Scribblers, Sculptors and Scribes
Page 16
aurifex, aurificis, m., one who works in gold (aurum, -, n.), goldsmith; “aureole,” “Au.” (abbreviation for the element gold); the existence of an association of goldsmiths in Pompeii speaks to the relative prosperity of the city.—niversus, -a, -um, the whole of, entire; as a group, united; pl., all without exception; “universal,” “universe” commonly used in election campaign notices.—rog (1) in electoral programmata = ask to elect, ask approval for.
Fountain on the Via dell’Abbondanza, Pompeii, Italy
Robert I. Curtis
TWO EPITAPHS
For a Boy
DIS MANIBVS M LVCCEI VERI VIX ANN VII DIEB XIII HOR II Ds mnibus M(rc) Lucce Vr. Vx(it) ann(s) VII, dib(us) XIII, hr(s) II.
AE (1989) 98: Inscription on a marble cremation urn from Rome; late 1st–early 2nd cent. A.D..
Ds mnibus: dat., as usual in such funerary dedications (see, e.g., Capvt XXII).
QUAESTI: What do you see as the effect of the exactitude in detailing the length of the young boy’s life?
And for a…God
…]EI • PROPERAS • I • NO[…] E[…]SEIN • OTIVM HABES STA […] CORPORE CONSVMPT[…] VIVA • ANIMA • DEVS • SVM •
[S]ei propers, —n[n ten]e[]—sein tium habs, st!
[…]
Corpore cnsmpt[], vv anim, deus sum.
CIL 12.2997: The first and last lines of an otherwise severely fragmented funerary inscription consisting of four elegiac couplets; Rome, late 1st cent. B.C. The central portion of the large travertine stone on which the inscription had been engraved was subsequently cut out for use as construction material.
sei: = s as noted before (see “The Ideal Woman,” Capvt XXI), the diphthong ei was commonly substituted in inscriptions, esp. older ones, for long .—proper (1), to act with haste, hurry; be in a hurry.—e, re, v, itum, to go; “itinerary,” “exit.”—nn tene: sc. t.—sein: = sn (s + ne), conj., if however, but if.—cnsm, cnsmere, cnsmps, cnsmptum, to destroy; use up, consume; “consumption.”—vvus, -a, -um, alive, living; “vivisect,” “convivial.”—anima, -ae, f., soul, spirit; “animal,” “animated,” “reanimate.”
QUAESTINS: Who, as we have seen before in funerary inscriptions, is being addressed in the first line? Comment on the parallel word order and its effect in this line. What conception of the afterlife is quite casually reflected in the closing line?
Funerary inscription, Rome, Italy, first century B.C. (CIL 12.2997)
Kay Stanton (from CIL)
PRVERBIA ET DICTA
Dandum semper est tempus: vrittem dis aperit. (Seneca Ir. 2.22.3: aperi, aperre, aperu, apertum, to open [up]; disclose, reveal; “aperture.”)
Nm enim omnia potest scre. (Varro Rust. 2.1.2.)
Scelere vlandum est scelus. (Seneca Phaed. 721: vl [1], to cover, clothe; cover over, conceal; “veil,” “reveal,” “revelation.”)
Nm malus flx. (Juvenal Sat. 4.8: an example of ELLIPSIS—what form of sum, esse should be understood?)
“Omnia,” inquit, “homin, dum vvit, spranda sunt.” (Seneca Ep. 70.6: spr [1], to hope for, hope; “desperate,” “despair.”)
Petite et dabitur vbs; quaerite et invenitis; pulste et aperitur vbs; omnis enim qu petit accipit, et qu quaerit invenit, et pulsant aperitur. (Matthew 7.7–8: puls [1], to strike, beat; knock on [a door]; “pulse,” “pulsate.”)
Reddite erg quae sunt Caesaris Caesar et quae sunt De De. (Matthew 22.21: redd, reddere, reddid, redditum, = re + d, dare, to give back, return; “render,” “rendition.”—erg, adv., therefore; Eng. “ergo.”)
Rem ctam agis. (Plautus Pseud. 260.)
Saevs px quaeritur arms. (Statius Theb. 7.554: saevus, -a, -um, fierce, savage.—arma, -rum, n. pl., weapons, arms.)
Bonum quod est supprimitur, numquam exstinguitur. (Publilius Sent.: supprim, suppri-mere, suppress, suppressum, to press down, weigh down; hold back, suppress.—exstingu, exstinguere, exstnx, exstnctum, to extinguish, put out; stop, destroy; “extinct.”)
