vestra. Nec vērō dicere possum me in illa tempestate rei publicae sine vestro auxilio Catilinam eiusque consilia oppressisse."

518. THE POET CATULLUS' TRIBUTE TO CICERO

Dísertíssime Rómulí nepótum,

Quót sunt quotque fuére, Márce Túlli,
Quótque póst aliís erúnt in ánnis;

Grátiás tibi máximás Catúllus

Ágit, péssimus ómniúm poéta,

Tánto péssimus ómniúm poéta
Quánto tu óptimus ómniúm patrónus.

"Tullius, of all the sons of royal Rome
That are, or have been, or are yet to come,
Most skilled to plead, most learned in debate -
Catullus hails thee, small as thou art great.
Take thou from him his thanks, his fond regards,
The first of patrons from the least of bards."

519.

The Cartha

ginian general

A Coin of Carthage

LATIN SELECTIONS

THE GALLANT FOUR HUNDRED

In Sicilia bello Carthaginiensi1 prīmō imperātor Poenus, qui cum Romānīs proelium

1 Carthaginiensis, -e: Carthaginian.

2 Poenus, -a, -um: Carthaginian, "Punic."

plans a surprise.

The Romans

find all escape cut off.

There is but one chance of saving the army.

"Who will lead this forlorn hope?"

The escape

520.

Caesar in the battle line.

committere studēbat, locum proelio idoneum occupavit.

Postquam ad locum paulo post exercitus Rōmānus accessit, hostēs aliī in agmen decurrere (to run down), aliī omnēs exitus Rōmānīs intercludere parabant. Milites Romānī perpaucī erant et propter iniquitatem (disadvantage) locī summō in periculo erant, quod omnibus locis superioribus occupatis et itineribus interclūsis parva erat spēs salūtis reliqua.

Unus ē tribūnīs, nōmine Q. Caedicius, ubi loca superiora ab hostibus occupata conspexit, ad consulem accurrit. Unam esse spem salūtis ostendit. "Ad illum locum," inquit, "mīlitēs mittere necesse est" et minimum collem manu dēmōnstrāvit. "Ad illum collem occupandum si quadringentos milites contendere iubebis, hostēs in eōs impetum facient. Interim, dum (while) nostri impetum hostium sustinent, reliquum exercitum ex hoc locō ēducere poteris. Praeter hanc salutis viam nulla est. Illi quadringenti morte sua reliquum exercitum servābunt."

Consul respondit consilium sibi audācissimum vidērī; "Sed istōs," inquit, "mīlitēs quis in mediōs hostes dūcere audēbit?" Tribūnus dixit, sī nēmō alius audēret (should dare), sē ūtī licēre ad id periculum; se ipsum vitam suam pro cōnsule et re publică datūrum esse.

Sic servātus est exercitus Romānus.

STORIES OF CAESAR

1. Caesar, scutō adreptō, quod ipse sine scutō vēnerat, in prīmam aciem processit mīlitēsque nōminātim (by name) hortatus signa inferre (to make an attack) iussit.

Caesar asks about the Britons.

Caesar's

voyage to Britain.

On reaching Britain, the eagle-bearer leaps from the ship.

2. Itaque vocatīs ad sē undique mercātōribus, neque quanta esset insulae magnitudo, neque quae aut quantae natiōnēs incolerent, neque quem usum belli haberent aut quibus institūtīs uterentur, neque qui essent ad maiōrum nāvium multitudinem idōnei portus reperire poterat.

3. Exigua parte aestatis reliqua, Caesar, etsi (although) in his locis, quod omnis Gallia ad septentriōnēs spectat, maturae sunt hiemēs, tamen in Britanniam proficisci contendit.

4.." Desilīte, mīlitēs, nisi vultis (are willing) aquilam hostibus tradere; ego certe meum rei publicae atque imperatori officium praestiterō (shall have performed)." Hoc cum aquilifer (the eagle-bearer) voce magna dixisset, se ex nāvī prōiecit atque in hostes aquilam ferre coepit. (From Caesar's De Bello Gallicō.)