But Nobody Reads Yours!
Nescio tam mults quid scrbs, Fauste, puells:
hoc scio, quod scrbit nlla puella tib.
Martial Epig. 11.64: Poor Faustus, despite his name (which means “fortunate”), was unlucky in love!
nescio…scio: as we have seen before, final - was often shortened in verse, for metrical purposes and as a reflection of actual speech habits; likewise the final -i of tibi was variously short or long.—quod: = conj. that; used here, as it was increasingly in later Lat., to introduce an IND. STATEMENT.
Cold as Ice
Digna tu cr ss indignaque nmine, dcam:
frgida es et nigra es: nn es et es “Chion.”
Martial Epig. 3.34: Martial loved this sort of name play: Chion was an actual Roman cognomen, Greek in origin, meaning “Snow-white” in myth Chione was the daughter of Boreas, god of the chill North wind. Both this and the preceding epigram are elegiac couplets.
indignus, -a, -um, + abl., not worthy, unworthy; not deserved, unmerited; “indignant,” “indignation.”—frgidus, -a, -um, cold, chilly; lacking in passion, unresponsive; “frigid.”—niger, -gra, -grum, dark in color, black, swarthy; “negro,” “negritude.”
TWO LETTERS
From Seneca to Lucilius
Seneca Lcli su saltem
Aliquid ctdi adversus pauperttem, aliquid adversus mortem auxili compar, nec minus adversus cters pests; et cum multa percurrers, num excerpe quod ill di concoqus. Hoc ipse quoque faci ex plribus quae lg aliquid apprehend. Hodiernum hoc est quod apud Epicrum nnctus sum—sole enim et in alina castra trnsre, nn tamquam trnsfuga, sed tamquam explrtor: “Honesta,” inquit, “rs est laeta pauperts.” Illa vr nn est pauperts, s laeta est; nn qu parum habet, sed qu pls cupit, pauper est. Quid enim refert quantum ill in arc, quantum in horres iaceat, quantum pscat aut faeneret, s alin imminet, s nn acqusta sed acqurenda computat? Quis sit dvitirum modus quaeris?—prmus habre quod necesse est, proximus quod sat est. Val.
Seneca Ep. 1.2.5–6: Conclusion of one of 124 letters, in 20 volumes, written late in life by Lucius Annaeus Seneca, “Seneca the Younger” (ca. 4 B.C.–A.D.. 65), and addressed to Gaius Lucilius. Informal philosophical essays, rather than actual personal correspondence, the letters are among Seneca’s most perennially popular works. Here Seneca advises his reader first on how to get the most out of what one reads, and then on what truly constitutes poverty or its opposite.
saltem (dcit): standard formula in the “salutation” of letters, with the sender’s name in the nom. and the recipient’s in the dat.—ctdi, adv., every day, daily; “quotidian.”—adversus, prep. + acc., opposite, facing; to counteract, protect against; “adversary,” “adversity.”—pauperts, pauperttis, f., poverty, humble circumstances; “pauper,” “impoverish.”—auxilium, -, n., help, aid; “auxiliary” here PARTITIVE GEN. with aliquid.—compar (1), to prepare, make ready; gather, acquire; “compare,” “comparative” with compar here, sc. ex librs, i.e., from reading—pestis, pestis, f., death, destruction; pestilence, plague; “pest.”—cum, conj. + subjunct., when (circumstantial rather than strictly temporal).—percurr, percurrere, percurr, percursum, to run over/ through; survey, review; “current,” “recurrent.”—excerp, excerpere, excerps, excerptum, to pick out, select; “excerpt.”—concoqu, concoquere, concox, concoctum, to cook down, boil; digest; ponder; “concoct,” “concoction.”—quod…concoqus: REL. CLAUSE OF PURPOSE; cf. the Eng. idiom “take time to digest what you have read.”—apprehend, apprehendere, apprehend, apprehnsum, to lay hold of, seize; seize upon (for emphasis or consideration); “apprehend,” “apprehensive.”—hodiernus, -a, -um, of/ for today, today’s; “hodiernal.”—apud, prep. + acc., among, in, within; in the presence of, at the house of.—Epicrus, -, m., Epicurus, Athenian philosopher (341–270 B.C.) and founder of the school of Epicureanism, which defined the goal of life as freedom from anxiety and pain.—nnctus sum: I found (perf. tense of nancscor, one of a group of verbs known as DEPONENTS that have chiefly pass. forms but active meanings).—sole, solre, solitus sum, to be accustomed; “insolent,” “obsolescence.”—et: = etiam.—alinus, -a, -um, belonging to another, another’s; foreign, strange, alien.