Sunt aliquid mns: ltum nn omnia fnit. (Propertius El. 4.7.1: mns, mnium, m. pl., shades, ghosts, spirits.—ltum, -, n., death; “lethal.”—fni, fnre, fnv, fntum, to mark out the boundaries [of something]; terminate, end; “finite,” “infinite.”—How does this sentence’s second clause clarify the meaning of the first?)
Cum luxuri nbs, cum menti, cum scelere certandum est. (Cicero Cat. 2.11: luxuria, -ae, f., luxury, extravagance; licentiousness; “luxuriant.”—mentia, -ae, f., being out of one’s mind, madness; “dementia.”—cert [1], to contend, struggle; “concert,” “concerted.”)
LITTERTRA
Laws of the 12 Tables
The “Laws of the 12 Tables” were the earliest codification of Roman law and, though substantially revised and superseded by later legislation and praetorian edicts, nonetheless established important precedents for subsequent Roman legal codes. According to tradition the 12 Tables were published in two phases during 451–450 B.C. by a board of 10 officials of consular rank (decemvir), who compiled and codified into formal statutes traditional laws dating back several generations, some of which were, by today’s standards, quite severe in the penalties and other actions they prescribed. The laws survive in a fragmentary state, chiefly from quotations in the works of later jurists and other Roman authors.
Tabula IV.i: Deformed Children
Cito nectus, tamquam ex XII Tabuls, nsignis ad dfrmittem puer.
With cito nectus sc. something like must be.—tamquam, adv., in the same way, to the same degree, as, just as.—ex: here, as often, = in accordance with.—nsignis, -e, conspicuous, remarkable; “insignia.”—dfrmits, dfrmittis, f., deformity, ugliness; disfigurement.
Tabula IV.ii: Sale and Emancipation of Children
S pater flium ter vnumduit, flius patre lber est.
ter, adv., thrice, three times; “tertiary.”—vnumduit, irreg. verb = puts up for sale; in early Rome a father could sell a son into slavery; if freed, the son returned to his father’s control and could be sold again, but after a third sale the son was emancipated.—est: fut. imperat. of sum, common in legal texts, shall be, must be.
Tabula IV.iii: Divorce
Sus rs sibi habre iussit; ex XII Tabuls, clvs admit.
habre: sc. uxrem as subject.—ex: in the same sense as in Tabula IV.i above.—clvis, clvis, f., door key; “clavicle” (from its shape), “enclave.”—adim, adimere, adm, admptum, to remove (by physical force), take away; “exempt,” “redemption” in one form of Roman divorce the prescribed ritual for a man involved the two actions specified here.
Tabula IV.iv: Illegitimate Children
Post decem mnss mortis ntus nn admitttur ad lgitimam hrdittem.
mnsis, mnsis, m., month; “mensiversary.”—mortis: i.e., of a woman’s husband.—ntus, -, m., son; here newborn son; “prenatal,” “innate.”—lgitimus, -a, -um, of the law (lx), legal; legally recognized, legitimate.—hrdits, hrdittis, f., inheriting, hereditary succession.
Tabula VIII.x: Penalties for Arson
Qu aeds acervumve frment iuxt domum positum combusserit, vnctus et verbertus, ign necr iubtur, s modo scins prdnsque id commserit. S vr cas, id est neglegenti, aut noxiam sarcre iubtur aut, s minus idneus sit, levius castgtur.
aeds, aedis, f., dwelling, abode, house; “edifice,” “edify.”—acervus, -, m., heap, pile, stack.—-ve, conj., or.—frmentum, -, n., wheat, grain.—iuxt, prep. + acc., in the vicinity of, next to, beside; “juxtapose,” “juxtaposition.”—combr, combrere, combuss, combustum, to destroy by fire, burn; “combustion.”—vinci, vincre, vnx, vnctum, to fasten, bind, tie.—verber (1), to flog, lash, whip; strike repeatedly; “reverberate.”—s modo, conj., provided that, if only.—prdns, gen. prdentis (contraction of pr + vidns), aware of what one does or the consequences of one’s actions, acting deliberately; wise, prudent.— vr, adv., in truth, indeed, to be sure; however; “verify,” “verity.”—casus, -s, m., chance, accident; “casual,” “casualty.”—neglegentia, -ae, f., carelessness, neglect; “negligence.”—noxia, -ae, f., wrongdoing; ha
rm, damage; “noxious.”—sarci, sarcre, sars, sartum, to mend, repair; make good, make up for; “sartorial.”—minus, adv., less; not very, not adequately; “minuscule.”—idneus, -a, -um, suitable, adequate; (legal) having money to meet obligations, solvent.—sit: pres. subjunct. of sum, esse, here essentially = est.—levius, adv., more lightly, less severely; “levity,” “alleviate.”—castg (1), to reprimand, castigate; punish; “chastise,” “chasten.”
