Compiled by an unknown author about the late 13th / early 14th century, Gesta Rōmānōrum (the deeds of the Romans) is a collection of anecdotes and tales which, despite its title, have little, if anything, to do with the Romans. Nevertheless, it was not only one of the most popular books at the time but also a direct or indirect source for literature including the works of Geoffrey Chaucer, Giovanni Boccaccio and William Shakespeare.
Like the Vulgate it can be regarded as a “bridge” between textbook Latin and the works of the Roman authors. Sentence structure is generally less complex, and language is neither poetic nor oratorical in style. The only proviso is that certain features occur that are not evident in Classical Latin, although the meaning remains clear. Where variations occur, they will be noted.
Rēx quīdam rēgnāvit, in cuius imperiō erat quīdam iuvenis ā pīrātīs captus, quī scrīpsit patrī suō prō redemptiōne. Pater nōluit eum redimere sīc, quod iuvenis multō tempore in carcere erat macerātus. Ille, quī eum in vinculis habēbat, quandam pulchram fīliam ac oculīs hominum grātiōsam genuerat, qu(a)e nutrīta in domō erat, quousque vīgintī annōs in etāte (aetāte) suā complēverat, quae saepius incarcerātum visitātum īvit ac cōnsōlābātur. Sed ille in tantum dēsōlātus erat, quod nūllam cōnsōlātiōnem recipere poterat, sed suspīria et gemitūs continuē ēmittēbat.
Accidit quōdam diē, quod, cum puella eum visitāret, ait iuvenis eī: “Ō bona puella, utinam vellēs prō meā līberātiōne labōrāre!”
Quae ait: “Quōmodo poterō hoc attentāre! Pater tuus, quī tē genuit, nōn vult tē redimere, ego vērō, cum sim tibi extrānea, quōmodo deberem hoc cogitāre? “Et sī tē līberārem, offēnsiōnem patris meī incurrerem, quia tuam redemptiōnem perderet pater meus. Vērumtamen mihi ūnum concēde, et līberābō tē.”
Ait ille: “Ō bona puella, pete ā mē quid tibi placuerit! Sī mihi est possibile, ego concēdam.”
At illa: “Nihil aliud petō prō tuā līberātiōne, nisi quod mē in uxōrem dūcās tempore opportūnō.”
Quī ait: “Hoc tibi firmiter prōmittō.”
Vocabulary
[i]
consolātiō, -ōnis [3/f]: consolation, comfort
gemitus, -ūs [4/m]: groan
offēnsiō, -ōnis [3/f]: offence, wrongdoing
pīrāta, -ae [1/m]: pirate
rēdemptiō, -ōnis [3/f]: ransom, redemption
suspirium, -ī [2/n]: sigh
vinculum, -ī [2/n]: bond, chain, fetter
[ii]
cōnsolor, cōnsolārī, cōnsolātus sum [1 deponent]: console, comfort
dēsolō, dēsolāre, dēsolāvī, dēsolātus [1]: desolate, distress
gignō, gignere, genuī, genitus [3]: beget, bring forth
incurrō, incurrere, incursī, incursus [3]: incur, fall into (e.g. offence/blame)
macerō, macerāre, macerāvī, macerātus [1]: wear down, exhaust
nūtrīō, nūtrīre, nūtrīvī, nūtrītus [4]: nourish, bring up, rear
rēdīmō, rēdimere, redēmī, redemptus [3]: ransom, redeem
[iii]
dēsōlātus, -a, -um: desolate, distressed
extrāneus, -a, -um: foreign, unrelated, outsider (as adjective)
grātiōsus, -a, -um: pleasing, charming, graceful
opportūnus, -a, -um: suitable, favourable, opportune
Notes
[1] Rēx quīdam rēgnāvit, in cuius imperiō erat quīdam iuvenis ā pīrātīs captus …
A feature of some texts in the Gesta Rōmānōrum is their deliberate vagueness. The phrase rēx quīdam introduces an unnamed and unspecified king, while in cuius imperiō provides only a minimal narrative setting. This lack of specificity shows that the king serves merely as a framing device and plays no further role in the story. This kind of opening is similar to a folk tale (“once there was a king”), signalling that the moral narrative, rather than historical detail, is the focus.
