LH2: Lesson - Authentic Latin - Reading Augustus, part 1

Image: the mausoleum of Augustus in Rome, Italy.

Reading Passage - Augustus, 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 the context within the sentences to help you decipher the meaning.

Translation Handout

Translation Guide - Authentic Latin Links to an external site.

This document contains the Latin text for Suetonius, Eutropius, and Augustus. Please download this file to assist with reading and comprehension of the Latin passage. Answer the analysis questions for each passage. Contact your instructor with questions.

Res Gestae Passage Audio

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

Latin Text

Below you will find the full reading passage for Augustus. Read through the Latin and see what you can decipher on your own (some notes are included on the page to help with more complex structures). Then use the translation guide to provide additional details to help you form a better understanding of the passage. You may, if you wish, write out a complete translation in your notes, but it is not necessary to do so to achieve an understanding of the passage.

Selections from the Res Gestae - Sections 1-5

[1] Annos undeviginti natus exercitum privato consilio et privata impensa comparavi, per quem rem publicam a dominatione factionis oppressam in libertatem vindicavi. Ob quae senatus decretis honorificis in ordinem suum me adlegit, C. Pansa et A. Hirtio consulibus, consularem locum sententiae dicendae tribuens, et imperium mihi dedit. Res publica ne quid detrimenti caperet, me propraetore simul cum consulibus providere iussit. Populus autem eodem anno me consulem, cum cos. uterque bello cecidisset, et triumvirum rei publicae constituendae creavit.

NOTES

  • Annos undeviginti natus: At 19 years of age... natus = having been born. annos undeviginti = for 19 years.
  • privato consilio et privata impensa: How and with what did Augustus raise an army?
  • a dominatione...oppressam: Which had been oppressed by the power of partisanship/factions...
  • in libertatem vindicavi: I freed... literally: I claimed into freedom.
  • Ob quae: On account of which = Because of this.
  • C. Pansa et A. Hirtio consulibus: Gaio Pansa et Aulo Hirtio consulibus. Ablative absolute with omitted esse - during the consulship of Gaius Pansa and Aulus Hirtius. Years were marked by who was governing as consul. This is the year 43 BCE.
  • sententiae dicendae: To speak my opinion. This is a new form, one that we will learn later in Latin III, but it serves as a type of purpose clause. Why did they assign him "consularem locum?" So that he could "sententiae dicendae."
  • Res publica ne...caperet: Purpose clause following providere, with negative ne introducing: lest any harm befall the republic (literally: lest the republic take any harm).
  • me propraetore: Ablative absolute with omitted esse – with me acting as propraetor.
  • cos.: Abbreviation for consules. cum cos...cedisset: subjunctive following cum. We will learn this form later. cum = when: when each of the consuls fell in war.
  • rei publicae constituendae: To fix the republic. Like sententiae dicendae above, this is the special form that creates a purpose clause. Why did the people creavit him? For the fixing of the republic.

[2] Qui parentem meum trucidaverunt, eos in exilium expuli iudiciis legitimis ultus eorum facinus, et postea bellum inferentis rei publicae vici bis acie.

[3] Bella terra et mari civilia externaque toto in orbe terrarum saepe gessi, victorque omnibus veniam petentibus civibus peperci. Externas gentes, quibus tuto ignosci potuit, conservare quam excidere malui. Millia civium Romanorum sub sacramento meo fuerunt circiter quingenta. Ex quibus deduxi in colonias aut remisi in municipia sua stipendis emeritis millia aliquanto plura quam trecenta, et iis omnibus agros adsignavi aut pecuniam pro praemiis militiae dedi. Naves cepi sescentas praeter eas, si quae minores quam triremes fuerunt.

NOTES:

  • Qui: Those who...
  • parentem: Julius Caesar, whom Augustus calls his father.
  • bellum inferentis: idiom: bellum inferre - to make war on + dative. ablative absolute: with them making war on...
  • Bella...gessi: idiom: bellum gerere – to wage war. What kind of wars did Augustus wage and where?
  • toto in orbe terrarum: in the whole world. literally: the whole sphere of lands.
  • quibus...potuit: those which I could safely forgive. Literally – for those it could be forgiven with safety.
  • conservare quam excidere malui: I preferred to conservare rather than excidere.
  • Millia civium Romanorum...quingenta: 500,000 Roman citizens... Large numbers are written with a partitive genitive: five hundred thousands of Roman citizens.
  • stipendis emeritis: for those who earned their stipend.
  • Ex quibus...millia aliquanto plura quam trecenta: Out of those (the 500,000) somewhere around 300,000, I...
  • pecuniam pro praemiis militiae: money as a reward for military service
  • praeter eas, si quae...fuerunt: in addition to those which were smaller than triremes. In other words, he only counted big ships – the smaller ones weren’t a part of the number provided (600).

[4] Bis ovans triumphavi, tris egi curulis triumphos et appellatus sum viciens et semel imperator. Cum autem pluris triumphos mihi senatus decrevisset, iis supersedi.

[5] Dictaturam et apsenti et praesenti mihi delatam et a populo et a senatu, M. Marcello et L. Arruntio consulibus non accepi. Non recusavi in summa frumenti penuria curationem annonae, quam ita administravi, ut intra paucos dies metu et periclo praesenti populum universum liberarem impensa et cura mea. Consulatum quoque tum annuum et perpetuum mihi delatum non recepi.

NOTES:

  • tris...curulis...pluris: = tres...curules...plures. At times, the i-stem acc plural ending will be –is instead of –es.
  • viciens et semel: twenty-one times
  • Cum...decrevisset: cf. note in part one (cum cos...cecidisset). But when the senate decreed...
  • et apsenti et praesenti delatam: when it was offered both in my presence and absence. In other words, the dictaturam was offered at times when Augustus was present in Rome, but was also offered when he was abroad, fighting wars, etc. This entire clause is governed by non accepi
  • Marcello...consulibus: cf. note in part one (C. Pansa...consulibus): this was 22 BCE.
  • quam ita administravi, ut...liberarem: result clause – which I administered in such a way that I liberated...
  • impensa et cura mea: ablative of means

Analysis Questions

Use the following analysis questions to support your understanding of sections 1-5.

  • In what way(s) did Augustus handle the liberation of the republic?
  • What honors resulted from his actions?
  • Why does Augustus claim that he waged the civil wars?
  • What did Augustus do when he won a war? Be specific.
  • What did Augustus receive because of his victories? Did he partake in all the possible honors that were offered to him?
  • Infer: Why did Augustus not accept the dictatorship?
  • What did Augustus do to help during the famine?

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