So he seized Hercules and threw him into chains.
15.5Tum nūntiōs dīmīsit et diem sacrificiō ēdīxit.
Then he sent out messengers and announced a day for the sacrifice.
Note. sacrificiō: dative of purpose, 'for the sacrifice'.
15.6Mox ea diēs appetēbat, et omnia rīte parāta sunt.
Soon that day was approaching, and everything was duly prepared.
Note. diēs is feminine when it means an appointed day: ea diēs.
15.7Manūs Herculis catēnīs ferreīs vinctae sunt, et mola salsa in caput eius īnspersa est.
Hercules' hands were bound with iron chains, and salted meal was sprinkled on his head.
15.8Mōs enim erat apud antīquōs salem et fār capitibus victimārum impōnere.
For it was the custom among the ancients to put salt and meal on the heads of victims.
Note. capitibus: dative with impōnere, 'to place on the heads'.
15.9Iam victima ad āram stābat; iam sacerdōs cultrum sūmpserat.
Now the victim was standing at the altar; now the priest had taken up the knife.
Note. The repeated iam ('now … now') and the missing 'and' make the moment tense: the knife is about to fall.
15.10Subitō tamen Herculēs magnō cōnātū vincula perrūpit; tum ictū sacerdōtem prōstrāvit; alterō rēgem ipsum occīdit.
Suddenly, however, Hercules broke his chains with a great effort; then with one blow he knocked down the priest; with another he killed the king himself.
Note. alterō: supply īctū, 'with a second (blow)'.
Vocabulary
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| etiam, adv. | and now, also, too, even |
| inter, prep, with acc. | among, between |
| alius, -a, -ud | another, other; aliī ... aliī, some ... others |
| narrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | tell, relate, narrate |
| ōlim, adv. | once upon a time, once, formerly, of old |
| dum, conj. | while, as; as long as; until |
| iter, itineris, n. | a going, journey, march; iter facere, to journey, march |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| fīnis, -is, m. | end, boundary; plur., borders, territory, country |
| veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus | come |
| ibi, adv. | in that place, there |
| rēx, rēgis, m. | king |
| quīdam, quaedam, quoddam, indef. pron. | a certain, certain |
| nōmen, -minis, n. | name (that by which one is known) |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| tempus, temporis, n. | time, season |
| regnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | reign, rule |
| autem, conj. | moreover; but, however; now |
| vir, virī, m. | man |
| crūdēlis, -e | cruel |
| homō, hominis, m. | man |
| immolō, -molāre, -molāvī, -molātus | sacrifice (the victim was sprinkled with consecrated meal) |
| cōnsuēscō, -suēscere, -suēvī, -suētus | become accustomed; in tenses of completed action, have become accustomed, be accustomed or wont |
| igitur, conj. | therefore |
| corripiō, -ripere, -ripuī, -reptus | seize, snatch, snatch up |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| vinculum, -ī, n. | bond, chain |
| coniciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectus | throw together; throw, cast, hurl |
| tum, adv. | then, at that time |
| nūntius, -ī, m. | messenger; message |
| dīmittō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send different ways, send forth or away, despatch; let slip, lose |
| diēs, -ēī, m. and f. | day |
| sacrificium, -ī, n. | sacrifice |
| ēdīcō, -dīcere, -dīxī, -dictus | declare, proclaim, appoint |
| mox, adv. | soon |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| appetō, -petere, -petīvī, -petītus | draw near |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| rīte, adv. | duly, fitly |
| parō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | make ready, prepare |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| manus, -ūs, f. | hand |
| catēna, -ae, f. | chain |
| ferreus, -a, -um | of iron, iron |
| vinciō, vincīre, vinxī, vinctus | bind |
| mola, -ae, f. | meal |
| salsus, -a, -um | salted, salt |
| caput, capitis, n. | head |
| īnspergō, -spergere, -spersī, -spersus | sprinkle on or over |
| mōs, mōris, m. | way, manner, habit, custom |
| enim, conj. | for |
| apud, prep, with acc. | among, with |
| antīquus, -a, -um | ancient |
| sāl, salis, m. | salt |
| fār, farris, n. | grain; meal |
| victima, -ae, f. | victim |
| impōnō, -pōnere, -posuī, -positus | place or lay upon, impose; embark |
| iam, adv. | now, already |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| āra, -ae, f. | altar |
| stō, stāre, stetī, status | stand |
| sacerdōs, -dōtis, m. and f. | priest, priestess |
| culter, cultrī, m. | knife |
| sūmō, sūmere, sūmpsī, sūmptus | take under or up, take; poenam sūmere, to exact or inflict punishment |
| subitō, adv. | unexpectedly, suddenly |
| tamen, adv. | however, yet, nevertheless |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| cōnātus, -ūs, m. | attempt, effort |
| perrumpō, -rumpere, -rūpī, -ruptus | break or burst through, break |
| īctus, -ūs, m. | blow |
| prōsternō, -sternere, -strāvī, -strātus | strew or spread before, throw or knock down |
| alter, -era, -erum | one or the other (of two); another, second |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| occīdō, -cīdere, -cīdī, -cīsus | cut down, kill |