maxima.eloquensa.net

Translated by: Melissa Olson
Original Author: Livy
Copyright: Cambridge University Press

Text adapted from Livy, ab Urbe Condita, Book XXXIII.

Non multis post diebus, ubi ad Isthmicos ludos omnes Graeci convenerant, Titus Quintius Flamininus condiciones pacis pronuntiare constituit. Itaque, tubae signo silentio facto, praeconem haec verba magna voce recitare iussit: “SENATVI POPVLOQVE ROMANO ET TITO QVINTIO FLAMININO PLACET OMNES GRAECIAE VRBES, QVAE SVB REGNO PHILIPPI FVERVNT, LIBERAS ESSE.” Homines, magno gaudio affecti, primo silverunt; nam ea, quae audiverant, se audivisse vix credebant. Iteratis vero verba praeconis, tanto clamore caelo compleverunt, ut aves, quae forte supervolitabant, perterritae ad terram deciderent. Magna fit gratulatio. Nomen populi Romani laudibus extollunt. Consulem floribus cumulant, dignumque gratiis aeternis fore asseverant. Deinde laetitia pleni ad urbem quisque suam discesserunt et (si nobis licet scriptoribus antiquis credere) templum Flaminio velut deo dedicaverunt.

After not many days, when all of the Greeks had come together at the Isthmian games, Titus Quintus Flaminus decided to pronounce the conditions of peace. And so, when the signal for silence had been given with a trumpet, he ordered the herald to recite these words with a great voice: “It pleases the senate, the Roman people and Titus Quintus Flamininus that all of the cities of Greece, which were under the rule of Philip, are free.” The men, touched with great rejoicing, first were silent; for these things, which they had heard, they scarcely believed themselves that they had heard them. When the herald had repeated the true words, they filled the sky with a great shout, and birds, which by chance were flying overhead, were terrified and fell to the ground. It was a huge celebration. The people of Rome extolled with praise. They showered the consul with flowers, and they asserted that he would be worthy of eternal gratitude. Then, full of happiness, they went each to their own city at last and (if it is permitted for us to believe the ancient writers), they dedicated a temple to Flamininus as if he were a God.

Translated by: Melissa Olson
Original Author: Unknown
Copyright: Oxford University Press

Octavianus, postquam Antonius cum Cleopatra in Aegyptum fugit, eos lentissime per Orientem secutus est. proximo anno dum classis Alexandriam navigat, ipse exercitum per Syriam duxit in Aegyptum. Antonius adeo desperabat ut non conatus sit Octaviano resistere Aegyptum ingredienti. proelia prope Alexandriam terra marique commissa sunt. Antonii classis medio in proelio ad Octavianum transfugit; in terra exercitus eius facile victus est.
tum demum Antonius timebat ne, si in manus hostium caderet, captivus Romam duceretur. armigero, “utinam moriar,” inquit, “antequam tale deducus patiar. sed vereor ne Cleopatra ab hostibus capiatur. ad urbem festinemus.” Alexandriam regresso ei nuntiatum est Cleopatram mortuam esse sua manu. quibus auditis armigero suo imperavit ut se occideret. ille autem, adulescens fidelis, gladio stricto non Antonium sed se ipsum occidit. Antonius adulescentem intuitus in terra iacentem, “bene fecisti,” inquit; “exemplum mihi praebuisti. utinam ne ignavior sim quam tu.” quo dicto gladium suum strictum in ventrem pepulit.
ad terram cecidit graviter vulneratus sed nondum mortuus. dum ibi iacet, accurrit Cleopatrae scriba nuntiavitque reginam adhuc vivere. quo cognito, Antonius militibus imperavit ut se ad Cleopatram ferrent. illa in alta turre se incluserat, quam relinquere nolebat, verita ne Octaviano proderetur. cum milites eo advenissent Antonium ferentes, servos iussit funes de fenesetra demittere Antoniumque ad se tollere. sic Antonius in gremio Cleopatrae mortuus est.
eo ipso tempore nuntius advenit ab Octaviano missus qui Cleopatrae persuaderet ut turre relicta se dederet. promisit Octavianus se ea usurum esse summa humanitate. illa autem ei non credidit nec voluit turrem relinquere. timebat enim ne Octavianus vellet se captivam per vias Romae ducere, cum triumphum ageret; quod dedecus ferre non poterat.

Octavian, after Antony fled with Cleopatra to Egypt, he followed them slowly through the Orient. For the next year while the fleet sailed to Alexandria, he himself led the army through Syria into Egypt. Antony was so desperate that he did not try to stop Octavian entering Egypt. Battles were joined near Alexandria on land and sea. Antony’s fleet deserted in the middle of the battle to Octavian, his army was conquered easily on land.
Then at last Antony was afraid lest if he fell into the hands of the enemy, he would be taken as a captive to Rome. He said to his armour bearer, “May I die, before I suffer such dishonour. But I fear lest Cleopatra may be taken by the enemy, let us hurry to the city.” Having returned to Alexandria it was announced to him that Cleopatra had died by her own hand. Having heard this, he ordered his armour bearer to kill him. But he, a faithful youth, having drawn his sword he killed not Antony but himself. Antony, gazing upon the youth lying on the ground, said “You have done well, you have shown me an example. May I not be more cowardly than you!” Having said this, he drew his own sword and plunged it into his belly.
He fell to the ground, seriously wounded, but not yet dead. While he lay there, Cleopatra’s scribe ran up to him and announced that the Queen still lived. Having learnt this, Antony ordered the soldiers to bear him to Cleopatra. She had shut herself in a high tower which she refused to leave, fearing lest she be betrayed to Octavian. When the soldiers arrived hither, bearing Antony, she ordered her slaves to send down ropes from the window and raise Antony to her. And thus Antony died in Cleopatra’s lap.
At that moment, a messenger arrived having been sent by Octavian, to persuade Cleopatra to leave the tower to give herself up. Octavian promised that he would treat her with the greatest humanity. But she did not believe him, and she didn’t want to leave the tower, for she was afraid that Octavian wanted to lead her captive through the streets of Rome when he celebrated his triumph, because she could not bear that disgrace.

