WJEC
Level 2 Certificate in Latin Literature
Unit 9542
Latin Literature: Narratives
Section B
Virgil, Aeneid 2, lines 13-62 and 195-267
Student Study Book (with notes)
Published By the Cambridge School Classics Project
Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge
11 West Road, Cambridge CB3 9DP, UK
http://www.CambridgeSCP.com
© University of Cambridge School Classics Project, 2010
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In the case of this publication, the CSCP is waiving normal copyright provisions in that copies of this
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First published 2010
2 WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2
Introduction
The notes and questions in this study guide are composed particularly for students who have only a limited
amount of time with a teacher. Follow your teacher’s guidance over which notes to use and which questions
to answer. The more time you have with your teacher, the more questions can be ignored.
The text has been split into several sections, usually about five lines long. The notes on each section nearly always
begin by taking you through three steps:
1. read the section (aloud if possible) or listen to the recording;
2. study the vocabulary for the section;
3. read the section (or listen to the recording) again.
You do not have to stick rigidly to these steps. You may find you make better progress by repeating a particular step,
or missing one out; you may want to vary your approach from one section to the next. Experiment with different
approaches to find the one that suits you; the aim is to prepare yourself as fully as you can for the detailed questions
that follow. You will usually find it best to finish work on each section by checking that you can translate it, as
recommended in the notes.
Some questions are comprehension questions; others ask you to analyse the grammar of a particular word or
phrase. Your teacher will tell you whether or not to use these questions. If you have access to the online version of
the text, you can click to check that your analysis is correct. Aim to develop your ability to do the analysis yourself
(e.g., in an exam!) by getting into the habit of asking yourself, before clicking, “What case is this noun?” or “What
tense is this verb?” etc. The exam will not contain grammar questions, but they are included here to help you
towards an accurate translation, and a fuller understanding of the text. The Cambridge Latin Grammar can help you
to investigate the grammar in more detail.
Some questions, such as “Why do you think character so-and-so did such-and-such an action?” or “Do these lines
seem serious or light-hearted?”, have more than one possible answer. When you answer such questions, study
the text carefully and come to your own conclusion. An examiner will always give credit for any sensible answer,
particularly when you support your answer by quoting from the Latin text.
Virgil Sections 1-11 (Aeneid II.13-62)
At the point where your text begins, Aeneas, a prince of Troy, is telling Dido, Queen of Carthage, how the Greeks
were able to capture Troy and destroy it.
WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2 3
Section 1
Lines 13-17
The Greeks build a huge wooden monster
fracti bello fatisque repulsi
ductores Danaum tot iam labentibus annis
instar montis equum divina Palladis arte
aedificant, sectaque intexunt abiete costas;
votum pro reditu simulant; ea fama vagatur.
13
14
15
frango, frangere, fregi, fractus - break
bellum, belli, n. - war
fatum, fati, n. - fate
repello, repellere, reppuli, repulsus - drive
back, repel
ductor, ductoris, m. - leader
Danai, Danaorum, m. - the Greeks
tot - so many
iam - now, already
labor, labi, lapsus sum - slip by
annus, anni, m. - year
instar - the size
mons, montis, m. - mountain
equus, equi, m. - horse
divinus, divina, divinum - divine
Pallas, Palladis, f. - Pallas Athene, a goddess
4 WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2
15
16
17
ars, artis, f. - skill, art
aedifico, aedificare, aedificavi, aedificatus build, make, create
seco, secare, secui, sectus - cut down
-que - and
intexo, intexere, intexui, intextus - weave
abies, abietis, f. - silver fir wood
costa, costae, f. - rib
votum, voti, n. - offering
pro - for
reditus, reditus, m. - return
simulo, simulare, simulavi, simulatus pretend, feign
is, ea, id - that; he, she, it
fama, famae, f. - rumour, report
vagor, vagari, vagatus sum - spread around
1. Read lines 13-17 (aloud if possible) or listen to the audio on the CSCP website.
2. Study the vocabulary for these lines.
3. Read this section (or listen to the audio) again.
4. Who are mentioned in the first half of line 14? (Treat Danaum as if it were Danaorum. In early Latin, -um rather
than -orum was the normal ending for the genitive plural of 2nd declension nouns, and it was sometimes used
by later Latin writers like Virgil.) Find and translate the two perfect participles in line 13 which describe these
people.
5. In line 13, what has caused the leaders of the Greeks to be (a) fracti (b) repulsi? Does either of the two
phrases fracti bello and fatis repulsi suggest it was inevitable that the Greeks could not capture Troy up to this
point?
6. Explain in your own words what Aeneas means when he says the Greek leaders are fracti bello. Physical
injury? Demoralisation? Casualties?
7. What is happening in line 14 while the Greeks and Trojans are fighting?
8. For those with access to reference books or websites: how long has the Trojan War been going on at this point,
according to the traditional story?
9. Why does Aeneas use a present participle (labentibus) in line 14, rather than saying that at this point so many
years have slipped by?
10. Translate the first word in line 16 that tells you what the Greek leaders do.
11. What do the Greeks build in line 15, and what does Virgil say about its size?
12. Although Aeneas is speaking of previous events, he uses a present tense (aedificant). This use of the present
tense to relate previous events is called the "historic present" and is commoner in Latin than in English. English
sometimes uses it, for example in excited speech ("I was standing outside when this man comes round the
corner, and as soon as he sees the policeman he starts running ..." etc.). A Latin historic present tense can be
translated in English by either a present or a past tense.
13. What case is arte (line 15)? Find an adjective describing it.
14. The goddess Pallas is Pallas Athene, also known as Minerva. She was goddess of wisdom, among other things,
and she disliked the Trojans and supported the Greeks. There are several possible reasons why Aeneas (or
Virgil) chooses to say that the Greeks built the horse divina Palladis arte:
• Pallas Athene was goddess of handicrafts as well as wisdom.
• The man who had the idea, Ulysses ("Ulixes" in Virgil), was inspired by Athene.
• In some versions of the story, Athene told Epeos (the builder) how to construct it or even helped in the actual work.
15. What case is abiete (line 16)? Find a perfect passive participle describing it.
16. In your mind's eye, picture as exactly as you can the various activities described in line 16. What do you imagine
the costae of the horse looked like? Curved, like the ribs of a real horse? Straight, to form a framework of
internal floor and walls?
17. One of the words in line 16 is being used as a metaphor, comparing the task of building the horse to a very
different sort of work. What is the work? The two activities are different in obvious ways (different materials, for
instance), but in what way are they similar?
18. What "cover story" do the Greeks invent to explain the horse (line 17)? How does the story reach the Trojans?
19. Translate the section.
WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2 5
Section 2
Lines 18-20
The Greeks fill the wooden horse
huc delecta virum sortiti corpora furtim
includunt caeco lateri penitusque cavernas
ingentes uterumque armato milite complent.
18
19
huc - here
deligo, deligere, delegi, delectus - choose,
select
vir, viri, m. - man
sortior, sortiri, sortitus sum - draw lots, select
by lot, choose
corpus, corporis, n. - body
furtim - secretly
includo, includere, inclusi, inclusus - hide,
shut in, enclose
caecus, caeca, caecum - dark
6 WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2
20
20
latus, lateris, n. - flank
penitus - deep inside, deep within
-que - and
caverna, cavernae, f. - vault, cavern
ingens, gen. ingentis - huge
uterus, uteri, m. - belly
-que - and
armatus, armata, armatum - armed
miles, militis, m. - soldier
compleo, complere, complevi, completus - fill
1. Read lines 18-20 (aloud if possible) or listen to the audio on the CSCP website.
2. Study the vocabulary for these lines.
3. Read this section (or listen to the audio) again.
4. Find and translate a perfect active participle in line 18 which tells you what the Greeks do next.
5. Study the word endings of delecta virum corpora. (Treat virum as if it were virorum, just as you treated
Danaum as Danaorum in line 14.) What does the phrase mean literally?
(a) Bodies of chosen men
(b) Chosen bodies of men
(c) Men chosen for their bodies
6. After casting lots, what do the Greeks do (last word of line 18 and first half of line 19) to the people who were
described as delecta virum corpora? Whose flank or side is referred to by lateri (line 19)?
7. The phrase delecta virum corpora might refer to the men's size and strength and be translated as a chosen
band of mighty warriors; or the mention of bodies could suggest bulky individuals being squeezed into a small
space (a picked squad of sturdy fellows); the strictly literal translation chosen bodies of men is accurate but
sounds odd. In translating a phrase of this kind, you can choose either a strict literal translation or a version
in more natural English, provided that it makes clear the point which the Latin is making. You may prefer an
alternative of your own to any of the three versions given above.
8. The usual meaning of caecus is blind, but in line 19 it means dark. What is the connection between the two
meanings?
9. Find and translate a verb in line 20 which gives a further description of the Greeks' use of the horse.
10. Find and translate an accusative plural noun-and-adjective phrase in lines 19 and 20, and an accusative singular
noun in line 20, both describing the interior of the horse. Who are the people with whom the Greeks fill the
horse's interior? (Notice that Virgil uses a singular noun for these people, but it is more naturally translated as a
plural. This use of a singular noun instead of a plural sometimes turns up in English. "lend me a hand with this
piano" doesn't normally mean only one hand, and "a life on the ocean wave" doesn't mean there is only one
wave in the ocean.)
11. Which adverb in lines 19-20 shows how thoroughly the inside of the horse was filled with soldiers?
12. The word used in line 20 for the belly of the horse can also mean womb. Is it an appropriate word in this story,
and if so, why?
13. The literal translation of cavernas ... uterumque (lines 19-20) is the vaults and the belly; a more natural version
is the vaults of the belly, because the vaults aren't separate from the belly, they're part of it. The phrase is an
example of a way in which Latin can use two words linked with et or -que to convey a single idea. Another
example is vi et armis, meaning by force of arms (literally by force and by arms). Similarly, in English, "pass me
the bread and butter" isn't usually a request for two separate things, but it's what we say rather than "buttered
bread".
14. (This question may be more suitable for discussion than for individual study.) On reading this section, what is
your strongest impression of the horse's interior? Size? Depth? Darkness? Congestion? All of these? None of
these?
15. Translate the section.
16. Listen to the recording of lines 13-20.
WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2 7
Section 3
Lines 21-25
The other Greeks sail away to Tenedos
est in conspectu Tenedos, notissima fama
insula, dives opum Priami dum regna manebant,
nunc tantum sinus et statio male fida carinis.
huc se provecti deserto in litore condunt;
nos abiisse rati et vento petiisse Mycenas.
21
22
23
sum, esse, fui - be
in - within, in
conspectus, conspectus, m. - sight, view
Tenedos, Tenedi, f. - Tenedos, an island off
the Trojan coast
notus, nota, notum - famous, well-known
fama, famae, f. - reputation
insula, insulae, f. - island
dives, gen. divitis - rich
opes, opum, f. - resources, wealth
Priamus, Priami, m. - Priam, king of Troy
dum - while, as long as
regnum, regni, n. - kingdom, realm
maneo, manere, mansi - stand, remain firm
nunc - now
tantum - only
sinus, sinus, m. - bay
et - and
statio, stationis, f. - anchorage
male - not
8 WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2
24
25
25
fidus, fida, fidum - safe, reliable
carina, carinae, f. - ship, keel
huc - here, to this place
se - himself, herself, itself
provehor, provehi, provectus sum - sail
desertus, deserta, desertum - deserted,
lonely
in - on
litus, litoris, n. - shore
condo, condere, condidi, conditus - hide,
conceal
nos - we, us
abeo, abire, abii - leave, go away
reor, reri, ratus sum - think
et - and
ventus, venti, m. - wind
peto, petere, petii, petitus - make for, seek
Mycenae, Mycenarum, f. - Mycenae, Greek
city whose king was Agamemnon
1. Read lines 21-25 (aloud if possible) or listen to the audio on the CSCP website.
2. Study the vocabulary for these lines.
3. Read this section (or listen to the audio) again.
4. How near is Tenedos (i.e. to Troy), according to Aeneas (line 21)?
5. In Aeneas' description of Tenedos as notissima fama insula in lines 21-22, what is the case of each word?
(fama is the odd one out; click on ‘Explore the passage’ on the CSCP website to check its parsing; for further
guidance see endings of puella in the Cambridge Latin Grammar page 9.) Translate the phrase.
6. According to line 22, for how long was Tenedos rich in resources?
7. In line 20, the singular milite was used to refer to more than one soldier. In line 22, the switch between singular
and plural happens the other way round: the plural regna is used even though King Priam had only one
kingdom. In the same way, English sometimes uses the plural instead of the singular in phrases like "watcher of
the skies" and "silence of the seas". In translating regna here, you could either use the singular kingdom to give
natural English, or stick to the plural by saying realms.
8. Pick out and translate the two nominative singular nouns which describe Tenedos in line 23. What case is carinis?
What unfavourable comment does Aeneas make about Tenedos?
9. What is the usual meaning of male? Notice the way it is used here to cancel out fida. If sobrius means sober,
what does male sobrius mean?
10. What do you think Aeneas means by nunc?
(a) The present time, when I'm speaking to you
(b) The point I've reached in my story, when the Greeks built the horse
Is the description of Tenedos true of both these two moments?
11. (This question may be more suitable for discussion than for individual study.) One scholar criticises the
description of Tenedos in lines 21-23 for being irrelevant to the main story and sounding like a guide-book;
another scholar calls the description vivid and nostalgic, and says that Aeneas is getting his listener (the Queen
of Carthage) to see the picture for herself. Which comment do you agree with?
12. What place does huc (line 24) refer to?
(a) Troy
(b) Tenedos
(c) Carthage
13. What are the two actions of the Greeks in line 24?
14. What did the Trojans think (line 25)?
15. The meaning of the first half of line 25 could be expressed as nos eos abiisse rati sumus, but Aeneas says
nos abiisse rati. Which version is more dramatic? (Try saying both versions aloud.) Which of these two
translations of nos abiisse rati do you prefer?
(a) We thought that they had gone
(b) We thought, ‘Gone!’
(You may prefer the other translation when you go on to translate the whole line.)
16. One reason for naming Mycenae (instead of Greece) in line 25 is that the Greek commander-in-chief was the
King of Mycenae. Who was he?
17. What case is vento in line 25? What is the most suitable translation here?
(a) for the wind
(b) with the help of the wind
(c) from the wind
You may prefer a translation of your own, aiming to make the meaning as clear as possible.
18. Translate the section.
WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2 9
Section 4
Lines 26-30
The Trojans’ reaction to the Greek “departure”
ergo omnis longo solvit se Teucria luctu;
panduntur portae, iuvat ire et Dorica castra
desertosque videre locos litusque relictum.
hic Dolopum manus, hic saevus tendebat Achilles;
classibus hic locus, hic acie certare solebant.
26
27
28
ergo - therefore
omnis, omne - all
longus, longa, longum - lengthy, long
solvo, solvere, solvi, solutus - free
se - himself, herself, itself
Teucria, Teucriae, f. - Troy
luctus, luctus, m. - sorrow, grief
pando, pandere, pandi, passus - throw open,
open
porta, portae, f. - gate
iuvat - it is pleasing
eo, ire, ii - go
et - and
Doricus, Dorica, Doricum - Dorian (Greek)
castra, castrorum, n. - camp
desertus, deserta, desertum - deserted
-que - and
video, videre, vidi, visus - see
locus, loci, m. - place
litus, litoris, n. - shore
10 WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2
29
30
30
-que - and
relinquo, relinquere, reliqui, relictus abandon, leave behind
hic - here
Dolopes, Dolopum, m. - the Dolopes, a
warlike people in Thessaly
manus, manus, f. - band, contingent
hic - here
saevus, saeva, saevum - savage, cruel
tendo, tendere, tetendi, tentus - camp, pitch
a tent; stretch out, exert oneself
Achilles, Achilli, m. - Achilles
classis, classis, f. - fleet
hic - here
locus, loci, m. - place
hic - here
acies, aciei, f. - battle
certo, certare, certavi, certatus - fight
soleo, solere, solitus sum - be accustomed
1. Read lines 26-30 (aloud if possible) or listen to the audio on the CSCP website.
2. Study the vocabulary for these lines.
3. Read this section (or listen to the audio) again.
4. Find and translate a nominative noun-and-adjective phrase in line 26, and find an ablative noun-and-adjective
phrase intertwined with the nominatives.
