Decens, a would-be guest of Caecilius who apparently was killed by the ghost of Pugnax (a gladiator) on his way to the party. Caecilius is in the garden. Caecilius is sitting in the garden. The slave is in the atrium. The slave is working in the atrium. Publication history [ edit ] The second book is set in Roman Britain near Fishbourne Roman Palace under Agricola, where Quintus meets Salvius and King Cogidubnus, who are historical figures. The book starts by introducing a new family, a Roman aristocrat, Salvius, who is a successful lawyer and senator in Rome. His family includes his wife, Rufilla, and many slaves, some of whom are Britons, others foreign. In the second half of the book, Quintus tells King Cogidubnus about his journey to Alexandria, where he met Barbillus, a friend of his father. Barbillus later dies of a wound during a hunting trip, and tells Quintus to find his son Rufus, who lives in Britain, thus explaining the reason for Quintus' visit. In the fourth textbook, the setting moves to Rome, a few years after the events in Britain. Quintus is absent, and the main characters are Salvius, his ally Haterius, and several other Roman aristocrats, as well as some ordinary citizens. Salvius coordinates the death of Paris, a famous pantomime actor, and exiles Domitia, the emperor's wife, whose affair with Paris was exposed.

Melissa, a very beautiful slave girl bought by Caecilius. It is sporadically suggested that she has some relationship with Grumio. As of July 2022, the Fifth Edition of Book 1 had been released in the United Kingdom edition, with the release of Book 2 in 2023, followed by Books 3 and 4 planned for 2024. Also there is a timeline for the publication of a new 6th edition of the North American edition, with Units 1 and 2 scheduled to be published in spring 2024.Cogidubnus ( Togidubnus in the 5th Edition) is a client king of the Cantiaci, a tribe of Britannia. First appearing in the Book 2, he becomes a close friend of Quintus. Cogidubnus becomes ill, and it is revealed that his advisor, Salvius, is trying to murder him. Although the conspiracy fails, Cogidubnus dies in captivity of his illness.

Barbillus, a wealthy Alexandrian and a friend of Caecilius. He is based on the historical Tiberius Claudius Balbilus, a court astronomer to the emperors Claudius, Nero, and Vespasian. [9] The Cambridge Latin Course ( CLC) is a series of textbooks published by Cambridge University Press, used to teach Latin to secondary school pupils. It provides a grounding in vocabulary, grammar and sense which allows progression through Common Entrance exams into a Secondary, or, Public School. First published in 1970, the series is in its fifth edition as of April 2019. It has reached high status in the United Kingdom, being the most-used Latin course in the country for secondary school pupils, [5] and being used by 85% of Latin-teaching schools. to encourage a wide range of approaches to language learning through the use of high quality audio-visual resources. The book tells the adventures of Caecilius, a banker, and Metella, his wife, in Pompeii from the reign of Tiberius to that of Vespasian. Sometimes the book deviates to talk about Caecilius' two slaves, their cook Grumio, and Clemens, and their frequent humorous mishaps. The book also discusses Metella's slave, Melissa. The book ends when Mount Vesuvius erupts, and Caecilius, Cerberus, Melissa, and Metella are killed in Pompeii. However, the book leaves the reader wondering whether Caecilius' son, Quintus, survives, as he indeed does, along with the slave, Clemens. Grumio's fate is left ambiguous. The beginning of the book is very simple, but each stage develops more complicated grammar and vocabulary. This book introduces the nominative, dative, and accusative cases and different verb tenses including the present, perfect and imperfect. [7] Book II (published 1971) [ edit ]The son of Lucius Caecilius Iucundus and Metella, Quintus is the main protagonist of Books 2 and 3. He escapes Pompeii along with Clemens, and travels to Athens and Alexandria. In Alexandria, he lives with Barbillus, who on his deathbed urges him to find and make amends with his son Rufus, a soldier in Britannia. At the beginning of Book 2, he is a guest of Salvius on his visit to King Cogidubnus, and tells Cogidubnus of his experiences after leaving Pompeii. In Book 3, he finds Rufus, but also becomes entangled in Salvius' plot against King Cogidubnus. Quintus appears once more in the final book, where he is present for the trial of Salvius. Haterius is a rich client and friend of Salvius who appears first in the fourth book. He constructs the arch of Titus for Domitian. He appears again, briefly, in the fifth book, in which he follows Salvius into exile. Belimicus is a chieftain of the Cantiaci tribe who first appears in the Book 2. Throughout the books he is jealous of Dumnorix, the chieftain of the Regnenses. (Dumnorix is later killed when he attempts to seek help from the governor of Britain, Agricola.) He helps Salvius in his plot to kill Cogidubnus, but begins to rebel against Salvius's authority, as he feels he deserves the kingship. Belimicus is murdered by Salvius with poison at the end of Book 3.