Nepos, Pausanias 4

The Argilian opens the letter

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Paus. 4.1Interim Argilius quīdam adulēscentulus, quem puerum Pausaniās amōre veneriō dīlēxerat, cum epistulam ab eō ad Artabazum accēpisset eīque in suspīciōnem vēnisset aliquid in eā dē sē esse scrīptum, quod nēmō eōrum redīsset, quī eōdem missī erant, vincla epistulae laxāvit signōque dētrāctō cognōvit, sī pertulisset, sibi esse pereundum.Meanwhile a certain young man of Argilus, whom Pausanias had loved with a sexual love when he was a boy, having received a letter from him for Artabazus, came to suspect that something about himself was written in it, because none of those who had been sent to the same place had returned; so he loosened the cord of the letter and, removing the seal, learned that if he delivered it he would have to die. Paus. 4.2Erant in eādem epistulā quae ad ea pertinēbant, quae inter rēgem Pausaniamque convēnerant.In the same letter were matters relating to what had been agreed between the king and Pausanias. Paus. 4.2Hās ille litterās ephorīs trādidit.He handed this letter over to the ephors. Paus. 4.3Nōn est praetereunda gravitās Lacedaemoniōrum hōc locō.The deliberateness of the Spartans must not be passed over at this point.

Paus. 4.3Nam nē huius quidem indiciō impulsī sunt ut Pausaniam comprehenderent, neque prius vim adhibendam putāvērunt, quam sē ipse indicāsset.For not even by this man's information were they induced to arrest Pausanias, nor did they think force should be used until he had betrayed himself. Paus. 4.4Itaque huic indicī, quid fierī vellent, praecēpērunt.So they instructed this informer what they wanted done. Paus. 4.4Fānum Neptūnī est Taenarī, quod violārī nefās putant Graecī.There is a shrine of Neptune at Taenarum, which the Greeks consider it sacrilege to violate. Paus. 4.4Eō ille cōnfūgit in ārāque cōnsēdit.There the informer took refuge and sat down on the altar. Paus. 4.4Hanc iūxtā locum fēcērunt sub terrā, ex quō posset exaudīrī, sī quis quid loquerētur cum Argiliō.Next to it they made a place under the ground from which it could be overheard if anyone said anything to the Argilian. Paus. 4.5Hūc ex ephorīs quīdam dēscendērunt.Some of the ephors went down into it. Paus. 4.5Pausaniās, ut audīvit Argilium cōnfūgisse in āram, perturbātus vēnit eō.Pausanias, when he heard that the Argilian had taken refuge at the altar, came there in agitation.

Paus. 4.5Quem cum supplicem deī vidēret in ārā sedentem, quaerit, causae quid sit tam repentīnī cōnsiliī.When he saw him sitting on the altar as a suppliant of the god, he asks what the reason is for so sudden a decision. Paus. 4.5Huic ille, quid ex litterīs comperisset, aperit.The young man discloses to him what he had found out from the letter. Paus. 4.6Quō magis Pausaniās perturbātus ōrāre coepit, nē ēnūntiāret neu sē meritum dē illō optimē prōderet: quodsī eam veniam sibi dedisset tantīsque implicātum rēbus sublevāsset, magnō eī praemiō futūrum.At this Pausanias, all the more agitated, began to beg him not to reveal it nor to betray one who had deserved so well of him: if he granted him this favour and relieved him when he was entangled in such great affairs, it would bring him a great reward.

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Grammar in this passage: gerunds and gerundives ×3, ablative absolute ×1, indirect statement ×4, purpose clauses ×1

Latin vocabulary for this passage (120 words)

