Bellum Iugurthinum 24

Adherbal's letter to the senate

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Iug. 24.1Numidae paucīs diēbus iussa efficiunt.The Numidians carried out their orders within a few days. Iug. 24.1Litterae Adherbalis in senātū recitātae, quārum sententia haec fuit: "Nōn meā culpā saepe ad vōs ōrātum mittō, patrēs cōnscrīptī, sed vīs Iugurthae subigit, quem tanta lubīdō extinguendī mē invāsit, ut neque vōs neque deōs inmortālīs in animō habeat, sanguinem meum quam omnia mālit.Adherbal's letter was read out in the senate, and its substance was this: 'It is through no fault of mine that I often send to you to make entreaty, conscript fathers, but the violence of Jugurtha compels me; such a lust to destroy me has seized him that he holds neither you nor the immortal gods in his mind, and would rather have my blood than anything else. Iug. 24.3Itaque quīntum iam mēnsem socius et amīcus populī Rōmānī armīs obsessus teneor;And so for the fifth month now I, the ally and friend of the Roman people, am held besieged by arms; Iug. 24.3neque mihi Micipsae patris meī beneficia neque Vostra dēcrēta auxiliantur;neither the kindnesses of my father Micipsa nor your decrees bring me any help; Iug. 24.3ferrō an fame ācrius urgear, incertus sum.whether I am pressed harder by the sword or by hunger I do not know.

Iug. 24.4Plūra dē Iugurthā scrībere dēhortātur mē fortūna mea, et iam anteā expertus sum parum fideī miserīs esse;My fortune dissuades me from writing more about Jugurtha, and I have already learned before that the wretched find little credit; Iug. 24.5nisi tamen intellegō illum suprā quam ego sum petere neque simul amīcitiam vostram et regnum meum spērāre.except that I do understand that he is aiming at something higher than me, and does not hope to have both your friendship and my kingdom together. Iug. 24.5Utrum gravius existumet, nēminī occultum est.Which of the two he thinks weightier is hidden from no one. Iug. 24.6Nam initiō occīdit Hiempsalem frātrem meum, deinde patriō regnō mē expulit.For first he killed my brother Hiempsal, then he drove me from my father's kingdom. Iug. 24.6Quae sānē fuerint nostrae iniūriae, nihil ad vōs.Granted that these were wrongs done to us, they are nothing to you. Iug. 24.7Vērum nunc vostrum regnum armīs tenet;But now he holds your kingdom by arms; Iug. 24.7mē, quem vōs imperātōrem Numidīs posuistis, clausum obsidet;me, whom you set as ruler over the Numidians, he keeps shut in and besieged; Iug. 24.7lēgātōrum verba quantī fēcerit, perīcula mea dēclārant.how much he has cared for the words of your envoys my dangers make plain.

Iug. 24.8Quid est reliquom nisi vīs vostra, quō movērī possit?What is left but your might to move him? Iug. 24.9Nam ego quidem vellem, et haec, quae scrībō, et illa, quae anteā in senātū questus sum, vāna forent potius, quam miseria mea fidem verbīs faceret.For I for my part would wish that both what I am writing now and what I complained of before in the senate were groundless, rather than that my misery should make my words believed. Iug. 24.10Sed quoniam eō nātus sum, ut Iugurthae scelerum ostentuī essem, nōn iam mortem neque aerumnās, tantummodo inimīcī imperium et cruciātūs corporis dēprecor.But since I was born for this, to be a showpiece of Jugurtha's crimes, I no longer beg to be spared death or suffering, only the rule of my enemy and the torture of my body. Iug. 24.10Regnō Numidiae, quod vostrum est, utī lubet, cōnsulite;Decide as you please about the kingdom of Numidia, which is yours; Iug. 24.10mē manibus inpiīs ēripite, per maiestātem imperī, per amīcitiae fidem, sī ūlla apud vōs memoria remanet avī meī Masinissae."but snatch me from impious hands, by the majesty of your empire, by the good faith of friendship, if any memory of my grandfather Masinissa still remains among you.'

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Grammar in this passage: gerunds and gerundives ×1, indirect statement ×2, purpose clauses ×1

Latin vocabulary for this passage (146 words)

