CHAPTER X

Iuppiter iratus est, quod Aeneas in Libya cessat.

Mercurium, deorum nuntium, ad Aeneam mittit.

Mercurius per caelum volat et advenit ad Mercurius Aeneam monet; omnia

litus Libyae. imperia Iovis niintiat.
I

0 Neuter gender
In Latin most nouns, as we have seen, are either masculine or
feminine in gender; a smaller number are neuter, that is neither
masculine nor feminine.
1 There are no neuter nouns of the first declension.
2 Second declension neuter nouns end in -um in nominative and
accusative singular; -a in nominative and accusative plural;
otherwise they decline like other second declension nouns. Thus
helium declines
singular plural
nom. bellum bella
acc. bellum bella In vocabulary lists such words appear:
gen. belli bellorum helium, belli, n. war

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Learn the following second declension neuter 11o~ns
caelum sky, heaven imperium order
consilium plan periculum danger

3 Third declension; many neuter nouns end -us, others -en in

nominative singular.
Learn
singular plural litus, litoris, n. shore
tempus, temporis, n. time
nom. litus litora
ffiimen, ffilminis, n. river
acc. · litut litora '
nomen, nominis, n. name
gen. litoris litorum
mare, maris, n. sea
, - ·;u:. M
Note that in all neuter nouns, nominative and accusative endings are
the same.

Adjectives have all three genders, thus

singular plural
fem. neuter masc. fem. neuter
masc.
bona bonum boni bonae bona
nom. bonus
bonam bonum bonos bonas bona
acc. bonum
bonae boni bonorum bonarum bon6rum
gen. boni
Revise these endings carefully.

Third declension adjectives have the same endings for masculine and feminine

fem. neuter niasc. fem. neuter

masc.
omms omne omnes omnes omnia
nom. omnis
omnem omne omnes omnes omnia
acc. omnem
omms omnis omnium omnium omnium
gen. omms

Exercise 10.1

Analyse (joining adjectives to the nouns

they agree with by a hyphen, e.g. bonus-
rex) and translate
1 Troiani multa pericula subeunt. subeunt undergo
2 rex bonum consilium pr6p6nit. proponit puts forward

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 3 Aeneas comites iubet ad litus Italiae
navigare.
4 laborate, pueri; non debetis tempus
terere. terere waste
5 puella ad magnum flumen accedit sed
timet transire. transire to cross

Exercise 10.2

Translate
1 omnia\ belli pericula superamus, amici.
2 nolit~ i~_!!l~r~ itJire; non tutum est.
3 pueri currunt ad flflmen, quod natare- natare to swim
·· cupiunt-:-
4 rex ad caelum spectat et de6s 6rat. orat prays to
5 Aeneas debet deorum imperia
perficere. perficere carry out

Exercise 10.3

Translate into Latin

1 The king prepares war against the against in + accusative
Trojans.
2 We cannot cross the great river. cross transire
3 The .girls are approaching th~panks of
the river.
4 Hasten to the sea, comrades, and
board the ships.
5 Do not listen to the king's plan. I listen to audio
6 :'jv e are overcoming the greatest
dangers; we must not despair.
7 Sail to the nearest shore; do not waste nearest proximus-a-um
time. to waste perdere

Exercise 10.4

In the following phrases put the right

endings on to the adjectives to make them
agree with the nouns lj ,,
magn- silvam regem trist- · , , , magn- flftmen puer(>rum miser-
I
bon- matrem P.atris fess- mult- u;rbes hominum mal- I \
/ !') _
long- bellum urbis nov- omn-puen t6t- noctem
mult- pericula filiam mortu- I'
long-litus
'.
'i I
74 .

l
 INFELIX DIDO
infelix ill-starred
ubi Aeneas fi ct- - .
_ mem 1cend1 fac1t, omnes taciti sedent.
tandem Dido hosp·t- finem dicendi an end of speaking
d . 1 es ct-1m1tt1t.
· · •
servum mbet Troianos hospites guests; dimittit sends
a cub1culum ducere. mox omnes dormiunt· sect Dido- away
domf - '
. _ ~re non potest. per totam noctem Aeneam et cubicuhun bedroom
labores Troianorum in animo volvit.
volvit turns over

. . ... . ··-:

·-~,~ ·::7~~~~~~~ TI13 :i,iii~~2-~·z:~·-· Dido and Aeneas

Aeneas et Troiani post tantos labores valde fessi

sunt. constituunt in Libya manere et quiescere. interea quiescere to rest
Dido Aeneam amare incipit; semper Aeneam spectat; incipit begins
Aeneam etiam absentem audit et videt. Aeneas quoque absentem absent; quoque also
Didonem amat. itaque per totam hiemem in Libya hiemem winter ·
manet et Didonem iuvat, dum novam urbem aedificat. aedificat builds; coniugem
Dido Aeneam coniugem vocat; Aeneae filium, husband 1

