Vergil, Aeneid, Book 8

regina in mediis patrio vocat agmina sistro,
necdum etiam geminos a tergo respicit anguis.
omnigenumque deum monstra et latrator Anubis
contra Neptunum et Venerem contraque Minervam
tela tenent. saevit medio in certamine Mavors                  700
caelatus ferro, tristesque ex aethere Dirae,
et scissa gaudens vadit Discordia palla,
quam cum sanguineo sequitur Bellona flagello.
Actius haec cernens arcum intendebat Apollo
desuper; omnis eo terrore Aegyptus et Indi,                     705
omnis Arabs, omnes vertebant terga Sabaei.
ipsa videbatur ventis regina vocatis
vela dare et laxos iam iamque immittere funis.
illam inter caedes pallentem morte futura
fecerat ignipotens undis et Iapyge ferri,                             710
contra autem magno maerentem corpore Nilum
pandentemque sinus et tota veste vocantem
caeruleum in gremium latebrosaque flumina victos.

Operatives, you have seen uses of impersonal verbs in the past. Look at the following examples.

necesse est nōbīs emere nova vestīmenta.
It is necessary for us to buy new clothes.

Bellatorī placet.
It is pleasing to Bellator.

In the sentences above, the verbs are said to be used impersonally, which means they do not have an expressed subject, so in English you must supply the subject "it." There are only about 15 impersonal verbs that appear commonly in Latin and in general these verbs are often followed by infinitive phrases, but not always. Operatives, Mission Control does not believe you need to know the uses of all of the impersonal verbs, but there are three more which appear quite frequently of which you should have a working knowledge.

Examine the following examples:

mē decet Bellatorī gladium fulgēntem dāre.
It is right for me to give a shiny sword to Bellator.

or, in more refined English:

I ought to give Bellator a shiny sword

mē taedet saltātrīcium et pumiliōnum.
It makes me tired of dancing girls and dwarves.

or, in more refined English:

I am tired of dancing girls and dwarves.

Recentiōs numquam oportet Societātibus Potentium crēdere.

It is never right for the Recentii to trust the League of the Powerful.

or, in more refined English:

The Recentii should never trust the League of the Powerful.

Notice that in each sentence, the accusative really becomes the subject of the impersonal verb in the English translation. The reason we, as English speakers need to manipulate this construction so much is because we rarely use the impersonal construction in English and it is far too bulky and cumbersome. It is best, when you recognize the impersonal construction in Latin, to change it into a more refined English translation.

Directions: Using the CULTURALIA section of your CODEX as a guide, answer the following questions:

 dē septem collibus Rōmae

1. What were the seven hills of Rome?

2. Describe the Avantine Hill. Where is it located and what types of people populate it?

3. Describe the Caelian Hill. Where is it located and what types of people populate it?

4. Describe the Capitoline Hill. Where is it located and what very important structure was located there in antiquity?

5. Describe the Esquiline Hill. Where is it located and who were some of its famous residents?

6. Describe the Palatine Hill. Where is it located and what is its significance in Roman mythology? Who is arguably it's most famous resident?

7. Describe the Quirinal Hill. Where is it located and what types of buildings were once constructed there?

8.  Describe the Viminal Hill. Where is it located?