56 Explōrātiō Duodecima (XII) Adventure Twelve

Sulpicia, epigram 2 Locative Case

I-Verbs (3rd Conjugation)

 

Etruria, Italia Mēnsis Iulius

M. Aciliō Glabriō C. Fonteiō Capitōne cōnsulibus

T
Tuscany, Italy July, 33 BCE

he asīnus, or donkey, on which I found myself riding was a bit larger than a pony. While it was twitchy, it was not impossible to hold onto, and I only fell off twice during the seven miles we rode before reaching our stop. Our journey this morning had started at

the stone arches of the Milvian Bridge, the Pōns Milvus, just north of the city, which carried us over the Tiber. From there we followed the cobblestones of the Via Cassia into the montēs beyond, a place the earliest Romans considered Etruscan territory. There was a fair amount of traffic heading contrā nōs, in the other direction – several carts full of lumber and building stone, peasants driving donkeys piled with firewood or cheese. At one point a group of red-caped equitēs rode by us at full speed and nearly knocked me over; the one traffic rule here was that if you were larger or more important, you had the right of way. Aside from us, the only other traveler heading our direction was the carriage we were trailing. Its iron hoop wheels clanked loudly over the stones as it was pulled along by a pair of mules.

Near the river it was hot and humid, but as we climbed into the mountains the air turned noticeably drier and fresher. At one point I turned backward to see if I could catch a glimpse of the city, but as soon as I did so, I fell off my ass.

When I told Latinitas this, she either did not understand my joke or did not find it funny. She fed my donkey a carrot and helped me to remount, all business.

 

“Don’t ever look back at a town you are leaving; it’s very bad luck, you know. Just look forward and hold on tight. To keep your mind off Rome I’m going to recite some words for you to repeat. You can write them down when we stop:”

1st Declension Noun

Rōma, Rōm-aef.Rome

Rōmamto Rome “No ad is needed.”

Rōmaeat or in Rome “This ending is called the Locative.”

Rōmāfrom Rome “No ab or ex is needed.”

 

2nd Declension Noun

ager, agr-īm.field, land“Land as a piece of property”

 

2rd Declension Neuter Nouns

arbitrium, arbitri-īn.decision

cōnsilium, cōnsili-īn.plan, advice; ability to plan; council

 

3rd Declension Neuter Noun

rūs, rūr-isn.countryside

 

4th Declension Noun

domus, dom-ūsf.home “It sometimes has 2nd Decl. Forms: domus, dom-ī.”

domumto home, home “No ad is needed.”

domīat home “This ending is called the Locative.”

domōfrom home “No ab or ex is needed.”

sēnsus, sēns-ūsm.sense

 

Adverb

hīchere