Where does P. Cornelius Lentulus come from?

It is the continued reading at the end of Benjamin L. D’Ooge’s Latin for Beginners (1911), titled “The story of a Roman boy”.

Does Librorum Capsula include Latin for Beginners?

No. It has only the story of Publius, all nine chapters with every word defined, and not the textbook’s lessons, grammar or drills.

Who is P. Cornelius Lentulus?

The hero of the story, Publius, son of Marcus Lentulus and Julia, born near Pompeii under Vesuvius.

3.4 on Librorum Capsula’s 1–11 scale, from 2.9 to 4.1: late-beginner to early-intermediate.

P. Cornelius Lentulus: The Story of a Roman Boy, in Latin

The book

The reading at the end of a textbook.

Benjamin L. D’Ooge’s Latin for Beginners (1911) is a first-year textbook. After its lessons it closes with a continued story for reading: the life of a Roman boy, Publius Cornelius Lentulus.

The nine chapters, as the book titles them: Publius is born near Pompeii · His life on the farm · Marcus Lentulus, the father of Publius, is shipwrecked, and Julia receives a letter from him · Lentulus reaches home, and Publius visits Pompeii with his father · A day at Pompeii · Lentulus engages a tutor for his son · Publius goes to Rome to finish his education · Publius puts on the toga virilis · Publius joins Caesar’s army in Gaul.

What you get

The story, without the textbook.

What you get is the best reading in Latin for Beginners: the story of Publius, all nine chapters, about 2,100 words, with a definition, lemma and form on every word. What you don’t get is the textbook’s lessons, grammar or drills.

2,055 wordsLC 3.4

P. Cornelius Lentulus — Benjamin L. D'Ooge

The complete story of a Roman boy, retained for extensive reading and Iter support.

Read in Latin →Library entry →

A taste of the Latin

Born under Vesuvius.

Tap any word for its meaning, lemma and form. The mountain, the next sentence tells us, was Vesuvius.

From P. Cornelius Lentulus

P. Cornelius Lentulus · Chapter I

Tap a word — or reveal the translation.

habitābatlivedrādīcibusthe foothills

Continue in the reader

Difficulty

A step beyond the first-year readers.

The story scores 3.4 on Librorum Capsula’s 1–11 scale. Its sentences are longer and more periodic than the beginner readers’, which is good practice before Caesar. Next: Pons Tironum (4.05) or Puer Romanus (4.3), two more Roman boyhoods, or Caesar’s own account in the De Bello Gallico guide.

Another Roman boy’s life13,616 wordsLC 4.3

Puer Romanus — R. B. Appleton and W. H. S. Jones

A complete, varied reader of Roman stories, daily life, history, and culture.