Aeneid 6.854-866
Sīc pater Anchīsēs, atque haec mīrantibus addit:
'aspicē, ut īnsīgnis spoliīs Marcellus opīmīs 855
ingreditur uictorque uirōs superēminet omnīs.
hic rem Rōmānam māgnō turbante tumultū
sistet equēs, sternet Poenos Gallumque rebellem,
tertiaque arma patri suspendet capta Quirino.'
atque hīc Aeneas (ūnā namque īre uidēbat 860
ēgregium formā iuuenem et fulgentibus armīs,
sed frons laeta parum et dēiectō lūmina uultū)
'quis, pater, ille, uirum quī sic comitātur euntem?
fīlius, anne aliquis magnā dē stirpe nepōtum?
quī strepitus circā comitum! quantum instar in ipsō! 865
sed nox atra caput tristī circumuolat umbrā.'
Operatives in the past you have seen participles which derive from deponent verbs. Look at the following examples:
Haec locūtus, Agricola mīlites ad proelium dūxit.
Having spoken these things, Agricola lead his troops to battle.
in templō precāta, Clōdia sacrificium deae dedit.
Having prayed in the temple, Clodia gave a sacrifice to the goddess.
In these examples the two participles, locūtus and precāta, although looking perfect passive, actually translate actively. That is the definition of a deponent verb; they have passive forms, but active meanings. They are said to have put down -dēpōnere- their active forms. Look at these other examples:
Recentiī ad Aegyptium egressī sunt.
The Recentii set out to Egypt.
mīlitēs castrum ingrediēbantur.
The soldiers were entering the camp.
Notice, operatives, that once again, although these forms look passive, they translate actively. Deponent verbs, just like regular verbs have 4 different conjugations, but, unlike regular verbs, they only have three principal parts. The reason for this is that their third principal part, the 1st person singular perfect contains the perfect participle as well, so there is no need for a 4th principal part. Here are some deponent verbs:
1st conjugation: hortor, hortārī, hortātus sum - to urge
2nd conjugation: fateor, fatērī, fassus sum - to confess
3rd conjugation: sequor, sequī, secūtus sum - to follow
4th conjugation: mōlior, mōlīrī,mōlītus sum - to work at
Notice that infinitives for deponent verbs are a little different than those of regular verbs.
1st conjugation: -ārī
2nd conjugation: -ērī
3rd conjugation: -ī
4th conjugation: -īrī
Here are some additional common deponent verbs:
| 1st Conjugation | cōnor, cōnārī, cōnātus sum | to try |
| moror, morārī, morātus sum | to delay | |
| 2nd Conjugation | vereor, verērī, veritus sum | to dread, to fear |
| 3rd Conjugation | loquor, loquī, locūtus sum | to speak, to talk |
| proficīscor, proficīscī, profectus sum | to set out | |
| sequor, sequī, secūtus sum | to follow | |
| 3rd -iō | ēgredior, ēgredī, ēgressus sum | to go out, to leave |
| ingredior, ingredī, ingressus sum | to enter | |
| regredior, regredī, regressus sum | to return | |
| 4th Conjugation | experior, experīrī, expertus sum | to try, to test |
| morior, morī, mortuus sum | to die |
| aeger, aegra, agrum | sick | adjective |
| agger, aggeris - m | a heap, pile, collection, mound | noun |
| arca, arcae -f | box, chest, money box | noun |
| cōnor, cōnārī, cōnātus sum | to try, attempt | verb (deponent) |
| ēgredior, ēgredī, ēgressus sum | to go out, leave, disembark | verb (deponent) |
| fīnis, fīnis - f | that which divides, a boundary, limit, border, a mark, starting-point, goal, borders, territory, land, country | noun |
| flectō, flectere, flēxī, flexus | to bend, turn around | verb |
| frangō, frangere, frēgī, frāctus | to break, to shatter, to crush | verb |
| fungor, fungī, fūnctus sum | to perform, execute, do | verb (deponent) |
| genū, genūs - n | knee | noun |
| imbēcillis, imbēcille | weak, feeble | adjective |
| īnfīrmus, īnfīrma, īnfīrmum | sick, not strong, weak | adjective |
| ingrātus, ingrāta, ingrātum | unpleasant, disagreeable, unacceptable | adjective |
| lābor, lābī, lapsus sum | to glide, slip, sink | verb |
| loquor, loquī, locūtus sum | to talk, speak | verb (deponent) |
| mediō, mediāre, -, - | to divide in half | verb |
| moror, morārī, morātus sum | to delay, stay, wait, remain | verb (deponent) |
| quippe | of course, certainly | adverb |
| respiciō, respicere, respēxī, respectus | to look back | verb |
| sīcārius, sīcāria, sīcārium | murderous, (as a substantive adjective - assassin) | adjective |
| sordidus, sordida, sordidum | dirty | adjective |
| ūrō, ūrere, ūssī, ūstus | to burn up, destroy | verb |
| ūstor, ūstōris - m | a burner of corpses | noun |
| vestigium, vestigiī - n | step, footprint, track, trace | noun |
| vigil, vigilis - m | those on watch, on alert, awake | adjective |
| vorō, vorāre, vorāvī, vorātus | to swallow whole, eat up | verb |
CULTURALIA Comprehension Questions
Directions: Using the CULTURALIA section of your CODEX as a guide, answer the following questions:
1. What is challenging about reconstructing the life of Vergil? Why do scholars question the validity of Aelius Donatus' biography?
2. What happens at the end of Vergil's life? In what year does he die and what does the timeline look like? With whom did he meet with in Athens and what did this person pursuade him to do?
3. What is Vergil's supposed dying wish? Who is in charge of executing this wish?
4. Who overrides Vergil's dying wish? Why might this have happened?
5. Find five interesting facts from Aelius' Donatus' biography.