Ora Maritima/XI

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X. Certamina varia	XII. Gentium Britannicarum Societas

XI Naves Romanae.

[3rd Declension continued: nouns like nāvis.]

32. “Duo erant genera nāvium in classe Rōmānā; ūnum erat genus nāvium longārum, alterum nāvium onerāriārum. Nāvēs longae ad pugnam aptae erant, nāvēs onerāriae ad onera atque multitūdinem hominum et equōrum transportanda. Tōta classis Caesaris octingentārum erat nāvium; nam sescentās nāvēs onerāriās per hiemem in Galliā aedificāverat, ut narrāvī. Inter cēterās, ducentās numerō, nōnnullae nāvēs longae erant. Sed nāvibus longīs rēvērā non opus erat Caesarī; nam Britannīs antīquīs nulla erat classis; neque nāvēs onerāriās aedificābant.” Tum ego “Britannia nōndum domina undārum erat” inquam; “sed quōmodō frūmentum exportāre poterant, sī nullās nāvēs aedificābant?” “Venetōrum nāvēs” inquit patruus meus “frūmentum Britannicum in Galliam portābant, et ex Galliā gemmās, vitrea, cētera in Britanniam. Nam Venetī, nātiō maritima, in ōrā Gallicā habitābant. Hostēs furant Rōmānōrum, et magnam classem comparāverant.”

33. Tum Marcus “Num nātiōnēs barbarae” inquit “nāvēs longās ornāre poterant?” Et patruus meus “Formam nāvium Gallicārum Caesar in tertiō librō Bellī Gallicī commemorat. Puppēs altae erant, ad magnitūdinem tempestātum accommodātae; carīnae plānae. Venetī nāvēs tōtās ex rōbore fabricābant; ad ancorās catēnīs ferreīs, nōn fūnibus, dēligābant. Pellēs pro vēlīs erant, sīve propter līnī inopiam, sīve quia in pellibus plūs firmitūdinis quam in vēlīs līneīs erat. Nāvēs longae Rōmānōrum nōn tam altae erant quam Venetōrum, sed rostrīs ferreīs et interdum turribus armātae erant; itaque victōriam a Venetīs reportāverant.” Tum Alexander “Num nāvēs Rōmānae lāminīs ferreīs armātae erant?” inquit. Sed Marcus: “Quid opus erat lāminīs ferreīs, sī tormenta hodierna antīquīs dēerant?”

X. Certamina varia	XII. Gentium Britannicarum Societas