Martial Epig. 12.30: The addressee’s name, Aper, means boar; Martial found him a bore. Meter: hendecasyllabic.
siccus, -a, -um, free from moisture, dry; sober, abstemious; “dessicated.”—sbrius, -a, -um, not intoxicated, sober; staid, temperate; “sobriety.”
Endless Love?
Icundum, mea vta, mihi prpnis amrem
hunc nostrum inter ns perpetuumque fore.
D magn, facite ut vr prmittere possit
atque id sincr dcat et ex anim,
ut liceat nbs tt perdcere vt
aeternum hoc snctae foedus amcitiae.
Catullus Carm. 109: Catullus (Gaius Valerius Catullus, ca. 84–54 B.C.) here addresses hopefully, and anonymously, the mistress whom he calls “Lesbia” in many of the two dozen poems he wrote about their first infatuation, their torrid romance, and their eventual, and to him devastating, breakup; the woman’s real name was Clodia, and she was the wife of the Roman senator Quintus Caecilius Metellus Celer, and so the pseudonym, while conventional, had a certain expediency.
icundum…perpetuumque: both are PRED. ADJECTIVES with fore.—prpn, prpnere, prposu, prpositum, to put forward, propose; “proposition.”—fore: common alternate form for futrum esse.—facite ut: facere in the sense of to make it happen = to see to it was commonly used with ut + subjunct. in VOLITIVE CLAUSES, i.e. clauses indicating desired actions, and in RESULT CLAUSES.—vr: adv. from vrus, -a, -um.—prmitt, prmittere, prms, prmissum, to send forth; promise; “promissory.”—sincr, adv., soundly; truly, honestly; “sincerely.”—licet, licre, licuit, impers. + dat. + infin., it is permitted (to someone to do something), one may; “license,” “illicit.”—perdc, perdcere, perdx, perductum, to conduct, bring, take; extend, prolong, continue.—aeternus, -a, -um, through the ages, eternal; “eternity.”—snctus, -a, -um, sacred, holy; “sanction,” “sanctuary.”—foedus, foederis, n., formal agreement between states, pact, treaty; compact, bond; “confederate,” “confederation.”
QUAESTINS: Identify three or four specific details of the speaker’s language that suggest he lacks confidence in his lover’s promises. Which of his words imply that he here views the relationship as something more than merely physical? How does the INTERLOCKING WORD ORDER employed in the closing verse (adj.1—adj.2—noun1—noun2) enhance the line’s meaning?
His Only Begotten Son
Sc enim dlxit Deus mundum ut Flium suum nigenitum daret, ut omnis qu crdit in eum nn pereat sed habeat vtam aeternam. Nn enim msit Deus Flium suum in mundum ut idicet mundum sed ut salvtur mundus per ipsum. Qu crdit in eum nn idictur; qu autem nn crdit iam idictus est, quia nn crdidit in nmine nigenit Fli De. Hoc est autem idicium: quia lx vnit in mundum et dlxrunt homins magis tenebrs quam lcem, erant enim erum mala opera. Omnis enim qu mala agit dit lcem et nn venit ad lcem, ut nn arguantur opera eius. Qu autem facit vrittem venit ad lcem ut manifestentur eius opera, quia in De sunt facta.
John 3.16–21: A passage from the Gospel of John in St. Jerome’s Latin translation of the Bible, known as the “Vulgate” (see Capvt XIX).
nigenitus, -a, -um, only begotten, only, single.—pereat: pres. subjunct. of irreg. pere, perre, peri, peritum, to perish, be destroyed.—idic (1), to judge, try, pass judgment on; judge guilty, condemn; “adjudicate.”—salv (1), to save; “salvation.”—quia, conj., since, because.—idicium: i.e., the reason for his condemnation.—tenebrae, -rum, f. pl., darkness; mental darkness, ignorance; “tenebrous.”—opus, operis, n., work, task; deed; “opus,” “opera,” “magnum opus.”—argu, arguere, argu, argtum, to show, reveal; allege, assert; condemn, blame; “argument.”—facit vrittem: i.e., acts in accordance with divine law.—manifest (1), to make visible, reveal; “manifest,” “manifesto.”
GRAMMATICA
Verba Subinctva: List all the present and imperfect subjunctive verb forms in the chapter’s readings, and then transform them to indicatives in the same person, number, and voice; consult the Summrium Frmrum appendix to check your work. Identify all the purpose, result, and jussive clauses in the readings.
