Grammar Assumed:
Present, Future, and Second Aorist Participles Active of Ω and contract verbs
Julius Caesar is captured by pirates and held for ransom
πειραταὶ δὲ τὸν Καῖσαρα ἔλαβον πλεόντα περὶ τὴν Φαρμακοῦσσαν νῆσον, ἤδη τότε στόλοις μεγάλοις καὶ σκάφεσιν ἀπλέτοις κατεχόντων τὴν θάλατταν.
πρῶτον μὲν οὖν ᾔτησαν αὐτὸν λύτρα εἴκοσι τάλαντα, κατεγέλασεν ὡς οὐκ εἰδότων ὃν ᾑρήκοιεν, αὐτὸς δὲ ὡμολόγησε πεντήκοντα δώσειν· ἔπειτα τῶν περὶ αὐτὸν ἄλλον εἰς ἄλλην διήπεμψε πόλιν ἐπὶ τὸν τῶν χρημάτων πορισμόν, ἐν ἀνθρώποις φονικωτάτοις Κίλιξι μεθ᾽ ἑνὸς φίλου καὶ ἀκολούθων μένων, οὕτω καταφρονητικῶς εἶχεν, ὥστε πολλάκις προσέταττεν αὐτοῖς σιωπᾶν.
ἡμέρας δὲ τριάκοντα και ὀκτώ, ἐπὶ πολλῆς ἀδείας συνέπαιζε καὶ συνεγυμνάζετο, καὶ ποιήματα γράφων καὶ λόγους τινὰς ἀκροαταῖς ἐκείνοις ἐχρῆτο, καὶ τοὺς μὴ θαυμάζοντας ἄντικρυς ἀπαιδεύτους καὶ βαρβάρους ἀπεκάλει, καὶ σὺν γέλωτι πολλάκις ἠπείλησε κρεμᾶν αὐτούς· οἱ δὲ ἔχαιρον, ἀφελείᾳ τινὶ καὶ παιδιᾷ τὴν παρρησίαν ταύτην νέμοντες.
ὡς δὲ ἧκον ἐκ Μιλήτου τὰ λύτρα αὔτοις ἔδωκε καὶ εὐθὺς ἐκ τοῦ Μιλησίων λιμένος ἐπὶ τοὺς πειρατάς ἐπήλθε, καὶ καταλαβὼν ἔτι πρὸς τῇ νήσῳ ναυλοχοῦντας ἐκράτησε τῶν πλείστων. ἦλθε δὲ πρὸς τὸν διέποντα τὴν Ἀσίαν, ὡς ἐκείνῳ προσῆκει ὄντι στρατηγῷ κολάσαι τοὺς ἑαλωκότας.
ἐκείνου δὲ καὶ τοῖς χρήμασιν ἐποφθαλμιῶντος (ἦν γὰρ οὐκ ὀλίγα) καὶ περὶ τῶν αἰχμαλώτων σκέψεσθαι φάσκοντος ἐπὶ σχολῆς, χαίρειν κελέυσας αὐτὸν ὁ Καῖσαρ εἰς Πέργαμον ἦλθε, καὶ προαγαγὼν τοὺς πειρατὰς ἅπαντας ἀνεσταύρωσεν, ὥσπερ αὐτοῖς δοκῶν παίζειν ἐν τῇ νήσῳ προειρήκει πολλάκις.
Plutarch, Caesar, 1.4-2.4
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Vocabulary |
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πειρατής,-οῦ, ὁ |
pirate |
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πλέω, πλεύσομαι, ἔπλευσα |
to sail |
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Φαρμακοῦσα,-ας, ἡ |
Pharmakoussa, the modern Pharmaka, a tiny island about 12 miles East of Leros off the Southwest coast of Turkey |
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νῆσος,-ου, ἡ (Lesson 23, n. 7) |
island |
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ἤδη (Lesson 31) |
already |
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στόλος,-ου, ὁ |
fleet |
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σκάφος,-εος, τό |
ship |
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ἄπλετος,-ον |
immense |
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κατέχω (κατά + ἔχω) |
to possess |
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πρῶτον |
at first (adverb) |
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αἰτέω, αἰτήσω, ᾔτησαν (Lesson 31) |
to ask someone for something (takes two accusatives) |
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λύτρον,-ου, τό |
a ransom |
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Vocabulary (continued) |
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εἴκοσι (Lesson 37, paragraph 1) |
twenty |
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τάλαντον,-ου, τό |
a talent, a Greek weight of approximately 57 pounds of silver. One talent equaled 6000 drachma or denarii |
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καταγελάω,-άσομαι, κατεγέλασα (+ gen) |
to mock |
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εἰδότων |
m/gen/pl Pres. Act. Ptc. of οἶδα (cf. Lesson 40 and Appendix 7) |
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ᾑρήκοιεν |
“they had seized” 3rd pl. Perf. Act. Opt. |
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ὁμολογέω |
to agree |
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πεντήκοντα |
fifty |
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διαπέμπω (δία + πέμπω) |
to send off in different directions |
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πορισμός,-οῦ, ὁ |
procuring, a means of getting |
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φονικός,-ή,-όν |
murderous |
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Κίλιξ,-ικος, ὁ |
a Cilician, the SE coast of present day Turkey, in ancient times an area known as Cilician was a notorious base for pirates; both Pompey and Cicero led military operations against them in 67 BCE and 51-50 BCE respectively. |
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ἑνός (Lesson 37) |
m/gen/sing of εἷς, μία, ἕν “one” |
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ἀκόλουθος,-ον |
follower, attendant |
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Vocabulary (continued) |
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καταφρονητικός,-ή,-όν |
contemptuous |
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προστάττω, προστάξω, προσέταξα |
