MM: Lesson - Reading Passage: Mors Marcelli, Part 1

Image: Romans surround an ailing man.

Mors Marcelli, Part 1

It is very important to practice reading and understanding Latin sentences. While working on the reading handout, read each sentence aloud and listen to the recitation. Be sure to look for ideas in the passage as you read: see if you can get a general sense of the story just from reading out loud. Then practice translating each sentence into English. As you encounter new vocabulary words in the story, think about English cognates and context within the sentences to help you decipher the meaning.

Reading Passage Help Document

Download the MM Reading Help Links to an external site. handout. This document provides the full text of the story in Latin with additional resources to help you understand, including notes on vocabulary and grammar.

Below you will be able to read and explore the story. Parts will be in English, setting up the context, then there will be sections in Latin to fill in details. Read each section carefully to get the full story! Some additional notes will be included as well. If you see a word or phrase highlighted in bold, check below the passage for additional information.

Chapter 1: Mors Marcelli, part 1

What happened to Marcellus? Who will solve this crime?

Marcellus is dead! O di immortales! What a loss for the Roman people and for the future of Rome! The emperor's own nephew, the young man whom most assumed would take Augustus' place, is no longer alive. And worse, the circumstances of his death are unclear - what happened in Baiae, Campania, where he died? How could a young man of only 19 perish so suddenly. The court and family of Marcellus are in deep mourning. The entire imperial family performs the funeral rites for the lost youth. Underneath the mourning, though, are the murmurs and rumors boiling up: this must have been caedes foedissima! Who was responsible?

Pseudolus looked intently at his three students. All three students sat quietly: Juba, the son of the king of Numidia, Cleopatra Selene and Alexander Helios, Marc Antony and Cleopatra's children. Pseudolus had news: it was not good news. Juba already knew the news and looked miserable. Selene and Alexander, because they had not yet heard, waited for Pseudolus to speak. No words came for a long time.

**Latin Portion**
Pseudolus shares some bad news.
Tandem Pseudolus dixit, “Si me audiveritis, lacrimabitis. Nam necesse est mihi famam vobis dare: amicus vester - noster amicus - Marcus Claudius Marcellus, est mortuus. Nemo famae credere potest, sed est verum. Erat in Campania, in urbe Baiis. Iuba et Marcellus ibi una iter fecerant, sed nunc modo Iuba reddit.” Hoc tempore, Iuba lacrimare coepit et mox Alexander Seleneque quoque lacrimabant. Notes: Si me audiveritis: If you hear me... – with si, the future perfect is translated as an English present tense verb necesse est mihi...dare: It is necessary for me to give... – remember that necesse est takes a dative followed by infinitive construction. Also could translate: I must give... vobis: indirect object of dare famae: credere takes a dative object iter fecerant: iter facere = idiom, meaning to travel (it can also mean to march, in a military context). Hoc tempore: abl of time when – At this time

At last, Juba spoke, “We had been working in different parts of the city. A messenger came to me and announced, ‘Marcellus is ill.’ I immediately hastened to the house, but I was too late.” Juba could no longer speak.

Investigation Notes: Part 1

Terrible news has reached Rome: Marcellus, the emperor’s nephew, is dead. Consider how you would answer the following questions.

What was Pseudolus doing in the first paragraph?
Discipuli: How many students are present? What are their names? For each student, list their parents.
Who is looking miserable?
When Pseudolus speaks: What is the news? Is it good news? What indicates that the news is one way or the other? Who has died? Who is crying?
When Juba speaks, what does he reveal about the news?