Scribblers, Sculptors and Scribes
Page 15
2177:
EST EQVOS PERPVLCER SED TV VEHI NON POTES ISTOC Est equos perpulcer, sed t veh nn potes istc.
equos: = equus.—perpulc(h)er, -c(h)ra, -c(h)rum, very beautiful, very handsome; the prefix per- often, as here, has an intensifying force: cf. Eng. “through” > “through and through,” “thorough(ly).”—veh, vehere, vex, vectum, to carry, convey; “vehicle.”—istc: essentially = ist the enclitic -c(e) is an intensifying demonstrative suffix seen also in hic(e), haec(e), etc. / ab was generally employed with the ABL. OF AGENT construction, but was sometimes, as here, omitted.
2182:
IVBEO • ET • IS • EI • SIFECERIT GAVDEBIT • SEMPER Iube et is e s fcerit, gaudbit semper.
2183:
LAETVS • LVBENS • PETITO • QVOD DABITVR • GAVDEBIS • SEMPER Laetus, lubns pett quod dabitur, gaudbis semper.
laetus, -a, -um, happy, joyful; cf. the Eng. name “Letitia.”—lubns: an alternate form of libns, gen. libentis, willing, glad, cheerful, often with adv. force, gladly; “ad lib. (ad libitum).”—pett: fut. imperat. of pet, a form used chiefly in legal or religious commands, = “you shall (emphatic)….”—quod, with dabitur, could be either the rel. pron., (at) what will…, or the conj., because it will….
Oracular response, Padua (?), Italy, first century B.C. (CIL 12.2183)
Kay Stanton (from CIL)
2185:
NVNC • ME • ROGITAS • NVNC CONSVLIS • TEMPVS • ABIT • IAM Nunc m rogits, nunc cnsulis? Tempus abit iam.
rogit (1) is what is termed a FREQUENTATIVE form, adding the INFIX -it- to the stem of rog (1); the latter = to ask, ask for, as in Eng. “interrogate,” and rogitre thus means to ask repeatedly, keep asking; cf. agit (1) from ag, agere.—cnsul, cnsulere, cnsulu, cnsultum, to apply to for advice, consult.—abe, abre, abi, abitum, to go away, depart, leave, pass.
2187:
POSTQVAM CECIDERVNT SEI SVM CONSVLIS TVN ME Postquam cecidrunt s
eis um eis um
postquam, conj., after; “postbellum.”—s
2189:
QVR • PETIS • POSTEMPVS • CONSILI QVOD ROGAS • NON • EST VM Qr petis post
qr, qur, and qur were all alternate spellings of cr reflecting common variants in pronunciation.—cnsilium: the engraver ran out of room for the end of this word on the first line (has this ever happened to you?!) and added the -um just beneath, rather than carrying the final syllable over to the beginning of the next line, a not uncommon practice.
QUAESTINS: Consider what sorts of questions might have been asked to elicit each of these responses. What do the last three responses suggest about the questions asked?
Vatia for Aedile—NOT!
Some Negative Campaign Ads
CIL 4.575, 576, 581: These three election notices (programmata), all from buildings on the Via Degli Augustali, a back street in Pompeii, reflect the wit of some jokesters opposing the election of Marcus Cerrinius Vatia to the aedileship and thus constitute a kind of “negative ad campaign” not unfamiliar to us today. As we have seen, various professional interest groups in Pompeii and other provincial towns often posted notices showing their support for political candidates—but these furuncul, dormients, and sribib are comic inventions, meant to suggest that all the local scoundrels and slackers were backing Vatia. All three notices may have been posted by the same person(s); Florus and Fructus supposedly signed 581, but these men are known from other inscriptions to have been supporters of Vatia, so their names may have been added here to “validate” the joking “endorsements.” The cognomen Vatia, incidentally, means “knock-kneed,” and is typical of a large class of cognomina that refer to an individual’s mental or physical characteristics, including even disabilities; the common cognomen Strab, e.g., meant “Squinter,” and Caesar seems to have meant “Curly” or “Long-Haired.”
575:
VATIAM • AED • ROGANT MACERIO • DORMIENTES VNIVERSI • CVM […] Vatiam aed(lem) rogant Maceri (et) dormients nivers cum […].
aedlis, aedlis, m., aedile, Roman or provincial magistrate in charge of public works and entertainments.—rog (1) in electoral campaigning = ask to elect, ask approval for.—Maceri, Ma cerinis, m., Macerio, a cognomen, known from Pompeii, e.g., as the name of a fuller.—dormi, dormre, dormv, dormtum, to sleep; “dormitory,” “dormant.” Like any other adj., a partic. can be used, like dormients here, as a SUBSTANTIVE.—niversus, -a, -um, the whole of, entire; as a group, united; the word was commonly used in this way in election campaign notices: cf. “the United Auto Workers Support John Doe for President” “universal.”—cum: the rest of the inscription is lost; presumably some noun obj. followed this preposition.