CAPVT XXX
Campaigning, Counting Kisses, and a Cool Miss Named “Snow White”
You’ll read in this chapter an inscription from the restored Temple of Saturn in Rome, a Christian inscription from Algeria, and three electoral programmata promoting candidates for aedile, including one supported by Pompeii’s felt makers and another who was the barbers’ choice! The Prverbia et Dicta advise us on the virulence of malicious gossip and the silent advance of old age. The chapter’s literary selections include Catullus’ reply to Lesbia’s calculating query, “How many kisses?”, an epistle by Seneca on how to get the most from one’s reading and on what truly makes a man rich or poor, another of Pliny’s letters to his wife Calpurnia, and epigrams by Martial on libations, love letters, and a lady who was both fittingly, and unfittingly, called “Snow White.”
Grammatica nova: Perfect and pluperfect subjunctive; indirect questions.
NSCRPTINS
The Temple of Saturn
SENATVS • POPVLVSQVE • ROMANVS INCENDIO • CONSVMPTVM • RESTITVIT Sentus Populusque Rmnus incendi cnsmptum restituit.
CIL 6.937: From the temple of the Italo-Roman agriculture god Saturnus/ Saturn, remains of which—eight columns on the front portico and the pediment bearing this inscription—still stand prominently at the northwestern end of the Roman Forum; the inscription refers to restorations completed following a fire in A.D.. 283. The original temple dated to the early 5th cent. B.C., and for centuries was a repository of important government documents and the state treasury, with its cache of gold, silver, and bronze.
incendium, -, n., (destructive) fire, conflagration; “incendiary.”—restitu, restituere, restitu, restittum, to reconstruct, restore; “restitution” the Sentus Populusque Rmnus (commonly abbreviated SPQR) was viewed as a unit, i.e., the Roman government collectively, and hence the verb is singular.
Temple of Saturn, Rome, Italy, restored third century A.D..
Giorgio Clementi
Inscription on the temple of Saturn, Rome, Italy, third century A.D.. (CIL 6.937)
Giorgio Clementi
THREE CANDIDATES FOR AEDILE
Woolworkers for Firmus!
VETTI VM • FIRMVM AED QVACTILI ARI • ROG
Vettium Frmum aed(lem) quctilir rog(ant).
CIL 4.7838: This programma was painted on the front of and to the left of the entrance to a shop on the Via dell’Abbondanza that processed wool and manufactured felt, activities depicted in the mural to which the electoral notice was added. The establishment’s owner presumably supported Vettius Firmus’ candidacy for aedile and authorized the advertisement, which was carefully incorporated into the painting of the factory’s workmen, four standing, three seated at benches, all busily employed at their tasks. To the right of his workers, displaying some of the newly made cloth, is the owner, Marcus Vecilius Verecundus, who we know from another inscription also worked as a tailor (vestirius: CIL 4.3130). The dipinto is interesting too for the variant spelling quctilir for coctiliri, seen in another programma nearby (CIL 4.7809) and clearly reflecting local pronunciation (try quickly pronouncing coc- yourself and you can see, or rather hear, how the disyllable easily contracts into the monosyllable quc-).
aedlis, aedlis, m., aedile, Roman or provincial magistrate in charge of public works and entertainments.—quctilir: variant from coctilirius, -, m., felt maker; contraction of the usual -i ending to - is common (see notes to “Apophorta: Ovid,” Capvt XIX.—rogant: if you do not recall the special sense of this verb in campaign ads, see, e.g., the notes to “Vatia for Aedile,” Capvt XXIII.
Storefront sign, with electoral programma, from the shop of M. Vecilius Verecundus, Via dell’Abbondanza, Pompeii, Italy (CIL 4.7838)
Alinari / Art Resource, NY
Barbers for Trebius!
I • TREBIVM
AED TONSORES I(lium) Trebium aed(lem) tnsrs.
CIL 4.743: This candidate was a tonsorial favorite! For other electoral p
rogrammata at Pompeii set up by various professional groups, including goldsmiths, muleteers, and fruitsellers, see “Gaius Cuspius Pansa for Aedile” in Capvt XXIV; and for programmata in general, see “Holconius for Mayor” in Capvt XIV.
tnsor, tnsris, m., barber; “tonsorial” with tnsrs sc. rogant or o. v. f. = rant (ut) vs facitis (see notes to “Vatia for Aedile,” Capvt XXIII).
Fronto Is an Honorable Man
SI • PVDOR • IN VITA QVICQVAM • PRODESSE • PVTATVR LVCRETIVS • HIC • FRONTO • DIGNVS • HONORE • BONO • EST
S pudor in vt quicquam prdesse puttur,
Lucrtius hic Front dignus honre bon est.