5. What is Troy said to do? What does Aeneas mean by luctu? What length of time does he have in mind when he
says longo? (Hint: you should be able to answer this if you answered question 8 in Section 1.)
6. Would you describe line 26 as "slow-moving" or "quick-moving"? (Listening again to the audio on the website
may be helpful here, as well as reading the line aloud.) Does the rhythm of the line reflect the line's meaning?
If so, what does it suggest? (One scholar compares the line to "a long deep sigh of relief"; another compares
the effect of the sound to "the lifting of a heavy weight"; another idea is that the rhythm of the line suggests
something gradually coming to life; but you may prefer an idea of your own to any of these suggestions.)
6.1 (Postscript to 6). If you are having difficulty with the idea that a poet can vary the rhythm of his verse to suit the
thing he is talking about, the following extract from the poem An Essay on Criticism by Alexander Pope may
help. Pope is discussing examples of technical skill in poetry, and the lines of this extract are examples of the
very technique he is describing, as you can discover for yourself by reading the extract aloud.
When Ajax strives, some rock's vast weight to throw,
The line too labours, and the words move slow;
Not so, when swift Camilla scours the Plain,
Flies o'er th' unbending corn, and skims along the main. (lines 370-373)
7. How do the first two words of line 27 show that the Trojans believe the war is over?
8. Is there anything about the letters of panduntur portae which attracts the attention of the reader or listener and
thus emphasises that this is an important moment in the story? (Hint: why does "look before you leap" stick in
the mind more than "look before you jump"?)
9. Find and translate the word in line 27 which indicates the Trojans' feelings.
(For examples of other verbs which behave in this way, see the Cambridge Latin Grammar page 60, paragraph
1c.)
10. In lines 27 and 28, find the two infinitives which tell you what the Trojans were glad to do, and the three phrases
which tell you what they were glad to see. Then translate the two lines.
11. Which two words in line 28 explain why the changed landscape caused the Trojans so much joy?
12. In line 29, who are mentioned as having previously been encamped at the two places mentioned in line 28?
13. Why might the previous camping-ground of Achilles be a special place of interest to the Trojans? (The adjective
describing him in line 29 might suggest an answer, also anything you know about Achilles' deeds in the Trojan
War.)
14. What is the case and number of classibus (line 30)? Translate the first three words of line 30 as if the word erat
were also there. Then translate lines 29 and 30.
15. What impression of the movements and mood of the Trojans is given by lines 29 and 30? (You could consider
the effect of any repeated words, the number of pauses and the smoothness or jerkiness of the rhythm, as well
as its speed or slowness. Reading aloud is helpful, as usual.) Do you find it easy to picture the scene? Is it a still
picture or a video?
16. Translate the section.
WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2 11
Section 5
Lines 31-34
Thymoetes’ suggestion about how to treat the horse
pars stupet innuptae donum exitiale Minervae
et molem mirantur equi; primusque Thymoetes
duci intra muros hortatur et arce locari,
sive dolo seu iam Troiae sic fata ferebant.
31
32
pars, partis, f. - some; part
stupeo, stupere, stupui - be amazed, be
astonished
innuptus, innupta, innuptum - virgin,
unmarried
donum, doni, n. - gift, present
exitialis, exitiale - deadly, destructive
Minerva, Minervae, f. - Minerva, goddess,
daughter of Jupiter
et - and
moles, molis, f. - massive structure, massive
size
miror, mirari, miratus sum - admire, be
surprised
equus, equi, m. - horse
primus, prima, primum - first
-que - and
Thymoetes, Thymoetae, m. - Thymoetes,
Trojan, brother of Priam
12 WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2
33
34
duco, ducere, duxi, ductus - lead, take
intra - inside, within
murus, muri, m. - wall
hortor, hortari, hortatus sum - recommend,
urge
et - and
arx, arcis, f. - citadel, stronghold
loco, locare, locavi, locatus - place
sive ... seu - whether ... or
dolus, doli, m. - treachery, plot
sive ... seu - whether ... or
iam - now
Troia, Troiae, f. - Troy
sic - thus, in this way, in that way
fatum, fati, n. - fate
fero, ferre, tuli, latus - tend, incline; bring,
carry
1. Read lines 31-34 (aloud if possible) or listen to the audio on the CSCP website.
2. Study the vocabulary for these lines.
3. Read this section (or listen to the audio) again.
4. In line 31, how does one section of the crowd react, and how does Aeneas describe the thing they are reacting
to? In the accusative-and-genitive phrase donum Minervae, the genitive can mean either to Minerva or from
Minerva (just as "John's Christmas present" can mean either a Christmas present from John or a Christmas
present to John); which translation makes better sense here, to Minerva or from Minerva?
5. Although Aeneas calls the horse a donum Minervae, he and the other Trojans knew nothing about any link with
Minerva at this point of the story. All they had heard about the horse was a rumour. (If you've forgotten what the
rumour was, look back to line 17). It was only later that they were given the (false!) information that it was an
offering to Minerva.
6. This is a rather similar point to question 5. When Aeneas describes the gift as exitiale, is this what the Trojans
thought at the time, or is it something they learnt later from bitter experience?
7. What quality of the horse do the Trojans admire in line 32?
8. What does primusque Thymoetes ... hortatur (lines 32-33) mean?
(a) Thymoetes is the first to urge
(b) Thymoetes first urges ... (i.e. and then does something else)
(Hint: Does the ending of primus suggest that it is an adjective, or an adverb?)
9. In line 33, what does Thymoetes recommend should be done about the horse?
10. The word arx (citadel) occurs four times in this text, always at important moments. It's worth bearing in mind that
a city's citadel was usually the highest and most strongly fortified point, where the most important and sacred
buildings were located and a look-out could be kept. (The Capitol at Rome is an excellent example. You may
know some of its features or be able to find them out from websites.) The horse might be located there as a
sign of respect, either for the horse itself or for a god or goddess to whom the horse could be dedicated as an
offering.
11. Line 34 puts two alternative reasons forward for Thymoetes proposing this; what is the first one? There is a
legend that King Priam had put Thymoetes' wife and son to death, so Thymoetes would have had a motive for
behaving in this way.
12. (This question may be more suitable for discussion than for individual study.) What is the second reason
mentioned in line 34 for Thymoetes' proposal?
(Notice the unusual meaning of fero (tend, incline), while sic could be translated as in this way or in this
direction.) What does Aeneas mean by this remark? What connection does he see between Thymoetes'
proposal and the fated doom of Troy?
Does iam suggest that so far Troy's fate has been hanging in the balance, but now ...?
13. Translate the section.
WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2 13
Section 6
Lines 35-39
Capys and others disagree with Thymoetes
at Capys, et quorum melior sententia menti,
aut pelago Danaum insidias suspectaque dona
praecipitare iubent subiectisque urere flammis,
aut terebrare cavas uteri et temptare latebras.
scinditur incertum studia in contraria vulgus.
35
36
37
at - but, yet
Capys, Capyos, m. - Capys, companion of
Aeneas
et - and
qui, quae, quod - who, which
melior, melius - better
sententia, sententiae, f. - view, judgement,
opinion
mens, mentis, f. - mind
aut ... aut - either ... or
pelagus, pelagi, n. - sea, the deep
Danai, Danaorum, - the Greeks
insidiae, insidiarum, f. - trap, ambush
suspectus, suspecta, suspectum - suspect
-que - and
donum, doni, n. - gift, present
praecipito, praecipitare, praecipitavi,
praecipitatus - throw
iubeo, iubere, iussi, iussus - order
subicio, subicere, subieci, subiectus - place
underneath
14 WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2
35
38
39
-que - and
uro, urere, ussi, ustus - burn
flamma, flammae, f. - flame
aut ... aut - either ... or
terebro, terebrare, terebravi, terebratus - drill
cavus, cava, cavum - hollow
uterus, uteri, m. - belly
et - and
tempto, temptare, temptavi, temptatus - test,
probe
latebra, latebrae, f. - hiding-place
scindo, scindere, scidi, scissus - split
incertus, incerta, incertum - uncertain
studium, studii, n. - party, faction, side
in - into
contrarius, contraria, contrarium - opposing,
contrary
vulgus, vulgi, n. - people, crowd
1. Read lines 35-39 (aloud if possible) or listen to the audio on the CSCP website.
2. Study the vocabulary for these lines.
3. Read this section (or listen to the audio) again.
4. (i) Translate this simplified version of line 35:
Capys, et ei (those) qui meliorem sententiam in mente habent ...
(ii) Now see how line 35 is actually built up, starting with this sentence:
est menti melior sententia.
There is to the mind a better opinion.
or, in more natural English:
The mind has a better opinion.
(iii) In line 35, sentence (ii) above becomes part of a relative clause:
ei quorum menti est melior sententia ...
Those whose minds have a better opinion ...
English uses the plural minds, because the sentence is about lots of people; Latin uses the singular menti
because each individual has only one mind.
(iv) Finally, est is omitted, and quorum behaves as if it were ei quorum:
at Capys, et quorum melior sententia menti ...
But Capys, and those whose minds have a better opinion ...
or: But Capys, and those who have a better opinion in their minds ...
You may prefer a translation of your own to either of the two above.
If you have difficulty understanding how the sentence fits together, do not try to memorise the translation. Memorise
the line in Latin. Memorising a Latin line always helps you to understand it, and it's not as difficult as you think.
5. Looking ahead to line 37, find and translate the 3rd person plural verb which tells you what Capys and the
people with wiser heads on their shoulders do. The long gap between the nominative Capys in line 35 and the
verb in line 37 would not have caused the Romans difficulty; they were as familiar with verbs coming late in the
sentence (centurio puellam laudavit) as we are with sentences in which the verb comes before the person
who has something done to him (The centurion praised the girl).
6. In lines 37-38 find and translate the four infinitives which tell you what Capys insists the Trojans should do.
Some of the orders are alternatives to others.
7. Looking back to line 36, find and translate the two phrases, one an accusative noun-and-genitive and the other
an accusative noun-and-passive participle, used by Capys and his supporters to describe the horse. Of course
Capys is only guessing that the horse is insidiae, but the reader or listener knows that his guess is spot on.
8. What are the first two things which Capys and his supporters tell the Trojans to do? praecipitare links up with
the dative pelago; translate pelago as if Virgil had used the more usual in (meaning into) plus an accusative
(pelagus). The two actions are alternatives - the Trojans couldn't do both of them - but they are linked together
with -que because they are both methods of destroying the horse.
9. In line 38, the Capys supporters stop saying "Destroy the horse" and want it dealt with in another way. What
do they tell their fellow Trojans to do? When translating this line, you'll find it easiest to tackle the words in the
following order:
(i) aut
(ii) the two infinitives linked by et
(iii) the accusative noun, together with the adjective which describes it
(iv) the genitive singular noun.
But Virgil is writing in Latin, not English. He doesn't have to obey the rules of English word order and can use Latin
word order to achieve the effect he wants. If you look at the line again, you'll see the two infinitives are placed in different
halves of the line; they rhyme, and they have something else in common as well. (Look back to the beginning of line 27,
if you're puzzled about this last point.) You can also see an accusative adjective half-way through the line rhyming with
the accusative noun at the end. This sort of word-patterning clearly gave pleasure to Roman audiences (otherwise why
would poets have used it so often?) and can give pleasure to modern readers too, especially when read aloud.
10. If the Greeks inside the horse were able to hear the argument, what might their feelings have been as they
listened first to Thymoetes then to Capys?
11. In line 39, find the adjective describing vulgus and translate both words. What happens to the Trojan crowd as
they listen to the argument?
12. There is a long gap between incertum and the noun it refers to. Is there any similarity between this word order
and the situation it describes?
13. Translate the section and listen to the recording of lines 21-39.
WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2 15
Section 7
Lines 40-44
Laocoon arrives in haste, alarmed and angry
primus ibi ante omnes magna comitante caterva
Laocoon ardens summa decurrit ab arce,
et procul ‘o miseri, quae tanta insania, cives?
creditis avectos hostes? aut ulla putatis
dona carere dolis Danaum? sic notus Ulixes?
40
41
42
primus, prima, primum - first
ibi - then, there
ante - in front of, before
omnis, omne - every, all
magnus, magna, magnum - large
comitor, comitari, comitatus sum accompany
caterva, catervae, f. - crowd
Laocoon, Laocoontis, m. - Laocoon, Trojan
priest of Apollo
ardeo, ardere, arsi - rage
summus, summa, summum - heights of, top
of
decurro, decurrere, decurri - run down, rush
down
ab - from
arx, arcis, f. - citadel, stronghold
et - and
procul - from afar, from far away
o - oh
16 WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2
43
44
40
miser, misera, miserum - wretched,
miserable
qui, quae, quod - who, which
tantus, tanta, tantum - so great
insania, insaniae, f. - insanity, madness
civis, civis, m. - citizen
credo, credere, credidi - believe
aveho, avehere, avexi - sail away, go away
hostis, hostis, m. - enemy
aut - or
ullus, ulla, ullum - any
puto, putare, putavi - think, suppose, consider
donum, doni, n. - gift, present
careo, carere, carui + abl. - be free from
dolus, doli, m. - trick, treachery, deceit
Danai, Danaorum - the Greeks
sic - thus, in this way
notus, nota, notum - known, famous, wellknown
Ulixes, Ulixis, m. - Ulysses, king of Ithaca
1. Read lines 40-44 (aloud if possible) or listen to the audio on the CSCP website.
2. Study the vocabulary for these lines.
3. Translate lines 40-41. You will need to work out the case of magna comitante caterva and then translate it, first
literally, then into natural English; in line 41 you will need to find an adjective describing arce. Decide whether
comes running down is better than runs down for decurrit. (Both are acceptable for exam purposes.)
4. Can you suggest an English phrase to translate ardens in line 41, combining the ideas of be on fire and be
angry? There are several possible translations.
5. Whereas English says the top of the citadel, Latin doesn't use a genitive but uses an adjective summa to
describe arx. The same thing happens with other adjectives such as medius and primus; for example, ad
medium forum doesn't normally mean to the middle forum, and prima aestate can have another meaning as
well as in the first summer. What do these two phrases mean?
6. There is no dixit, inquit or clamavit in line 42, but the punctuation (like a reciter's voice) makes it clear that a
speech is starting. Why does Laocoon begin shouting to the Trojans while he is still some distance away?
7. Find and translate the noun described by miseri. The noun-and-adjective phrase is interrupted in a way that is
impossible in English word order, but possible in Latin (though unusual) because the case endings show that the
words belong together.
8. Why does Laocoon call his fellow citizens miseri?
(a) Because they are sad
(b) Because he is angry
What is the most suitable translation of miseri?
9. What word does Laocoon use to describe the Trojans' behaviour? Translate quae tanta insania? as if it were
quae (what ...?) est haec magna insania?
10. What is the person (1st, 2nd or 3rd), number (singular or plural) and tense (present, imperfect, etc.) of creditis
in line 43? Then translate it; there is no -ne at the end of the word, but notice the punctuation.