Tabula X.i: Disposal of the Dead
Hominem mortuum, inquit lx in XII, in urbe n sepelt nve rit.
mortuus, -a, -um, dead; “mortuary.”—lx, lgis, f., law, statute; “legalize,” “legislative.”—in XII: what noun is to be understood here?—n: here essentially = nn.—sepeli, sepelre, sepel(v), sepultum, to dispose of (a corpse), bury, inter; “sepulture,” “sepulchre” for the fut. imperat. form, here 2nd person, see Tabula IV.ii above, note on est.—nve or neu, conj., nor.—r, rere, uss, ustum, to destroy by fire, burn (cf. combr above), “combustible” rit, another 2nd person fut. imperat.; Cicero, who quotes this law, comments that the restriction on cremation was due to the risk of fire, but, in general, prohibitions on cemeteries within a city’s walls were common in antiquity.
If Only She’d Had Robitussin!
S memin, fuerant tibi quattuor, Aelia, dents:
expulit na dus tussis et na dus.
Iam scra potes tts tussre dibus:
nl istc quod agat tertia tussis habet.
Martial Epig. 1.19: Poor Aelia no longer needs a dentist, but she should see a doctor about that cough!
memin, from a defective verb, = I have recalled, I remember; “memento.”—dns, dentis, m., tooth; “dental,” “dentist” “orthodontics,” from Greek meaning “straight tooth,” is a cognate.—tussis, tussis, m., cough; “pertussis” and, of course, the brand-name cough syrup “Robitussin.”—scrus, -a, -um, free from care, untroubled, safe; “secure,” “security.”—tussi, tussre, to cough.—nl: = nihil.—istc, adv., there by you, over there; in that matter of yours, in your case.—agat: pres. subjunct. in a REL. CLAUSE OF CHARACTERISTIC, with quod = that it can do.
GRAMMATICA
Participia: List all the ablative absolutes in the chapter’s readings, and identify the tense and voice of the participle in each. Next list all the passive periphrastics and each dative of agent.
CAPVT XXV
Fifty Oysters, Eight Ways to Punish, and Burying Your Seven Men
In this chapter Martial tells of a murderous wife, the necessity of living yesterday, and the special value of a writing tablet. You’ll also read more from the laws of the 12 Tables, an epitaph dedicated by a grieving mother to her teenage daughter, and a letter from Vindolanda in which a soldier writes a friend about a gift of oysters. The chapter’s dicta speak of the value of lessons learned in youth, the healing effects of friendship, and the seemingly boundless expanse of Ocean.
Grammatica nova: Infinitives; indirect statement.
NSCRPTINS
The Vindolanda Tablets: I Hope You’re Well—Just Got Some Great Oysters!
Front:
[…] QVOD EST PRINCIPIVM EPISTVLAE MEAE TE FORTEM ESSE A CORDONO VIS AMICVS MISSIT MIHI OSTRIA QVINQVAGINTA QVO VELOCIVS FIR […] […] Quod est prncipium epistulae meae t fortem esse. Cordonovs amcus missit mihi ostria qunqugint. Qu vlcius fr[…]. Lci decurin[…]ter.
Back:
LVCIO DECVRION[……]TERI
Vindolanda tablet 299: This brief missive to a (fellow) soldier named Lucius about a gift of oysters received from another friend is one of only a few letters from Vindolanda that begin with a salutation. The backside of these tablets often contained, as here, the names of both addressee and sender. For the Vindolanda Tablets, see Capvt XXII above.
quod: the rel. pron. here, which, likely refers to some wish of well-being contained in the lost opening line of the greeting.—prncipium: here, not beginning, but primary reason, principal motivation.—epistula, -ae, f., letter, epistle; “epistolary.”—t fortem esse: essentially = t valre; IND. STATE. dependent on “the hope that” implied in the opening of the salutation.—Cordonovs: abl. of Cordonov or Cordonovae, name of a town, unknown today but presumably in Britain and perhaps noted in antiquity for its oysters.—missit: = msit.—ostreum (ostrium), -, n., oyster, considered a culinary delicacy by the ancients (as also by the author of this book!), though those from certain locations were more highly prized than others.—qunqugint, indecl. adj., fift y.—qu vlcius fr…: part of the last word here (possibly a form of the verb frm [1] to make strong, confirm) and the rest of the sentence are lost, but this fragment seems to mean something like so that you may confirm (?) more quickly; vlcius is compar. degree of the adv. vlciter.—Lci: dat. of the addressee’s name; praenomina, like first names today, were commonly used in personal correspondence.—decuri, decurinis, m., decurion, here, officer in charge of a squadron of 10 cavalrymen; member of a municipal senate or “city council.”—…ter: based on other letters from Vindolanda, this is likely the end of the sender’s name or description, in the abl. (or possibly gen.), from….
