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Fabulae Faciles 16
A cruel deed
Ritchie, Fabulae Faciles: Hercules. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in Lectitō16.1Herculēs iam adulēscēns Thēbīs habitābat.
Hercules, now a young man, was living at Thebes.
Note. Thēbīs: the locative case, 'at Thebes'. Some town names are plural in form.
16.2Rēx Thēbārum, vir ignāvus, Creōn appellābātur.
The king of Thebes, a cowardly man, was called Creon.
16.3Minyae, gēns bellicōsissima, Thēbānīs fīnitimī erant.
The Minyae, a very warlike people, were neighbors of the Thebans.
Note. Thēbānīs: dative with fīnitimī, 'neighbors to the Thebans'.
16.4Lēgātī autem ā Minyīs ad Thēbānōs quotannīs mittēbantur; hī Thēbās veniēbant et centum bovēs postulābant.
Every year envoys were sent by the Minyae to the Thebans; they came to Thebes and demanded a hundred oxen.
Note. Thēbās: names of towns take no preposition to show 'to': 'to Thebes'. The imperfects show it happened every year.
16.5Thēbānī enim ōlim ā Minyīs superātī erant; tribūta igitur rēgī Minyārum quotannīs pendēbant.
For the Thebans had once been defeated by the Minyae; so every year they paid tribute to the king of the Minyae.
16.6At Herculēs cīvīs suōs hōc stīpendiō līberāre cōnstituit; lēgātōs igitur comprehendit, atque aurīs eōrum abscīdit.
But Hercules decided to free his fellow citizens from this tribute; so he seized the envoys, and cut off their ears.
Note. cīvīs suōs: 'his fellow citizens'. hōc stīpendiō: ablative of separation, 'from this tribute'.
16.7Lēgātī autem apud omnīs gentīs sānctī habentur.
Envoys, however, are held sacred among all peoples.
Vocabulary
| iam, adv. | now, already |
| adulēscēns, -entis, m. | youth, young man |
| habitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | dwell, inhabit |
| rēx, rēgis, m. | king |
| vir, virī, m. | man |
| ignāvus, -a, -um | lazy, cowardly |
| appellō, -pellāre, -pellāvī, -pellātus | call, name |
| gēns, gentis, f. | race, nation |
| bellicōsus, -a, -um | war-like |
| fīnitimus, -a, -um | neighboring, adjoining |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| lēgātus, -ī, m. | ambassador |
| autem, conj. | moreover; but, however; now |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| quotannīs, adv. | every year, yearly, annually |
| mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus | send |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus | come |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| centum, indecl. adj. | one hundred |
| bōs, bovis, gen. plur. boum, dat. and abl. plur. bōbus, m. and f. | ox, bull, cow |
| postulō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | ask, request, demand |
| enim, conj. | for |
| ōlim, adv. | once upon a time, once, formerly, of old |
| superō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | overcome, defeat, conquer |
| tribūtum, -ī, n. | contribution, tribute |
| igitur, conj. | therefore |
| pendō, pendere, pependī, pēnsus | weigh out, pay |
| at, conj. | but |
| cīvis, -is, m. and f. | citizen, fellow-citizen, subject |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| stīpendium, -ī, n. | tax, tribute |
| līberō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | set free, free, liberate, release |
| cōnstituō, -stituere, -stituī, -stitūtus | set together or up; appoint; determine |
| comprehendō, -prehendere, -prehendī, -prehēnsus | seize, catch |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| auris, -is, f. | ear |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| abscīdō, -cīdere, -cīdī, -cīsus | cut away or off |
| apud, prep, with acc. | among, with |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| sānctus, -a, -um | consecrated, sacred |
| habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | have, hold; consider |