11. Laocoon asks his fellow citizens if they really believe something. What?
12. Still in line 43, find and translate the verb in Laocoon's next question.
13. In lines 43-44, Laocoon's question (ulla putatis dona carere dolis Danaum?) contains an "indirect" statement,
in which he quotes what the Trojans might be saying or thinking about dona (offerings). The "direct" statement
would be:
dona Danaum dolo carent
Translate this, looking back to line 14 if necessary to find out the case of Danaum, then work out the translation
of Laocoon's question.
14. What is the effect of the repeated initial letter d when lines 43-44 are read aloud? Soothing? Forceful? Dejected?
Joyful?
15. Laocoon's final question (line 44) does not contain a verb. English sometimes does the same thing when
the situation makes the meaning clear. For example, the single word "Tickets?" can mean "Have you got the
tickets?" But in line 44, your translation of sic notus Ulixes? will be clearer if you add a verb like "acts" or
"behaves".
16. When Laocoon asks the Trojans "Is this (sic is very emphatic) how the notorious Ulixes behaves?" (the
sentence can also mean "Is this the sort of thing Ulixes is notorious for?"), what is he referring to by this?
(Hint: look back at Laocoon's previous two questions.) Laocoon does not know that Ulixes was responsible for
the wooden horse, still less that he was at that moment inside it, but in view of Ulixes' reputation, he was the
obvious suspect for any piece of trickery.
17. (This question may be more suitable for discussion than for individual study.) In lines 42-44, what impression
do you have of Laocoon's physical state (after shouting loudly while running) and his emotion? How does Virgil
convey this? What is the combined effect of the pauses, the run-over of one sentence from line 43 to line 44, the
repeated initial d, and Laocoon's use of questions? (Are they "real" questions, asked by Laocoon out of curiosity?)
18. Translate the section.
WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2 17
Section 8
Lines 45-49
Laocoon’s urgent advice
aut hoc inclusi ligno occultantur Achivi,
aut haec in nostros fabricata est machina muros,
inspectura domos venturaque desuper urbi,
aut aliquis latet error; equo ne credite, Teucri.
quidquid id est, timeo Danaos et dona ferentes.’
45
46
47
aut ... aut ... aut - either ... or ... or
hic, haec, hoc - this
includo, includere, inclusi, inclusus - hide,
shut in, enclose
lignum, ligni, n. - wooden object, wood
occulto, occultare, occultavi, occultatus conceal
Achivi, Achivorum, m. - the Greeks
aut ... aut ... aut - either ... or ... or
hic, haec, hoc - this
in - against
noster, nostra, nostrum - our
fabrico, fabricare, fabricavi, fabricatus construct, build, devise
machina, machinae, f. - contraption
murus, muri, m. - wall
inspicio, inspicere, inspexi, inspectus - spy on
domus, domus, f. - house, home
venio, venire, veni - come, go
18 WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2
48
49
45
desuper - from above
urbs, urbis, f. - city
aut ... aut ... aut - either ... or ... or
aliquis, aliquid - some; someone, something
lateo, latere, latui - lurk, lie hidden
error, erroris, m. - deception
equus, equi, m. - horse
ne - not
credo, credere, credidi - trust, have faith in
Teucri, Teucrum, m. - the Trojans
quisquis, quidquid - whoever, whatever
is, ea, id - he, she, it
sum, esse, fui - be
timeo, timere, timui - fear, be afraid
Danai, Danaorum, m. - the Greeks
et - especially, even
donum, doni, n. - gift, present
fero, ferre, tuli, latus - bear, bring
1. Read lines 45-49 (aloud if possible) or listen to the audio on the CSCP website.
2. Study the vocabulary for these lines.
3. Read this section (or listen to the audio) again.
4. In line 45, find and translate the perfect participle which describes the Greeks, and the noun described by hoc.
5. Laocoon puts forward two possible explanations for the horse, one right, one wrong. In his first explanation (line
45), what two things (very similar in meaning) does he say have happened to the Greeks?
6. Line 45 begins with monosyllables and moves slowly and deliberately. It has the same scansion as the slowmoving line 26; is the effect the same? If possible, read the line aloud; does it reflect the way in which people in
a bad temper sometimes address their victim loudly and slowly as if talking to an idiot, e.g. "DO. I. HAVE. TO.
TELL. YOU. TWICE?"
7. The o at the end of ligno is sounded only slightly, almost swallowed up by the first syllable of occultantur. Is
it just a coincidence that this happens exactly when the Greeks are "swallowed up" by the horse? Some think
"yes", some think "no"; it may seem fanciful to believe Virgil deliberately aimed at this effect, but there are
reasons for thinking that he took a lot of time and care over his work. A Latin biography of Virgil says, “When he
was composing the Georgics [an earlier poem], early each day he would dictate a large number of lines which
he had composed, then spend the rest of the day going over them and reducing them to a very few; he said
that he produced his poetry by licking it gradually into shape, like a she-bear with her cubs.” He could well have
worked in the same way on the Aeneid.
8. In Laocoon's second explanation, find and translate the word he uses (line 46) to describe the horse.
9. Which word is used to describe machina? Which word describes muros?
10. In line 46, in is being used to mean against. What, in Laocoon's view, has this contraption been built against?
Does he mean against literally, in the sense of touching, or does he mean to be used against?
11. A Latin writer can use the future participle to indicate somebody's purpose; e.g. necaturus can mean not only
about to kill but also intending to kill or in order to kill. What are the horse's two possible purposes mentioned by
Laocoon in line 47?
12. One scholar has suggested that ventura desuper urbi refers to a kind of scaling ladder by which the walls can
be breached; another suggestion is that Laocoon imagines the horse being used for the discharge of missiles.
Which suggestion do you prefer, or do you have a different idea about ventura desuper urbi?
13. In line 48, Laocoon makes a further comment, more general than his first two explanations, as if to say "I may
be wrong about the details, but ...". He got it right in line 45, wrong in lines 46-47; is he right or wrong when he
says aliquis latet error?
14. Translate the second half of line 48, in which Laocoon boils down all his previous arguments into four crisp
words. (ne credite has the same meaning as nolite credere.)
15. What is Laocoon's attitude about the Greeks, expressed by a verb in line 49? During what particular action by
the Greeks does he have this feeling?
16. et in line 49 can mean either even or especially. On looking at the whole sentence, especially dona ferentes,
which meaning seems more appropriate to you?
(et may be more of a problem for English translators than it was for Virgil's original readers and listeners, who
didn't have to translate it and could be aware of both meanings at once, almost as if it were a pun.)
17. Laocoon's speech ends with one of Virgil's most famous lines, out of which came the phrase "a Greek gift",
meaning a so-called "gift" from one's enemy, which turns out harmful if accepted. This is slightly different from
Virgil's original meaning in line 49, because the horse is not a present to the Trojans from their enemy. (The Greeks
had pretended that the horse was being offered for quite a different reason; if it has slipped your memory, try line
17.)
18. Translate the section.
19. Listen to the audio of both sections 7 and 8.
WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2 19
Section 9
Lines 50-53
Laocoon attacks the wooden horse
sic fatus validis ingentem viribus hastam
in latus inque feri curvam compagibus alvum
contorsit. stetit illa tremens, uteroque recusso
insonuere cavae gemitumque dedere cavernae.
50
51
52
sic - thus, in this way
for, fari, fatus sum - speak
validus, valida, validum - mighty, strong
ingens, gen. ingentis - huge
vires, virium, f. - strength, force
hasta, hastae, f. - spear
in - into
latus, lateris, n. - flank
in - into
-que - and
ferus, feri, m. - beast
curvus, curva, curvum - curved, curving
compages, compagis, f. - framework
alvus, alvi, f. - belly
contorqueo, contorquere, contorsi, contortus
- hurl, fling
20 WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2
53
50
sto, stare, steti - stand
ille, illa, illud - he, she, it
tremo, tremere, tremui - vibrate
uterus, uteri, m. - belly
-que - and
recutio, recutere, recussi, recussus - strike,
make vibrate
insono, insonare, insonui - resound, make a
loud noise
cavus, cava, cavum - hollow
gemitus, gemitus, m. - groan
-que - and
do, dare, dedi, datus - give
caverna, cavernae, f. - cavity, hollow, vault
1. Read lines 50-53 (aloud if possible) or listen to the audio on the CSCP website.
2. Study the vocabulary for these lines.
3. Read this section (or listen to the audio) again.
4. Translate the perfect active participle in line 50.
5. What case is hastam? Which adjective describes it? Translate the adjective-and-noun phrase.
6. In lines 50-52, find and translate the verb which tells you what Laocoon did to the ingentem hastam.
7. What does validis ... viribus (line 50) tell you about Laocoon and the weapon?
(a) Why he hurled it
(b) How he hurled it
(c) What he hurled it at
8. Find and translate the word in line 51 which refers to the horse. What case is it?
9. What part of the horse did Laocoon hit?
10. Which of these translations of curvam compagibus alvum is literally correct? (Analyse the cases.) Which gives
the clearest picture?
(a) the curving framework of its belly
(b) the belly and its curving framework
(c) the belly, curved with its framework
(d) the belly, its curves and its framework
11. Can the two phrases in latus and in alvum both be correct?
12. Which is the most emphatic word in the long sentence starting in line 50? How does Virgil achieve this
emphasis? Hint: look at any pause caused by punctuation or line ending.
13. In line 52, how close to each other are the two verbs that refer to Laocoon's action and its result? What does illa
refer to?
14. Did the spear stick, or bounce? Translate the present participle describing the spear.
15. What is the spear's effect on the horse's belly? Translate utero recusso literally, then into natural English. What
does the phrase suggest about the force of the throw?
16. insonuere (line 53) means the same thing as insonuerunt, i.e. they resounded (see the Cambridge Latin
Grammar page 29, paragraph 6). In the same way, what does dedere, later in the line, mean?
17. Find the nominative plural adjective and noun which tell you what the things were which resounded, and then
translate the complete line.
18. Read line 53 aloud. Do you notice anything about its sound? If so, does this have anything to do with the subject
matter of the line?
19. Translate the section.
20. (This question may be more suitable for discussion than for individual study.) Why did Laocoon throw his
spear at the horse? To show his contempt for an object which some Trojans were regarding with respect? To
demonstrate that it was suspiciously hollow? Sheer temper? (There is no "right answer" to this.)
WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2 21
Section 10
Lines 54-56
Aeneas, the narrator, reflects. “If only ...”
et, si fata deum, si mens non laeva fuisset,
impulerat ferro Argolicas foedare latebras,
Troiaque nunc staret, Priamique arx alta maneres.
54
55
et - and
si - if
fatum, fati, n. - decree, will, destiny, fate
deus, dei, m. - god
si - if
mens, mentis, f. - intention, mind, will
non - not
laevus, laeva, laevum - unfavourable, harmful
sum, esse, fui - be
impello, impellere, impuli, impulsus - force
ferrum, ferri, n. - iron, sword, weapon
Argolicus, Argolica, Argolicum - Argive (Greek)
22 WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2
56
55
foedo, foedare, foedavi, foedatus - pierce;
discredit
latebra, latebrae, f. - hiding-place
Troia, Troiae, f. - Troy
-que - and
nunc - now
sto, stare, steti - stand
Priamus, Priami, m. - Priam, king of Troy
-que - and
arx, arcis, f. - citadel, stronghold
altus, alta, altum - high
maneo, manere, mansi - remain
1. Read lines 54-56 (aloud if possible) or listen to the audio on the CSCP website.
2. Study the vocabulary for these lines.
3. Read this section (or listen to the audio) again.
4. (i) Translate this simplified version of line 54, noticing the tense of fuisset and fuissemus.
si fortuna melior fuisset et nos non stulti fuissemus ...
(ii) Are fuisset and fuissemus indicative or subjunctive? Aeneas is not thinking of how things had been but
how they would have been, if the state of affairs in line 54 had been different.
(iii) Now translate the actual line 54. You may need to note these points.
•
deum is genitive plural = deorum, like Danaum in lines 14, 36 and 44.
•
mens can be translated as a plural our minds, because Aeneas is talking about more than one Trojan.
Latin prefers the singular; the reason is in note (iii) on question 4 in Section 6.
•
laeva originally meant left i.e. on the left-hand side, which was regarded as the unlucky side. So it can
mean unfavourable or against us when it describes fata deum but misled or going the wrong way when it
describes the minds of the Trojans.
•
There is another possibility. mens could refer to the minds of the gods, not to the minds of the Trojans.
In that case, laeva describing mens could be translated in the same way as when it described fata
deum. For exam purposes, either version would be accepted.
•
The complications of line 54 may seem to threaten you with memory overload. But if you remember
your decision about the meaning of mens (our minds or the gods' minds?) and your choice of
translation for laeva, you shouldn't go far wrong. Also keep the storyline in mind. It always helps. Line
54 is a point where the events in the story might so easily have taken a different turn.
5. impello (line 55) means I force, more literally I push someone into doing something. According to Aeneas in
line 55, what would Laocoon have pushed the Trojans into doing, if things had been different? foedare is a very
violent word; the Oxford Latin Dictionary defines it as to wound savagely, mangle, hack, mutilate. You may prefer
an alternative of your own. Spoil with steel has a repeated initial letter, like Virgil's ferro ... foedare, but is perhaps
not brutal enough, and repeated s gives a different effect from repeated f.
6. What is Aeneas referring to, in the phrase Argolicas latebras in line 55?
7. Virgil uses impulerat (he had forced us); the more usual Latin here would be the subjunctive impulisset (he
would have forced us), because Aeneas is talking about something which would have happened in different
circumstances, but didn't. One reason for not using impulisset is that it wouldn't have fitted the metre! but even
if impulisset had scanned, Virgil might still have preferred impulerat. Which of (a) and (b) refers more vividly to
Laocoon's possible success?
(a) If things had been different, he would have forced us ... (impulisset)
(b) If things had been different, he had forced us ... (impulerat)
The same thing very occasionally happens in English, usually in older writing. For example, the 1611 version of
the Bible contains the sentence:
If thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
(Modern English: If you had been here, my brother would not have died.)
For exam purposes, either he would have forced or he had forced would be accepted as a translation of
impulerat.
8. According to line 56, if the gods had been kinder and the Trojans' brains had been working properly, what would
Troy be doing now (i.e. at the time that Aeneas is telling his tale to Queen Dido)?
9. Translate the three words which describe the most important part of Troy. What state would it now be in,
according to Aeneas? Can you improve on remain as a translation of maneres? (Hint: look back at the first part
of the line and ask yourself "What point is Aeneas making about both Troy and the citadel?")
10. What case is arx alta? (It looks like a nominative until the very last letter of the line: the line ends not with
maneret [3rd person singular, like staret] but with maneres.) Translate Priamique arx alta maneres. What
does this change of ending suggest about Aeneas' feelings and thoughts?
11. Translate the section.
12. Listen to the audio of lines 40-56.
WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2 23
Section 11
Lines 57-62
Trojan shepherds drag a Greek “prisoner” to the king
ecce, manus iuvenem interea post terga revinctum
pastores magno ad regem clamore trahebant
Dardanidae, qui se ignotum venientibus ultro,
hoc ipsum ut strueret Troiamque aperiret Achivis,
obtulerat, fidens animi atque in utrumque paratus,
seu versare dolos seu certae occumbere morti.
