Domini Secretum is a Latin novella published by Bombax Press. This sample for Domini Secretum contains the complete first chapter of the story, including its artwork. The novella is about 8,000 words long and contains 222 words. Of those 222 words, some are cognates, proper nouns, or glossed words. A student needs a working vocabulary knowledge of 136 unique words to read this story in its entirety. The complete dictionary, though not the index verborum, is available here. More detailed information beyond the sample for Domini Secretum is available here.
Sample for Domini Secretum: Capitulum I
Rōmānī servī semper sciēbant dominī sēcrēta. Ego, autem, nescīveram dominī maximum sēcrētum. Ego certē nesciēbam patrem meum scīre dominī maximum sēcrētum. Esse servus erat difficillimum, sed ego habitābam cum familiā meā. Nōs in domō magnā dominī Rōmae habitābāmus, sed nōs habēbāmus nihil nisi nostrum pecūlium.[1]
Servus eram quia māter et pater servī erant. Ego nātus sum servus, et māter etiam nāta erat serva. Meus pater, autem, in Galliā līber nātus erat. Pater in bellō captīvus fuerat, et tum servus erat.
“Aquilīne! Aquilīne! Venī!” māter, quae erat in culīnā, clāmāvit.
Ego īvī ad culīnam quia māter mea voluit mē. Māter mea erat coqua optima, et semper in culīnā erat. Nōs mox ēsūrī erāmus[2] cibum optimum quia celebrābāmus Sāturnālia![3] Ego semper bonum cibum bonum edēbam, sed ego rārē cibum optimum ēdī!
“Quid vīs, māter?” ego rogāvī.
“Fer cibum ad trīclīnium. Iō Sāturnālia!”[4] māter clāmāvit.
“Iō Sāturnālia!” ego clāmāvī.
Sāturnālibus, licēbat nōbīs cibum in trīclīniō edere. Sāturnālibus, nōs poterāmus fingere[5] nōs esse līberōs. Sāturnālibus, licēbat nōbīs dīcere omnia, sed servī rārē multum dīcēbant. Servī rārissimē omnia dīcēbant. Noster dominus nōs pellere poterat etiamsī[6] omnia dīcere nōs poterāmus. Dominus nōn benignus erat, sed sevērus.
Ego cibum ad trīclīnium tulī, et māter etiam cibum ad trīclīnium tulit. Brūtus in trīclīniō nōn erat, sed in trīclīniō erant dominus noster Valēns, meus pater Ferōx, et Graecus servus Nīcomēdēs, quī sciēbat legere et scrībere. Quā dē causā ego etiam sciēbam legere et scrībere. Dominus Valēns, autem, nesciēbat mē scīre legere et scrībere. Ego nolēbam Valentem scīre! Erat sēcrētum meum. Servī sēcrēta etiam habēbant!
“Iō Sāturnālia!” Nīcomēdēs clāmāvit.
Meus pater Iō Sāturnālia nōn clāmāvit. Sāturnālia patrī nōn erant diēs[7] optimī quia is nōn līber erat. Pater meus adhūc erat servus, et nōlēbat fingere[8] sē līberum. Volēbat esse līber! Pater meus īrātus esse vidēbātur, sed ego putābam Sāturnālia esse diēs[9] optimōs.
Dominus cibum cēpit, et tum nōs omnēs cibum cēpimus. Nōs reclīnāvimus. Nōs numquam in trīclīniō reclīnābāmus nisi Sāturnālia erant. Pater, autem, nōn reclīnāvit quia erat Sāturnālicius prīnceps.[10] Pater nōlēbat esse Sāturnālicius prīnceps quia Gallus erat, nōn Rōmānus. Nōlēbat celebrāre Sāturnum et nōlēbat esse Sāturnālicius prīnceps quia pater superbus Gallus erat, non stultus. Valēns, autem, rīserat et dīxerat patrem esse Gallum prīncipem. Quā dē causā, pater erat Sāturnālicius prīnceps… et īrātus.
“Hīs Sāturnālibus, celebrāmus Sāturnum. Dīcimus quid velimus dīcere. Nōs fingimus[11] nōs esse līberōs. Quia ego sum Sāturnālicius prīnceps, ego possum rīdēre omnēs et dominum nostrum,” pater dīxit.
Ego spectāvī mātrem, et māter vidēbātur esse timida. Māter nāta erat serva. Māter sciēbat quid posset dīcere dominīs et quid dominī vellent audīre. Māter nōn rīdēret dominum nostrum quia Valēns sevērus erat.
Pater adhūc nesciēbat quid dominīs dīcere posset. Pater adhūc īrātissimē sē habēbat quia is nōlēbat esse servus. Pater fortasse nōn iam poterat ferre esse servus… Ego spectāvī dominum nostrum. Valēns īrātus esse vidēbātur, sed hī diēs[12] erant Sāturnālia! Pater certē poterat dīcere quid vellet… Nōnne?
Ferōx clāmāvit, “Dominus noster est Valēns, sed hic vir Valēns nōn est valēns. Valēns est timidus quia cibum ad trīclīnium ferre nōn poterat. Nōs ferimus cibum ad trīclīnium! Valēns est vir cui necesse est habēre servōs valentēs! Valēns est timidior quam servī, et servī fortiōrēs sunt quam Valēns!”
“Hahahae. Satis est, Ferōx. Edāmus et celebrēmus,” Valēns īrātē dīxit.
Pater, autem, nōn audīvit. Nōn erat satis patrī meō. Pater etiam īrātus erat. Pater nōlēbat edere et celebrāre. Pater certē satis dominō dīxerat, sed pater volēbat dīcere plūs dē dominō! Quid pater dīceret?
[1] A small savings
[2] We were about to eat
[3] Saturnalia is a Roman holiday. For more information, see the Appendix on Saturnalia on page 102.
[4] Romans said “Io Saturnalia” as a holiday greeting and exclamation.
[5] To imagine
[6] Even if
[7] Days
[8] To imagine
[9] Days
[10] This phrase is often translated as the Leader of Saturnalia or even the Lord of Misrule. This individual was a kind of master of ceremonies for the Saturnalia festival. The Saturnalicius Princeps was often a slave of lower status in the household and was in charge of making fun of people and commanding people to be ridiculous. For more information, see the Appendix on Saturnalia on page 102.
[11] We imagine
[12] Days