to command (+ dat) [someone] to do (+ infinitive) [something] |
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σιωπάω |
to be silent |
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τριάκοντα καὶ ὀκτώ |
thirty-eight |
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ἄδεια,-ας, ἡ |
freedom from fear |
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συμπαίζω, συμπαίξομαι, συνέπαιζον |
to joke with another |
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συγγυμνάζετο |
3rd sing. Impft. Mid. Ind. from συγγυμνάζω, -σω “to exercise (oneself) with another” |
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ποίημα,-ατος, τό |
poem |
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ἀκροατής,-οῦ, ὁ |
listener |
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ἐχρῆτο (+ dat) |
3rd sing. Impft. Act. Ind. from χράομαι, χρήσομαι, ἐχρησάμην “to employ” |
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θαυμάζω, θαυμάσομαι, ἐθαύμασα (Lesson 22) |
to marvel at, to marvel, to admire |
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ἄντικρυς (adverb) |
openly, outright |
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ἀπαίδευτος,-ον |
uneducated |
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γέλως, γέλωτος, ὁ |
laughter |
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ἀπειλέω,-ήσω, ἠπείλησα |
to threaten, to promise |
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Vocabulary (continued) |
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κρεμάννυμι, κρεμῶ, ἐκρέμασα |
to hang |
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χαίρω, χαιρήσω, ἐχάρησα |
to be delighted |
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ἀφέλεια,-ας, ἡ |
simple-mindedness |
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παιδιά,-ᾶς, ἡ |
play |
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παρρησία,-ας, ἡ |
freedom of speech |
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νέμω, νεμῶ, ἔνειμα |
to consider |
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ἥκω, ἥξω (Lesson 29) |
to come |
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Μίλητος,-ου, ἡ |
Miletus, an important Ionian city on the West coast of what is now Turkey |
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εὐθυς (Lesson 20) |
at once, immediately |
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λιμήν,-ένος, ὁ |
harbor |
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ἐπέρχομαι, ἐπελεύσομαι, ἐπήλθον (cf. Lesson 25) |
to advance |
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καταλαμβάνω (κατα + λαμβάνω) |
to overtake, seize |
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ναυλοχέω |
to lie in harbor, ambush |
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κρατέω, κρατήσω, ἐκράτησα (+ gen) (Lesson 20) |
to overcome, conquer |
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διέπω, διέψω |
to manage (an affair) |
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προσήκω,-ήξω (+ dat) |
to benefit one |
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Vocabulary (continued) |
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κολάζω, κολάσω, ἐκόλασα |
to punish |
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ἑαλωκότας |
m/acc/pl Perf. Pass. Ptc. from ἁλίσκομαι, ἁλώσομαι, ἑάλων, ἑάλωκα “one having been taken” (a prisoner) |
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ἐποφθαλμιάω ( + dat) |
to cast longing glances at |
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ἐκείνου...ἐποφθαλμιῶντος |
“while . . . .” genitive absolute (see grammar Lesson 21, n. 6) |
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αἰχμάλωτος,-ον |
prisoner |
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σκέπτομαι, σκέψομαι, ἐσκεψάμην |
to consider, look at (a deponent verb) |
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φάσκω, —, — |
to think, deem, expect, say |
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σχολή,-ῆς, ἡ |
leisure, rest |
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κελέυσας |
m/acc/sing 1st Aor. Act. Ptc. (Lesson 20) |
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Πέργαμον,-ου, τό |
Pergamum, an important Hellenistic city in Mysia, in NW Turkey |
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προάγω, -άξω, -ήγαγον |
to lead forward |
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ἀνασταυρόω,-ώσω, ἀνεσταύρωσα |
to crucify |
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παἰζω, παίξομαι, ἔπαισα |
to play |
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προειρήκει (πρό + λέγω) |
3rd sing. Perf. Act. Ind. “to say beforehand” |