Sicut retiarius rete iacit, ita hoplomachus hastam tollit.

It is a matching pair that sets up a comparison:

• sicut = just as
• ita = so, in the same way

So the structure is:

• Sicut A ..., ita B ...
• Just as A ..., so B ...

This is a very common Latin way to compare two actions or situations.

There are really two mini-clauses:

1. Sicut retiarius rete iacit

   • retiarius = subject
   • rete = direct object
   • iacit = verb

2. ita hoplomachus hastam tollit

   • hoplomachus = subject
   • hastam = direct object
   • tollit = verb

So each half has the same basic pattern:

• subject + object + verb

That parallel structure helps the comparison feel neat and balanced.

Because rete is a neuter third-declension noun.

For many Latin nouns, you can often spot the accusative by the ending, but third-declension neuters are special:

• nominative singular = accusative singular

So rete can be either subject or object in form, and you tell its role from the sentence structure and meaning. Here it is the thing being thrown, so it is the direct object of iacit.

Here are the cases:

• retiarius: nominative singular

  • the subject of iacit

• rete: accusative singular

  • the direct object of iacit

• hoplomachus: nominative singular

  • the subject of tollit

• hastam: accusative singular

  • the direct object of tollit

A learner will often notice that hastam is clearly accusative because of -am, while rete is less obvious because it is a neuter third-declension form.

Iacit is:

• 3rd person singular
• present tense
• active voice
• indicative mood

It comes from iacio, iacere, meaning to throw, to cast.

So iacit means he throws or he casts.

Tollit is also:

• 3rd person singular
• present tense
• active voice
• indicative mood

It comes from tollo, tollere.

In many contexts tollo can mean things like:

• lift up
• raise
• take up
• sometimes even remove or take away

Here, with hastam, the natural sense is raises or lifts a spear.

It could mean several things in other contexts, because tollo has a fairly broad range of meanings. Depending on the situation, it can mean:

• lift
• raise
• pick up
• take away
• remove

In this sentence, because the object is hastam and the scene is gladiatorial, the best sense is something like raises or lifts up. Context tells you which English word fits best.

Because Latin has no articles. It does not have separate words for the, a, or an.

So:

• retiarius can mean the retiarius or a retiarius
• rete can mean the net or a net
• hastam can mean the spear or a spear

English has to choose an article, but Latin usually leaves that to context.

Latin word order is much freer than English word order, because the endings show the grammatical roles. So the sentence could be rearranged more than English allows.

But the word order here is chosen for style and clarity. It is very balanced:

• sicut
  • subject + object + verb
• ita
  • subject + object + verb

That neat parallelism makes the comparison stronger and easier to follow.

They are special terms for types of gladiators.

• retiarius = a gladiator associated with a net
• hoplomachus = a gladiator associated with heavier weaponry, including a spear

Grammatically, though, they still work like ordinary nouns in the sentence:

• both are nominative singular subjects
• both are masculine singular

It is a Greek loanword used in Latin.

That is not unusual, especially for terms connected with warfare, culture, or specialized roles. Even though it comes from Greek, in this sentence it behaves like a Latin masculine noun in -us, and here it is simply nominative singular as the subject of tollit.

The present tense here gives a vivid, general statement:

• the retiarius casts a net
• the hoplomachus raises a spear

This can describe:

• what they typically do
• what they are doing in a vivid scene
• a general comparison between the two gladiator types

Latin often uses the present this way, just as English does.