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 iambic meter. You will find materials for all of these options below. :-)
VERSE MACRONS. Here is the verse text with macrons:
Agricola, terram fodiēns, thēsaurum invenit,
Aufertque, nec eum Fortūnae acceptum refert;
Sed etiam meritīs dēbitum crēdit suīs.
Thēsaurum hinc aliquot post diēs fur subripit:
Afflictus ergō luctū incōnsōlābilī
Agricola questibus omnia īnsānīs rēplet,
Et aspera inter verba Fortūnam increpat.
Quid mē, inquit illa, gravibus immeritam probrīs
Lacessis? atque, quod tibi ēreptum est bonum,
Meum faventis mūnus hoc sī nōn fuit,
Cūr nunc meam reflantis hanc culpam vocās?
PROSE MACRONS. Here is the same text with macrons written out in prose word order:
Agricola, terram fodiēns, thēsaurum invenit, et aufert et nōn eum refert Fortūnae acceptum; sed etiam crēdit meritīs suīs dēbitum. Hinc post diēs aliquot fur thēsaurum subripit: Agricola ergō, luctū incōnsōlābilī afflictus, omnia rēplet questibus īnsānīs, et inter verba aspera Fortūnam increpat. Illa inquit: Quid mē lacessis, immeritam, probrīs gravibus? Atque, quod bonum tibi ēreptum est, sī hoc mūnus meum nōn fuit, faventis, cūr nunc, reflantis, hanc vocās culpam meam?
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):
Agrícola, terram fódiens, thesaúrum ínvenit, et aufert et non eum refert Fortúnae accéptum; sed étiam credit méritis suis débitum. Hinc post dies áliquot fur thesaúrum súbripit: Agrícola ergo, luctu inconsolábili afflíctus, ómnia replet quéstibus insánis, et inter verba áspera Fortúnam íncrepat. Illa inquit: Quid me lacéssis, imméritam, probris grávibus? Atque, quod bonum tibi eréptum est, si hoc munus meum non fuit, favéntis, cur nunc, reflántis, hanc vocas culpam meam?
IAMBIC METER. Here is the verse text with some color coding to assist in the iambic meter. The disyllabic elements (iambs/spondees) are not marked, but the trisyllabic elements are color-coded: dactyls are red, anapests are purple, and tribrachs are green (as is any proceleusmaticus, although that is a rare creature); for more information, here are some Notes on Iambic Meter.
Agrico·la, ter·ram fodi·ēns, thē·saur~ in·venit,
Aufert·que, nec e·um For·tūn~ ac·ceptum· refert;
Sed eti·am meri·tīs dē·bitum· crēdit· suīs.
Thēsau·r~ hinc ali·quot post· diēs· fur sub·ripit:
Afflic·tus er·gō luc·t~ incōn·sōlā·bilī
Agrico·la ques·tibus om·ni~ īn·sānīs· rēplet,
Et as·per~ in·ter ver·ba For·tūn~ in·crepat.
Quid m~ in·quit il·la, gravi·bus im·meritam· probrīs
Laces·sis? at·que, quod· tib~ ē·rept~ est· bonum,
Meum· faven·tis mū·nus hoc· sī nōn· fuit,
Cūr nunc· meam· reflan·tis hanc· culpam· vocās?
Here is an illustration from the Medici Aesop, which is online at the New York Public Library website.
What follows is an unmarked version of the prose rendering to faciliate word searches:
Agricola, terram fodiens, thesaurum invenit, et aufert et non eum refert Fortunae acceptum; sed etiam credit meritis suis debitum. Hinc post dies aliquot fur thesaurum subripit: Agricola ergo, luctu inconsolabili afflictus, omnia replet questibus insanis, et inter verba aspera Fortunam increpat. Illa inquit: Quid me lacessis, immeritam, probris gravibus? Atque, quod bonum tibi ereptum est, si hoc munus meum non fuit, faventis, cur nunc, reflantis, hanc vocas culpam meam?
