Lectitō › Fabulae Faciles › Fabulae Faciles: Hercules
Fabulae Faciles 25
At the centaur's cave
Ritchie, Fabulae Faciles: Hercules. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
Tap any word for its meaning and grammar, save words to review, and track your reading.
Read in Lectitō25.1Dē quartō labōre, quem suprā narrāvimus, haec etiam trāduntur.
About the fourth labor, which we told above, these things too are told.
Note. narrāvimus: an author often says 'we' when he means 'I'.
25.2Herculēs dum iter in Arcadiam facit, ad eam regiōnem vēnit quam centaurī incolēbant.
While Hercules was on his way to Arcadia, he came to the region which the centaurs inhabited.
25.3Cum nox iam appeteret, ad spēluncam dēvertit in quā centaurus quīdam, nōmine Pholus, habitābat.
Since night was now coming on, he turned aside to a cave in which a certain centaur named Pholus lived.
Note. cum + subjunctive here gives the reason: 'since night was coming on'.
25.4Ille Herculem benignē excēpit et cēnam parāvit.
Pholus received Hercules kindly and prepared a dinner.
25.5At Herculēs postquam cēnāvit, vīnum ā Pholō postulāvit.
But after Hercules had dined, he asked Pholus for wine.
25.6Erat autem in spēluncā magna amphora vīnō optimō replēta, quam centaurī ibi dēposuerant.
Now there was in the cave a large jar filled with excellent wine, which the centaurs had stored there.
25.7Pholus igitur hoc vīnum dare nōlēbat, quod reliquōs centaurōs timēbat; nūllum tamen vīnum praeter hoc in spēluncā habēbat.
So Pholus did not want to give this wine, because he feared the other centaurs; but he had no wine in the cave except this.
Note. quod here is the conjunction 'because', not the pronoun. reliquōs centaurōs: 'the rest of the centaurs'.
25.8"Hoc vīnum," inquit, "mihi commissum est.
“This wine,” he said, “has been entrusted to me.
Note. inquit: 'he says / said', inserted into a direct quotation.
25.9Sī igitur hoc dabō, centaurī mē interficient."
So if I give it, the centaurs will kill me.”
Note. dabō: Latin uses the future in 'if I give it' because the giving is in the future. English uses the present.
25.10Herculēs tamen eum inrīsit, et ipse pōculum vīnī dē amphorā hausit.
Hercules, however, laughed at him, and drew a cup of wine from the jar himself.
Vocabulary
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| quartus, -a, -um | fourth |
| labor, -ōris, m. | labor, toil |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| suprā, adv. and prep. with acc. | above, before |
| narrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | tell, relate, narrate |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| etiam, adv. | and now, also, too, even |
| trādō, -dere, -didī, -ditus | give across, over, or up, deliver; hand down, relate, report |
| dum, conj. | while, as; as long as; until |
| iter, itineris, n. | a going, journey, march; iter facere, to journey, march |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| regiō, -ōnis, f. | direction; country, region |
| veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus | come |
| centaurus, -ī, m. | centaur |
| incolō, -colere, -coluī | inhabit |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| nox, noctis, f. | night |
| iam, adv. | now, already |
| appetō, -petere, -petīvī, -petītus | draw near |
| spēlunca, -ae, f. | cave, cavern |
| dēvertō, -vertere, -vertī | turn away or aside |
| quīdam, quaedam, quoddam, indef. pron. | a certain, certain |
| nōmen, -minis, n. | name (that by which one is known) |
| habitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | dwell, inhabit |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| benignē, adv. | kindly |
| excipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus | take out or up, receive, welcome, entertain |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| cēna, -ae, f. | dinner |
| parō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | make ready, prepare |
| at, conj. | but |
| postquam, conj. | later than, after, when |
| cēnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | dine |
| vīnum, -ī, n. | wine |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| postulō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | ask, request, demand |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| autem, conj. | moreover; but, however; now |
| magnus, -a, -um | large, big, great, mighty; loud |
| amphora, -ae, f. | jar, bottle |
| bonus, -a, -um | good |
| repleō, -plēre, -plēvī, -plētus | fill again or up, fill |
| ibi, adv. | in that place, there |
| dēpōnō, -pōnere, -posuī, -positus | put down, deposit; lay aside, give up; ē memoriā dēpōnere, to forget |
| igitur, conj. | therefore |
| dō, dare, dedī, datus | give |
| nōlō, nōlle, nōluī | not wish, be unwilling |
| quod, conj. | that, in that, because |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| timeō, -ēre, -uī | fear |
| nūllus, -a, -um | not any, none, no |
| tamen, adv. | however, yet, nevertheless |
| praeter, prep. with acc. | before, past, by; besides, except |
| habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | have, hold; consider |
| inquam, inquis, inquit, defective verb | I say, you say, he says |
| ego, meī, pers. pron. | I |
| committō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus | send together; commit, intrust; expose; proelium committere, to join battle |
| sī, conj. | if |
| interficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus | put out of the way, kill |
| inrīdeō, -rīdēre, -rīsī, -rīsus | laugh at, mock |
| ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron. | self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very |
| pōculum, -ī, n. | cup |
| hauriō, haurīre, hausī, haustus | draw |