Ch. 2.
8. conditā cīvitāte: ‘the city having been founded’ ＝ ‘when the city had been founded.’ The student should ascertain by analysis of the thought what the Ablative Absolute is intended to represent, and should translate it accordingly. The literal translation should seldom be used. Civitate ＝ urbe, a late usage, frequent in Eutropius. The usual expression is urbe conditā, but Eutropius places the participle first for emphasis.
Rōmam vocāvit: according to Lanciani, Roma is derived from Rumon, ‘river.’ Roma then would mean ‘the town by the river,’ and Romulus, ‘the man from the town by the river’ (Anc. Rome, p. 37). Mommsen claims that Ramnes, the early name by which the Romans were called, means ‘bushmen.’ Hence Roma would be ‘the town of the bushmen’ (Mommsen, History of Rome, Vol. I, p. 71).
9. ferē: ‘about,’ indicating that the statement is a loose one.
10. centum ex seniōribus: ‘a hundred of the elders’; ex or dē with cardinal numerals is regularly used instead of a Partitive Genitive. Tarquinius Priscus doubled the number of the senators, Ch. 6. Before the end of the regal period the number was increased to 300. Sulla added 300 equites. Julius Caesar raised the number to 900. Augustus reduced it to 600. For the duties of the senate see Ihne, Ch. XI; Tighe, pp. 49, 115; Mommsen, pp. 18, 19, 45, 46.
12. uxōrēs: object of habērent. Emphatic on account of its position before the subject of the verb.
Page 8.
1. eārum: the antecedent is nātiōnēs.
commōtīs bellīs: lit. ‘wars having been aroused’ ＝ ‘when war had been aroused’; cf. conditā cīvitāte, Ch. 2.