READ OUT LOUD. Choose which marked text you prefer to practice with - macrons in verse form, or macrons in prose order, or accent marks in prose order, or focusing on the meter. You will find materials for all of these options below. :-)
VERSE MACRONS. Here is the verse text with macrons:
Accipitrem Milvī iunxēre timōre Columbae
Praesidiī saevam spē potiōris avem.Quī simul est admissus, in hās saevīre vidērī
Iūre volēns, fīdās esse negābat avēs.Inque columbārī strāgēs hinc ēdita māior,
Quam Milvī poterat vī foris ulla darī.Parce tuam, quī sunt crūdēlēs crēdere vītam,
Praesidia ex illīs esse cruenta solent. PROSE MACRONS. Here is the same text with macrons written out in prose word order:
Milvī timōre, columbae accipitrem, saevam avem, iunxēre, praesidiī potiōris spē. Quī simul admissus est, iūre vidērī in hās saevīre volēns, negābat avēs fīdās esse. Et hinc in columbārī strāgēs ēdita māior quam ulla foris Milvī vī darī poterat. Parce vītam tuam crēdere quī crūdēlēs sunt; ex illīs praesidia cruenta esse solent.
STRESS (ACCENT) MARKS. Here is the prose text with accents, plus some color-coding for the words of three or more syllables (blue: penultimate stress; red: antepenultimate stress):
Milvi timóre, colúmbae accípitrem, saevam avem, iunxére, praesídii potióris spe. Qui simul admíssus est, iure vidéri in has saevíre volens, negábat aves fidas esse. Et hinc in columbári strages édita maior quam ulla foris Milvi vi dari póterat. Parce vitam tuam crédere qui crudéles sunt; ex illis praesídia cruénta esse solent.
ELEGIAC COUPLET METER. Below I have used an interpunct dot · to indicate the metrical elements in each line, and a double line || to indicate the hemistichs of the pentameter line.
Accipi·trem Mil·vī iunx·ēre ti·mōre Co·lumbae
Praesidi·ī sae·vam || spē poti·ōris a·vem.Quī simul· est ad·missus, in· hās sae·vīre vi·dērī
Iūre vo·lēns, fī·dās || esse ne·gābat a·vēs.Inque co·lumbā·rī strā·gēs hinc ·ēdita· māior,
Quam Mil·vī pote·rat || vī foris ·ulla da·rī.Parce tu·am, quī ·sunt crū·dēlēs ·crēdere ·vītam,
Praesidi·~ ex il·līs || esse cru·enta so·lent.IMAGE. Here is an illustration for the story from the 1574 edition of Osius:
What follows is an unmarked version of the prose rendering to faciliate word searches: written out in prose word order: Milvi timore, columbae accipitrem, saevam avem, iunxere, praesidii potioris spe. Qui simul admissus est, iure videri in has saevire volens, negabat aves fidas esse. Et hinc in columbari strages edita maior quam ulla foris Milvi vi dari poterat. Parce vitam tuam credere qui crudeles sunt; ex illis praesidia cruenta esse solent.