Vindolanda tablet 299, Vindolanda (near modern Chesterholm), Great Britain, second century A.D..
© The Vindolanda Trust
A Mother’s Epitaph for Her Daughter
V • SALVIDIENA • Q • L • HILARA
SALVIDIENAE • FAVSTILLAE
DELICIAE • SVAE
ERVDITAE • OMNIBVS • ARTIBVS
RELIQVISTI MAMMAM TVAM
GEMENTEM • PLANGENTEM • PLORANTEM
VIX • AN • XV
MENSIB • III • DIEB • XI • HOR • VII
VIRGINEM • ERIPVIT • FATVS • MALVS
DESTITVISTI • VITILLA • MEA
MISERAM • MAMMAM • TVAM
V(va) Salvidina Q(unt) l(berta) Hilara Salvidinae Faustillae, dliciae suae, rudtae omnibus artibus: relquist mammam tuam gementem, plangentem, plrantem. Vx(it) an(ns) XV, mnsib(us) III, dib(us) XI, hr(s) VII. Virginem ripuit Ftus malus. Dstituist, vtilla mea, miseram mammam tuam.
CIL 6.4.25808: Funerary inscription set up for a young girl, Salvidiena Faustilla, by Salvidiena Hilara, the girl’s mother or possibly her childhood nanny; found in a vineyard outside Rome’s Porta Collatina. The epitaph is remarkable for the exactitude of its reference to how long the young girl had lived, down to the number of hours, and for the focus on Hilara’s grief and her tenderly scolding tone; there are poetic features as well, including internal rhyme and careful positioning of the repeated phrase mammam tuam.
vvus, -a, -um, alive, living; “vivid,” “vivacious” regularly used (and typically abbreviated) to indicate that the inscription was set up when the dedicator was still living, rather than posthumously via the terms of a will.—Qunt: i.e., Quintus Salvidienus, Hilara’s patron and former master.—lberta, -ae, f., freedwoman; “liberty.”—dlicia, -ae, f., usually pl., pleasure, delight; sweetheart, darling; “delicious,” “delicacy.”—rudtus, -a, -um, accomplished, learned; “erudite,” “erudition.”—mamma, -ae, f., breast, udder; mother, mommy, mama; foster mother, nurse; “mammary,” “mamma.”—gem, gemere, gemu, gemitum, to groan, moan; lament, grieve.—plang, plangere, plnx, plnctum, to beat; beat the breast (as a sign of mourning); mourn; “plangent.”—plr (1), to weep aloud, wail; grieve, mourn; “deplore,” “implore.”—mnsis, mnsis, m., month; “menstrual.”—hrs VII: inclusion of this detail may reflect the family’s belief in astrology, for which the exact hour of a person’s birth was vital information.—ftus, -, m. (more commonly ftum, -, n.), fate; here, as often, PERSONIFIED.—dstitu, dstituere, dstitu, dstittum, to set up, fix in place; leave, abandon; “destitute.”—vtilla, -ae, f., DIMINUTIVE of vta, little life; darling; some scholars take this to be another name for Faustilla, but it is more likely, as interpreted here, a term of endearment.
PRVERBIA ET DICTA
Nihil nfntum est nisi ceanus: iunt fertils in cean iacre terrs ultrque ceanum rrsus alia ltora. (Seneca Suas. 1.1: nfntus, -a, -um, unlimited, infinite.—ceanus, -, m.,
ocean [esp. the Atlantic].—fertilis, -e, fruitful, productive, fertile.—rrsus, adv., backwards, [back] again; in addition, besides.)
Ambit sapins; cupient cter. (Afranius, in Apuleius Apol. 12.6: cter, -ae, -a, the remaining, the rest, the other; “etc.” = et ctera.)
Beneficium, qu dedisse s dcit, petit. (Publilius Sent.)
Improbus est hom qu beneficium scit accipere et reddere nescit. (Plautus Pers. 762: improbus, -a, -um, unprincipled, immoral; greedy, shameless; “reprobate,” “probity.”—redd, reddere, reddid, redditum, = re + d, to give back, return; “rendering,” “rendition.”—The CHIASMUS scit accipere et reddere nescit emphasizes the contrast; cf. the next sentence.)
Improbus officium scit poscere, reddere nescit. (Cato Dist. 17—posc, poscere, poposc, to insist upon, demand.)