57
58
59
60
ecce! - look! see!
manus, manus, f. - hand
iuvenis, iuvenis, m. - young man
interea - meanwhile
post - behind
tergum, tergi, n. - back
revincio, revincire, revinxi, revinctus - bind
around
pastor, pastoris, m. - shepherd
magnus, magna, magnum - great
ad - to
rex, regis, m. - king
clamor, clamoris, m. - uproar, shout
traho, trahere, traxi, tractus - drag
Dardanidae, Dardanidarum, m. - the Trojans
qui, quae, quod - who, which
se - himself, herself, itself
ignotus, ignota, ignotum - unknown,
unfamiliar
venio, venire, veni - approach, come
ultro - of one’s own accord, on one’s own
initiative
hic, haec, hoc - this
ipse, ipsa, ipsum - very; himself, herself,
itself
24 WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2
61
62
60
ut - in order to, so that
struo, struere, struxi, structus - accomplish,
devise, contrive
Troia, Troiae, f. - Troy
-que - and
aperio, aperire, aperui, apertus - open up
Achivi, Achivorum, m. - the Greeks
offero, offerre, obtuli, oblatus - present, offer
fidens, gen. fidentis - bold, courageous,
confident
animus, animi, m. - spirit, resolve
atque - and
in - for
uterque, utraque, utrumque - either, each (of
two)
paratus, parata, paratum - ready, prepared
seu ... seu - either ... or
verso, versare, versavi, versatus perpetrate; turn
dolus, doli, m. - trick, treachery, deceit
seu ... seu - either ... or
certus, certa, certum - certain
occumbo, occumbere, occubui, occubitus meet with (death)
mors, mortis, f. - death
1. Read lines 57-62 (aloud if possible) or listen to the audio on the CSCP website.
2. Study the vocabulary for these lines.
3. Read this section (or listen to the audio) again.
4. Translate the word in line 57 which shows that the story is suddenly taking a new twist, and pick out the word
which means while all this was going on.
5. Translate the following shortened versions of lines 57-58 and the start of 59.
(i) iuvenem ... pastores ... trahebant (easy, provided you get the case of iuvenem right)
(ii) iuvenem ... pastores ... ad regem ... trahebant Dardanidae (does Dardanidae describe iuvenem, pastores or regem?)
(iii) iuvenem ... pastores magno ad regem clamore trahebant Dardanidae (does magno describe regem or clamore?)
6. Comprehension check:
(a) Who were dragging whom?
(b) To whom were they dragging him?
(c) What else does Aeneas mention about the way they were behaving?
7. In what state was the young man (line 57)?
8. Line 57 contains a point of grammar you may not have met before. The young man (iuvenem) is described by
a perfect passive participle revinctum (having been tied) because he has had something done to him (he was
tied), but his hands (manus) are in the accusative case because because they had been tied as well. This use
of the accusative is described in grammar books as "accusative of respect"; the literal translation is a young
man, having been tied in respect of his hands ..., but a more natural English translation is a young man with his
hands tied ....
Perhaps it is worth emphasising a point made in connection with question 5 in Section 6. Of course when the
Romans read lines 57-59, they didn't have to take them to bits in the way you have just done. (And when they
listened to the lines, they couldn't go backwards and forwards from one word to another, for obvious reasons.)
When they heard the accusative iuvenem, their minds would automatically be ready for further words about
somebody doing something to the young man. In the same way, you yourself can probably understand and
translate simple sentences like mercator amicum salutavit without having to hop from mercator to salutavit
and backwards to amicum.
9. Why were the shepherds shouting, and why were they dragging the young man to the king rather than to
anyone else? Does this suggest anything about the young man (e.g. his nationality)? What announcement are
the shepherds likely to have been shouting?
10. If possible, read line 58 aloud or listen to the audio recording on the website. Is it a smooth line or a bumpy one?
Is this appropriate or inappropriate? Why? Were the shepherds handling the prisoner roughly or gently? Was he
(apparently) making much or little resistance?
11. Check that you can translate this section as far as Dardanidae in line 59. You will find it helpful to put a full stop
at this point and begin a new sentence by translating qui as he. (Otherwise, your translation may sound as if the
antecedent of qui is the king, which it isn't. Who does qui refer back to? Hint: apart from the king, only one other
individual has been mentioned in lines 57-59.)
12. Look ahead to line 61, and find and translate the word which tells you that the young man had done something.
13. (Returning to line 59) Who had the young man offered?
(a) Himself
(b) The shepherds
14. Did the shepherds know him?
15. Find and translate the word in line 59 which emphasises that the young man's meeting with the shepherds was
not accidental.
WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2 25
16. Find the participle which tells you what the shepherds were doing when the man stepped into their path,
then translate the words qui se ultro venientibus obtulerat, translating qui as he and venientibus as if it
were pastoribus venientibus or eis venientibus.
17. Line 60 tells you the man's intentions. First translate the purpose clause ut hoc ipsum strueret. Check that
you know the gender of hoc ipsum, which will tell you whether to add man, woman or thing; notice also an
unfamiliar but useful translation of ipse in the vocabulary. Then go on to translate the next purpose clause.
Troiamque aperiret Achivis.
18. What was the very thing that the man wanted to accomplish? ad regem in line 58 suggests one answer, but
other answers are also possible.
19. How is the man described in the first half of line 61? (animi is an unusual use of the genitive, better
translated by in ... rather than of ....)
20. What description of the man is given in the rest of the line? (Notice the unusual meaning given for in, and add a
word like outcome or event to your translation of utrumque.)
21. What were the two outcomes for which the man was prepared (line 62)? Why would his death be certain?
22. Translate the section. Well done.
23. (This question may be more suitable for discussion than for individual study.) In this section, does Aeneas
speak approvingly or disapprovingly (or both) about the prisoner? Quote the Latin words that tell you this.
Summary discussion questions
The following questions refer to the whole of Sections 1-11. They may be more suitable for discussion than for
individual study.
1. Does the behaviour of the Trojans so far suggest that the "prisoner" would find them easy or difficult to
fool?
2. What part has been played so far by the gods and fate? Look back at the text for places where they are
mentioned.
3. What English adjective would you choose to describe the chief quality, either good or bad, of (a) Laocoon
and (b) the young man? Give reasons for your choice, quoting from the Latin text.
26 WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2
Virgil Sections 12-28 (Aeneid II.195-267)
Lines 63-194 are summarised in your text. For the full picture, read Sinon's story in English, for example in the
Penguin translation by David West.
Follow your teacher's guidance in using the following notes, questions and suggestions. They are composed
particularly for students who have only a limited amount of time with a teacher. The more time you have with your
teacher, the more these questions can be ignored.
You do not have to stick rigidly to the sequence of three steps which begins each section. Experiment with different
approaches to find the one that prepares you best for the detailed questions that follow. It is usually best to finish
work on each section by checking that you can translate it, as recommended in the notes.
Summary
Lines 63-194
The prisoner, giving his name as Sinon, claims that he ran away from the Greeks because they
had picked him to be a human sacrifice to the gods in order to obtain a safe voyage home. He
acts his part so well that Priam immediately orders him to be set free. In return, Sinon answers
the Trojans’ questions about the horse with false information, saying that it is a sacred offering to
the goddess Minerva. If they harm it, Troy will be doomed; but if they take it safely into the city,
they will be able to invade and conquer Greece.
WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2 27
Section 12
Lines 195-198
How Sinon succeeded where everything else had failed
talibus insidiis periurique arte Sinonis
credita res, captique dolis lacrimisque coactis
quos neque Tydides nec Larisaeus Achilles,
non anni domuere decem, non mille carinae.
195
196
197
talis, tale - such
insidiae, insidiarum, f. - trap, snare, ambush
periurus, periura, periurum - lying, devious
-que - and
ars, artis, f. - fraud, skill
Sinon, Sinonis, m. - Sinon
credo, credere, credidi, creditus - believe
res, rei, f. - story; thing, matter
capio, capere, cepi, captus - conquer,
capture
-que - and
dolus, doli, m. - trick, treachery, deceit
lacrima, lacrimae, f. - tear
-que - and
cogo, cogere, coegi, coactus - fake; force
qui, quae, quod - who, which
28 WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2
195
198
neque ... nec - neither ... nor
Tydides, Tydidae, m. - Diomedes, son of
Tydeus
neque ... nec - neither ... nor
Larisaeus, Larisaea, Larisaeum, - from
Larisa, a city in Thessaly
Achilles, Achilli, m. - Achilles
non ... non - neither ... nor; not
annus, anni, m. - year
domo, domare, domui, domitus - subdue,
tame
decem - ten
non ... non - neither ... nor; not
mille - a thousand
carina, carinae, f. - ship, keel
1. Read lines 195-198 (aloud if possible) or listen to the audio on the CSCP website.
2. Study the vocabulary for these lines.
3. Read this section (or listen to the audio) again.
4. Translate an adjective-and-noun phrase and a second noun, all in line 195 and all in the ablative case,
telling you by what methods something (to be described in line 196) was achieved. talibus (such) refers
back to Sinon's story in lines 63-194.
5. Whose skill is referred to in line 195, and how is he described? Translate the whole line.
6. According to the first two words of line 196, what resulted from the methods described in 195? Using the
passive participle credita as a clue, what do you think is the best translation here of the all-purpose word
res? Affair? Thing? Tale? Matter? Something else?
7 and 8 are chiefly intended for students who are working on their own or have very limited time with a teacher.
7. The rest of line 196 leads into a huge relative clause, taking up all of lines 197-198, and you may find it
helpful to study the way the sentence is put together. If you are comfortable with relative clauses, relative
pronouns and (especially) antecedents, proceed to question 8. If you need some quick revision, start by
studying this sentence.
nuntii quos rex miserat irati erant.
The messengers whom the king had sent were angry.
quos is a relative pronoun, quos rex miserat is a relative clause, and nuntii is the antecedent of quos, i.e.
it is the noun that quos refers back to.
Now translate these sentences and pick out the antecedent, the relative pronoun and the relative clause:
(i) servus quem mercator mihi vendidit pessimus erat.
(ii) puellae quas regina laudavit ridebant.
(iii) nauta, qui ebrius erat, in mare cecidit.
8. Translate this summary of the rest of line 196 and lines 197-198:
nos Troiani dolis capti sumus. (dolus means trick)
Translate this longer summary and pick out the relative pronoun and its antecedent.
nos, quos Graeci frustra decem annos obsederunt, dolis capti sumus. (obsidere means to besiege)
The complications in lines 196-198 are that the antecedent is missed out, while the relative clause comes late
and is very long. The easiest (but not the only) way round the difficulty is to treat capti as if it were nos capti
sumus, and treat quos (whom ...) in line 197 as if nos were there as an antecedent to quos (we, whom ...).
(The Romans of course were well experienced in relative clauses, whether the antecedent was included or
not, and would have quickly realised who were described as captured or conquered [capti].)
9. Translate capti as if it were nos capti sumus, as suggested in question 8. What further details are given in
line 196 of the methods by which Aeneas and his fellow Trojans were conquered or captured?
10. Who had carried out the doli and shed the lacrimae?
11. cogere (perfect participle of coactus) is translated in the vocabulary as force, fake. How are these two
meanings connected when coactus is describing tears?
You might prefer a different translation of your own; there are several possibilities, from squeezed-out to
crocodile!
12. As mentioned above, lines 197-198 consist of a long relative clause. If you are following the suggestion in
question 8 about treating capti as if it were nos capti sumus (we were conquered), you could put a dash
after your translation of lacrimisque coactis and repeat we as an antecedent to your translation of quos (...
- we, whom ...) or even emphasise Aeneas' point more sharply by saying ... - yes, we whom ....
13. quos leads on to a long string of nominative nouns followed by the verb domuere, which has the same
meaning as domuerunt. Translate it, including the correct personal pronoun ("I", "you", "he", etc.).
14. Choose between two ways of translating lines 197-198:
(i) We, whom neither ... nor ... nor ... nor ... subdued (literal translation)
(ii) We, who were subdued neither by ... nor by ... nor by ... nor by ... (more natural)
Both translations are acceptable for exam purposes.
15. In line 197, Aeneas picks out two Greek heroes who fought against Troy. Achilles was mentioned in line 29.
Diomedes, son of Tydeus, was almost as famous as Achilles. (Book V of Homer's poem, the Iliad, tells how he
even fought against the gods.) More details can be found from the internet. Characters in the Iliad (and other
poems), especially important ones, are often referred to not just by their name but by their father's name (like
WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2 29
Diomedes in line 197) or the place they come from (like Achilles).
16. In what way do Diomedes and Achilles differ from Sinon?
17. Explain the reference to anni decem in line 198.
18. To whom did the mille carinae belong?
19. Even before Virgil's time, "a thousand ships" had become a traditional description of this particular fleet, and it
became famous in an often-quoted line in an English play. "Was this the face that launched a thousand ships?"
Google and other search engines will be able to tell you whose face launched the ships and why her face caused
them to be launched.
20. This is the second time you have met carina (literally keel) used instead of navis; a word meaning part of the
ship is used instead of the word for the ship itself. English poets, too, sometimes use a word for part of a thing
instead of a word for the whole thing. For example, in "He took his trusty blade in hand", "blade" is used instead
of "sword", perhaps because it is the part which carries out the purpose of the sword.
When Virgil was describing Tenedos as an unsafe anchorage in line 23, he used carinis and not navibus, perhaps
to suggest the idea of the keels running aground, and in line 198 he may be using carinis to suggest a picture of the
thousand keels gliding into the water when launched, or cutting their way through the waves on their way to Troy, but we
can seldom be sure of a poet's reason for choosing a particular word - it may be simply for variety, or because it
fits conveniently into the poem's metre.
21. Explain as briefly as possible the difference between the two methods of winning a war described (1) in line 195,
and (2) in lines 197-198 (a single word for each method will be enough). Which method worked at Troy?
22. How does Aeneas emphasise the contrast between the successful approach and the unsuccessful one?
Possible points include his references to individual Greeks, size of force, use of trickery and length of war.
23. (This question may be more suitable for discussion than for individual study.) What is your impression of Aeneas'
feelings about the contrast he draws? Which words in lines 195-198 give you this impression?
24. Translate the section.
30 WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2
Notes
WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2 31
Section 13
Lines 199-202
A dramatic interruption to Laocoon’s sacrifice
hic aliud maius miseris multoque tremendum
obicitur magis atque improvida pectora turbat.
Laocoon, ductus Neptuno sorte sacerdos,
sollemnes taurum ingentem mactabat ad aras.
199
200
hic - now
alius, alia, aliud - another, else
maior, maius - greater
miser, misera, miserum - wretched,
miserable
multo - much
-que - and
tremendus, tremenda, tremendum - terrible,
terrifying
obicio, obicere, obieci, obiectus - befall
magis - more
atque - and
improvidus, improvida, improvidum unforeseeing, unsuspecting, unwary
pectus, pectoris, n. - mind, heart
turbo, turbare, turbavi, turbatus - agitate,
32 WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2
200
201
202
disturb, alarm
Laocoon, Laocoontis, m. - Laocoon, Trojan
priest of Apollo
duco, ducere, duxi, ductus - choose; lead,
take
Neptunus, Neptuni, m. - Neptune
sors, sortis, f. - lot
sacerdos, sacerdotis, m. - priest
sollemnis, sollemne - appointed, solemn,
ceremonial
taurus, tauri, m. - bull
ingens, gen. ingentis - huge
macto, mactare, mactavi, mactatus sacrifice
ad - at
ara, arae, f. - altar
1. Read lines 199-202 (aloud if possible) or listen to the audio on the CSCP website.
2. Study the vocabulary for these lines.
3. Read this section (or listen to the audio) again.
4. Use the vocabulary to check the gender of aliud (line 199) and then choose the correct translation.
(a) another man
(b) another woman
(c) another thing, i.e. something else
5. In what two ways does Aeneas say that what happens now is different from what that happened previously? (To
answer this, you need to find a comparative adjective in line 199 and to link multo tremendum with magis in
line 200.)
6. In line 199, how does Aeneas describe the people to whom this new event happens? (They were described by
the same Latin word in line 42.)
7. Translate lines 199-200 up to magis.
8. Read lines 199-200 up to magis aloud. What do you notice about the sound of the words? (You have already
met several examples of this way of making the listener pay special attention, e.g. at an important moment of
the story.)
