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 coat of arms of the town of Espenel in France: Azure with a golden lion; and  a silver strip with three moles facing  top right see  https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Espenel
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Updated: Dec 28, 2024

Charles Francois Lhomond was a French priest and educator who had the bad luck to be in Paris during the Terror following the Revolution. Luckily a former student of his was influential enough to have him released from prison and he died peacefully in 1794.

The version of this book in our Latin Library is an epub and lacks the simple illustrations that the paper version but as an epub has the advantage of allowing you to look up vocab instantly.

The Latin progresses in difficulty. It is divided into a hundred and forty-four chapters, eschewing the book system of the bible. It begins with simple Latin:

Deus creāvit coelum et terram intrā sex diēs.Prīmō diē fēcit lūcem. Secundō diē fēcit firmāmentum, quod vocāvit coelum.

And by Chapter 47

Tum prior sīc exposuit Jōsēphō somnium suum: "vīdī in quiēte vītem in quā erant trēs palmitēs; ea paulātim prōtulit gemmās; deinde flōrēs ērūpērunt, ac dēnique ūvae mātūrēscēbant."

Then chapter 208, the last chapter.

Summa rērum ad Simōnem Jonathae frātrem dēlāta est. Is fūnus frātris magnificē cūrāvit, nec diū rēgnāvit; nam et ipse generī suī fraude periit.

As you would expect with a heavily abbreviated text, all but the most interesting stories are omitted. Even if you're not a Christian you should find it highly entertaining. It is rated 4.25 out of five in Goodreads, where one reviewer says:


If you are familiar with the Bible, it is a useful early reader. If you are not, this might be a handy and enjoyable way to learn the broad strokes while studying your Latin without having to read the whole Bible itself.

The annotations and images will be familiar to those who have used Lingua Latina per se Illustrata.


The Epitome can be downloaded on our Latin Library page.


CF Lhomond
CF Lhomond



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