Aeneid 2.57–76

Sinon is brought in

In brief. Trojan shepherds drag a bound young Greek before the king; Aeneas explains that he let himself be caught in order to open Troy to the Greeks. He laments that he has no place among Greeks or Trojans, and the softened Trojans ask him to speak.

LatinLatin and EnglishEnglish onlyRead it word by word

Aen. 2.57Ecce, manūs iuvenem intereā post terga revīnctum
pāstōrēs magnō ad rēgem clāmōre trahēbant
Dardanidae, quī sē ignōtum venientibus ultrō,
60hoc ipsum ut strueret Troiamque aperīret Achīvīs,
obtulerat, fīdēns animī atque in utrumque parātus,
seu versāre dolōs, seu certae occumbere mortī.See, meanwhile, Trojan shepherds were dragging to the king, with a great outcry, a young man with his hands tied behind his back, who had of his own accord thrown himself, a stranger, in the way of those coming, to bring about this very thing and to open Troy to the Greeks; he was confident in spirit and ready for either outcome, either to work his trickery or to meet certain death.Note. Ecce: 'look', bringing in the new scene. manūs … revīnctum: 'tied (as to) his hands', accusative of respect. Dardanidae: 'Dardanian (Trojan)' shepherds. hoc ipsum ut strueret: 'to contrive this very thing', i.e. to be captured. fīdēns animī: 'confident in spirit', animī a locative-like genitive. in utrumque parātus: 'ready for either outcome', explained by seu … seu. Aen. 2.63Undique vīsendī studiō Trōiāna iuventūs
circumfūsa ruit, certantque inlūdere captō.From all sides the young men of Troy pour around him in their eagerness to see him, and compete in mocking the captive.Note. vīsendī studiō: 'in their eagerness to see', gerund in the genitive. certant … inlūdere: 'they compete in mocking'. captō: dative with inlūdere. Aen. 2.65Accipe nunc Danaum īnsidiās, et crīmine ab ūnō
disce omnēs.Now hear the treachery of the Greeks, and from one crime learn them all.Note. Aeneas speaks to Dido directly again. crīmine ab ūnō disce omnēs: 'from one crime learn (what) they all (are like)': a sharp generalisation about the Greeks. Aen. 2.67Namque ut cōnspectū in mediō turbātus, inermis
cōnstitit atque oculīs Phrygia agmina circumspexit:
Heu, quae nunc tellūs inquit quae mē aequora possunt
70accipere?For as he stood in full view, troubled and unarmed, and looked round at the Phrygian ranks, he said: 'Alas, what land now, what seas can receive me?Note. ut … cōnstitit: 'when he stood'. Phrygia agmina: 'the Phrygian (Trojan) ranks'. quae … tellūs … quae … aequora: interrogative adjectives. Sinon's opening is a carefully staged lament.

Aen. 2.70Aut quid iam miserō mihi dēnique restat,
cui neque apud Danaōs usquam locus, et super ipsī
Dardanidae īnfēnsī poenās cum sanguine poscunt?Or what is left at last for me in my misery, who have no place anywhere among the Greeks, and the Trojans themselves, hostile besides, demand my punishment in blood?'Note. cui … locus (est): 'I who have no place'; cui is a dative of possession referring to mihi. super: adverb, 'besides'. poenās … poscunt: 'demand punishment'. Aen. 2.73Quō gemitū conversī animī, compressus et omnis
impetus.At this lament our feelings were changed and all violence checked.Note. Quō gemitū: connecting relative, 'by this lament'. conversī (sunt) animī, compressus (est) … impetus: supply the auxiliaries. Aen. 2.74Hortāmur fārī;We urge him to speak;Note. Hortāmur fārī: 'we urge (him) to speak'; fārī is the infinitive of the deponent for. Aen. 2.74quō sanguine crētus,
75quidve ferat, memoret, quae sit fīdūcia captō.to tell us from what blood he was born, or what news he brings, and what he relies on, now he is a prisoner.Note. Three indirect questions depend on memoret: quō sanguine crētus (sit), 'from what blood he was born', quid ferat, 'what (news) he brings', quae sit fīdūcia captō, 'what confidence (he has), as a prisoner'. memoret is a jussive subjunctive in reported speech: 'he should tell'.

Read the Latin itself: tap any word for its meaning and grammar, save words to review, and keep your place.

