6 Damon et Pythias
Pythias and Damon travelled to Syracuse, where one was condemned for plotting against the tyrant Dionysius I. When the condemned asked for a brief reprieve to put his affairs in order, Dionysius demands that the other pledge his life as bail…
| 1 | Dāmōn et Pȳthias, Pȳthagorēī, tam fidēlem inter sē amīcitiam iūnxērunt, |
| 2 | ut morī parātī essent alter prō alterō. Cum eōrum alterī Dionȳsius tyrannus |
| 3 | diem necis dēstināvisset, et is, quī mortī addictus esset, paucōs sibi diēs |
| 4 | ad rēs suās ōrdinandās postulāvisset; vas factus est alter, ut, sī ille nōn |
| 5 | revertisset, moriendum esset ipsī. Omnēs igitur, et imprīmīs Dionȳsius, |
| 6 | novae atque ancipitis reī exitum speculābantur. |
| 7 | Appropinquante deinde dēfīnītā diē, nec illō redeunte, ūnusquisque stultitiae |
| 8 | tam temerārium spōnsōrem condemnābat. At vērō cum alter ad diem |
| 9 | sē recēpisset, admīrātus eōrum fidem tyrannus suppliciō līberāvit eum, |
| 10 | quī morte erat plectendus, ac petīvit, ut sē ad amīcitiam tertium adscrīberent. |
| 1 | Pȳthagorēī: several settlements in southern Italy were founded on Pythagorean principles. Pythagoreans were famous for their vegetarianism, interest in mathematics and music, moral virtue (just ask them!).
ut morī parātī essent: please remember that not all ut clauses are purpose clauses; note especially the tam “trigger” for the ut clause here. |
| 2 | Cum eōrum alterī: remember that cum can be a preposition (+ ablative) but is often a subordinating conjunction (“when, since, although”). Look at the cases of eōrum and alterī. What must cum be?
eōrum alterī: the story typically holds that Pythias was indicted; but here the author leaves it ambiguous which friend was accused and which pledged his life as bail. |
| 3 | paucōs sibi diēs: accusative of duration of time. |
| 4 | ad rēs suās ōrdinandās: gerundive of purpose. |
| 5 | moriendum esset ipsī: remember that the future passive periphrastic indicates necessity (Carthago delenda est!). What case indicates who must fulfill that necessity? (Hint: not that ablative). |
| 7 | Appropinquante deinde dēfīnītā diē: you have an active participle in the ablative agreeing with a noun in the ablative (itself modified by another participle). What construction do you have?
illō redeunte: ecce! it’s the same construction! stultitiae: a genitive of charge [look this up in AG] |
| 9 | suppliciō līberāvit eum: you free an accusative [direct object] from an ablative [ablative of separation] |
| 10 | morte erat plectendus: note the use of the ablative, which activates the core meaning of the future passive participle (no necessity + dative here)
sē: the reflexive pronoun always to the subject of the sentence. Who is that here? |
Interrogata
- Is there a limit to what you would do for your friends? What determines where that limit lies?
- Are your friends “good” because they are your friends, or are they your friends because they are “good”?