9. In line 200, what is the result of the new event? Whose pectora are being referred to?
10. What has Aeneas described so far, the actual event or its effect on the Trojans? Does this raise the tension or
lower it?
11. Laocoon reappears in line 201. What official position did he hold, and how was he chosen?
12. In line 202, what was Laocoon doing? Where? Check that you have linked each of the two adjectives in this line
with the correct noun.
13. The altars may have been on the sea-shore. (This was not unusual in the ancient world.) In view of the particular
god to whose service Laocoon was appointed, the shore would have been an appropriate place for him to
sacrifice.
14. Translate the section.
WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2 33
Section 14
Lines 203-205
Two huge creatures appear at sea, heading for shore
ecce autem gemini a Tenedo tranquilla per alta
(horresco referens) immensis orbibus angues
incumbunt pelago pariterque ad litora tendunt;
203
204
ecce! - look! see!
autem - but, however
geminus, gemina, geminum - two, twin
a - from
Tenedos, Tenedi, f. - Tenedos, an island off
the Trojan coast
tranquillus, tranquilla, tranquillum - calm, still
per - through
altum, alti, n. - water, sea
horresco, horrescere, horrui - shudder,
tremble
refero, referre, rettuli, relatus - tell, report
immensus, immensa, immensum - huge,
immense
34 WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2
205
205
orbis, orbis, m. - coil
anguis, anguis, m. - snake
incumbo, incumbere, incubui - press oneself,
lean (over), breast
pelagus, pelagi, n. - sea
pariter - side by side, together
-que - and
ad - towards, to
litus, litoris, n. - shore
tendo, tendere, tetendi, tentus - head, stretch
out towards, make for
1. Read lines 203-205 (aloud if possible) or listen to the audio on the CSCP website.
2. Study the vocabulary for these lines.
3. Read this section (or listen to the audio) again.
4. Visualise a particular person. Now imagine him or her so far away from you that you cannot make out who it is s/he might appear only as a distant dot. Then imagine the distance between you gradually shortening so that his
or her appearance becomes clearer and more detailed. (You may find it helpful to think of a camera moving from
a long-range shot to a close-up.)
5. The word order of lines 203-204 is highly unusual because a crucial word is left till the end. The best way to
see the effect of the word order is to study the lines phrase by phrase (or even word by word), for example by
answering these questions.
(i) (Line 203) Translate ecce autem.
(ii) How many (of something) are there?
(iii) Where are they coming from?
(iv) What are they coming through?
(v) (Line 204) Translate the two words that show what an unpleasant memory this is for Aeneas.
(vi) Translate the ablative noun-and-adjective phrase that describes the things.
(vii) What were they?
What is the effect of the long gap between gemini and angues? Does the tension increase or decrease?
6. In line 205, what do the snakes do? Visualise their action in the first part of the line; incumbere means to lean
over something, e.g. a farmer at his plough, or a rower about to pull on his oar, and here the verb to breast might
be a suitable translation. In the second part of the line, does pariter suggest that these are "ordinary" snakes, or
that there is something special about them?
7. Translate the section. When dealing with the unusual word order of lines 203-204, you could translate gemini
and angues together, either immediately after ecce autem or after horresco referens or after immensis
orbibus. Alternatively you could keep the Latin word order by translating gemini as two of them and then taking
the text phrase by phrase up to the end of line 204, as you did when answering question 5.
WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2 35
Section 15
Lines 206-209
The sight and sound of the approaching snakes
pectora quorum inter fluctus arrecta iubaeque
sanguineae superant undas, pars cetera pontum
pone legit sinuatque immensa volumine terga.
fit sonitus spumante salo;
206
207
pectus, pectoris, n. - neck, chest, breast
qui, quae, quod - who, which
inter - amidst, among
fluctus, fluctus, m. - wave
arrigo, arrigere, arrexi, arrectus - hold high,
raise up
iuba, iubae, f. - crest
-que - and
sanguineus, sanguinea, sanguineum bloody, blood-red
supero, superare, superavi, superatus tower over, overtop, rise above; overcome
unda, undae, f. - wave, water
pars, partis, f. - part
ceterus, cetera, ceterum - the other, the
36 WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2
208
209
remaining, the rest
pontus, ponti, m. - sea
pone - behind, in the rear
lego, legere, legi, lectus - skim; read, choose
sinuo, sinuare, sinuavi - arch, curve, bend
-que - and
immensus, immensa, immensum - huge,
immense
volumen, voluminis, n. - coil
tergum, tergi, n. - back
fio, fieri, factus sum - rise up, be made
sonitus, sonitus, m. - sound
spumo, spumare, spumavi - foam
salum, sali, n. - sea, swell
1. Read lines 206-209 (... salo) (aloud if possible) or listen to the audio on the CSCP website.
2. Study the vocabulary for these lines.
3. Read this section (or listen to the audio) again.
4. Translate pectora, and also the participle and phrase in line 206 which indicate how high above the surface of
the water the pectora of the snakes are.
5. What further detail of the snakes is described in the words iubaeque sanguineae superant undas (lines 206-207)?
Does iubae suggest that these are real snakes, or supernatural? (You may have read earlier about Pliny the
Elder. He says in his Natural History draconum cristas qui viderit non reperitur - nobody can be found who
has seen crests on snakes.)
6. While all this is happening at the front end, what is the remaining part of each snake's body doing (lines 207208)?
7. (This question may be more suitable for discussion than for individual study.) The last three words of line 207,
together with the whole of line 208, may be harder to visualise than other parts of the description. Are the coils
a series of vertical arches (as sea-serpents are traditionally pictured) or does the snake's body form a series
of zig-zags on or in the water, so that the snake's wriggling propels it forward? Is Virgil aiming to present a
consistent picture or only a lot of colourful details which can’t be combined with each other? (There is no definite
"right answer" to this.)
8. (Line 209) What happens next and what is the sea doing? What do you suppose is causing this?
9. Read the first part of line 209 aloud. Does the sound suit the meaning of these four words? If so, how? If not,
why not?
10. In view of the rest of this section, was there a special point in describing the sea as tranquilla in line 203, or was
it just a cliché?
11. Translate the section.
WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2 37
Section 16
Lines 209-211
The snakes in close-up
iamque arva tenebant
ardentesque oculos suffecti sanguine et igni
sibila lambebant linguis vibrantibus ora.
209
210
iam - now, already
-que - and
arvum, arvi, n. - land, dry land, field
teneo, tenere, tenui, tentus - reach; hold
ardeo, ardere, arsi - burn, be on fire
-que - and
oculus, oculi, m. - eye
sufficio, sufficere, suffeci, suffectus - fleck,
steep
38 WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2
211
210
sanguis, sanguinis, m. - blood
et - and
ignis, ignis, m. - fire
sibilus, sibila, sibilum - hissing
lambo, lambere, lambi - lick
lingua, linguae, f. - tongue
vibro, vibrare, vibravi - flicker
os, oris, n. - lips
1. Read lines 209 (iamque ...)-211 (aloud if possible) or listen to the audio on the CSCP website.
2. Study the vocabulary for these lines.
3. Read this section (or listen to the audio) again.
4. After the details of the snakes' appearance in sections 14 and 15, line 209 describes their progress. Where have
they got to by now?
5. (Line 210) Now that the snakes were so close, what feature of their heads could Aeneas and the other Trojans
see?
6. Translate the present participle that describes the eyes.
7. It may be helpful to translate the verb sufficere at first as to fill, instead of the rather unusual verbs to steep
and to fleck suggested in the vocabulary. The perfect participle can be conveniently translated as having filled;
oculos tells you what part of their heads they filled; sanguine et igni tells you what the eyes were filled with.
Use this information to translate oculos suffecti sanguine et igni.
8. To achieve more natural English,
(i) you could change having ...ed their ...ing ...s to with their ...ing ...s ...ed;
(ii) and if you want a more precise translation than filled, you could use flecked or steeped as suggested in the
vocabulary. (To "fleck" is to cover something with spots, and to "steep" is to soak or immerse something [e.g.
a garment] in something such as a dye.) Alternatively, since eyes can be described as "bloodshot", you could
say shot with blood and fire.
9. (Optional note for experts. If you do not feel you are an expert, proceed to question 10.) Literally, suffecti,
describing the snakes (see question 7), is a passive participle, having been filled ... (i.e. with blood). But from
another point of view, it is not the whole of the snake that is filled with blood, but only the eyes, so suffecti
behaves like an active participle, having filled ... (i.e. their eyes), and the eyes (oculos) are in the accusative
case.
The idea of the snakes filling their eyes with blood may seem odd, but it would be odder if somebody else had
filled the eyes. Also, poets have a habit of using their language in ways it has never been used before, and Virgil
was no exception.
The technical explanation for this way of using perfect participles is that suffecti is being treated as a "middle"
use of the participle, half-way between active and passive.
It can sometimes be translated fairly literally, but when translating line 210, it is probably better to aim at natural
English, e.g. in the way suggested in question 8 (with their blazing eyes filled (or flecked or steeped or shot) with
blood and fire).
10. In line 211, what were the snakes doing? With what? (You will need to match up one noun with an adjective in the
same case, and match another noun with a present participle.)
11. The letter s, which occurred several times in the first part of line 209 when the foaming sea was mentioned,
continues to be frequently used, especially as an initial letter, in lines 210-211. Why is this appropriate,
particularly in line 211?
12. Translate the section.
13. Don't despise the idea of drawing a picture of one of the snakes, with Latin labels for each part mentioned by
Virgil in sections 14-16! There’s no better or easier way to fix in your mind the meaning of these three sections.
The aim is not to produce a superb work of art but to search the text for as many words as possible that can be
used as labels and represented in the picture.
WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2 39
Section 17
Lines 212-215
The snakes attack, killing two victims
diffugimus visu exsangues. illi agmine certo
Laocoonta petunt; et primum parva duorum
corpora natorum serpens amplexus uterque
implicat et miseros morsu depascitur artus;
212
213
214
diffugio, diffugere, diffugi - flee, disperse
visus, visus, m. - sight
exsanguis, exsangue - pale
ille, illa, illud - he, she, it
agmen, agminis, n. - path, line, advance,
motion, movement
certus, certa, certum - unerring, certain,
straight, unswerving
Laocoon, Laocoontis, m. - Laocoon, Trojan
priest of Apollo
peto, petere, petivi, petitus - make for, seek
et - and
primum - first, first of all
parvus, parva, parvum - small
duo, duae, duo, m. - two
corpus, corporis, n. - body
40 WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2
215
215
nati, natorum, m. - children
serpens, serpentis, m. - snake, serpent
amplector, amplecti, amplexus sum - wind
oneself around
uterque, utraque, utrumque - each (of two),
both (of two)
implico, implicare, implicavi, implicatus enfold, entwine
et - and
miser, misera, miserum - miserable,
wretched
morsus, morsus, m. - teeth, biting
depascor, depasci, depastus sum - feed on,
eat, consume
artus, artus, m. - limb
1. Read lines 212-215 (aloud if possible) or listen to the audio on the CSCP website.
2. Study the vocabulary for these lines.
3. Read this section (or listen to the audio) again.
4. Test your memory. Where was Laocoon when he was last mentioned, and what was he doing? If stuck, see lines
201-202.
5. What do Aeneas and the other Trojans do in line 212? What aspect of the snakes makes them change colour?
6. In lines 212 and 213, who or what are illi and whom do they make for? How does Aeneas describe their
progress?
7. agmen can mean movement, as it does here, but can also mean an army on the march. If you have read a
description by Ovid of girls at the theatre, you may remember agmen being used in a similar way to describe a
line of ants going to and fro (mainly one behind the other, unlike Virgil's snakes).
8. What does the phrase certo agmine suggest about the snakes' approach? Frenzied or purposeful? Steady or
uncontrolled? Look back at line 205; does any word there give a similar impression to certo agmine here? Does
this description of the snakes' approach make them more menacing, or less? Why?
9. Compare Sections 14-16 (lines 203-211) with line 212 and the first part of 213. How, if at all, does the speed
of the story change at the start of this Section? Do the lengths of sentences (and of word groups ending with a
semi-colon) contribute to this in any way?
10. (i) Translate this simplified version of part of lines 213-215:
serpentes parva corpora duorum natorum amplectuntur et implicant.
(Note that amplector is a deponent verb.)
(ii) Translate the actual lines from et primum in line 213 to implicat in line 215.
11. Does each snake attack one child, or do both go for both?
12. Does parva convey Aeneas' emotion, or is it a trivial and obvious detail, or does it contrast with a previous word
describing the snakes (in which case quote the Latin, not the English!)? (More than one of these alternatives
might be true.)
13. Lines 214 and 215 contain two verbs referring to the snakes winding themselves round the children.
Unnecessary repetition, or does it have some point? (Hint: imagine the scene as precisely as you can.)
14. What do the snakes do next? How? Identify the cases of the two 4th declension nouns artus and morsu.
15. Find the adjective which grammatically describes artus, but could also be said to describe the children.
(Similarly English can say "It's under your stupid nose", even though the person, not the nose, is stupid.)
16. Translate the section.
WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2 41
Section 18
Lines 216-219
Then the snakes go for the father
post ipsum auxilio subeuntem ac tela ferentem
corripiunt spirisque ligant ingentibus; et iam
bis medium amplexi, bis collo squamea circum
terga dati superant capite et cervicibus altis.
216
217
218
post - then, afterwards, next
ipse, ipsa, ipsum - himself, herself, itself
auxilium, auxilii, n. - help
subeo, subire, subii - come, approach
ac - and
telum, teli, n. - arms, weapon
fero, ferre, tuli, latus - bear, carry
corripio, corripere, corripui, correptus - seize,
snatch, take hold of
spira, spirae, f. - coil
ligo, ligare, ligavi, ligatus - entwine
ingens, gen. ingentis - huge
et - and
iam - now, already
bis - twice
medius, media, medium - torso, middle (of
his body)
42 WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2
219
amplector, amplecti, amplexus sum - wind
oneself around
bis - twice
collum, colli, n. - neck
squameus, squamea, squameum - scaly
circumdo, circumdare, circumdedi,
circumdatus - encircle, wrap
tergum, tergi, n. - back
circumdo, circumdare, circumdedi,
circumdatus - encircle, wrap
supero, superare, superavi, superatus tower over; overcome
caput, capitis, n. - head
et - and
cervix, cervicis, f. - back, neck
altus, alta, altum - tall, high
1. Read lines 216-219 (aloud if possible) or listen to the audio on the CSCP website.
2. Study the vocabulary for these lines.
3. Read this section (or listen to the audio) again.
4. post (line 216) is not a preposition leading on to ipsum; it is being used like postea or deinde to introduce what
happens next.
5. Who is ipsum? What is the first thing he is described as doing? auxilio is in the dative case for an unusual
reason; it is indicating Laocoon's purpose in approaching the snakes and the struggling boys, and so can be
translated as if it were ut auxilium ferat.
6. What is the other thing Laocoon does? What sort of weapons would he have close at hand? (Hint: what was he
doing when the snakes were first seen?)
7. When Laocoon tries to come to the rescue (line 216), what do the snakes do to him (line 217)? Find the
adjective which describes spiris; what is the case of both words?
8. Would you expect a reader to pause at the end of line 217, or to go straight on to line 218? (Hint: is there already
a strong pause in line 217? If possible, try reading line 217 aloud.)
9. One scholar has commented, "Laocoon is strong, and he struggles, and the serpents have to work to a methodical
plan to overcome him." What do they do to him at the start of line 218?
10. (This question may be more suitable for discussion than for individual study.) Does bis mean that both snakes
coiled themselves around Laocoon, or that each snake coiled itself twice? There is no "right answer" to this;
the Latin could carry either meaning, leaving the reader or listener to imagine the scene as s/he wants. (And of
course although some of the physical and emotional detail may be true to life, the story is myth, not history.)