[2] visitātum īvit | she went to visit …; supine
https://adckl.blogspot.com/search/label/supine
[3] There are few challenges in reading Mediaeval Latin (ML); differences will be noted as we work through the text:
[i] ae > e; this reflects the shift in pronunciation from the Classical Latin (CL) diphthong /ae/ to /e/ and commonly occurs in Mediaeval writing:
CL: quae > ML: que (Compare Fr. / Sp. que)
CL: aetate > ML: etate
[iii] word order, although still displaying Classical Latin structure, is simpler in style; note in particular that verbs are trending towards an order similar or identical to, for example, French and English:
… quī scrīpsit patrī suō prō redemptiōne.
who wrote to his father about a ransom
… cum sim tibi extrānea, …
since I am a stranger to you, …
Nihil aliud petō prō tuā līberātiōne, …
I ask nothing else for your freedom
Sī mihi est possibile …
If it is possible for me,
līberābō tē
I will free you
[iv] A major change to note: far wider-ranging use of quod to express the conjunction ‘that’; these are not CL structures but show the influence of Romance languages that had developed from Latin. Both of the examples below would require ut + subjunctive in CL:
Sed ille in tantum dēsōlātus erat, quod nūllam cōnsōlātiōnem recipere poterat
But he was so utterly desolate that he was unable to receive any consolation
Accidit quōdam diē, quod, … ait iuvenis eī
It happened one day that, … the young man said to her
Subjunctive usage
The text is an excellent source of review of the subjunctive, and their uses are very clear:
[i] cum puella eum visitāret, …
when the girl was visiting him,
cum sim tibi extrānea, …
since I am a stranger to you, …
cum-clause: circumstance
https://adckl.blogspot.com/search/label/subjunctive%3A%20cum-clauses
[ii] utinam vellēs prō meā līberātiōne labōrāre!
if only you were willing to work for my freedom!
optative
https://adckl.blogspot.com/search/label/subjunctive%3A%20optative
[iii] quōmodo deberem hoc cogitāre?
how should I think of doing this?
deliberative
https://adckl.blogspot.com/search/label/subjunctive%3A%20deliberative
[iv] Et sī tē līberārem, offēnsiōnem patris meī incurrerem, …
And if I were to free you, I would incur the anger of my father, …
conditional clause: present contrary-to-fact
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2026/03/100926-level-3-conditional-clauses-7.html
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2026/03/100926-level-3-conditional-clauses-8.html
[v] … quia tuam redemptiōnem perderet pater meus.
… because my father would lose your ransom.
causal clause
https://adckl.blogspot.com/2026/03/230826-level-3-subjunctive-90-dependent.html
[vi] pete ā mē quid tibi placuerit [perfect subjunctive]
ask from me whatever you please [literally: what may have pleased you]
indirect question
https://adckl.blogspot.com/search/label/subjunctive%3A%20indirect%20questions
[vii] Nihil aliud petō …, nisi quod mē in uxōrem dūcās
I ask nothing else …, except (for the fact) that you take me as your wife
indirect command: in CL usually with ut but ML uses quod [see note [1][iv] above]
https://adckl.blogspot.com/search/label/subjunctive%3A%20indirect%20commands
____________________
A certain king reigned, in whose realm there was a certain young man who had been captured by pirates, and who wrote to his father about a ransom. The father was unwilling to ransom him in this way, because the young man had been worn down by a long time in prison. The man who was holding him in chains had begotten a certain beautiful daughter, pleasing in the eyes of men, and she had been brought up in the house until she had reached twenty years of age. She often went to visit the imprisoned man and used to comfort him. But he was so utterly desolate that he was unable to receive any consolation, and instead he continually let out sighs and groans.
It happened one day that, when the girl was visiting him, the young man said to her: “O good girl, if only you were willing to work for my freedom!”
She said: “How shall I be able to attempt this? Your father, who begot you, is unwilling to ransom you; but I, since I am a stranger to you, how should I think of doing this? And if I were to free you, I would incur the anger of my father, because my father would lose your ransom. Nevertheless, grant me one thing, and I will free you.”
He said: “O good girl, ask from me whatever you please! If it is possible for me, I will grant it.”
But she said: “I ask nothing else (in exchange / in return) for your freedom, except that you should take me as your wife at a suitable time.”
He said: “I firmly promise you this.”
