A Latin Reader

40. A Tribunes Bravery

Pul­chrum fac­i­nus M. Catō de Q. Caedi­ciō tribūnō mīl­i­tum scrīp­tum relin­quit.

Imperā­tor Poenus in ter­rā Sicil­iā, bel­lō Carthāginiēn­sī prīmō, con­trā Rōmānum exerci­tum prō­gred­i­tur. Col­lēs locōsque idōneōs pri­or occu­pat. Mīl­itēs Rōmāni in locum perīculō­sum per­vēnērunt. Tribūnus ad cōn­sulem vēnit et osten­dit exi­tium dē locī importūnitāte et hostium cir­cum­stan­tiā mātūrum.

“Sī rem,” inquit, ” servāre vīs, quadrin­gen­tōs mīl­itēs ad ver­rū­cam illam — sīc enim Catō locum ēdi­tum aspe­rumque appel­lat — īre iubēbis, eamque utī occupent3 imperābis. Hostēs pro­fec­tō, ubi id vīderint, ūnī illī negōtiō sēsē dabunt, atque illī omnēs quadrin­gen­tī procul dubiō obtruncābun­tur. Tunc intereā, occupātīs in eā caede hostibus, exerci­tum ex hōc locō ēdūcere poteris. Alia nisi haec salūtis via nūl­la est.”

Cōn­sul tribūnō respon­dit con­sil­i­um qui­dem istud aeque prōvidēns sibi vidērī. “Sed istōs,” inquit, “mīl­itēs quadrin­gen­tōs ad eum locum in hostiurr cuneōs quis dūcere volet ?”

“ Sī ali­um,” inquit tribūnus, “nēminem rep­perīs, mē licet ad hoc perīcu­lum mit­tere; ego hanc tibi et reī pūbli­cae ani­mam dō.”

Cōn­sul tribūnō grātiās agit. Tribūnus et quadrin­gen­tī ad mortem proficīs­cun­tur. Hostēs eōrum audā­ci­am dēmi­ran­tur. Quōr­sum īre Rōmānī per­gant exspec­tant. Sed ubi appāruit eōs ad eam ver­rū­cam iter inten­dere, mit­tit adver­sum illōs imperā­tor Carthāginiēn­sis ped­itā­tum equi­tā­tumque, quōs in exercitū virōs habuit strēnuis­simōs. Rōmānī mīl­itēs cir­cum­ve­ni­un­tur; cir­cum­ven­tī repug­nant. Fit proeli­um diū anceps. Tan­dem super­at mul­ti­tūdō. Quadrin­gen­tī omnēs, per­fos­sī glad­iīs aut mis­silibus opertī, cadunt. Cōn­sul inter­im sē in locōs tūtōs atque ēditōs subdūcit.

Diī immortālēs tribūnō mīl­i­tum fortū­nam ex virtūte eius dedēre. Nam ita ēvēnit: saucius mul­ti­fāri­am ibi fac­tus est, tamen vul­nus capi­ti nūl­lum ēvēnit, eumque inter mor­tuōs, dēfatīgā­tum vul­ner­ibus, cōgnōvēre. Eum sus­tulēre, isque con­va­luit, saepeque posteā oper­am reī pūbli­cae fortem atque strēnu­am prae­hibuit. Quod illōs mīl­itēs sub­dūx­it, exerci­tum cēterum servāvit.

Mār­cus Por­cius Catō, who was born 234 B.C. and lived till 149. In his own time and ever since his name has been a syn­onym for stern and uncom­pro­mis­ing adher­ence to the man­ners and cus­toms of “the good old times.”

This tri­bune is not oth­er­wise known.

scrīp­tum relin­quit: has left on record. The par­tici­ple mod­i­fies facinus.

pri­or occu­pat: is the first to seize.

osten­dit … : and points out the imme­di­ate destruc­tion of the army because of the insuit­able­ness of its posi­tion and the near­ness of the enemy.

vīs: present indica­tive of volō.

īre: the object of iubeō is reg­u­lar­ly an infini­tive, but the object of imperō is a clause with the subjunctive.

As advis­able to him as to the tribune.

prōvidēns: advisable.

licet …: it is per­mit­ted to send me, or, in bet­ter Eng­lish, you may send me.

grātiās agit: thanks.

quōr­sum per­gant: an indi­rect ques­tion depen­dent on exspec­tant.

but when it became evi­dent that they were direct­ing their course.

ex: in accor­dance with.