Read in Lectitō

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

Latin vocabulary for this passage (100 words)

ecce (interj.)	look! see! here is
manus, -ūs, f.	hand
iuvenis, -is, m.	young man, youth
intereā, adv.	in the meantime, meanwhile
post, adv.	after, later; prep. with acc., after, behind
tergum, -ī, n.	back
revinciō, -īre, -vīnxī, -vīnctum	tie back, fasten
pāstor, -tōris, m.	shepherd
magnus, -a, -um	large, big, great, mighty; loud
ad, prep. with acc.	to, toward; at, near; for
rēx, rēgis, m.	king
clāmor, -ōris, m.	shout, cry
trahō, trahere, trāxī, trāctus	draw, drag
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.	who, which
suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron.	himself, herself, itself, themselves
ignōtus, -a, -um	unknown
veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus	come
ultrō (adv.)	of one's own accord; besides (ultrō citrōque: back and forth)
hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron.	this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter
ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron.	self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very
ut, conj.	as; when; that; ita ut, as
struō, -ere, strūxī, strūctus	build, construct; arrange
que, enclitic conj.	and
aperiō, -īre, -uī, -tus	open
offerō, offerre, obtulī, oblātus	bear to, proffer, offer
fīdō, -ere, fīsus sum	trust, rely on (+ dat. or abl.); fīdēns, confident, bold
animus, -ī, m.	mind; heart; spirit, courage
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
uterque, utraque, utrumque	each, either, both
parātus, -a, -um	prepared, equipped, ready
sīve or seu, conj.	or if; sīve ... sīve, whether ... or
versō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	turn about; (pass. or reflexive) move about, be engaged
dolus, -ī, m.	trick, craft
certus, -a, -um	determined, fixed, certain; certiōrem facere, to make more certain, inform
occumbō, -ere, -cubuī, -cubitum	fall, meet (death); morte occumbere: die
mors, mortīs, f.	death
undique, adv.	from or on all sides
vīsō, -ere, vīsī, vīsum	go to see, visit; look at
studium, -ī, n.	eagerness, zeal; study, pursuit
Trōiānus, -a, -um	Trojan
iuventūs, -ūtis f.	youth; the young men
circumfundō, -ere, -fūdī, -fūsus	pour around; (passive) crowd around, surround
ruō, -ere, -ī, -itūrus	rush
certō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	contend, compete, vie
illūdō, -ere, -lūsī, -lūsus	mock, make fun of (+ dat.)
capiō, capere, cēpī, captus	take, catch, seize; receive, suffer; adopt
accipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptus	take to oneself, receive, accept; hear; suffer
nunc, adv.	now
īnsidiae, -ārum, f. plur.	ambush; plot, stratagem
et, conj.	and; et ... et, both ... and
crīmen, -inis n.	charge, accusation; crime
ā, ab (prep. + abl.)	away from, from; by (ā only before consonants)
ūnus, -a, -um	one; only, alone
discō, discere, didicī	learn
omnis, -e	all, every
namque, conj.	for
cōnspectus, -ūs, m.	sight
medius, -a, -um	mid, middle
turbō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	confuse, throw into disorder, disturb, trouble
inermis, -e	unarmed
cōnsistō, -sistere, -stitī, -stitus	station oneself, take one's stand; consist
oculus, -ī, m.	eye
Phrygius, -a, -um	Phrygian, of Phrygia in central Asia Minor
agmen, -minis, n.	band, column
circumspiciō, -ere, -spexī, -spectus	look around; look around for, consider
heu (interj.)	alas! oh!
quī, quae, quod, interrog. pron. adj.	what?
tellūs, -ūris f.	earth, land (poetic)
inquam, inquis, inquit, defective verb	I say, you say, he says
ego, meī, pers. pron.	I
aequor, -oris n.	level surface; the sea
possum, posse, potuī	be able, have power, can
aut, conj.	or; aut ... aut, either ... or
quis, quid, interrog. pron.	who? which? what?
iam, adv.	now, already
miser, misera, miserum	wretched, unhappy
dēnique, adv.	lastly, finally
restō, -āre, restitī	stay behind, remain
neque or nec, conj.	and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not
apud, prep, with acc.	among, with
usquam (adv.)	anywhere
locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n.	place, situation
super (prep. + acc. or abl.; also adv.)	over, above, on top of; upon; about, concerning
īnfēnsus, -a, -um	hostile, angry (with: dat.)
poena, -ae, f.	penalty, punishment
cum, prep, with abl.	with
sanguis, sanguinis, m.	blood
poscō, poscere, poposcī	ask, demand
gemitus, -ūs m.	groan, sigh
convertō, -vertere, -vertī, -versus	turn round, turn, change; in fugam convertere, to put to flight
comprimō, -primere, -pressī, -pressus	press together, squeeze, compress
impetus, -ūs, m.	attack; impetum facere, to charge
hortor, -ārī, -ātus	exhort, encourage, urge
for, fārī, fātus sum	speak, say
crēscō, -ere, crēvī, crētum	grow, rise (in power)
ferō, ferre, tulī, lātus	bear, bring
memorō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	remind of, mention
sum, esse, fuī, futūrus	be
fīdūcia, -ae f.	confidence, trust, reliance

Vergil, Aeneid II. Latin text: J. B. Greenough (Boston, 1881), public domain; digital text from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA. Word analysis: LatinCy, then every word checked and corrected by hand. Vocabulary: F. Ritchie (1903, public domain) and entries written for this app. English translation, notes and grammar hints: written for this app.