CIL 4.6626: We know from other Pompeian programmata that Lucretius Fronto was running for the office of aedile; the person who painted this one, found near Fronto’s house, fancied himself a poet and wrote his endorsement in the form of a (metrically faulty) elegiac couplet.
pudor, pudris, m., (sense of) shame; decency, modesty; scrupulousness; “impudent.”—quicquam, adv., in any respect, at all.—prsum, prdesse, prfu, to be of use (to), do good, provide help (to); be beneficial, be advantageous.—honre: the word can mean honor or political office; either is possible here, though the latter is perhaps more likely.
Trust in God
IN DEO SPERABO NON T IMEBO • QVID MICHI FA CIAT HOMO In De sprb: nn timb quid michi faciat hom.
CIL 8.18742: Christian inscription of Psalms 55.11 on a fenestella confessionis, a small window (here 24.5 x 24.8 x 8.5 cm) for viewing sacred burials or relics in a church; Ain Fakroun, Algeria; 5th-6th cent. A.D..
michi: a common variant for mihi in late classical and medieval Latin.
Christian inscription on a fenestella confessionis, Ain Fakroun, Algeria, fifth–sixth century A.D.. (CIL 8.18742). Louvre, Paris, France
Réunion des Musées Nationaux / Art Resource, NY; photo: Hervé Lewandowski
PRVERBIA ET DICTA
Ab ali exspects, alter quod fcers. (Publilius Sent.)
Saepe summa ingenia in occult latent. (Plautus Capt. 165: occultum, -, n., secrecy, concealment, obscurity; “occult.”—late, latre, latu, to be in hiding; be concealed, lie hidden; “latent.”)
Dcque betus ante obitum nm suprmaque fnera dbet. (Ovid Met. 3. 136–37: obitus, -s, m., approach, encounter; death; “obituary.”—fnus, fneris, n., funeral rites, funeral; death.)
Dum bibimus, dum serta, unguenta, puells poscimus, obrpit nn intellcta senects. (Juvenal Sat. 9.128–29: serta, -rum, n. pl., chains of flowers, garlands.—unguentum, -, n., ointment, unguent; perfume.—posc, poscere, poposc, to ask for insistently, demand, call for.—obrp, obrpere, obrps, obrptum, to creep up stealthily, sneak up.)
Melior ttiorque est certa px quam sprta victria; haec in tu, illa in derum man est. (Livy Urbe Cond. 30.30: ttus, -a, -um, protected, safe, secure; “tutor,” “tutelage.”)
Nm repente fuit turpissimus. (Juvenal Sat. 2.83.)
Nihil est autem tam volucre quam maledictum, nihil facilius mittitur, nihil citius excipitur, ltius dissiptur. (Cicero Planc. 23.57: volucer, -cris, -cre, able to fly, flying; winged, swift, rapid.—maledictum, -, n., insult, reproach; slander; “malediction.”—mitt, mittere, ms, missum, to send out, send forth; “emit,” “emission.”—lt, adv., over a wide area, broadly; “latitude.”—dissip [1], to scatter, disperse; “dissipate.”)
Quaeris quid doceam?—etiam sen esse discendum. (Seneca Ep. 76.3.)
Nl est miserius quam ubi pudet quod fcers. (Publilius Sent.: nl = nihil.—pudet, impers., it is shameful [to a person] = you are ashamed of; “impudent.”)
Minuit praesentia fmam. (Claudian Bell. Gild. 1.385: praesentia, -ae, f., being present, presence.—fmam: here the respect or even awe you may feel for an acclaimed person from whom you are remote and do not know well.)
LITTER TRA
How MANY Kisses?
Quaeris quot mihi bsitins
tuae, Lesbia, sint satis superque.
Quam magnus numerus Libyssae harnae
lsarpcifers iacet Cyrns
5
rclum Iovis inter aestus
et Batt veteris sacrum sepulcrum,
aut quam sdera multa, cum tacet nox,
frtvs hominum vident amrs;
tam t bsia multa bsire
vsn satis et super Catull est,
10
quae nec pernumerre cris
possint nec mala fascinre lingua.