11. The word circumdati is split, with terga (line 219) coming between circum (line 218) and dati. It can be
conveniently translated as having wrapped; squamea terga tells you what part of themselves they used to wrap
around Laocoon; collo tells you what part of Laocoon they wrapped themselves around. Use this information to
translate collo squamea circum terga. Is there any similarity between the intertwining of Virgil's words and the
scene he is describing?
12. (Optional note for experts: if you don't feel you are an expert, proceed to question 13.) Literally, circumdati,
describing the snakes, is a passive participle, having been wrapped around ... (i.e. around Laocoon), because
they were wrapped around him.
But from another point of view, the snakes did the wrapping (they wrapped their backs around him), so
circumdati behaves like an active participle and is best translated in that way, having wrapped ... (i.e. their
backs).
The technical explanation for this way of using perfect participles is that circumdati is being treated as a
"middle" use, half-way between active and passive. You met it before in the phrase oculos suffecti in line 210
(see question 9 in Section 16 above).
13. superant (in line 219) has the same meaning that it had in line 207. Does the situation also suggest the other
meaning of superare given in the vocabulary?
14. With what, or to what extent, do the snakes tower over Laocoon? (English sometimes uses a similar phrase, as
a metaphor rather than literally: "Her essay was head and shoulders above everybody else's".)
15. Translate the section.
WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2 43
Section 19
Lines 220-224
Laocoon struggles and screams like an animal at sacrifice
ille simul manibus tendit divellere nodos
perfusus sanie vittas atroque veneno,
clamores simul horrendos ad sidera tollit.
qualis mugitus, fugit cum saucius aram
taurus et incertam excussit cervice securim.
220
221
222
ille, illa, illud - that, he, she, it
simul - at the same time
manus, manus, f. - hand
tendo, tendere, tetendi, tentus - try, strive,
struggle, exert oneself
divello, divellere, divelli, divulsus - tear apart,
tear away
nodus, nodi, m. - knot
perfundo, perfundere, perfudi, perfusus soak, drench
sanies, saniei, f. - blood, slime, gore
vitta, vittae, f. - headband
ater, atra, atrum - black
-que - and
venenum, veneni, n. - venom
clamor, clamoris, m. - cry, shout, uproar
simul - at the same time
horrendus, horrenda, horrendum - horrific,
44 WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2
220
223
224
dreadful
ad - to
sidus, sideris, n. - star
tollo, tollere, sustuli, sublatus - send up, raise
qualis, quale - like, such as
mugitus, mugitus, m. - bellowing
fugio, fugere, fugi - flee, run away
cum - when
saucius, saucia, saucium - wounded
ara, arae, f. - altar
taurus, tauri, m. - bull, ox
et - and
incertus, incerta, incertum - faltering,
uncertain, unsteady, badly-aimed
excutio, excutere, excussi, excussus - shake
off
cervix, cervicis, f. - neck
securis, securis, f. - axe
1. Read lines 220-224 (aloud if possible) or listen to the audio on the CSCP website.
2. Study the vocabulary for these lines.
3. Read this section (or listen to the audio) again.
4. Who is ille (line 220)?
5. The repetition of simul (lines 220 and 222) shows that he is doing two things at the same time. Pick out the
verbs in lines 220 and 222 that indicate his two actions.
6. What is he struggling to do in line 220?
7. What exactly are the nodos (already mentioned, in different words, in lines 204 and 217)?
8. Translate the perfect participle in 221 which describes Laocoon.
9. Translate the accusative noun which refers to the particular objects which were soaked.
10. Woollen vittae were part of the ritual of a Roman sacrifice, worn by the priest, the victim or both. A wreath
was placed on the head, and the vittae kept it in place. Why was Laocoon wearing vittae when the snakes
appeared? (If stuck, look at line 202.)
11. What are the two things in which the vittae were drenched?
12. sanies (a more unpleasant word than sanguis) suggests that Laocoon's blood is poisoned by the atrum
venenum of the snakes.
13. perfusus (line 221) contains a point of grammar which you met earlier. In line 57, Sinon was described by a
perfect passive participle revinctum (having been tied) because he had something done to him (he was tied),
but his hands (manus) were in the accusative case because they were tied as well. The literal translation is
having been tied in respect of his hands ...; a more natural English translation is with his hands tied ....
In the same way, in line 221, Laocoon is described by a perfect passive participle (perfusus) because he has had
something done to him (i.e. been drenched), but the vittae are in the accusative case because they in particular
are drenched.
Using as a guide the literal and natural translations of revinctum manus given above, work out literal and
natural translations of line 221.
14. What else is Laocoon doing during his struggles (line 222)?
15. Some translators of Virgil are unhappy that Aeneas should mention sidera, since the horrific shouts are being
raised in the day-time, not the night; they therefore translate sidera less strictly, as the air or the heavens. It
could, however, be argued that the stars are still there by day, even if they're not visible, and that Virgil is using
stars as a variation on sky, just as he has earlier referred to "ships" as "keels". Which translation do you prefer?
(There is no "right answer" to this.)
16. At the start of line 223, what noise are Laocoon's cries compared to?
17. The rest of line 223 and the whole of line 224 describes the situation that has caused the mugitus. Laocoon
utters cries like the bellowing when ..., i.e. like the bellowing which is heard when ....
18. Translate fugit saucius aram taurus, beginning with the nominative noun and adjective, then translating the
verb and then the accusative.
19. During what religious ceremony has this event occurred? (Clue: aram)
20. Had the ceremony already started when the animal got away? (Clue: saucius)
21. What else has the animal done (line 224)?
22. Who would have been wielding the axe, for what purpose, and in what way have things gone wrong?
23. Laocoon's clamores were compared in line 223 to the bull's mugitus. There are also some similarities (and
differences) between Laocoon himself and the bull:
(i) Both were involved in similar ceremonies at similar places. (If you have forgotten them, compare line 202
with lines 223-224.)
(ii) Both ceremonies are interrupted, but in different ways. How?
(iii) Which word in line 223 describing the bull corresponds to the description of Laocoon in 221?
(iv) Which word in 223 shows an important difference between Laocoon's fate and the fate of the bull?
(v) Is it true to say that the bull starts (but does not finish) as the victim, whereas Laocoon ends up as a victim,
having started as the priest? Which detail of Laocoon's description in 221 would be appropriate for him both as
priest and as victim? (If stuck, look back at question 10.)
(vi) It was regarded as a sign of bad luck if the victim at a Roman sacrifice got away. This would indicate that
the gods were angry and were rejecting the priest's offering. What previous behaviour by Laocoon would, in
the Trojans' view, explain the gods' apparent anger with him?
WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2 45
24. The rhythm of line 224 is jerky, partly because the -am at the end of incertam is swallowed up by the
-e at the start of excussit. (You may be able to reproduce the jerkiness when reading the line aloud.) In
what way, if any, is this appropriate to the line's meaning?
25. (You may prefer to try this in private.) If you say the first syllable of mugitus aloud, pronouncing the
vowel like the "oo" in "fool" and not like the "u" in "music”, keeping the sound going quite loudly for two
or three seconds, you should produce a sound traditionally used in English to imitate a particular animal
- either the one mentioned in line 224 or another animal closely associated with it. Other English words
which imitate the action they refer to are "crackle" and "hiss".
26. Translate the section.
27. (This question is more suitable for discussion than for individual study.) Search the internet for a good
illustration of the Laocoon statue discovered in Rome in January 1506 and now in the Vatican Museum.
The statue is famous, generally admired, disliked by some. Pliny the Elder praises it enthusiastically
in his Natural History and names three sculptors from the island of Rhodes who worked on it together.
We do not know exactly when they lived, but it is possible that Virgil had seen the statue. Compare it
with Virgil's account. What similarities and differences do you notice? For example, the sculptors were
interested in detailed lifelike representations of the human body, and represented the figures naked,
which is certainly not how Virgil presents them. On the other hand, have the sculptors included the
validae vires mentioned in line 50?
46 WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2
Notes
WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2 47
Section 20
Lines 225-227
The snakes glide away
at gemini lapsu delubra ad summa dracones
effugiunt saevaeque petunt Tritonidis arcem,
sub pedibusque deae clipeique sub orbe teguntur.
225
226
at - but
geminus, gemina, geminum - two, twin
lapsus, lapsus, m. - gliding, slithering, sliding
delubrum, delubri, n. - shrine, sanctuary
ad - to
summus, summa, summum - highest
draco, draconis, m. - serpent
effugio, effugere, effugi - flee
saevus, saeva, saevum - cruel
peto, petere, petivi, petitus - make for, seek
Tritonis, Tritonidis, f. - Pallas Athene
48 WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2
227
225
arx, arcis, f. - citadel, stronghold
sub - under, beneath
pes, pedis, m. - foot
-que - and
dea, deae, f. - goddess
clipeus, clipei, m. - shield
-que - and
sub - under, beneath
orbis, orbis, m. - circle
tego, tegere, texi, tectus - hide, cover
1. Read lines 225-227 (aloud if possible) or listen to the audio on the CSCP website.
2. Study the vocabulary for these lines.
3. Read this section (or listen to the audio) again.
4. (This question may be more suitable for discussion than for individual study.) After the comparison with the bull's
bellowing, the story switches back to the snakes' departure; the struggle is over. Have we actually been told that
Laocoon is dead? Did we need to be? Would it have been more effective if Virgil had described the actual death,
just as he described the boys' death in line 215?
5. Find the word in line 225 described by gemini.
6. (Lines 225-start of 226) Where do the snakes flee to, and how does Aeneas describe their movement?
7. Whereabouts in Troy would the delubra summa be situated?
8. Find the word in line 226 described by saevae.
9. What do the snakes make for? (arx normally means citadel, but it refers here to a temple on the citadel. Either
temple or citadel would be an acceptable translation.)
10. The goddess is described in this way not because she was Triton's daughter as the name literally suggests,
but because Trito or Tritonis was a lake or stream near her birthplace. Rather than using this name for her, it's
probably easiest to stick to one or other of her two commonest names, i.e. Pallas Athene or Minerva.
Many Roman gods and goddesses had several different names, often because the Romans regarded a
particular god of their own as being identical to a god of another nation. Minerva is a good example; she was
identified with the Greek goddess Pallas Athene and with the Celtic goddess Sulis in Bath.
11. Where do the snakes hide?
12. Why do they go to Minerva's temple rather than any other?
(a) Because it was the nearest one
(b) Because they knew the Trojans would not dare kill them in a temple
(c) Because Minerva had sent them
13. Why is Minerva described as saevae?
14. (This question may be more suitable for discussion than for individual study.) Compare lines 217-219 with line
227; is Virgil consistent about the size of the snakes? If not, does this spoil the Laocoon episode?
15. Translate the section.
WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2 49
Section 21
Lines 228-233
The Trojans’ reaction, and a decision about the horse
tum vero tremefacta novus per pectora cunctis
insinuat pavor, et scelus expendisse merentem
Laocoonta ferunt, sacrum qui cuspide robur
laeserit et tergo sceleratam intorserit hastam.
ducendum ad sedes simulacrum orandaque divae
numina conclamant.
228
229
230
tum - then
vero - indeed
tremefacio, tremefacere, tremefeci,
tremefactus - terrify, cause to tremble
novus, nova, novum - new
per - into; through
pectus, pectoris, n. - heart, breast
cunctus, cuncta, cunctum - every, all
insinuo, insinuare, insinuavi - steal, creep
into, worm one’s way into
pavor, pavoris, m. - terror, panic
et - and
scelus, sceleris, n. - crime
expendo, expendere, expendi, expensum pay for
mereor, mereri, meritus sum - deserve
Laocoon, Laocoontis, m. - Laocoon, Trojan
priest of Apollo
fero, ferre, tuli, latus - say; bring, carry
sacer, sacra, sacrum - holy, sacred
qui, quae, quod - who, which
50 WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2
231
232
233
230
cuspis, cuspidis, f. - spear-point, spear
robur, roboris, n. - wood, oak
laedo, laedere, laesi, laesus - damage, harm
et - and
tergum, tergi, n. - back
sceleratus, scelerata, sceleratum - wicked,
profane, impious
intorqueo, intorquere, intorsi, intortus - hurl
hasta, hastae, f. - spear
duco, ducere, duxi, ductus - take
ad - to
sedes, sedis, f. - home, dwelling place
simulacrum, simulacri, n. - image
oro, orare, oravi - entreat, beg
-que - and
diva, divae, f. - goddess
numen, numinis, n. - divine power, divine
favour
conclamo, conclamare, conclamavi - shout
together, shout out
1. Read lines 228-233 (aloud if possible) or listen to the audio on the CSCP website.
2. Study the vocabulary for these lines.
3. Read this section (or listen to the audio) again.
4. Find and translate the nominative noun in line 229 described in line 228 by novus.
5. Find and translate the participle which describes pectora.
6. What does Aeneas say about the fresh wave of terror? How widespread was it?
7. What event had caused the previous terror? Why does the snakes' behaviour in line 227 start a fresh panic
among the Trojans? (Hint: what had Sinon previously told them about Minerva?)
8. In line 230, ferunt is used with one of its more unusual meanings, as if it were dicunt. The dictionary
traces the meanings of fero from I bring to I bring a claim or I bring an allegation and then to the more
general meaning I say. What would you expect it to be linked to?
(a) An indirect command
(b) An indirect question
(c) An indirect statement
9. Translate this shortened version of the Trojans' actual words, treating expendit as a perfect tense.
‘Laocoon scelus expendit.’
(scelus is accusative; it is a neuter 3rd declension noun like tempus.)
Now add merens, choosing between the literal translation (deserving) and the more natural one
(deservedly):
‘Laocoon merens scelus expendit.’
Now translate the indirect statement (see question 8 for the meaning of ferunt).
Troiani cuncti ferunt Laocoonta merentem scelus expendisse.
10. Who is the antecedent of qui in line 230?
11. qui leads on to a less familiar sort of relative clause in lines 230-231. The verbs in the relative clause
(laeserit and intorserit) are subjunctive, partly because they are giving the Trojans' reason for their
comment about Laocoon. Translate qui as because he ..., and say what were the Trojans' two reasons for
saying that Laocoon deserved what he got.
12. cuspes (line 230) is literally the spear-point, and that may be a more convenient translation than spear
because it allows you to use spear to translate hasta in the next line. Virgil may be using two different words
for the sake of variety (just as he used carina instead of navis, and sidera instead of caelum, in previous
lines), but since the point of the spear was the bit that penetrated the wood, you could say that Virgil's use of
cuspes instead of hasta was not entirely "pointless" (ugh!).
13. When Aeneas tells the story to Dido, does he still believe that the robur of the horse was sacrum, and that
Laocoon's hasta was scelerata, or is this only what he and the other Trojans believed at the time?
14. (Note for experts.) laeserit and intorserit are subjunctive not only for the reason given in question 11, but
also because they are part of a relative clause inside an indirect statement, i.e. Aeneas is continuing to quote
the words of the Trojans. See the Cambridge Latin Grammar page 81, paragraph 7.
15. The Trojans believe that the fate of Laocoon confirms what Sinon had said about Minerva's reaction to any
attack on the horse. They therefore do what Sinon intended and believe his further words about bringing
the horse into the city.
16. (This question may be more suitable for discussion than for individual study.)
Virgil has told the stories of Laocoon and Sinon in this order.
(i) Laocoon hurls his spear at the horse
(ii) Sinon tells his tale to the Trojans
(iii) Laocoon meets a grisly death
Would the story have been more effective if the two Laocoon episodes had been put one after the other,
with Sinon's story coming before both of them or following both of them? If so, why? If not, why not? (A
Greek poet in the 4th century AD put the episodes in the order ii-i-iii.)