interim (adv.)	meanwhile
quīdam, quaedam, quoddam, indef. pron.	a certain, certain
adulēscentulus, -ī m.	a very young man
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.	who, which
puer, puerī, m.	boy
amor, -ōris, m.	love
venerius (venereus), -a, -um	of love, sexual
dīligō, -ere, -lēxī, -lēctus	love, value highly
cum, conj.	when, while, after; since; although
epistula, -ae f.	letter
ā, ab (prep. + abl.)	away from, from; by (ā only before consonants)
is, ea, id, dem. pron.	this, that; he, she, it, they
ad, prep. with acc.	to, toward; at, near; for
accipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus	take to oneself, receive, accept; hear; suffer
que, enclitic conj.	and
in, prep. with acc. and abl.	with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
suspīciō, -ōnis, f.	suspicion
veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus	come
aliquis, -quid, indef. pron.	someone, any one, something, anything, some, any
dē, prep, with abl.	down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of
suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron.	himself, herself, itself, themselves
sum, esse, fuī, futūrus	be
scrībō, scrībere, scrīpsī, scrīptus	write
quod, conj.	that, in that, because
nēmō, nēminis, m. and f.	no one, nobody
redeō, -īre, -iī, -itus	go back, return
eōdem	to the same place
mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus	send
vinculum, -ī, n.	bond, chain
laxō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum	loosen, open out
signum, -ī, n.	sign, signal
dētrahō, -trahere, -trāxī, -trāctus	draw or pull off
cognōscō, -gnōscere, -gnōvī, -gnitus	find out, learn; in tenses of completed action, have found out, know
sī, conj.	if
perferō, -ferre, -tulī, -lātus	bear through, bear, endure; weather
pereō, -īre, -ii, -itūrus	pass away, perish
īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron.	the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also
pertineō, -ēre, -uī	extend, reach; tend toward, concern
inter, prep, with acc.	among, between
rēx, rēgis, m.	king
conveniō, -venīre, -vēnī, -ventus	come together, assemble
hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron.	this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter
ille, illa, illud, dem. pron.	that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc
litterae, -ārum f. pl.	letters (of the alphabet); a letter, dispatch
ephorus, -ī m.	an ephor, one of the five chief magistrates of Sparta
trādō, -dere, -didī, -ditus	give across, over, or up, deliver; hand down, relate, report
nōn, adv.	not
praetereō, -īre, -iī, -itus	pass by
gravitās, -ātis f.	weight, heaviness; dignity, seriousness
locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n.	place, situation
nam, conj.	for
nē, adv.	not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest
quidem, adv.	in fact, indeed, certainly; nē ... quidem, not ... even
indicium, -ī n.	information, evidence; an informer's report
impellō, -pellere, -pulī, -pulsus	drive or urge on, incite, urge
ut, conj.	as; when; that; ita ut, as
comprehendō, -prehendere, -prehendī, -prehēnsus	seize, catch
neque or nec, conj.	and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not
prius, adv.	before, first
vīs, vīs, f.	violence, force; virtue, potency, efficacy; plur. vīrēs, -ium, strength; omnibus vīribus, with all one's strength, with might and main
adhibeō, -hibēre, -hibuī, -hibitus	hold to, employ, show
putō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	think
quam, adv.	how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible
ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron.	self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very
indicō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	point out, reveal, give information; inform against
itaque, adv.	and so, accordingly, therefore
index, -icis m. and f.	informer; sign, indication
quis, quid, interrog. pron.	who? which? what?
fīō, fierī, factus sum	be done or made, become, happen
volō, velle, voluī	wish
praecipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus	take beforehand, anticipate; order, charge
fānum, -ī n.	shrine, sanctuary
violō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	harm, violate
nefās n. (indecl.)	a sin, a wrong; something forbidden by divine law
eō (adv.)	to that place, thither; to that point (usque eō); (with comparatives) by so much, all the (more)
cōnfugiō, -fugere, -fūgī	flee for refuge
āra, -ae, f.	altar
cōnsīdō, -sīdere, -sēdī, -sessus	sit down
iūxtā (adv. and prep. + acc.)	nearby; next to
faciō, facere, fēcī, factus	make, do; iter facere, see iter
sub, prep. with acc. and abl.	under; sub vesperum, towards evening
terra, -ae, f.	land, earth
ex, ē (prep. + abl.)	out of, from; of (ē only before consonants)
possum, posse, potuī	be able, have power, can
exaudiō, -īre, -īvī, -ītum	hear (from a distance)
quis, qua, quid, indef. pron.	any one, anybody, anything, some one, somebody, something
loquor, loquī, locūtus	speak
cum, prep, with abl.	with
hūc, adv.	to this place, hither
dēscendō, -scendere, -scendī, -scēnsus	climb down, descend
audiō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus	hear; listen or attend to
perturbō, -turbāre, -turbāvi, -turbātus	greatly disturb, disturb, agitate, throw into confusion
supplex, -icis	begging, as a suppliant
deus, -ī, m.	god
videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus	see; pass., seem
sedeō, sedēre, sēdī, sessus	sit
quaerō, quaerere, quaesīvī, quaesītus	seek; ask, inquire
causa, -ae, f.	cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of
tam, adv.	so
repentīnus, -a, -um	sudden
cōnsilium, -ī, n.	advice; plan, design, purpose; prudence
comperiō, -īre, comperī, compertum	find out, learn
aperiō, -īre, -uī, -tus	open
magis, comp. adv.	more, rather
ōrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	speak; beg, pray
coepī, coepisse, coeptus (used in tenses of completed action)	have begun, began
ēnūntiō, -nūntiāre, -nūntiāvī, -nūntiātus	speak out, announce, make known
nēve or neu, conj.	and that not, and not, nor
mereor, -ērī, meritus sum	deserve; (dē) do service to
bene, adv.	well; successfully
prōdō, -ere, -didī, -ditum	hand down; betray
quodsī (conj.)	but if, and if
venia, -ae f.	pardon, forgiveness
dō, dare, dedī, datus	give
tantus, -a, -um	so great or much
implicō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	entangle, entwine; involve
rēs, reī, f.	thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really
sublevō, -levāre, -levāvī, -levātus	lift from beneath, lift, raise
magnus, -a, -um	large, big, great, mighty; loud
praemium, -ī, n.	reward

Nepos, Pausanias. Latin text: A. Fleckeisen, Cornelii Nepotis Vitae (Teubner, 1886), public domain; digital text from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA. Word analysis: drafted by our own tagger (trained on the hand-checked texts on this site), with every doubtful word checked by hand. English translation and section titles: written for this app, each checked against the Latin by a second reader.