Roman Britain Session 13
I had hoped to begin with Caesar’s first attempt at an invasion in 55BC, and we can start on Caesar’s account on screen, but he is not the easiest writer to follow, so for the first part of the session we will start on the Cambridge Latin Course, Book 2. I will give the texts below with translations as usual, and it is available online. ( It is also fairly easy to find a copy second hand on Amazon or ebay)
Captions to the Pictures on Pages 2-3
| 1. hic vir est Gaius Salvius Liberalis. Salvius in villa magnifica habitat. villa est in Britania . Salvius multos servos habet. | This man is Gaius Salvius Liberlis. Salvius lives in a magnificent villa. The villa is in Britain. Salvius has many slaves. |
| 2. uxor est Rufilla. Rufilla multas ancillas habet. ancillae in villa laborant. | His wife is Rufilla. Rufilla has many slave girls. The slave girsl work in the villa. |
| 3. hic servus est Varica. Varica est vilicus. vilicus villam et servos curat. | This slave is Varica, Varica is the Bailiff(Steward). the Bailiff looks after the slaves and the villa. |
| 4. hic servus est Philius. Philius callidus est. Philius numerare potest. | This slave is Philius. Philius is clever. Philius knows how to count. |
| 5. hic servus est Volubilis. Volubilis coquus optimus est. Volubilis cenam optimam coquere potest. | This slave is Volubilis. Volubilis is a great cook. Volubilis can cook the best dinner. |
| 6,hic servus est Bregans. Bregans non callidus est. Bregans numerare non potest. Bregans fessus est. Bregans dormire vult. | This slave is Bregans. Bregans is not clever. Bregans cannot count. Bregans is tired. Bregans wishes to sleep/ |
| 7, hic servus est Loquax. Loquax vocem suavem habet. Loquax suaviter cantare potest. | This slave is Loquax. Loquax has a sweet voice. Loquax can sing sweetly. |
| 8. hic servus est Anti-Loquax. Anti-Loquax agilis est. Anti-Loquax optime sltare potest. Loquax et Anti-Loquax sunt gemini. | This slave is Anti-Loquax. Anti-Loquax is agile. Anti-Loquax is the best dancer. Loquax et Anti-Loquax are twins. |
| 9. Salvius multos servos habet. servi laborant. servi ignavi et fessi sunt. servi laborare nolunt. | Salvius has many slaves. The slaves work. The slaves are lazy and tired. The slaves do not want to work. |
tres servi
tres servi in villa laborant. haec villa est in Britania. servi diligenter laborant, quod dominum exspectant. servi vitam suam deplorant.
Three slaves are working in the villa. The slaves work diligently, because they are expecting their master. The slaves are complaining of their lives.
| Philius: (pecuniam numerat) iterum pluit! semper pluit! nos solem mumquam videmus. ego ad Italiam redire volo. ego solem videre volo. | (Counting money). It is raining again! It always rains! We never see the sun. I wish to go back to Italy. I wish to see the sun. |
| Volubilis: (cenam in culina parat.) ubi est vinum? nullum vinum video? quis hausit? ego aquam bibere non possum! aqua est foeda! | (He is preparing dinner) Where is the wine? I see no wine? What to drink? I do not want to drink water. The water is foul. |
| Bregans: (pavimentum lavat). ego laborare nolo! fessus sum. multum vinum bibi. ego dormire volo. | (washing the floor) I don’t want to work. I am tired. I drank a lot of wine. I want to sleep. |
| Varica: servi! dominus noster iratus advenit! apud Cantiacos servi coniurationem fecerunt. dominus est vulneratus. | Slaves! Our master is returning angry! The Cantiaci slaves have made a plot. The master is wounded. |
| Bregans: nos de hac coniuratione audire volumus, rem narra! | We want to hear about this plot, tell us everything. |
coniuratio – The Plot
| Varica rem narravit: ‘nos apud Cantiacos eramus, quod Salvius metallum novum visitabat. | Varica told everything. We were among the Cantiaci, because Salvius was visiting a new mine. |
| hospes erat Pompeius Optatus, vir benignus. in metallo laborabant multi servi. | The host was Pompeius, a good man. Many slaves were working in the mine. |
| quamquam servi multum ferrum e terra effordiebant, Salvius non erat contentus. | Although the slaves were digging a great deal of iron from the earth, Salvius was not pleased. |
| Salvius servos ad se vocavit et inspexit. unus servus aeger erat. Salvius servum aegrum e turba traxit et clamavit. ‘servus aeger est inutilis. | Salvius called the slaves to him and inspected (them). One slave was sick. Salvius dragged the sick slave from the crowd and exclaimed A sick slave is useless. |
| ego servos inutiles retinere nolo.’ postquam hoc dixit, Salvius carnificibus servum tradidit. | I do not wish to retain useless slaves. After he said this Salvius handed the slave to the executioner. |
| carnifices eum eum statim interfecerunt. | The executioner immediately killed him. |
| hic servus tamen filium habebat; nomen erat Alator. Alator patrem suum vindicare voluit. | However, this slave had a son; his name was Alator. Alator wanted to avenge his father. |
| itaque, ubi ceteri dormiebant, Alator pugionem cepit. postquam custodes elusit, cubiculum intravit. | Therefore, when the others were sleeping, Alator took a dagger. After slipping past the guards he entered the bedroom. |
