A Latin Reader

SHORT STORIES
29. The Brave Lacedaemonians

Philip­pus minitābā­tur per lit­terās sē omnia quae Lacedae­moniī cōnāren­tur pro­hibitūrum esse. Illī respondērunt: “Num nōs es eti­am morī pro­hibitūrus?”

Ad Leōnidam, rēgem Lacedae­moniōrum, scrīp­sit Xerxēs: “Mitte arma.” Respon­dit Leōnidās:

“Venī et cape.”

Per­sēs in con­lo­quiō ita glōriābā­tur: “Sōlem prae iac­ulōrum nos­trōrum mul­ti­tū­dine et sagit­tārum nōn vidēbitis.” Sine morā respon­dit ūnus ē Lacedae­moniīs: “In umbrā igi­tur pugnābimus.”

Lacedae­mo­nius quī­dam, quī rīdēbā­tur quod claudus in pug­nam īret, exclāmāvit: “At mihi pugnāre, nōn fugere, in ani­mō est.”

per lit­terās: by let­ter.

sē esse: Philip’s thought expressed indi­rect­ly, or in indi­rect dis­course. The direct form would be ego omnia quae cōnāminī pro­hibēbō.

num … pro­hibitūrus? You are not going to keep us from dying, too, are you?

mitte arma: i.e. in surrender.

prae: because of.

quod … īret: because he was going into bat­tle when lame. The sub­junc­tive is used because the rea­son is that of the crit­ics, because, as they said, he was going, etc.

at … est: but I intend to fight, not to run.