576:
VATIAM • AED FVRVNCVLI • ROG Vatiam aed(lem) fruncul rog(ant).
fr, fris, m., as we have seen before, = thief, robber, and -unculus is a DIMINUTIVE suffix, so frunculus, -, = petty thief, pilferer; “furtive” in another graffito (CIL 4.246) it seems (the text is not quite clear) that Pompeii’s scri, assassins, were also campaigning for Vatia!
581:
M • CERRINIVM VATIAM • AED • OVF • SERI • BIBI VNIVERSI • ROGANT SCR • FLORVS • CVM • FRVCTO […M(rcum) Cerrinium Vatiam aed(lem) (r) v(s) f(acitis); sribibnivers rogant. Scr(psit) Flrus cum Frct […].
r (1), to speak, plead; beg, beseech; “oratory.” The abbreviation O.V.F. is common in campaign notices; facitis is a subjunct. form meaning in this context to make, elect.—sribib, -rum, m. pl., a single word, not two separate words as the scribe has written it, = late-drinkers; the Oxford Latin Dictionary adds to this definition in parentheses, “name of a drinking club?”—yes, indeed, but only jokingly so, though the occasional reader has taken this “ad” to be a serious endorsement by Vatia’s brethren in an actual social guild.—scrpsit: the “artists” who painted electoral programmata occasionally signed off on their work in this way.
PRVERBIA ET DICTA
Difficile est modum tenre in omnibus. (Jerome Ep. 108.20.)
Fidem nm umquam perdit, nisi qu nn habet. (Publilius Sent.: perd, perdere, perdid, perditum, to destroy, ruin, lose, waste; “perdition.”)
Icundct labrs. (Cicero Fin. 2.32.105: sc. sunt; forms of the verb sum, esse are frequently omitted in Lat. because they are easily understood from the context, a common device known as ELLIPSIS.)
Nllus agent dis longus est. (Seneca Ep. 122.3: agent, i.e., for a person living an active life.)
Quidquid bene dictum est ab ll meum est. (Seneca Ep. 16.7.)
S damnat idex, innocentem qu opprimit. (Publilius Sent.: damn [1], to condemn.—innocns, gen. innocentis, harmless, innocent.)
Long fugit, quisquis sus fugit. (Petronius Sat. 43: long, adv., far, a long way.—sus, i.e., his familia.)
Nihil difficile amant put. (Cicero Or. 10.33: put [1], to reckon, suppose, judge, think, imagine; “putative,” “compute,” “dispute.”)
Nihil amantibus drum est; nllus difficilis cupient labor est. (Jerome Ep. 22.40.1: drus, -a, -um, hard, harsh, rough; tough, difficult; “durable,” “endure,” “obdurate.”)
Slem enim mund tollere videntur, qu amcitiam vt tollunt. (Cicero Amic. 23.47: sl, slis, m., sun; “solar,” “solarium.”)
LITTERTRA
Just Say “No”!
Ds numquam, semper prmittis, Galla, rogant:
s semper fallis, iam rogo, Galla, neg.
Martial Epig. 2.25: Galla, doubtless fictitious but the sort of woman a disappointed lover might complain about, was seldom true to her word! Meter: elegiac couplet.
prmitt, prmittere, prms, prmissum, to send forth; promise.—fall, fallere, fefell, falsum, to deceive, mislead; break a promise, disappoint; “false.”—neg (1), to deny, say that…not; say no.—rogo: final long - was often shortened in verse, both for metrical reasons and as a reflection of actual
speech.
At Trimalchio’s Door
Cum Agamemnone ad inuam pervnimus, in cuius poste libellus erat cum hc nscrptine fxus:
QVISQVIS SERVVS SINE DOMINIC IVSS FORS EXIERIT ACCIPIET PLAGS CENTVM.
In adit autem ips stbat stirius prasintus, cerasin succnctus cingul, atque in lance argente psum purgbat. Super lmen autem cavea pendbat aurea in qu pca varia intrants saltbat. Cterum ego dum omnia stupe, paene resupntus crra mea frg: ad sinistram enim intrantibus nn long ab stiri cell, canis ingns, catn vnctus, in pariete erat pictus superque quadrt litter scrptum CAV CANEM. Et collgae quidem me rsrunt.