| in hoc cubilo Salvius dormiebat. tum Alator dominum nostrum petivit et vulneravit. | In this bedroom Salvius was sleeping. Then Alator attacked our master and wounded (him). |
| dominus noster erat perterritus; manus ad servum extendit et veniam petivit. | Our master was terrified; he stretched out his hand and begged for mercy. |
| custodes tamen sonos audiverunt. in cubiculum ruerunt etAlatorem interfecerunt. | The guards, however, heard the noise. They rushed into the bedroom and killed Alator |
| tum Salvius saeviebat. statim Pompeium excitavit et iratus clamavit. | Then Salvius was raging. He woke Pompeius at once and angrily shouted. |
| ‘servus me vulneravit! coniuratio est! omnes servi sunt conscii. ego omnibus supplico posco!’ | The slave wounded me. (he) is a conspiritor. All the slaves are conspiritors. I demand the death penalty for all. |
| Pompeius, postquam hoc audivit, erat attonitus. | Pompeius after he had heard this was astonished. |
| ‘ego omnes servoos interficere non possum. unus te vulneravit,unus igitur est nocens, ceteri innocentes’ | I do not want to kill all the slaves, One wounded you, therefore one is guilty, the rest, innocent. |
| ‘custodes non sunt innocentes’, inquit Salvius. ‘cum Alatore coniurabant.’ | The guards are not innocent, said Salvius, they were conspiring with Alator. |
| Pompeius invitus consensit et carnificibus omnes custodes tradidit.’ | Pompeius unwillingly agreed, and handed over all the guards to the executioner. |
Bregans
| tum Varica, postquam hanc rem narravit, clamavit, ‘Loquax, Anti-Loquax! dominus advenit. vocate servos in aream! ego eos inspicare volo’ | Then, after he had told the story, Varica shouted, Loquax, Anti loquax! the master is arriving. Call the slaves into the courtyard, I want to inspect them. |
| servi ad aream celeriter concurrerunt, quod Salvium timebant. servi in ordines longos se instruxerunt. | The slaves ran quickly to the courtyard, because they feared Salvius. The slaves drew themselves up into long rows. |
| vilicus per ordines ambulabat; servo inspiciebat et numerabat. subito exclamavit. | The bailiff was walking along the rows’ he was inspecting and counting the slaves. Suddenly he exclaimed. |
| ‘ubi sunt ancillae? nullas ancillas video.’ ‘ancillar domino nostro cubiculum parant’, respondit Loquax. | Where are the slave girls? I see no slave girls. The slave girls are preparing the bedroom for our master replied Loquax. |
| ‘ubi est Volubilis noster?’ inquit Varica. ‘ego Volubilem videre non possum’ | ‘Where is our Volubilis? said Varica. I cannot see Volubilis. |
| Volubilis venire non potest, quod cenam parat’, respondit Anti-Loquax. | Volubilis cannot come, because he is preparing dinner replied Anti-Loquax. |
| Bregans in mediis servis stabat; canem ingentem secum habebat, | Bregans was standing in the middle of the slaves. He had with him a huge dog. |
| ‘ecce, Varica! rex Cogidubnus domino nostro hunc canem misit.’, inquit Bregans. ‘canis ferocissimus est; bestias agitare potest. | See, Varica, king Cogidubnus sent this dog to our master, said Bregans. It isa most ferocious dog and can hunt wild beasts. |
| subito viginti equites aream intraverunt. primus est Salvius. postquam ex equo descendit, Varicam salutavit. | Suddenly twenty horsemen entered the courtyard. First is Salvius. After he had descended from his horse he greeted Arica. |
| ‘servos inspicere volo’ inquit Salvius. tum Salvius et Varica per ordines ambulabant. | I wish to inspect the slaves, said Salvius . Then Salvius and Varica walked through the lines. |
| pueri puellaeque in primo ordine stabant et dominum suum salutabant. cume pueris stabant gemini. | The boys and girls were standing in the first row and were greeting their master. The twins were standing with the boys. |
| ‘salve, domine!’ inquit Loquax ”salve domine!’ inquit Anti-Loquax. Bregans, simulac Savium vidit, ‘domine! domine!’ clamavit. | Greetings master, said Loquax. Greetings master said Anti-Loquax. As soon as Bregans saw Salvius called out master, master |
| Salvius servo nihil respondit. Bregans iterum clamavit, ‘Salvi! Salvi! specta canem. Salvius saeviebat, quod servus erat insolens. | Salvius made no response to the slave. Bregans again shouted. Salvius, Salvius look at the dog. Salvius was in a rage, because the slave was insolent. |
| ‘servus insolentissimus es!’ inquit Salvius. Bregantem ferociter pulsavit. Bregans ad terram decidit. | You are a most insolent slave said Salvius. He punched Bregans ferociously. Bregans fell to the ground. |
| canis statim ex ordine erupit, et Salvium petivit. nonnulli servi ex ordinibus eruperunt canemque retraxerunt. | At once the dog broke away from the line, and attacked Salvius. Several slaves broke out from the line and dragged back the dog. |
| Salvius, postquam se recipit, gladium destrinxit. ‘iatum canem interficere volo’. inquit Salvius. ‘illud difficile est’, inquit Bregans | After he recovered Salvius drew his sword. I want to kill the dog said Salvius. That’s difficult said Bregans |
| ‘rex Cogidubnus, amicus tuus, tibi canem dedit. ‘ita vero, difficile est,’ respondit Salvius. ‘ ‘sed ego te punire possum. illud facile est, quod servus meus es’ | King Cogdubnus your friend gave you the dog. Yes, indeed it is difficult, replied Salvius. but I can punish you, that is easy because you are my slave |