Translated by: Melissa Olson
Original Author: Livy
Copyright: N/A

C. Mucius, adulescens nobilis, sua sponte pentrare
in hostium castra constituit; dein metuens ne, si con-
sulum iniussu et ignaris omnibus iret, forte depre-
hensus a custodibus Romanis retraheretur ut transfuga,
senatum adit. “Transire Tiberim,” inquit, “patres,
et intrare, si possim, castra hostium volo.

Gaius Mucius, being a noble young man, decided to infiltrate the enemy’s camp of his own will; then fearing, lest if he were to go without [direct] orders from the consuls and unknown to anyone, by chance he could be seized by the Roman centries and dragged back as a deserter, he goes to the senate. “I want to cross the Tiber,” he said, “Senators, and enter, if I can, the enemy camp.”

Translated by: Melissa Olson
Original Author: Virgil
Copyright: N/A

King Evander talks to Aeneas and shows him the home of Cacus.

Iam primum saxis suspensam hanc aspice rupem,
disiectae procul ut moles desertaque montis
stat domus et scopuli ingentem traxere ruinam.
hic spelunca fuit vasto summota recessu,
semihominis Caci facies quam dira tenebat,
solis inaccessam radiis; semperque recenti
caede tepebat humus, foribusque adfixa superbis
ora virum tristi pendebant pallida tabo.

Now firstly, look at this cliff overhanging in the rocks,
Rocks from the mountain, having been broken up, spread far and wide,
the house stands - deserted, and the rocks brought about this huge ruin.
There was a cave with a vast and deep recess,
the semi-human form of Cacus lived in this dire place,
inaccessible to the rays of the sun; and always
the ground was warm with recent slaughter, and on proud doors were fixed
the pale faces of sad men, hung with rotting.

Translated by: Melissa Olson
Original Author: Lucretius
Copyright: N/A

In praise of Epicurus.

E tenebris tantis tam clarum extollere lumen
qui primus potuisti inlustrans commoda vitae,
te sequor, o Graiae gentis decus, inque tuis nunc
ficta pedum pono pressis vestigia signis,
non ita certandi cupidus quam propter amorem
quod te imitari aveo; quid enim contendat hirundo
cycnis, aut quidnam tremulis facere artubus haedi
consimile in cursu possint et fortis equi vis?
tu pater es, rerum inventor, tu patria nobis
suppeditas praecepta, tuisque ex, inclute, chartis,
floriferis ut apes in saltibus omnia libant,
omnia nos itidem depascimur aurea dicta,
aurea, perpetua semper dignissima vita.
nam simul ac ratio tua coepit vociferari
naturam rerum, divina mente coorta,
diffugiunt animi terrores, moenia mundi
discedunt, totum video per inane geri res.

You, who out of black darkness were first to lift up a shining light,
revealing the hidden blessings of life -
you are my guide, O glory of the Grecian race, in your
well-marked footprints now I plant my resolute steps.
It is from love alone that I long to imitate you, not from emulous ambition.
Shall the swallow contend in song with the swan, or the kid
match its rickety legs in a race with the strong-limbed steed?
You are the father, the discoverer of all things, with fatherly precepts
you supplied us, and from your writings, O glorious one,
as bees sipping everything in flower-filled glades,
similarly we are being fed by all of your golden words,
golden, always worthy of eternal life.
For as son as your reasoning began to be proclaimed
on the nature of the universe, having risen from your divine intellect,
terrors of the soul flee, the walls of the world
part, I behold events happening throughout the whole of space.

Translated by: Melissa Olson
Original Author: Unknown
Copyright: A Latin Unseen Course: B.W.M.

Ulysses pretends to be mad, but does not deceive Palamedes.

Ulixes, vir summi ingenii, qui princeps erat Ithacae, multa et fortia ante muros Troiae agebat; primum tamen ad bellum ire nolebat, sociosque, qui auxilii petendi causa Ithacam venerunt, dicipere constituit. Itaque, simulans se insanum esse neque amicorum meminisse, arare harenam salemque serere coepit. Sed inter socios erat Palamedes, qui omnium artium erat peritus: hic Ulixem fraudis accusavit et, ut hoc confirmaret, Telemachum, parvum filium Ulixis, humi ante aratrum posuit. Tum Ulixes, aratrum sistere coactus, ne filium occideret, partes insani agere desivit: neque enim est insani de re tali providere.

Ulysses, a man of the greatest ability, who was the prince of Ithaca, achieved many great things before the walls of Troy. However, at first the did not want to go to war, he decided to deceive the allies who came to Ithaca for the sake of seeking help. And so, pretending that he was insane, and that he did not remember his friends, he begins to plough and to sew sand and salt. But among the allies was Palamedes, who was skilled in all of the arts: He accused Ulysses of fraud and, in order to prove this, he placed Telemachus, the small son of Ulysses, on the ground before the plough. Then Ulysses, forced to stop the plough lest he kill his son, he stopped playing the part of an insane man.