—castra, -rum, n. pl., fortified camp; side (in a conflict); “castle.”—trnse, trnsre, trnsv, trnsitum, to go across, cross over; “transit,” “transition.”—trnsfuga, -ae, m., deserter, renegade; “fugitive,” “refuge.”—explrtor, explrtris, m., scout; explorer.—honestus, -a, -um, worthy of honor/ respect, honorable; “honesty.”—laetus, -a, -um, happy, joyful; contented; “Letitia” (a “joyful” female name!).—parum, n. indecl. noun, insufficient amount, little, too little; “parvule,” “parvicellular.”—pauper, gen. pauperis, of small means, poor; “poverty.”—quid…refert: idiom, what does it matter.—quantum…quantum…quantum: ANAPHORA. ill: DAT. OF REFERENCE, here essentially possessive.—arca, -ae, f., box, chest (esp. for money); “ark.”—horreum, -, n., storehouse for grain, granary; warehouse.—psc, pscere, pv, pstum, to feed, pasture; keep, maintain (with reference to livestock); “pastor.”—faener (1), to lend at interest; earn in interest.—immine, imminre, to rise up, overlook, bend over; have designs on, be bent on getting; threaten; “imminent.”—acqur, acqurere, acqusv, acqustum, to add to one’s possessions, acquire, gain; “acquisition,” “acquisitive.”—comput (1), to calculate, count up; “compute,” “computation.”—necesse, indecl. adj., necessary, essential; inevitable.—proximus, -a, -um, nearest, next; “proximate,” “proximity,” “approximate.”—sat: = satis.
QUAESTINS: Comment on Seneca’s view of the objectives of reading literature and of how to maximize the benefits of reading. What point of Epicurus’ does Seneca contest, and what definitions of wealth and poverty does he propose?
From Pliny to Calpurnia
C. Plnius Calpurniae suae s.
Incrdibile est quant dsderi tu tenear. In caus amor prmum, deinde quod nn cnsuvimus abesse. Inde est quod magnam noctium partem in imgine tu vigil exig inde quod interdi, quibus hrs t vsere solbam, ad diaetam tuam ips m, ut vrissim dcitur, peds dcunt; quod dnique aeger et maestus ac similis excls vacu lmine recd. num tempus hs torments caret, qu in for et amcrum ltibus conteror. Aestim t quae vta mea sit, cui requis in labre, in miseri crsque slcium. Val.
Pliny Ep. 7.5: For another of the younger Pliny’s letters to his wife Calpurnia, see Capvt XXIX.
C.: if you do not recall this abbreviation, see notes to “To the Nephew of Augustus,” Capvt IX.—s.: = saltem (see notes on Seneca’s letter above).—incrdibilis, -e, not believable, incredible; “incredulous.”—dsderium, -, n., desire, longing; “desiderata,” “desiderative.”—in caus: idiom, = the reason.—cnsusc, cnsuscere, cnsuv, cnsutum, to be accustomed; “custom.”—absum, abesse, fu, futrum, to be away, be apart; “absence.”—inde, adv., thence, from that place; in consequence of that, therefore; then; inde est quod, idiom, from this is the fact that, that is why.—img, imginis, f., picture, likeness, image; mental picture, imagining; “imagination.”—vigil, gen. vigilis, awake, wakeful, watchful; “vigilant,” “vigilante.”—exig, exigere, exg, exctum, to drive out, force out; achieve, complete; spend, pass (time); “exact,” “exigency.”—interdi, adv., during daylight, by day.—vs, vsere, vs, to go and see, visit.—diaeta, -ae, f., room (in a house).—ips: modifies peds.—vr, adv., truly, really; “very,” “verify.”—ps, pedis, m., lower leg, foot; “pedal,” “pedestrian.”—quod: why, completing the series inde est quod…. inde quod…quod.—aeger, -gra, -grum, sick, unhealthy; sick at heart, distressed.—maestus, -a, -um, unhappy, sad, mournful.—excld, excldere, excls, exclsum, to shut out, exclude; “exclusive.”—vacuus, -a, -um, empty, vacant; “vacuum.”—recd, recdere, recess, recessum, to go back, retire, withdraw; “recede,” “recession.”—tormentum, -, n., rope made of twisted fibers; twisting; torture, torment.—qu: with tempus as ANTECEDENT, when.—ls, ltis, f., legal dispute, lawsuit; “litigate,” “litigious.”—conter, conterere, contrv, contrtum, to pound to pieces, crush, grind; wear out, wear down; exhaust,
weary; “contrite,” “contrition.”—aestim (1), to estimate the value of; assess, judge; “estimation,” “esteem.”—requis, requitis, f., rest from labor, respite; “requiem,” “quiet.”—miseria, -ae, f., affliction, distress, trouble; “misery.”
