2007 (Slightly Adapted) Prose Composition: Suggested Answer

To defeat the Alamanni, Julianus ordered Silvanus to pitch camp near the city of Augst;

Julianus, ad Alamannos vincendos, Silvanum castra prope urbem Rauracos ponere iussit
OR …Silvano imperavit ut … poneret.

Style:
Promotion of Julianus to head of sentence.
ad + gerundive for purpose
Correct use of iussit + ACC/INF or impero + DAT + ut clause
he himself stayed in Rheims with another army.

dum ipse Remis cum alio exercitu manebat.

Style:
use of subordinate clause (dum…)
manebat: imperfect tense for past continuous action
But before he could attack,

sed priusquam oppugnaret,

Style:
priusquam + SUBJUNCTIVE (for sense of expectation)
the Laeti, a savage tribe skilled in raids, slipped between the two armies in order to reach Lyons.

Laeti, gens saeva et populationum/populationibus perita, inter duo exercitus lapsa est ut ad
Lugdunum perveniret.

Style:
saevissima for saeva: vivid superlative!
Vocab: peritus + GEN/ABL
lapsa est: deponent verb
They would have destroyed this city if the citizens, fearing that an attack might happen, had not
quickly shut the gates.

hi hanc urbem delevissent, nisi cives, quoniam timebant ne oppugnarentur, portas celeriter
clausissent.

Style:
Use of pronoun hi to link with previous sentence.
Use of subordinate clause (quoniam timebant) (Or: veriti ne)
Use of military phrase (ne hostes impetum facerent)

Although they could not capture the city, they ravaged the fields far and wide.

quamquam urbem capere non poterant, agros passim vastaverunt.

Style:
Vocab: passim/ubique/late
Vocab: vasto
On hearing this, Julianus with all his cavalry ambushed the Laeti as they returned home.

quo audito, Julianus omni cum equitatu Laetos domum redeuntes per insidias oppugnavit.
Style:
Connecting relative ‘quo’
Ablative absolute (quo/hoc audito)
He slaughtered many and took back all the booty which they had captured.
praeterea multis trucidatis omnem praedam quam ceperant rettulit.
OR
praeterea non multos solum trucidatos sed omnem etiam praedam quam ceperant rettulit.
Style:
praeterea: connective added to link to previous sentence
Ablative absolute (multis trucidatis)
non solum…sed etiam: co-ordinating phrase
Vocab: slaughter - trucido, iugulo for caedo