Ascanium, ciirat et amat. valde l~eti sunt.

sed rex deorum, luppiter, Aeneam de cael6
spectat in Libya cessantem; iratus est, quod Aeneas, cessantem tarrying
fati immemor, in Libya cessat; nam debet ad Italiam fati immemor forgetful of
venire et novam Troiam condere. itaque Iuppiter destiny
Mercurium, niintium deorum, vocat et, 'i nunc,' inquit,
'Mercuri, et Aeneam mone; non debet ille in Libya
cessare sed statim ad ltaliam navigare.'
Mercurius patris imperia audit; talaria induit et talaria winged sandals;
statim de caelo ad Libyam volat. Aeneam videt arcem induit puts on
aedificantem. statim ad eum accedit et eum monet: volat flies; arcem
aedificantem building the
'audi me, Aenea,' inquit, 'ego sum Mercurius, deorum citadel
nuntius; Iuppiter, rex et pater deorum, me mittit. noli
diutius in Libya cessare. -debes ad Italiam festinare et diiitius any longer
novam Troiam condere.'
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 Aeneas, ubi Mercurium ante oculos videt oculos eyes; monitum
monitumque deorum audit, territus est. fugere cupit warning
sed non potest. ad comites redit et iubet eos naves
parare. tum Didonem invitus petit. '6 regina,' inquit, invitus reluctantly
'Mercurius me ante oculos monet. me iubet statim
abire. nam Iuppiter iratus est quod in Libya cesso.
~beo ad ltaliam festinare et novam Troiam condere.'
Dido constemata est et valde irata. 'quid dicis, consternata dismayed
Aenea?' inquit; 'tu nunc constituis me prodere? sic prodere to betray
omnia beneficia mea rependis? sed ego tenon retineo. beneficia kindnesses;
i nunc. ltaliam pete. sed te moneo; quod tii me prodis rependis repay;
et amorem meum spemis, ultionem diram exspecta. retineo keep back
serius ocius aut ego aut posterl ultionem diram spernis reject; ultionem
exig®J.' diram terrible vengeance
serius ocius sooner or later;
Aeneas trlstis et commotus est sed imperia deorum posteri my descendants
perficere debet. postrldie prlma liice Troiani naves exigent will exact
solvunt; commotus moved, upset
Dido, ubi dies venit, ad mare spectat. naves perficere carry out;
prima liice at dawn
Troianorum videt ad Italiam navigantes. desperat. ira
solvunt cast off
et furor animum vincunt. servos iubet magnam pyram
nivigantes sailing
exstruere. pyram ascendit. gladium capit et pectus furor madness
transfigit. comites, ubi Didonem mortuam vident, pyram pyre
valde commoti sunt. reginam liigent et tristes pyram exstruere to build;
succendunt. fiimus ad caelum surgit. pectus heart
interea Aeneas, dum per mare festinat, ad Libyam transfigit pierces
liigent mourn for
respitjt. fiimum videt in caelum surgentem. valde · succendunt light; fiimus smoke
timet; "quid accidit?' inquit; 'ciir fiimus ad caelum sic respicit looks back;
surgit?' sed no_n potest redire. trlstis et anxius ltaliam surgentem rising
petit. accidit is happening
Aeneas fumum videt In caelum surgentem.

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 - \1 ,-. ,
imio, am~eDT I love meus-a-um my
rego, regere I rule, control
[\
amor, amo~, m.
c, love
tuus-a-um your
etiam also,even
animus, anlmi, m. mind nunc now
gladius, gladB, m. sword aut ... aut either ... or
servus, servl, m. slave post + accusative after
'of.l\\~M >~\\ \ n. de + ablative down from; about

Exercise 10.5

Translate the first two paragraphs. Answer the questions on the last two
without translating
dum Troiani ad Italiam navigant, venit magna
tempestas. niibes caelum obscurant; venti mare tollunt. mibes clouds; obsciirant
gubernator naves regere non potest. Aeneam vocat et darken; tollunt raise
'non possumus,' inquit, 'ad Italiam navigare per tantam gubcmator helmsman
tempestatem. debemus ad proximum litus festinare.' proximum, nearest
Aeneas respondet: 'pete Siciliam. ego Siciliam libenter · libenter gladly
reviso, terram ubi pater sepultus est.' reviso revisit; ubi where;
gubernator naves ad Siciliam ducit. mox tuti ad sepultus buried
litus adveniunt. postridie Aeneas comites convocat et
'Troiani,' inquit, 'dies adest quo pater meus in hac terra quo on which; hac; this
periit. iam tempus est ad tumulum ire et patris periit died; tumulum tomb
memoriam colere.' colere revere
sic dicit Aeneas et Troianos ad tumulum ducit. ubi
adveniunt Aeneas vinum in terram fundit et flores in fundit pours; ftores flowers
tumulum iacit. patrem saliitat: 'salve, sancte pater,' salve haii; sancte blessed
inquit. sacrificia sollemnia facit. comites quoque dona sollemnia proper
ad tumulum ferunt. quoque also; dona gifts
sic Aeneas patris memoriam colit. Judos etiam facit
et certamina. alii spectant, alii certant. omnes gaudent certamina contests; certant
et diem festum laeti agunt. compete; diem festum holiday
agunt keep