QUAESTINS: What is the intended effect of so widely separating ips and peds, saving the modified noun to nearly the end of the clause? Comment on the word order in requiem…slcium; what is the technical term for this rhetorical device?
GRAMMATICA
Verba Subinctva: List all the subjunctive verb forms in the chapter’s readings and identify the specific type of clause in which each appears; next transform all the subjunctive forms to indicatives in the same person, number, tense, and voice, and then check these transformations using the Summrium Frmrum appendix.
CAPVT XXXI
Bathing, and Baking, and Keeping the Peace
This chapter’s inscriptions include epitaphs for a cherished colleague, a saint, and a “domestic partner” a campaign ad for a Pompeian baker with political ambitions; and inscriptions from a runaway’s collar and an imperial silver plate. The Prverbia et Dicta off er the observation that unhappiness is merely a state of mind and the common sense advice to accept with serenity, as a common English adage puts it, what cannot be changed; and among the chapter’s literary selections are Phaedrus’ fable of the snake and the good Samaritan, Florus on the Augustan Peace, and a few more epigrams by Martial, in which, inter alia, he complains about a “friend” who sends him no Saturnalia presents and a fellow who’s just far too pretty. Remember to read all these selections aloud first, and read for comprehension, before attempting to translate.
Grammatica nova: Cum clauses; the irregular verb fer.
NSCRPTINS
Bathe, Drink, and Be Merry!
V • AN LII
D • M
TI • CLAVDI • SECVNDI
HIC • SECVM • HABET • OMNIA
BALNEA • VINA • VENVS
CORRVMPVNT • CORPORA
NOSTRA • SET • VITAM • FACIVNT
B • V • V
KARO • CONTVBERNAL
FEC • MEROPE • CAES
ET • SIBI • ET • SVIS • P • E
V(xit) an(ns) LII. D(s) m(nibus) Ti(beri) Claud Secund hc scum habet omnia:
Balnea, vna, Venus corrumpunt corpora nostra;
set vtam faciunt b(alnea), v(na), V(enus).
Kr contubernl() fc(it) Merop Caes(aris lberta or serva) et sibi et sus p(ostersque) e(rum).
CIL 6.15258: Epitaph from a marble stone at Rome for Tiberius Claudius Secundus, freedman of the emperor Claudius (A.D.. 41–54), set up by Secundus’ mate Merope, a freedwoman, or possibly still a slave, of the imperial household. The two edited lines following omnia, a couplet in elegiac meter, sound a theme known from other Greco-Roman sources and reflect the importance of the public baths in ancient Rome. The couplet’s two clauses are arranged in an elaborate ABC=CBA CHIASMUS: subjects—verb—object = object—verb—subjects.
anns: or anns; both acc. (more commonly) and abl. were used to indicate DURATION OF TIME.—mns, mnium, m. pl., shade, ghost, spirit; d mns, spirits of the dead, supernatural powers that protected the soul of the deceased, commonly abbreviated D.M. in epitaphs and in the dat. case as recipients of the dedication.—Claud: the gen. of -ium and -ius nouns variously retained or dropped the -i- of the stem, i.e., both Claudi and Claud are seen, likewise offici and offic.—balneum, -, n., room for bathing, bathroom; bathing establishment; “balneal” the reference is to the public baths in Rome, immensely popular building complexes with facilities for hot and cold baths, massage and exercise, relaxation and conversation, and all the indulgences of modern spas.—vna: the pl. here refers to the consumption of wine in general.—Venus, Veneris, f., Venus, the Italic goddess of sexual love and generation; used here, as often, with the meaning sexual activity, sex, romance; “venereal,” the planet “Venus.”—corrump, corrumpere, corrp, corruptum, to ruin, corrupt; “corruption.”—set: = sed.—kr: = cr alternate spellings like set and kr were quite common in inscriptions.—contubernlis, contubernlis, m./ f., one who shares the same tent; house-mate, intimate friend; mate, a slave’s domestic partner, with the relationship, but not the legal status, of a spouse.—sus: sc. posters, probably referring to Merope’s descendants, though it is possible that both sibi and sus refer to her mate Secundus, as the reflexive pron. often refers, not to the subj. of a clause, but to the most prominent person referred to in the context (for this usage, see “Epitaph for a Patron,” Capvt XIII).—posterus, -a, -um, occurring hereafter, later, future; m. pl. as noun, descendants; “posterity” for the inclusion of a deceased person’s descendants in funerary inscriptions, cf. “Epitaph to His Wives,” Capvt XXVI.
QUAESTINS: What is the essential message of the elegiac couplet? How is the use of chiasmus appropriate to this message? Comment also on the effect of the asyndeton in the couplet’s opening and closing phrases.