17. Line 232 contains two gerundives, ducendum and oranda. They are being used to show that (in the Trojans'
view) particular actions needed to be done. If you are comfortable with gerundives, proceed to question 18. If
you need some quick revision, start by looking at two examples.
flammae sunt exstinguendae.
The flames must be put out. (Literally, The flames are needing-to-be-put-out.)
WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2 51
pecunia est reddenda.
The money must be given back.
What would the following sentences mean?
cibus est parandus.
epistulae sunt mittendae.
nuntius est ad regem ducendus.
18. The following sentence is what the Trojans are saying, as reported in lines 232-233; what does it mean?
simulacrum est ducendum ad sedes.
What would the following sentence mean?
Troiani conclamant simulacrum esse ad sedes ducendum.
In lines 232-233, the word order is different and esse is omitted, but it can be translated in the same way as the
sentence above, except that the Trojans are not mentioned; translate conclamant with the appropriate pronoun ("I",
"you", "he", etc.).
19. What is referred to by the Trojans in line 232 as simulacrum?
20. Having heard Sinon's story, what do the Trojans think is the proper sedes for the simulacrum? Inside or outside
the city? (You may be able to guess which particular area, mentioned previously, they have in mind.)
21. What further action must be taken, in the Trojans' opinion? (Their actual words were numina divae oranda
sunt.)
22. Which diva are the Trojans referring to?
23. What do the Trojans think the diva (or her numina) must be begged to do, or not do? (Aeneas does not state it,
but the situation in the story suggests what the Trojans wanted from her. What do they fear she might do?)
24. Which word in 232-233 tells you how strong and how widespread the feelings of the Trojans were?
25. Translate the section.
26. Line 233 is one of fifty or sixty lines in the Aeneid which are complete in sense but not in metre. The Latin
biography of Virgil mentioned in question 7 in Section 8 explains that when Virgil was dictating his work to a
slave, he would sometimes leave a line incomplete or put in a temporary stop-gap, so as not to break the flow of
his inspiration; he would return to the work later to revise and polish it. He carried out a final revision of his earlier
poems, which have no incomplete lines, but died before he could do the same for the Aeneid. If he had lived he
would no doubt have completed line 233, possibly adding one or two more lines but ensuring that every line was
metrically complete. Perhaps he would have smoothed over the rather abrupt change from 3rd person plural
("they ...") in conclamant, to 1st person plural ("we ...") in dividimus in line 234.
52 WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2
Notes
WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2 53
Section 22
Lines 234-240
The horse enters Troy
dividimus muros et moenia pandimus urbis.
accingunt omnes operi pedibusque rotarum
subiciunt lapsus, et stuppea vincula collo
intendunt; scandit fatalis machina muros
feta armis. pueri circum innuptaeque puellae
sacra canunt funemque manu contingere gaudent;
illa subit mediaeque minans inlabitur urbi.
234
235
236
237
divido, dividere, divisi, divisus - breach; divide
murus, muri, m. - wall
et - and
moenia, moenium, n. - defences,
fortifications
pando, pandere, pandi, passus - open up
urbs, urbis, f. - city
accingo, accingere, accinxi - get ready
omnis, omne - all, every
opus, operis, n. - task, job
pes, pedis, m. - foot
-que - and
rota, rotae, f. - wheel
subicio, subicere, subieci, subiectus - put
under
lapsus, lapsus, m. - rolling, gliding, sliding
et - and
stuppeus, stuppea, stuppeum - flaxen
vinculum, vinculi, n. - rope
collum, colli, n. - neck
intendo, intendere, intendi, intentus - stretch
scando, scandere, scandi - surmount, climb
fatalis, fatale - deadly, fatal, dangerous;
fateful
machina, machinae, f. - contraption, machine
54 WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2
238
239
240
235
240
murus, muri, m. - wall
fetus, feta, fetum - pregnant with, full of
arma, armorum, n. - arms, weapons
puer, pueri, m. - boy
circum - around
innuptus, innupta, innuptum - unmarried,
virgin
-que - and
puella, puellae, f. - girl
sacer, sacra, sacrum - sacred (songs)
cano, canere, cecini - sing
funis, funis, m. - rope
-que - and
manus, manus, f. - hand
contingo, contingere, contigi, contactus take; touch
gaudeo, gaudere, gavisus sum - rejoice
ille, illa, illud - he, she, it
subeo, subire, subii - continue on one’s way,
advance
medius, media, medium - centre, middle
-que - and
minor, minari, minatus sum - threaten, project
inlabor, inlabi, inlapsus sum - roll into
urbs, urbis, f. - city
1. Read lines 234-240 (aloud if possible) or listen to the audio on the CSCP website.
2. Study the vocabulary for these lines.
3. Read this section (or listen to the audio) again.
4. What two things do Aeneas and the other Trojans do in line 234?
5. Picture the scene in 234. Aeneas says later that the horse entered through the gateway, so dividimus muros means
that the Trojans enlarge the gate upwards. moenia can mean buildings as well as defences; choose the translation
which goes better with your translation of pandimus.
6. Does anyone fail to prepare to join in the work (line 235)?
7. Whose feet are referred to by pedibus?
8. In lines 235-236, how do the Trojans solve the problem of moving the horse? lapsus is an accusative plural
noun; translate rotarum lapsus literally then in natural English.
9. In lines 236-237, what is the Trojans' next step in getting the horse to move? (There is no definite "right answer"
to this. intendunt could refer to tightening a noose round something, or pulling on a rope to move something; it
depends on whether you think they are preparing to move the horse at this point, or starting the actual pull.)
10. Whose movement was described as lapsus earlier in the story?
11. The picture of busy activity in lines 234-237 from dividimus to intendunt is partly built up by the number of
verbs contained in three-and-a-bit lines. How many are there?
12. How is the horse described in line 237? What is the difference between "fateful" and "fatal"? Who had previously
described it as a machina?
13. What is the horse said to do in line 237? What do you think is meant by this? Does the ground slope upwards to
the walls? Does the verb mean two things at once (climbs up to ... and climbs through the gap in ...)? (There is
no definite "right answer" to this.)
14. How is the horse described in the first two words of line 238? What is it being compared to? In what way has
Virgil used this comparison earlier? (Hint: how has the horse's belly been described in two previous lines? Can
you find the relevant lines?)
15. Who surround the horse as it enters Troy? In what way is the horse's entry into Troy turned into a religious
ceremony (line 239)? What does Aeneas say about the feelings of the pueri innuptaeque puellae (line 239)?
What are they glad to do? Are they involved in pulling the horse, or is the action described in contingere funem
something they do for good luck? (There is no definite "right answer" to this.)
16. Does the punctuation at the end of lines 235-239 suggest that the reader or listener can pause, or do the
sentences continually run over into the next line? In what way, if any, is this suitable for the subject matter of
these lines?
17. What is referred to by illa (line 240)?
18. At the start of line 240, what does the horse do while the singing and celebrations are going on? What area is it
rolling (or gliding) into?
19. The verb minari can mean to tower over something physically or to be a danger to it. Which of these meanings
does it have in line 240? Could it mean both?
20. (This question may be more suitable for discussion than for individual study.) What is the mood of the Trojans
throughout this section? What do they believe is in store for (a) the Trojans themselves (b) the Greeks, now that
they are bringing the horse into the city? How does this make a contrast with what the reader or listener knows
about their future? (A situation of this kind is said to be "ironical" or "full of irony".) Does "knowing what's going to
happen" spoil the story?
21. Translate the section.
WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2 55
Section 23
Lines 241-245
Aeneas sadly recalls the Trojans’ neglect of a warning sign
o patria, o divum domus Ilium et incluta bello
moenia Dardanidum! quater ipso in limine portae
substitit atque utero sonitum quater arma dedere;
instamus tamen immemores caecique furore
et monstrum infelix sacrata sistimus arce.
241
242
243
o - oh
patria, patriae, f. - fatherland, country
o-h
divus, divi, m. - god
domus, domus, f. - home
Ilium, Ilii, n. - Troy
et - and
inclutus, incluta, inclutum - glorious,
celebrated
bellum, belli, n. - war
moenia, moenium, n. - walls
Dardanides, Dardanidum, m. - the Trojans
quater - four times
ipse, ipsa, ipsum - very; himself, herself,
itself
in - at; in
limen, liminis, n. - threshold
porta, portae, f. - gate
subsisto, subsistere, substiti - stick, stop
56 WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2
244
245
245
atque - and
uterus, uteri, m. - belly
sonitus, sonitus, m. - noise, sound
quater - four times
arma, armorum, n. - arms, weapons
do, dare, dedi, datus - make; give
insto, instare, institi - press on, keep going
tamen - however
immemor, gen. immemoris - mindless,
unmindful
caecus, caeca, caecum - blind
-que - and
furor, furoris, m. - madness
et - and
monstrum, monstri, n. - monster, monstrosity
infelix, gen. infelicis - dreadful, unlucky
sacratus, sacrata, sacratum - sacred
sisto, sistere, stiti, status - position, set up
arx, arcis, f. - citadel, stronghold
1. Read lines 241-245 (aloud if possible) or listen to the audio on the CSCP website.
2. Study the vocabulary for these lines.
3. Read this section again.
4. "Oh" in English is often fairly mild; it may be nothing more than politeness ("Greetings, oh king", etc.). o in Latin
is stronger, often indicating deep feeling.
5. What are the three ways in which Aeneas addresses Troy in the first two-thirds of line 241? (divum is in the
same case as Danaum in lines 14, 36 and 44, virum in line 18 and deum in line 54.)
6. Memory check: at what previous point of the story did Aeneas address Troy as if it were still standing and could
hear him?
7. What particular part of the city does Aeneas address in lines 241-242, as if imagining them? What is the
adjective that describes them? In what way were they famous or celebrated? Why is Aeneas' description
poignant or painful at this point of the story?
8. In lines 242-243, what happened to the horse as it attempted to pass through the gateway? How many times?
Which word emphasises the place where this happened?
9. dedere (line 243) means the same as dederunt. (See the Cambridge Latin Grammar page 29, paragraph 6.)
10. A stumble when crossing a threshold was regarded as an omen of bad luck (which is why brides were carried
across the threshold of the groom's house). In what other way, unconnected with omens, does the jolting of the
horse in line 243 give the Trojans a sign of what was happening?
11. (Line 244) How much notice do the Trojans take of the noise? What do they continue to do?
12. How does Aeneas describe the way he and the other Trojans behaved? Is he being over-harsh on himself and
the others? Do the Laocoon and Sinon episodes partly justify the Trojans' behaviour? (The Trojans were often
presented as stupid - especially in Greek versions of the story! - but they were ancestors of the Romans, so
Virgil couldn't allow them to be too ridiculous.)
13. How is the horse described in line 245? Where do the Trojans place it?
14. How does Virgil use word order in line 245 to emphasise the inappropriate way the Trojans were treating the
horse? (Hint: look at adjectives.)
15. Translate the section.
16. Listen again to the recording. If you wish to try your hand at reading a whole section aloud as expressively as
you can (e.g. if you enjoy acting), this would be a very suitable section.
WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2 57
Section 24
Lines 246-249
Cassandra is ignored amid the general rejoicing
tunc etiam fatis aperit Cassandra futuris
ora dei iussu non umquam credita Teucris.
nos delubra deum miseri, quibus ultimus esset
ille dies, festa velamus fronde per urbem.
246
247
248
tunc - then
etiam - even
fatum, fati, n. - fortune, fate
aperio, aperire, aperui, apertus - open
Cassandra, Cassandrae, f. - Cassandra,
daughter of Priam and Hecuba
futurus, futura, futurum - future, destined
os, oris, n. - mouth, lips
deus, dei, m. - god
iussus, iussus, m. - order, command
non - not
umquam - ever
credo, credere, credidi - believe, trust
Teucri, Teucrum, m. - the Trojans
nos - we
58 WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2
249
delubrum, delubri, n. - shrine, sanctuary
deus, dei, m. - god
miser, misera, miserum - wretched,
miserable
qui, quae, quod - who, which
ultimus, ultima, ultimum - last
sum, esse, fui - be
ille, illa, illud - that; he, she, it
dies, diei, m. - day
festus, festa, festum - festive
velo, velare, velavi, velatus - wreathe, deck,
cover
frons, frondis, f. - flower, foliage
per - throughout
urbs, urbis, f. - city
1. Read lines 246-249 (aloud if possible) or listen to the audio on the CSCP website.
2. Study the vocabulary for these lines.
3. Read this section (or listen to the audio) again.
4. Cassandra was a daughter of King Priam and Queen Hecuba. The god Apollo lusted after her. It was agreed
that she would allow him to have intercourse with her, and in return he would give her the gift of prophecy. He
carried out his side of the agreement, but Cassandra refused to carry out hers. Apollo could not cancel his gift
(gods were not allowed to do this) but he added something that made the gift useless. Cassandra would be
able to predict the future but nobody would ever believe her. Lines 246-247 are a good example of the result of
Apollo's action.
5. The words tunc etiam (line 246) are best translated in reverse order.
6. What does Cassandra do in lines 246-247? (Look for a verb and then for a noun in the accusative case.)
7. fatis ... futuris could be either dative (“for something”, i.e. for words about something) or ablative (“with
something”, i.e. with words about something). fatum is connected with the verb fari (to speak), and Virgil uses it
here to mean not just fate but words about fate.
8. Translate line 246 and the first word in line 7.
9. Aeneas does not say what particular future event Cassandra predicts as the horse rolls into Troy, but it is not
difficult to guess. What is the point of tunc etiam at the start of line 246? (Hint: what is Aeneas imagining could
still have happened, even at this late stage, if the Trojans had listened?)
10. Line 247 tells or reminds the reader or listener why Cassandra's words could in fact never have saved Troy.
Find and translate the passive participle which describes Cassandra's lips (or the words on her lips). By whom in
particular were her words never believed?
11. According to line 247, why was she not believed? Which deus is meant?
12. Find and translate the adjective in line 248 which Aeneas uses to describe himself and the other Trojans. (You
may find it helpful to look back and see how the same word was used in lines 42, 199 and 215.)
13. According to the relative clause (quibus ultimus esset ille dies in lines 248-249), what is Aeneas' reason for
describing himself and the others in this way? (Since the relative clause is giving a reason, the subjunctive esset
rather than erat is used; translate it just as if it were erat.)
14. What do Aeneas and the other Trojans do in lines 248 and 249? (deum in line 248 is a genitive plural, like
divum in line 241.) What do they use, and how extensively are these actions carried out?
15. In what way is the situation in line 249 ironical (see section 22 question 20 for explanation of "ironical")? Which
adjective-and-noun phrase in line 249 emphasises the irony? What feature of these words draws the attention of
the reader or listener? Does this feature occur anywhere else in these lines?
16. Translate the section.
WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2 59
Section 25
Lines 250-253
Night falls, and the Trojans sleep
vertitur interea caelum et ruit Oceano nox
involvens umbra magna terramque polumque
Myrmidonumque dolos; fusi per moenia Teucri
conticuere; sopor fessos complectitur artus.
