Pagina:Second Latin reading book With Key.pdf/18

The Tarquini attempt to return.

12.—Commovit tamen bellum contra Romanos rex Tarquinius, et magnis copiis conscriptis, ut in regnum posset restitui, dimicavit. In prima pugna Brutus consul et Aruns Tarquinii filius invicem se occiderunt, victoria autem penes Romanos stetit. Brutum Romanae matronae quasi communem patrem per annum totum luxerunt. Ineunte autem vere Tarquinius iterum Romanis bellum intulit, auxilium ei ferente Porsena Tuscorum rege, cuius ope non multum abfuit quin urbs caperetur.^[1] Tertio autem anno Tarquinius, cum urbe potiri nequiret neque ei Porsena, qui pacem cum Romanis fecerat, auxilium praestaret, Tusculum^[2] se contulit atque ibidem tandem mortuus est.

Horatius Codes defends the Bridge.

13.—Lars Porsena, Tuscorum rex, ut supra demonstratum est,^[3] fines Romanorum cum magno exercitu ingressus est, ut Tarquinium in regnum restitueret. Cum hostes adessent, Romani in urbem ex agris demigrant;^[4] urbem ipsam saepiunt praesidiis; alia muris, alia Tiberi obiecto^[5] videbantur tuta. Pons Sublicius iter paene hostibus dedit Tum Horatius, cui nomen Cocliti^[6] fuit ob alterum oculum amissum, suos monuit ut pontem interrumperent:^[7] se impetum hostium excepturum.^[8] Vadit inde in primum aditum pontis. Duos tamen cum eo pudor tenuit Sp. Lartium ac T. Herminium, ambos claros genere factisque. Cum his primam periculi procellam parumper sustinuit: deinde eos quoque ipsos, exigua parte pontis relicta, revocantibus qui rescindebant, cedere in tutum coegit.

He holds it till it is cut and then escapes.

14.—Circumferens inde truces minaciter oculos ad proceres Etruscorum, nunc singulos provocare, mune increpare omnes,

1. non multum—caperetur—‘the city was nearly taken;’ lit. ‘not much was wanting but that, etc.’ abfuit is impersonal.
2. Tusculum—in Latium, about 10 miles from Rome.
3. ut supra demonstratum est—‘as has been shown in a former chapter.’
4. demigrant—historic present.
5. Tiberi obiecto—‘by being guarded by the Tiber’. lit. ‘the Tiber being opposite.’
6. Cocliti—dative (Cocles=one-eyed), attracted into the case of cui. This is the most usual construction in giving a name.
7. monuit ut interrumperent—You can only ascertain the right construction after such verbs as moneo, by analysing the dependent clause. Here it is evidently an indirect command.
8. se excepturum—indirect statement, often, as here, without a verb to govern it, depending on the sense.