Petronius Sat. 28–29: In this passage from Petronius’ satiric picaresque novel, the story’s antihero, Encol-pius, ever in search of a free meal, arrives with a group of companions, including a professor of rhetoric named Agamemnon, at the home of Trimalchio, a nouveau riches freedman known for his lavish but utterly gauche, even grotesque dinner parties. “Trimalchio’s banquet” is a major episode in what remains of this fragmentary but long popular 1st-cent. A.D.. literary work. This scene provides a glimpse at the household’s ostentation and a brief sample of the slapstick humor that characterizes much of the novel.
Agamemnn, Agamemnonis, m., Agamemnon, name of the Greek commander at Troy but here that of a somewhat less heroic character, a rhetoric teacher.—inua, -ae, f., door, gateway; entrance, beginning; “janitor”—and Janus was the Roman god of beginnings, hence “January.”—perveni, pervenre, pervn, perventum, to come through to, arrive at, reach; “parvenu.”—postis, postis, m., door post; door.—libellus, here a sign.—nscrpti, nscrptinis, f., inscription.—fg, fgere, fx, fxum, to drive in, insert; pierce; fasten up, nail, hang up; “fix,” “fixture,” “transfix.”—quisquis: used here as adj.—dominicus, -a, -um, of the master, master’s, owner’s; “Dominican.”—iuss, defective noun related to the verb iubre, used in abl. only, order (of), command (of); “jussive.”—fors, adv., to the outside of a building, outdoors.—exe, exre, exi, exitum, to go out, exit.—accipi, accipere, accp, acceptum, to take, receive, accept.—plga, -ae, f., blow, stroke (with a whip or stick, in a beating).—aditus, -s, m., approach, entry; entrance, doorway; “aditus.”—stirius, -, m., janitor, porter, doorman; “Ostia” (Italian town at the mouth of the Tiber river).—prasintus, -a, -um, wearing a green garment, dressed in green.—cerasinus, -a, -um, cherry-colored; “cerasin.”—succing, succingere, succnx, succnctum, to gather up, tie, bind (one’s clothes); can you explain how Eng. “succinct” derived from this verb?—cingulum, -, n., belt; the word is from the same root as succing.—lanx, lancis, f., metal dish, plate.—argenteus, -a, -um, (made of) silver; “argent” and the chemical symbol “Ag.”—psum, -, n., pea (a derivative of the Lat. noun, which in turn originally came from Greek).—purg (1), to clean, refine; shell, husk; “purge,” “expurgate,” “Purgatory.”—super, adv. and prep. + acc., above, over; “superfluous,” “supernatural.”—lmen, lminis, n., threshold, doorway; “liminal,” “subliminal,” “eliminate.”—cavea, -ae, f., cage; “cave,” “cavern.”—pende, pendre, pepend, to be suspended, hang; “pendant,” “pendulum,” “suspend.”—aureus, -a, -um, golden; “aurum” and the chemical symbol “Au.”—pca, -ae, f., magpie, jay; “pica” (species name).—varius, -a, -um, having two or more colors, variegated.—intr (1), to go into, enter; “introduce,” “intramural.”—salt (1), to greet; “salute,” “salutation.”—cterum, conj., but then, however; “etc. (et cetera).”—stupe, stupre, stupu, to be numb, paralyzed; be amazed at, be dumbfounded over; “stupid,” “stupefied.”—paene, adv., almost, nearly; “peninsula,” “penultimate.”—resupn (1), to lay on one’s back; knock flat on one’s back, lay out; “supine.”—crs, crris, n., leg, lower leg.—frang, frangere, frg, fractum, to break; “frangible,” “fracture.”—cella, -ae, f., storage space, larder; small room, office; “cell,” “cellar.”—canis, canis, m./ f., dog; “canine,” “kennel.”—catna, -ae, f., chain; “chain” itself is a derivative, via French, as is “concatenation.”—vinci, vincre, vnx, vnctum, to fasten, bind, tie.—paris, parietis, m., wall; “parietal.”—ping, pingere, pnx, pictum, to color, paint; “picture,” “depict.”—quadrtus, -a, -um, divided into four parts; square, squarely cut; “quadrant” with littera, which here = lettering, the reference is to the neatly square-cut block capitals typical of fine Roman writing and engraving.—cav canem: see the notes and photograph accompanying “Watch Out—He Bites” in Capvt VI.—collga, -ae, f., colleague; associate, companion; one of a few 1stdecl. nouns that are m.; “collegial,” “collegiality.”—quidem, postpositive adv., indeed, certainly, even.—rde, rdre, rs, rsum, to laugh, laugh at; “ridicule,” “deride,” “derisive.”