250
251
vertor, verti, versus sum - turn
interea - meanwhile
caelum, caeli, n. - sky, heaven
et - and
ruo, ruere, rui - rush
Oceanus, Oceani, m. - ocean
nox, noctis, f. - night, darkness
involvo, involvere, involvi, involutus envelop, wrap
umbra, umbrae, f. - shadow
magnus, magna, magnum - great, big
terra, terrae, f. - land
-que - and
polus, poli, m. - heaven, sky
-que - and
60 WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2
250
252
254
Myrmidones, Myrmidonum, m. - the Myrmidons,
people from Thessaly, led by Achilles
-que - and
dolus, doli, m. - trick, treachery, deceit
fundo, fundere, fudi, fusus - sprawl; pour
per - throughout
moenia, moenium, n. - city, houses, walls,
fortifications
Teucri, Teucrum, m. - the Trojans
conticesco, conticescere, conticui - fall quiet
sopor, soporis, m. - sleep
fessus, fessa, fessum - tired
complector, complecti, complexus sum embrace
artus, artus, m. - limb
1. Read lines 250-253 (aloud if possible) or listen to the audio on the CSCP website.
2. Study the vocabulary for these lines.
3. Read this section (or listen to the audio) again.
4. Virgil is imagining the world in the way that Homer pictured it in his poems. The earth is a flat circular disc,
whose rim is the ever-flowing Ocean, and the sky is a hemisphere covering the earth, crossed from east to west
every day by the sun, and every night by darkness. So night can be thought of as emerging from Ocean in the
east and spreading out over the sky; from Ocean or up from Ocean would be a convenient way to translate the
ablative Oceano in line 250. But the sky itself can also be thought of as rotating westwards, as at the start of the
line.
5. How does Aeneas describe the passage of time and the coming of nightfall in line 250?
6. Which word in line 250 suggests that night arrives abruptly? Does the rhythm of the second part of line 250 suit
the way night arrives? (Try reading the line aloud.)
7. Find and translate a present participle in line 251 describing night.
8. What two things does night envelop in line 251, and with what?
9. Does the rhythm of line 251 suggest that the darkness continues to travel rapidly, or does the darkness move
more slowly as it spreads out over the earth and sky? (Try reading the line aloud.)
10. In line 252, what else is enveloped by night?
11. Of the three words or phrases for the things covered by night, which is the odd one out?
12. Myrmidonum refers not just to the Myrmidons but to the Greeks generally (in the same way that Virgil used
cuspes instead of hasta, and carina for navis).
13. What are referred to by the phrase Myrmidonum dolos? Why is it necessary and also appropriate for them to
be enveloped in darkness? The Romans sometimes spoke of Night as if she were a person; which side is she
helping here?
14. Where are the Trojans and what state are they in? (As mentioned in section 22 question 5, moenia can mean
buildings of the city as well as walls; choose the meaning you think more suitable here.)
15. You have probably met the verb fundere meaning "to pour" in sentences like servus aquam fundebat. How is
this connected with the meaning to sprawl? Is it to do with drunkenness?
16. What have the Trojans done, at the start of line 253?
17. What does sleep do to the Trojans? (artus is a 4th declension noun, used here in the accusative plural.)
18. How does the verb in 253 emphasise that sleep came to the Trojans as a pleasant relief? Which word explains
why it was so welcome?
19. Translate the section.
WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2 61
Section 26
Lines 254-259
The Greeks return
et iam Argiva phalanx instructis navibus ibat
a Tenedo tacitae per amica silentia lunae
litora nota petens, flammas cum regia puppis
extulerat, fatisque deum defensus iniquis
inclusos utero Danaos et pinea furtim
laxat claustra Sinon.
254
255
256
et - and
iam - now
Argivus, Argiva, Argivum - Argive (Greek)
phalanx, phalangis, f. - army
instruo, instruere, instruxi, instructus - fully
equip; draw up
navis, navis, f. - ship
eo, ire, ii - travel, go, come
a - from
Tenedos, Tenedi, f. - Tenedos, an island off
the Trojan coast
tacitus, tacita, tacitum - quiet, silent
per - in; through
amicus, amica, amicum - friendly
silentium, silentii, n. - silence
luna, lunae, f. - moon
litus, litoris, n. - shore
notus, nota, notum - familiar, famous
peto, petere, petivi, petitus - seek, make for
flamma, flammae, f. - fire-signal
62 WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2
255
257
258
259
cum - when
regius, regia, regium - royal, of the king
puppis, puppis, f. - ship
effero, efferre, extuli, elatus - raise
fatum, fati, n. - will
-que - and
deus, dei, m. - god
defendo, defendere, defendi, defensus preserve, defend
iniquus, iniqua, iniquum - hostile, unfair
includo, includere, inclusi, inclusus - enclose,
shut in
uterus, uteri, m. - belly
Danai, Danaorum, m. - the Greeks
et - and
pineus, pinea, pineum - made of pine
furtim - secretly
laxo, laxare, laxavi, laxatus - release, loosen
claustra, claustrorum, n. - bolts, bars
Sinon, Sinonis, m. - Sinon
1. Read lines 254-259 (... Sinon) (aloud if possible) or listen to the audio on the CSCP website.
2. Study the vocabulary for these lines.
3. Read this section (or listen to the audio) again.
4. What was now happening, while the Trojans slept?
5. Argiva here refers not just to the Argives but to the whole Greek force, like Myrmidonum in line 252. instruere
can mean to equip or to draw up (i.e. for movement or fighting). Follow your own preference.
6. (Line 255) From where did the Greeks set off? Has there been any further mention of this place since Aeneas
mentioned it as the Greeks' hiding-place?
7. Find and translate the nouns described by tacitae and amica, then translate the phrase tacitae per amica
silentia lunae.
8. (This question may be more suitable for discussion than for individual study.) What two things does line 255 tell
us about the night when the Greeks returned to Troy? In what way were these conditions favourable (amica) to the
Greeks? Would they not be equally helpful to the defending Trojans? Might Virgil be less interested in realistic
military tactics than in deliberately creating a picture of peace and tranquillity at this point of the story? If so, why
should Virgil choose to do this?
9. (This question is more suitable for discussion than for individual study.) How can a moon be silent (or peaceful)?
Ought Virgil to have written noctis instead of lunae?
10. What was the fleet making for (line 256)? Which shores are meant, and why were they nota? (The destination is
enemy territory, but one scholar suggests the journey is almost a "home-coming" for the Greeks.)
11. The tenses of the verbs in this section (ibat line 254, extulerat line 257, laxat line 259) vary, and the pluperfect
extulerat has been explained in different ways. One explanation is that the pluperfect indicates suddenness, so
that the basic structure of the sentence is:
"The fleet was advancing (ibat, imperfect) ... when suddenly someone had raised (extulerat, pluperfect) a
signal ... and someone unbars (laxat, historic present, described in section 1 question 12) the horse."
Aeneas has used the historic present tense frequently in his narrative, and here it makes a contrast with the
imperfect ibat.
12. Who, or whose ship, had raised a signal, and what sort of signal was it? (puppis is used instead of navis, just
like carina previously.)
13. Memory check: who was the commander-in-chief of the Greek forces, sailing on the regia puppis and ordering
the signal to be given?
14. To whom was the signal sent, and what did it tell him to do?
15. Translate the perfect passive participle in line 257 which describes Sinon.
16. By what is Sinon protected? (deum is, as previously, being used instead of deorum.) From what danger has he been
protected earlier, and from what danger is he being protected now?
17. From whose point of view is the will of the gods iniquus?
18. Find the verb in 259 which indicates what Sinon does. It leads to two accusative plural nouns, and needs to be
translated twice, one way when it is linked to the first noun, and the other way when linked with the second noun.
19. Whom does Sinon release in line 258? Translate the phrase (made up of participle and ablative noun) that
describes them.
20. What does he loosen in lines 259-260?
21. Do lines 258-259 relate Sinon's actions in the order in which he does them, or does Danaos laxat relate what
he achieves, while claustra laxat adds the method he uses?
22. Translate the section.
23. (This question may be more suitable for discussion than for individual study.) Does the sound of this section suit
the subject matter? (For instance, is the rhythm smooth or jerky? Does the sense of each line move into the next
without a break? Is the speed the same throughout?)
24. (This question may be more suitable for discussion than for individual study.) Of all the writers who related the
story of the wooden horse, Virgil was the only one to make Sinon responsible for opening it. In other versions,
the horse is opened from the inside; the fire-signal comes not from the royal flag-ship but to the royal flag-ship
from Troy, and it is Sinon's job to send it, telling the Greeks they can leave Tenedos safely. Which plan would
make more sense if this were a real-life military operation? Does Virgil gain anything by his version of events?
(Is it better for readers to picture themselves in Troy throughout, or to imagine the action at one point as viewed
from the Greek ships? Which is the most dramatic moment in these lines, and does Virgil's sequence of events
present it more effectively [e.g. in building up to it] than the sequence preferred by other writers?)
WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2 63
Section 27
Lines 259-264
The horse is opened
illos patefactus ad auras
reddit equus laetique cavo se robore promunt
Thessandrus Sthenelusque duces et dirus Ulixes,
demissum lapsi per funem, Acamasque Thoasque
Pelidesque Neoptolemus primusque Machaon
et Menelaus et ipse doli fabricator Epeos.
259
260
261
262
ille, illa, illud - he, she, it
patefacio, patefacere, patefeci, patefactus open, open up
ad - to
aura, aurae, f. - breeze
reddo, reddere, reddidi, redditus - restore
equus, equi, m. - horse
laetus, laeta, laetum - happy
-que - and
cavus, cava, cavum, - hollow, hollowed out
se - himself, herself, itself
robur, roboris, n. - wood, oak
promo, promere, prompsi, promptus - bring
out of concealment
Thessandrus, Thessandri, m. - Thessandrus
Sthenelus, Stheneli, m. - Sthenelus
-que - and
dux, ducis, m. - leader
et - and
dirus, dira, dirum - terrible, dreadful
Ulixes, Ulixis, m. - Ulysses, king of Ithaca
demitto, demittere, demisi, demissus - lower,
let down
labor, labi, lapsus sum - slide
per - down; through, along
64 WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2
263
264
260
funis, funis, m. - rope, cable
Acamas, Acamantis, m. - Acamas, a son of
Theseus and Phaedra
-que - and
Thoas, Thoantis, m. - Thoas
-que - and
Pelides, Pelidae, m. - grandson of Peleus
-que - and
Neoptolemus, Neoptolemi, m. - Neoptolemus,
son of Achilles, grandson of Peleus
-que - and
primus, prima, primum - most eminent, first
-que - and
Machaon, Machaonis, m. - Machaon,
surgeon to the Greeks, son of Aesculapius
et - and
Menelaus, Menelai, m. - Menelaus, Greek
king, husband of Helen
et - and
ipse, ipsa, ipsum - himself, herself, itself
dolus, doli, m. - trick, treachery, deceit
fabricator, fabricatoris, m. - builder, maker
Epeos, Epei, m. - Epeos, builder of the
Trojan horse
1. Read lines 259-264 (illos ... Epeos) (aloud if possible) or listen to the audio on the CSCP website.
2. Study the vocabulary for these lines.
3. Read this section (or listen to the audio) again.
4. Which noun in line 258 does illos refer back to?
5. Translate the perfect participle in line 259. What noun does it describe?
6. In lines 259-260, what does the horse do to the people described as illi?
7. What case is robore, and what adjective describes it?
8. What do the Danai do in lines 260? Does laeti strike you as an understatement?
9. Why is it appropriate for Ulixes (line 261) to be one of those hidden in the horse?
10. Find and translate the noun described by demissum (line 262). How do the warriors reach ground level?
11. There is an unsolved puzzle about Machaon. Why is he called primus? Some have suggested he is the first
man out of the horse, but that leaves something else unexplained. Perhaps it is best to use the translation given
in the vocabulary, most eminent, though you may find that at least two of the other names in the list are more familiar
to you than Machaon.
12. Why is it especially appropriate for Menelaus (line 264) to be among the first Greeks into the city? (Hint: why did
the Greeks attack Troy?)
13. How is Epeos described? He is the last man named, which may mean that he is the last man out of the horse; if
so, would that be appropriate?
14. Translate the section.
WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2 65
Section 28
Lines 265-267
The killing begins; vanguard and main army join forces
invadunt urbem somno vinoque sepultam;
caeduntur vigiles, portisque patentibus omnes
accipiunt socios atque agmina conscia iungunt.
265
266
invado, invadere, invasi, invasus - invade,
attack
urbs, urbis, f. - city
somnus, somni, m. - sleep
vinum, vini, n. - wine
-que - and
sepelio, sepelire, sepelivi, sepultus - bury
caedo, caedere, cecidi, caesus - slaughter,
kill
vigil, vigilis, m. - guard
porta, portae, f. - gate
66 WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2
267
265
-que - and
pateo, patere, patui - be open, lie open
omnis, omne - all, every
accipio, accipere, accepi, acceptus welcome, take in
socius, socii, m. - comrade, ally
atque - and
agmen, agminis, n. - army, rank
conscius, conscia, conscium - of
conspirators, confederate
iungo, iungere, iunxi, iunctus - unite, join
1. Read lines 265-267 (aloud if possible) or listen to the audio on the CSCP website.
2. Study the vocabulary for these lines.
3. Read this section (or listen to the audio) again.
4. What do the advance party do when they have got out of the horse?
5. How is the city described?
6. sepelire commonly means to bury a corpse in the earth. What does Aeneas mean by saying that Troy was
buried somno vinoque? Is the comparison with the treatment of a corpse grimly appropriate?
7. Are some Trojans drunk and others asleep, or does somno vinoque suggest a single picture (drunken
slumber)? Which translation fits better with sepultam?
8. Why has there been so much partying?
9. Is the Trojans' deep sleep caused entirely by wine? (Hint: line 253 might suggest an additional reason.)
10. What happens to the guards (line 266)? Do you have the impression that they are, like the rest of the city,
asleep?
11. What does the advance party do next (lines 266-267)? (The ablative portis patentibus can be conveniently
translated as through ....) Who exactly are omnes socios?
12. Do the advance party continue as a separate unit, or merge with the others? Which words in line 267 show this?
13. Translate the section.
WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2 67
Summary discussion questions
The following questions refer to Sections 12-28.
1. Virgil sometimes highlights or emphasises a word or phrase by
(a) repeating an initial letter
(b) following the word or phrase at the beginning of a line with a strong punctuation mark, so that it is separated from the words before and after it.
Without referring back to previous notes and questions, find three places in Sections 12-28 where Virgil
does this. In each case, why is it appropriate to highlight that particular word or phrase?
2. (This question is more suitable for discussion than for individual study.) Do Laocoon and his sons deserve
their fate? If it is undeserved, does that weaken the poem? If it reflects the fact that in real life innocent
people do get hurt unfairly, does that improve the poem?
(Laocoon is one of several people who get hurt in the Aeneid; another is Queen Dido, who has a tragic
love affair with Aeneas. One scholar has said, "The central fact about the Aeneid ... [is] that it is a poem
of loss, defeat and pathos, as much as it is of triumphant destiny." Another scholar believes that although
Virgil's purpose in the poem was to praise Rome, Virgil himself might have wondered whether Rome's
greatness, either in myth or in history, was achieved at too high a cost. This might be the reason why he
gave instructions in his will that his friends were to destroy the Aeneid; the emperor Augustus forbade
them to do so.)
The following questions refer to the whole text (i.e. Sections 1-28).
1. Without referring back to previous notes and questions, find three places where Virgil uses sound, rhythm
or word order in a way that suits the subject matter of what he is saying. By contrast, find two places
where he seems to use sound, or a pattern of word endings, not because of his subject-matter but simply
to please the ear of the listener.
(The remaining questions may be more suitable for discussion than for individual study.)
2. Have you gained any impression of Aeneas’ personality?
3. Who was responsible for the fall of Troy? The Greeks? The Trojans themselves? Fate? The gods? What
evidence can you find in the text to support one or some or all of these answers?
4. What is Aeneas’ attitude to the events he is describing? Sorrow, anger, or neither of these? Does his
attitude vary? At what points is his emotion strongest?
5. Which moments in the lines you have read stick in your mind most?
68 WJEC Level 2 Latin Literature Unit 9542 Aeneid 2