paucī, -ae, -a, plur. adj.	few
diēs, -ēī, m. and f.	day
iussum, -ī, n.	order, command
efficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus	make or work out, accomplish, effect
litterae, -ārum f. pl.	letters (of the alphabet); a letter, dispatch
in, prep. with acc. and abl.	with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
senātus, -ūs m.	senate
recitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	read aloud
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.	who, which
sententia, -ae, f.	opinion; purpose
hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron.	this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter
sum, esse, fuī, futūrus	be
nōn, adv.	not
meus, -a, -um	my, mine
culpa, -ae f.	fault, blame
saepe, adv.	often, frequently
ad, prep. with acc.	to, toward; at, near; for
vōs	plur. of tū
ōrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	speak; beg, pray
mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus	send
pater, patris, m.	father
cōnscrībō, -ere, -scrīpsī, -scrīptum	enlist, enroll
sed, conj.	but
vīs, vīs, f.	violence, force; virtue, potency, efficacy; plur. vīrēs, -ium, strength; omnibus vīribus, with all one's strength, with might and main
subigō, -ere, -ēgī, -āctus	bring under, subdue; force, compel
tantus, -a, -um	so great or much
libīdō, -inis f.	desire, lust; caprice
ex(s)tinguō, -ere, -stīnxī, -stīnctus	put out, quench; destroy
ego, meī, pers. pron.	I
invādō, -ere, -vāsī, -vāsus	go into, attack, seize; come upon
ut, conj.	as; when; that; ita ut, as
neque or nec, conj.	and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not
deus, -ī, m.	god
immortālis, -e	immortal
animus, -ī, m.	mind; heart; spirit, courage
habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus	have, hold; consider
sanguis, sanguinis, m.	blood
quam, adv.	how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible
omnis, -e	all, every
mālō, mālle, māluī	wish rather, prefer
itaque, adv.	and so, accordingly, therefore
quīntus, -a, -um	fifth
iam, adv.	now, already
mēnsis, -is m.	month
socius, -ī, m.	companion, comrade, ally
et, conj.	and; et ... et, both ... and
amīcus, -ī, m.	friend
populus, -ī m.	people, nation
Rōmānus, -a, -um	Roman
arma, -ōrum, n. plur.	arms, weapons
obsideō, -sidēre, -sēdī, -sessus	beset, besiege
teneō, -ēre, -uī, -tus	hold, keep; hold back, restrain, stop
beneficium, -ī, n.	well-doing, kindness, service, benefit
vester, -tra, -trum	your
dēcrētum, -ī n.	decision, decree
auxilior, -āri, -ātus	help
ferrum, -ī n.	iron; iron point, sword
an, conj.	or (in questions)
famēs, -is, abl. famē, f.	hunger
ācriter, adv.	sharply, fiercely
urgeō, -ēre, ursī	press hard
incertus, -a, -um	uncertain, unreliable
plūrēs, -a, plur. adj.	more, many, several
dē, prep, with abl.	down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of
scrībō, scrībere, scrīpsī, scrīptus	write
dēhortor, -ārī, -ātus sum	dissuade, advise against
fortūna, -ae, f.	fortune
anteā, adv.	before
experior, -īrī, expertus sum	try, test, experience
parum (comp. minus, superl. minimē)	too little; minimē: least, not at all
fidēs, -eī f.	faith, trust; pledge
miser, misera, miserum	wretched, unhappy
nisi, conj.	if not, unless
tamen, adv.	however, yet, nevertheless
intellegō, -legere, -lēxī, -lēctus	perceive, understand
ille, illa, illud, dem. pron.	that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc
suprā, adv. and prep. with acc.	above, before
petō, -ere, -īvī or -iī, -ītus	seek, ask; attack
simul, adv.	at the same time; simul atque or ac, as soon as
amīcitia, -ae f.	friendship, alliance
regnum, -ī, n.	royal power, rule, throne; kingdom, realm
spērō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	hope
uter, utra, utrum	which? of two
gravis, -e	heavy; severe, grievous, serious
exīstimō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	consider, believe, think
nēmō, nēminis, m. and f.	no one, nobody
occultus, -a, -um	hidden, secret
nam, conj.	for
initium, -ī, n.	beginning
occīdō, -cīdere, -cīdī, -cīsus	cut down, kill
frāter, frātris, m.	brother
deinde, adv.	then, next
patrius, -a, -um	of one's fathers, ancestral
expellō, -pellere, -pulī, -pulsus	drive out, expel
quī, quae, quod, interrog. pron. adj.	what?
sānē, adv.	certainly, by all means; very
noster, -tra, -trum	our
iniūria, -ae, f.	injury, wrong, hurt, harm
nihil, n., indecl.	nothing
vērum (conj.)	but, but in fact; nōn modo ... vērum etiam: not only ... but also
nunc, adv.	now
imperātor, -ōris, m.	commander, general
pōnō, pōnere, posuī, positus	place, put; pōnī with in and abl., to be placed in, rest or depend on
claudō, -ere, clausī, clausum	close, shut; (agmen) bring up the rear
lēgātus, -ī, m.	ambassador
verbum, -ī, n.	word
quantus, -a, -um	how great or much?
faciō, facere, fēcī, factus	make, do; iter facere, see iter
perīculum, -ī, n.	danger, peril, risk
dēclārō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum	make clear, declare
quis, quid, interrog. pron.	who? which? what?
reliquus, -a, -um	left, the remaining, the other, the rest of
moveō, movēre, mōvī, mōtus	move
possum, posse, potuī	be able, have power, can
quidem, adv.	in fact, indeed, certainly; nē ... quidem, not ... even
volō, velle, voluī	wish
queror, -ī, questus sum	complain
vānus, -a, -um	empty, idle, vain; in vanum: in vain
potius (adv.)	rather
miseria, -ae f.	misery, distress, suffering
quoniam, conj.	since now, since
is, ea, id, dem. pron.	this, that; he, she, it, they
nāscor, -ī, nātus sum	be born; rise, begin
scelus, sceleris, n.	wickedness, crime
ostentus, -ūs m.	display, show; ostentui esse: be a spectacle, serve as proof
mors, mortīs, f.	death
aerumna, -ae f.	hardship, trouble, care
tantummodo (adv.)	only, just
inimīcus, -a, -um	unfriendly, hostile
imperium, -ī, n.	command; sway, rule
cruciātus, -ūs, m.	torture
corpus, corporis, n.	body
dēprecor, -ārī, -ātus sum	beg to be spared, plead
libet, -ēre, libuit (impers.)	it pleases; mihi libet: I like, I want
cōnsulō, -ere, -uī, -tus	consult
manus, -ūs, f.	hand
impius, -a, -um	wicked, impious
ēripiō, -ripere, -ripuī, -reptus	snatch out or away, rescue
per, prep, with ace.	through, by means of
maiestās, -ātis f.	greatness, dignity, majesty
sī, conj.	if
ūllus, -a, -um	any
apud, prep, with acc.	among, with
memoria, -ae, f.	memory
remaneō, -ēre, -mānsī	stay behind, remain
avus, -ī, m.	grandfather

Sallust, Bellum Iugurthinum. Latin text: the Perseus digital text of Sallust's Jugurthine War, with chapter 79 onwards in part from A. W. Ahlberg (Teubner, 1919), 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.