1 What does Aeneas do when he reaches his father's tomb?

2 What do his companions do?
3 How· else does he commemorate his father's death? Does this seem
to you a strange t!_ting to do?
4 Give one English word derived from each of the following {which
occur in the last two paragraphs): vinum, flores, memoriam, festum.
5 Give the nominative and genitive singular of the following nouns:
terram, patrem, liidos.

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 \
6 Translate into Latin; \
(a) We must sail to Sicilfa. ·. 'I..
(b) The Trojans reach the snore of-Sicily._ . .
. (c) I am leading (my) companions to (myffulner'tttih1b.

AENEAS DESCENDS TO THE UNDERWORLD

1r .- iJ ' •

Anchises had given his son Aeneas much helpful support and advice
while he was alive. Now he was dead, and Aeneas decided to
undertake the perilous journey to the Underworld in order to consult
him about how he should deal with the dangers which faced him in
Italy.
Aeneas landed in South Italy near a place called Cumae where
there was an entrance to the Underworld. Here he asked Apollo's
priestess what he must do to succeed in his bold adventure. She
replied that it was easy enough to go down to the Underworld; the
problem was getting back. What Aeneas had to do was to find a
golden branch which was hidden in the middle of a shady wood. This
would act as a kind of passport. Aeneas would be able to break off the
branch easily if the Fates wished him to go on this journey. If not, no
efforts he made would succeed in removing it.
When Aeneas tried to find the wood, .he was confronted with
such.a huge,forest that he would have given up. But his mother Venus
sent two doves, her special birds, to lead him to the branch. Guided
by them, he soon saw it glittering through the green leaves. It resisted
a little but he had no difficulty in breaking it off. He now took the
branch to the priestess who was to act as his guide.
They descend through the gloomy jaws of the entrance to the
Underworld and eventually come to the dreadful waters of the river
Styx. Here a grim ferryman, the filthy old god Charon, ferries the
souls over on his rust-coloured punt. He objects strongly to the idea of
taking across the still-living Aeneas, but when the priestess shows him
the golden branch, he gives way immediately. As Aeneas climbs on
board, Charon's punt, which is designed for carrying weightless souls,
groans beneath his bulk and lets in streams of water through its joints.
However, it carries him safely across the river.
Aeneas has to face a new problem on th~ other bank. The
monstrous three-heade·d dog Cerberus is on guard here. Snakes bristle
on his three necks and he fills the kingdom of the dead with the
barking from his three mouths, The priestess throws him a piece of
meat treated with drugs. Greedily Cerberus opens his three throats
and gobbles the food down. Immediately his huge frame collapses in
unconsciousness and Aeneas is able to get by without danger.

78

l
 Now he comes to that area of the
nd
U erworld where those who have
killed themselves dwell. Here he is
horrified to see Dido, since she had still
bee~ alive when he left Carthage. He
realizes that she has been driven to
suicide by her love for him, and he
again tries to explain that
he left her not because he
wanted to but because the
gods told him to. She is as
unmoved by his speech as a rock
and goes away from him in
everlasting hatred.
The gloom of Hell gives way
after a time to a brighter light and
finally Aeneas and his companion come
to the Elysian fields. Here those happy
souls live who are being rewarded for the
good lives they have led on earth. Aeneas
at last meets his father Anchises among
them. Yet even here is sadness. Three
times Aeneas attempts to fling his arms
around his father. Three times his father's Cerberus
ghost dissolves in his embrace like the
light winds. However, Anchises succeeds
in filling Aeneas with eagerness to carry out his mission to found a
, new nation and to win glory. He shows·him a pageant of Roman

, heroes of the future who are waiting to go up to begin their lives in

the upper world. Anchises makes Aeneas feel that his present
struggles are worthwhile because they will lead to a glorious future
for his descendants. He also gives his son much advice about how to
deal with the problems he will have to face in the wars to come.
There are two gates of Sleep, one of them made of horn, through
which true spirits make their exit, and one of shining-white ivory,
through which false dreams go to the upper world. Aeneas and the
priestess leave the Underworld through the ~ o r y , and
Aeneas then returns to his ships.

t) Imagine that you have to descend to the Underworld. Describe your

I ,

1
journey.
1'
A Aeneas has to desert Dido with terrible consequences. Write two
U paragraphs, in one of which Aeneas defends his behaviour to Dido
1

and in the other Dido condemns Aeneas for planning to leave her.

79