* * *
“I can promise you good wine, and, if you like shooting, a manor of 4000 acres, fires, books, your own free will, and my own very indifferent company. ‘Balnea, vina, Venus.’”
NEAR THE END OF A LETTER FROM LORD BYRON TO THOMAS MOORE, DEC. 11, 1811
* * *
The Great Bath, in the Roman bath complex, first–second century A.D.. (the neoclassical buildings constructed over them date from the late nineteenth century), Bath, Great Britain
Vanni / Art Resource, NY
Pyrrhus Laments the Death of Chius
PYRRHVS • CHIO • CONLEGAE • SAL
MOLESTE • FERO • QVOD AVDIVI •
TE • MORTVOM • ITAQ VAL Pyrrhus Chi conlgae sal(tem):
Molest fer quod audv t mortuom.
Itaq(ue) val()!
CIL 4.1852: Graffito from the basilica at Pompeii; the line molest…mortuom is an iambic senarius verse.
conlga (collga), -ae, m., colleague, associate.—saltem: sc. dcit; standard expression of greeting.—molest, adv., distressingly, annoying; “molest” molest ferre, idiom, to take (something) badly, be distressed.—mortuom: = mortuum; with t mortuom sc. esse.—itaque: the author actually wrote ITAQ=, using Q= as an abbreviation for QVE, and he wrote the L in VAL with a vertical slash mark through the base of the letter; a wide variety of such shorthand symbols appear in graffiti and other texts, but are not shown in my transcriptions unless in actual letter form.
Epitaph for Chryse
CHRYS[…
HIC DORM[… Chrs[] hc dorm[it].
AE (1983) 97: The fragmented marble stone bearing this inscription was found in 1981 at Ostia, near the church of Saint Aurea, a 3rd-cent. A.D.. martyr whose name, like Chrs, meant “golden.” Some suppose the stone marked the grave of the Saint herself.
dormit: the verb was found frequently in Christian burials.
Elect the Breadman!
C • IVLIVM • POLYBIVM
AED • OVF • PANEM • BONVM • FERT G(ium) Ilium Polybium aed(lem) (r)
v(s) f(acitis): pnem bonum fert.
CIL 4.429: Another Pompeian campaign ad for Gaius Julius Polybius (see “Maybe Polybius,” Capvt V); the candidate’s qualifications included being a good baker!
aedlis, aedlis, m., aedile, magistrate in charge of public works and entertainments.—r (1), to speak, plead; beg, beseech; “oratory.” The abbreviation O.V.F. is common in campaign notices (cf. “Vatia for Aedile,” Capvt XXIII); facitis in this context = to make, elect.—pnis, pnis, m., bread; “pantry,” “companion.”
Baker’s oven and millstones, Casa dei Fornai, Pompeii, Italy
Robert I. Curtis
Reward for Safe Return
FVGI TENE ME
CVM REVOCV
VERIS ME • DM •
ZONINO ACCIPIS
SOLIDVM • Fg: ten m. Cum revocvveris m d(omin)
m(e) Znn, accipis solidum.
CIL 15.7194: From a bronze tag on an identification collar worn by a slave (or, as some suppose, an anim
al—a dog perhaps?) of Zoninus; cf. “A Fugitive Slave,” above, Capvt XXVIII.
revocvveris: a misspelling for revocveris, from revoc (1), to call back, recall; bring back, return; “revoke.”—dominus, -, m., master, lord; “dominate,” “dominion.”—accipis: = accipis; pres. was sometimes used for fut., esp. in colloquial Lat.—solidus, -, m., solidus (a gold coin); “solid,” “consolidate.”
Largiti Dish of the Emperor Licinius
LICINI AVGVSTE SEMPER VINCAS •
SIC X
SIC XX
NAISS Licin Auguste, semper vincs! Sc X, sc XX.
Naiss().
CIL 3.14595: Inscription punched on a silver platter, one of several produced in A.D.. 317–318, celebrating the 10th anniversary of Valerius Licinianus Licinius’ appointment in A.D.. 308 as emperor over the western half of the empire by his longtime friend, Galerius, emperor in the east. Following Galerius’ death, Licinius became co-emperor and ultimately sole emperor in the east, until his defeat by his arch rival (and brother-in-law!), the western emperor Constantine I. Known as largiti (= bestowal of doles) dishes, such plates were distributed as gifts on important ceremonial occasions, such as the ascension of an emperor or an anniversary of his reign; the dish presented here is one of a nearly identical set of five excavated at Niš (in Roman Illyricum), where in fact, as the inscription indicates, they had been produced.
Scribblers, Sculptors and Scribes Page 22