Floor mosaic from threshold of a house, Pompeii, Italy. Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples, Italy
Erich Lessing / Art Resource, NY
QUAESTINS: What are the comic moments in this passage?—how would you stage them if you were directing a filming of the scene? Which elements serve to foreshadow what turns out to be the ostentation of the house’s owner, Trimalchio (whose name, by the way, means “Th rice Blessed”)?
GRAMMATICA
Participia (participles): List all the participles appearing in this chapter’s Latin readings and then identify the tense, voice, number, gender, and case of each, as well as the noun or pronoun that each participle modifies. Consult the Summrium Frmrum appendix, if necessary.
CAPVT XXIV
Women in Love, Writing the Laws, and a Pertussive Toothless Wonder
You’ll read in this chapter about a love triangle, an ambitious young politician, becoming a god after death, some provisions and penalties set forth in Rome’s earliest laws, the “12 Tables,” and a woman whose poor dental health was equaled only by the virulence of her cough. The Prverbia et Dicta provide glimpses at Roman views on the limits of knowledge, the necessity of hope, and the quest for peace through war.
Grammatica nova: Ablative absolute, passive periphrastic, and dative of agent.
NSCRPTINS
A Love Triangle
CHLOE EVTYCHIAE S NON ME CVRAS EVTY CHIA SPE […]IRMA TVA RVF AMAS Chlo Eutychiae s(altem). Nn m crs, Eutychia. Sp [f]rm tu Rf(am) ams.
CIL 4.8321a: Graffito from a column in the peristyle of the House of the Menander, Pompeii. “Chloe” and “Eutychia” were women’s names, both Greek, here probably freedwomen or slaves; “Rufa” and “Rufus” were Latin female and male cognomina. Two more words follow at the end of the graffito as presented in CIL but are unintelligible and are likely a separate inscription.
saltem: sc. dat (see note on “A New Year’s Letter to Cerialis,” Capvt XXII); the phrasing is epistolary, a not uncommon device in graffiti.—cr (1), to care for, attend to, pay attention to; heal, cure; take care.—frmus, -a, -um, firm, strong; reliable.—Rfam, or perhaps we should read Rfum (as some editors do), depending on the exact composition of this romantic triangle.
Gaius Cuspius Pansa for Aedile!
C • CVSPIVM • AED SI • QVA • VERECVNDE • VIVENTI • GLORIA • DANDA • EST HVIC • IVVENI • DEBET • GLORIA • DIGNA • DARI
G(ium) Cuspium aed(ilem).
S qua vercund vvent glria danda est,
huic iuven dbet glria digna dar.
CIL 4.7201: Electoral programma from the house of Publius Paquius Proculus, near a wineshop on Pompeii’s Via dell’Abbondanza. The evidence from this and several other inscriptions in the city makes it certain that Gaius Cuspius Pansa, whose house has been located in Pompeii and whose father and grandfather were also active in local politics, was a candidate for aedile in A.D.. 79, the year of the city’s destruction. His anonymous supporter here was a bit of a poet, as the last two lines are an elegiac couplet, a common metrical form we have seen in other inscriptions; in another notice advocating Pansa’s election (CIL 4.7129), the opening phrase from Vergil’s Aeneid (arma virumque can, I sing of arms and the man) was written neatly beneath the candidate’s name (for other Vergilian quotes among the graffiti at Pom
peii, see “A Silence Fell over the Guests,” Capvt XVI).
aedlis, aedlis, m., aedile, Roman or provincial magistrate in charge of public works and entertainments; acc. here as dir. obj. of some understood phrase asking for Pansa’s election, e.g., (r) v(s) f(acitis), I ask you to elect (see notes to “Vatia for Aedile—NOT!” in Capvt XXIII).—qua: indef. after s, = any.—vercund, adv., modestly, morally; “reverently.”—iuvenis, iuvenis, m./ f., young person, youth; “juvenile” in another inscription (NSc 1917, CAPVT XL) Pansa is called iuvenis snctissimus, most virtuous young man.—dignus, -a, -um, appropriate, suitable, worthy; “dignify,” “indignant.”
C • CVSPIVM • PANSAM AED AVRIFICES • VNIVERSI ROG G(aium) Cuspium Pnsam aed(lem) aurifics nivers rog(ant).
CIL 4.710: From the exterior wall of the Building of Eumachia on the Via della Fontana, a short stretch of the Via dell’Abbondanza so called because of the fountain outside the rear door of the Building of Eumachia. Electoral notices announcing the support of a candidate by various professional and other special interest groups were quite common (and were the inspiration for occasional “negative ads” like those seen for Vatia in the last chapter); we have programmata like this from Pompeii posted by bakers, barbers, Isis cult-ists, mule drivers, and many others, including the fruitsellers campaigning for Holconius Priscus in Capvt XIV and the ballplayers being lobbied for Vettius in Capvt X.