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Tacitus · Germania

Germania 24

The sword dance and gambling

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Germ. 24.1Genus spectāculōrum ūnum atque in omnī coetū idem: nūdī iuvenēs, quibus id lūdicrum est, inter gladiōs sē atque īnfestās frameās saltū iaciunt.They have one kind of public show, and the same at every gathering: naked young men, for whom this is a sport, fling themselves with a leap between swords and levelled frameae. Germ. 24.2Exercitātiō artem parāvit, ars decōrem, nōn in quaestum tamen aut mercēdem: quamvīs audācis lascīviae pretium est voluptās spectantium.Practice has produced skill, and skill grace, yet not for profit or pay: however daring the play, its reward is the pleasure of the spectators. Germ. 24.3Āleam, quod mīrēre, sōbriī inter sēria exercent, tantā lucrandī perdendīve temeritāte, ut, cum omnia dēfēcērunt, extrēmō ac novissimō iactū dē lībertāte ac dē corpore contendant.Dice, which may surprise you, they play when sober, among their serious pursuits, with such recklessness in winning or losing that, when everything else has run out, they stake their liberty and their persons on the last and final throw. Germ. 24.4Victus voluntāriam servitūtem adit;The loser goes into voluntary slavery; Germ. 24.4quamvīs iuvenior, quamvīs rōbustior, alligārī sē ac vēnīre patitur.though he be younger, though he be stronger, he allows himself to be bound and sold.

Germ. 24.4Ea est in rē prāvā pervicācia;Such is their stubbornness in a bad practice; Germ. 24.4ipsī fidem vocant.they themselves call it honour. Germ. 24.4Servōs condiciōnis huius per commercia trādunt, ut sē quoque pudōre victōriae exsolvant.Slaves of this condition they pass on by trade, so as to free themselves too from the shame of their victory.

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

Latin vocabulary for this passage (79 words)
genus, generis, n.kind, nature
spectāculum, -ī n.sight, spectacle, show
ūnus, -a, -umone; only, alone
atque, ac (conj.)and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants)
in, prep. with acc. and abl.with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
omnis, -eall, every
coetus, -ūs m.meeting, gathering, assembly
īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron.the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also
nūdus, -a, -umnaked, bare
iuvenis, -is, m.young man, youth
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.who, which
is, ea, id, dem. pron.this, that; he, she, it, they
lūdicrum, -ī n.show, game, entertainment
sum, esse, fuī, futūrusbe
inter, prep, with acc.among, between
gladius, -ī, m.sword
suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron.himself, herself, itself, themselves
īnfestus, -a, -umunsafe, dangerous
framea, -ae f.spear (the German word for it)
saltus, -ūs m.wooded pass, forest glade, woodland
iaciō, iacere, iēcī, iactusthrow, cast, hurl
exercitātiō, -ōnis, f.exercise
ars, artis, f.art
parō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusmake ready, prepare
decor, -ōris m.beauty, grace
nōn, adv.not
quaestus, -ūs m.gain, profit
tamen, adv.however, yet, nevertheless
aut, conj.or; aut ... aut, either ... or
mercēs, mercēdis, f.pay, reward, wages
quamvīs (adv.)however much, as … as you like
audāx, -ācisbold, daring, reckless
lascīvia, -ae f.playfulness; wantonness, licence
pretium, -ī, n.price, charge
voluptās, -tātis, f.pleasure
spectō, -āre, -āvī, -ātuslook at or on
ālea, -ae f.dice, gambling
mīror, -ārī, -ātuswonder, wonder at
sōbrius, -a, -umsober
sērius, -a, -umserious; (n. pl. as noun) serious matters
exerceō, -ercēre, -ercuī, -ercitusexercise
tantus, -a, -umso great or much
lucror, -ārī, -ātus sumgain, win, make a profit of
perdō, -dere, -didī, -ditusdestroy, ruin; lose, waste
temeritās, -ātis f.rashness, recklessness
ut, conj.as; when; that; ita ut, as
cum, conj.when, while, after; since; although
dēficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectusfail
extrēmus, -a, -umlast, extreme, furthest
novissimus, -a, -umlast (novissimum agmen: the rear)
iactus, -ūs m.throwing, a throw; fulminum iactūs: strokes of lightning
dē, prep, with abl.down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of
lībertās, -tātis, f.freedom, liberty
corpus, corporis, n.body
contendō, -tendere, -tendī, -tentusstretch, hasten
vincō, -ere, vīcī, victumconquer, defeat
voluntārius, -a, -umwilling; (m. pl. as noun) volunteers
servitūs, -tūtis, f.slavery, servitude
adeō, -īre, -iī, -itusgo to, approach
rōbustus, -a, -umstrong, sturdy
alligō (adligō), -āre, -āvī, -ātusbind, tie up; (fig.) bind, entangle
vēneō, -īre, -iībe sold (+ abl. of price)
patior, patī, passus, bearsuffer, allow
rēs, reī, f.thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really
prāvus, -a, -umcrooked; bad, wrong
pervicācia, -ae f.stubbornness, obstinacy; persistence
ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron.self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very
fidēs, -eī f.faith, trust; pledge
vocō, -āre, -āvī, -ātuscall, summon
servus, -ī, m.slave, servant
condiciō, -ōnis f.terms; condition, status
hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron.this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter
per, prep, with ace.through, by means of
commercium, -ī n.trade, dealings; means of communication
trādō, -dere, -didī, -ditusgive across, over, or up, deliver; hand down, relate, report
quoque, adv.also
pudor, -ōris m.shame, sense of honour
victōria, -ae, f.victory
exsolvō, -ere, -solvī, -solūtusset free, release
Tacitus, Germania. Latin text: H. Furneaux, Cornelii Taciti Opera Minora (Oxford, 1900), 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.