Catullus Carm. 7: Catullus replies to his girlfriend Lesbia’s response to an earlier poem (Catullus Carm. 5) in which he had implored from her countless thousands of kisses. Meter: hendecasyllabic.
bsiti, bsitinis, f., (act of) kissing; “kissification,” a fun Catullan invention, later borrowed by Martial.—super, adv., over, above; more than enough; “superior,” “superabundance.”—quam magnus…quam…multa: as great as…as many as, correlative with tam…multa.—Libyssus, -a, -um, of Libya (Roman term for North Africa), Libyan, North African.—harna, -ae, f., sand, (collective sg.) grains of sand; “arena.”—lsarpciferus, -a, -um, silphium-bearing (the silphium plant, one of ancient Cyrene’s major exports, was used as a cooking spice, a medication for numerous ailments, and a contraceptive).—Cyrnae, -rum, f. pl., Cyrene, name of a town and district of North Africa, in modern Libya; birthplace of the Greek poet Callimachus, an important influence on Catullus; here LOCATIVE case, in Cyrene.—rc(u)lum, -, n., divine utterance, oracle; oracular shrine (see “Some Oracular Responses,” Capvt XXIII); here obj., along with sepulcrum, of inter: the reverse order of prep. + obj., common in Lat. verse, is called ANASTROPHE.—Iuppiter, Iovis, m., Jupiter, Jove; Catullus refers to the desert shrine of Ammon, Egyptian counterpart to Jupiter.—aestusus, -a, -um, excessively hot, sweltering, sultry; seething, raging; fiery, passionate; “estuary.”—Battus, -, m., Battus, legendary 7th-cent. B.C. founder of the Greek colony of Cyrene.—vetus, gen. veteris, old; old-time, ancient; “veteran.”—sacer, -cra, -crum, consecrated to a deity, sacred.—sepulc(h)rum, -, n., grave, tomb; “sepulchre,” “sepulchral.”—cum, conj. + indic., when.—frtvus, -a, -um, obtained by theft, stolen; stealthy, secret, clandestine; “furtive.”—bsi (1), to kiss.—vsnus, -a, -um, insane, frenzied, mad; “insanity.”—pernumer (1), to ascertain the full total of, count up; “enumerate.”—crisus, -a, -um, careful, diligent; curious, meddlesome; “curiosity” these cris and the mala lingua together allude to Catullus Carm. 5, where the poet had scorned grumpy old men and other mal who might envy, and even cast an evil spell upon, his romance with Lesbia.—possint: POTENTIAL SUBJUNCT., suggesting here action likely to be impossible.—fascin (1), to cast a spell on, bewitch; “fascinate” Catullus had employed invidre in a similar sense in poem 5.
QUAESTINS: Think about the many specific points of comparison in the two similes Catullus employs in his reply to Lesbia; in what ways are the images similar, and in what ways are they strikingly different? Why does Catullus use Catull rather than mihi in line 10?—what is the effect of this 3rd-person self-reference? What do you suppose was Catullus’ initial response to Lesbia’s calculating question to him, recalled in line 1, and why ultimately does he give her such a minutely detailed, even “scholarly” reply?—how might she respond in turn?
MARTIAL AND THE LADIES
Some Literally Lovely Libations
Laevia sex cyaths, septem Istna bibtur,
qunque Lycas, Ld quattuor, da tribus.
Omnis ab nfs numertur amca Falern,
et quia nlla venit, t mihi, Somne, ven.
Martial Epig. 1.71: Justina, Laevia, Lycas, Lyde, and Ida are each toasted with as many cups of wine as there are letters in their names, a popular custom at Roman parties—when none of these girlfriends actually show up at his drinking bout, the speaker finds another way to spend the night!
cyathus, -, m., ladle, measuring cup (esp. for wine, estimated to be about a half liter).—bibere: here, as often = to toast.—ab: used here, as it only occasionally was in classical Lat., for ABL. OF MEANS—nfund, nfundere, nfd, nfsum, to pour in/ into; “in
fusion.”—numer (1), to add up, count; record numerically, catalogue.—Falernum, -, n., Falernian wine (named for a district in Campania noted for its wine making).—quia, conj., since, because.—Somne: PERSONIFICATION.
QUAESTINS: What total number (in Latin) of cyath did the speaker drink altogether? Some of the ladies’ names are rare, and none appear elsewhere in the Epigrams; what, then, was one obvious reason for Martial’s choosing them?
Apophorta: Vitellin
Nndum lgerit hs licet puella,
nvit quid cupiant Vitellin.
Martial Epig. 14.8: Another “gift card,” this one to accompany a set of writing tablets; meter: hendecasyllabic.
nndum, adv., not yet.—licet, conj. + subjunct., although; “illicit,” “license.”—hs: sc. tabells, (writing) tablets.—Vitellinus, -a, -um, Vitellian, made by Vitellius, presumably a manufacturer of small tabell, used for sending love letters and other short messages.
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