Sight Reading Passage, Part 2: Ad ludos

Let's finish reading the last chapter of our story! Once you have read through the story, please use the Arena Sight Passage Reading Guide to take a closer look at the passage. The Reading Guide contains several vocabulary and grammar notes to help you understand what you are reading more clearly. The reading guide will help prepare you for the module test.

Ad ludos

Please listen to the narration of the Latin passage as you read along with the text below.

Note: words/phrases that are in bold are explained in the Notes section

Familia Imperatoria erant una in cubiculo. Ludi paene coeperat. Decimus Imperatorem ad bisellium duxerat. Nunc Decimus Flaviam conspexit.

Flavia Decimum vidit et risit. Decimus non ridebat. Flavia rogavit, “Quid est, Decime? Quid evenit?”

Decimus respondit, “Nonne audivisti?”

Flavia: “Minime. Quid non audivi?”

Decimus suspiravit, “Fama bona: necesse est tibi Clementem nubere. Hodie ludos una celebramus! Cras matrimonium tuum celebrabimus. Hodie nos delectabit.”

Flavia paene lacrimabat sed tum risit et annuit. Dixit, “Hodie nos delectabit!”

Decimus vertit. Turbam caveasque et gladiatores arenamque spectavit. Quod in cubiculo stetit, tota clare videre poterat. Erant milia populorum: virorum et feminorum et liberorum. Ubi gladiator celebratus arenam intravit, clamor turbae crevit. Simul atque populi pardos aut zebras aut leones viderunt, cum studio spectaverunt et clamaverunt. Ludi erant perfecti! Dum Decimus et Flavia ludos delectant, Decimus Flaviae fabulas de certaminibus claris narravit: de Arachna et Ulixe et Atalanta.

Illo tempore, malefici poenas dabant. Captivi in arena steterunt et sine gladiis nec armis nec hastis nec telis pugnabant. Multi leones magni captivos circumambulabant. Subito, infans parvus in arenam cecidit! Infans autem erat non modo ullus puer: erat filius Domitiani, fratris Imperatoris! Primo, turba puerum non conspexit sed mox clamor auxit et timor magnus inter turbam crevit. Decimus autem statim puerum vidit. Sine mora miles in arenam post liberum desiluit. Leones ad puerum et militem cite verterunt.

Decimus puerum parvum in cubiculum surgere temptavit sed leo erat in via. Praefectus statim puerum in terra posuit et infantem scuto operuit. Leo militem petivit! Decimus autem erat doctus et e via leonis movit. Statim leonem gladio fixit. Nunc erat via: Decimus puerum cepit et in cubiculum ad matrem tradidit. Subito secundus leo petivit. Simul atque mater infantem cepit, Decimus vertit et leonem secundum interfecit. Quamquam Decimus erat citus, tamen leo Decimum vulneraverat! Flavia clamavit, “Decime!”

Hoc tempore decem domitores leonum arenam intraverant. Clamaverunt et scuta gladiis verberaverunt. Reliqui leones a Decimo verterunt. Turba exhilaravit! Decimus virtutem magnam iterum demonstraverat. Simul atque Decimus ad cubiculum reddidit, demisit et dixit, “Me, Imperator, magnopere paenitet! Me relinquere te erat iniquum.” Imperator Titus Decimum compressit et respondit, “Tu, Decime, es verus Romanus. Nemo umquam memoriam Decimi deponent!”

**Vocabulary Notes: Ad ludos**
Vocabulary 1	Vocabulary 2	Vocabulary 3
una - together (note: this is an adverb) bisellium - imperial seat; royal chair suspiravit - (Decimus) sighed (suspiro, suspirare, suspiravi, suspiratus) Hodie...Cras - This is not being used literally: Flavia is not getting married the next day, rather Decimus is speaking rhetorically comparing "today" (present) and "tomorrow" (the future) Hodie nos delectabit. - Today will be a delight for us. annuit - nodded (annuo, annuere, annui, annutus) crevit - (clamor turbae) grew (cresco, crescere, crevi, cretus) pardos - panthers zebras - zebras leones - lions cum studio - with zeal (studium, studii, n. - this is ablative of manner)	de certaminibus claris - about famous contests (certamen, certaminis, n.) Illo tempore - At that time (ablative of time) poenas dabant - (malefici) were being punished (note: common idiom: poenas dare = to pay the penalty = to be punished) non modo ullus puer - not just any boy cite - swiftly (adverb from citus, a, um - swift) surgere - to life (direct object of temptavit; surgo, surgere, surrexi, surrectus) scuto operuit - (Praefectus) covered the (infantem) with his shield (operio, operire, operui, opertus; scuto = ablative of means) tradidit - (Decimus) handed the (puerum) over (trado, tradere, tradidi, traditus) Hoc tempore - By this time (ablative of time)	domitores leonum - lion tamers (literally: handlers of lions) scuta gladiis verberaverunt - they beat their shields with swords (verbero, verberare, verberavi, verberatus; gladiis = ablative of means) exhilaravit - (Turba) cheered! (exhilaro, exhilare, exhilavi, exhilatus) demisit - (Decimus) bowed (demitto, demittere, demisi, demissus) Me paenitet - I'm sorry (literally: It pains me) compressit - (Titus) embraced... (comprimo, comprimere, compressi, compressus) umquam - ever memoriam Decimi deponent - (Nemo) will forget Decimus! (common idiom: memoriam deponere + genitive = to forget. Literally: to set aside the memory of)

Practice Activities: Vita non est aequa!

Complete the following activities in your notes. The goal is to reflect on what you have read to help when it is time to recall it later.

Reading Comprehension

Please respond to the following questions in English. Your response should use evidence from the passage, but you do not have to quote the Latin here or use literal translations.

Whom does Decimus seek at the games?
How does Flavia react when she sees Decimus?
What news does Decimus share with Flavia?
What does Decimus conclude that he and Flavia do?
What thing(s) cause the crowd to increase their noise level?
Who falls in? Be specific.
What is Decimus’ reaction to the event?
What animal is in the arena with Decimus? What does Decimus do to protect the one that fell in?
How many animals does Decimus fight off? Does he save the person who fell in?
What does Decimus do when he gets back to the imperial box? How does Titus respond?

Grammar Review: Infinitives

Find five unique infinitive verbs. For each verb, list the type (subject or complement), subject of the infinitive (if there is one), direct object (if there is one), the verb it completes (if it is complementary) and a basic translation (including any subject or object forms). An example from the passage (habere) is included:

habere
- Type: subject infinitive
- Subject of Infinitive: none
- Direct Object of Infinitive: auxilium
- Verb Complemented (if complementary): none
- Translation: to have help

Grammar Review: Conjunctions

Find five unique conjunctions. For each verb, list the type (coordinating or subordinating), and a basic translation. An example from the passage (quod) is included:

quod
- Type: subordinating
- Translation: because

Grammar Review: Verb Tense

Select any five verbs from the passage. For each verb, write the principal parts, then the person, number, and tense, along with a translation of the verb demonstrating correct tense. The verb paruerat is completed as an example:

paruerat
- PPs: pareo, parere, parui, paritus - to obey
- Person and Number: 3rd singular
- Tense: Pluperfect Tense
- Translation: (he/she/it) had obeyed

Passage Analysis

Question 2. Part 2 involves Decimus performing another heroic act. What do you think drives Decimus? At the end of the passage, he apologizes for leaving the Emperor alone: what does this say about Decimus’s view of his duties? Using the Part 2 of the Latin text as support (including your English translation), discuss this topic. Write a short paragraph.

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