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36. The Battles of Long Island and Trenton ![]() |
Sed antequam Vasingtō in Britanniam Novam pervenīre potuit, iterum ācriter pugnātum est in quōdam colle, ubi posteā Americānī columnam[1] maximam eōrum nōmine[2] statuērunt,[3] quī ibī prō lībertāte vītam[4] suam largītī sunt. Eō[5] in proeliō Britannī vīcērunt; sed nē hostēs quidem satis laudāre poterant virtūtem colōnōrum, quī impetum veterānōrum tam audācter excēperant.
Vasingtō, postquam[6] illūc[7] pervēnit, hostīs mēnsēs multōs intrā mūnītiōnēs Bostōnis continuit. Tum, cum eius cōpiae maiōrēs factae essent, subitō noctū prope urbem clam collem quendam occupāvit, atque ibi vāllum summā celeritāte exstrūxit; quīn etiam ubi diēs illūxit duxque hostium mūnītiōnēs novās animadvertit, vehementer commōtus ille: “Hī colōnī ūnā nocte,” inquit, “tanta opera perfēcērunt, quanta[8] meus exercitus mēnse tōtō perficere nōn potest.”[9] Hōc vāllō[10] exstrūctō, cum cotīdiē tēla plūrima ballistīs[11] Americanōrum in urbem mitterentur, hostēs brevī nāvēs cōnscendere atque ē portū fugere coāctī sunt.
Colōnī adhūc bellum gesserant ut iūra cīvium Britannicōrum sibi concēderentur; iam vērō, cum[12] neque rēx neque[13] senātus eōs audīre vellet, dē[14] Britanniā dēscīscere[15] novamque condere rem pūblicam[16] cōnstituērunt.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/73/Columna_in_Rome.jpg/500px-Columna_in_Rome.jpg)
In the picture is shown a monument about a hundred feet in height, erected at Rome in 104 a.d., in honor of the emperor Trajan. On its sides are sculptured scenes descriptive of one of Trajan’s important campaigns, a fact which makes this column a very important source of information about the details of Roman military life.
- ↑ columna, -ae, f, monument
- ↑ nōmine: in honour.
- ↑ statuērunt, i.e. posurērunt.
- ↑ vītam: translate as though the noun were plural.
- ↑ eō: modifier of proeliō.
- ↑ Vasingtō, postquam: cf. the note on hostēs, cum, p. 20, l. 17.
- ↑ illūc: adv, thither.
- ↑ tanta … quanta: such as.
- ↑ potest: could, a common idiomatic use of the pres. indic. of this verb.
- ↑ hōc vāllō, etc.: the abl. absol. may be translated as a “when” clause, and the following words by a participial clause.
- ↑ ballistīs: abl. of means.
- ↑ cum: causal.
- ↑ neque … neque: neither … nor.'
- ↑ dē: from.
- ↑ dēscīscere: dēscīscō, 3, -scīvī, -scītum est, separate.
- ↑ rem pūblicam: commonwealth.