Scribblers, Sculptors and Scribes

by Richard A LaFleur

  cubiculris, -e, of/ for a bedroom (cubiculum); “cubicle.”—dulcis…lucerna: sc. sum.—cnscius, -a, -um, sharing knowledge (of), privy (to); “conscious,” “conscience.”—lectulus, -, m., little bed (DIMINUTIVE of lectus).—facis licet: = facere licet; licet can be construed with either an infin. or a subjunctive.

  Dentifricium

  Quid mcum est tibi?—m puella smat!

  mpts nn sole polre dents.

  Martial Epig. 14.56: This gift of toothpaste (dentifricium) spoke rather less kindly than the bedroom lamp to its recipient! The Romans brushed their teeth, to keep them clean and polished, with compounds made of abrasives like salt and ground shells, mixed with sweeteners and fragrances; toothpicks were used too; and wine was employed as a mouthwash. Teeth that fell out or had to be extracted were often replaced by dentures made of wood or ivory, or with bridges constructed from human teeth, sometimes the person’s own; wealthier Romans could purchase dental appliances made with gold.

  quid…est tibi: the formulation is colloquial idiom, = “what are YOU doing…” but what is the lit. translation?—sm, smere, smps, smptum, to take (up); use; “assume,” “consumption.”—em, emere, m, mptum, to buy, purchase; “preempt,” “caveat emptor.”—poli, polre, polv, poltum, to smoothe, polish.—dns, dentis, m., tooth; “dental,” “trident.”

  QUAESTI: The imagined recipient was presumably an old woman—how do we know?

  Ivory false teeth in gold fixtures. Private collection

  Private Collection / Ancient Art and Architecture Collection Ltd. / The Bridgeman Art Library

  Cicero Writes to His Wife

  Tullius Terentiae suae sal.

  S vals, bene est; ego vale. Valtdinem tuam velim crs dligentissim, nam mihi et scrptum et nntitum est t in febrim subit incidisse. Quod celeriter m fcist d Caesaris litters certirem, fcist mihi grtum. Item posthc, s quid opus erit, s quid acciderit nov, facis ut sciam. Cr ut vales. Val. D. IIII Non. In.

  Cicero Fam. 14.8: Marcus Tullius Cicero (106–43 B.C.), the pre-eminent Roman lawyer and statesman, is one of the best known figures from Greco-Roman antiquity, not least because hundreds of his letters have survived on matters both political and personal. This brief missive to his wife Terentia was composed in early June, 47 B.C., in the aftermath of Julius Caesar’s defeat of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, “Pompey the Great,” with whom Cicero had allied himself in the civil war; not surprisingly Cicero was intent on knowing as much as possible about Caesar’s ongoing efforts at consolidating his authority.

  sal.: = saltem (dcit).—s…vale: this opening greeting was so conventional in Roman letters that it was often simply abbreviated s. v. b. e. e. v.—valetd, valetdinis, f., (good/ bad) health; “valid,” “invalid.”—velim: POTENTIAL SUBJUNCT.—crs: ut may be used to introduce a JUSSIVE NOUN CLAUSE, or, as here, it may be omitted.—dligenter, adv., diligently.—febris, febris, f., fever; febrim was a common variant for febrem; “febrile,” “feverish.”—incid, incidere, incid, incsum, to fall into, lapse into; “incident,” “incidental.”—celeriter, adv., quickly, promptly; “celerity,” “accelerator.”—certirem facere, idiom, to make more sure, i.e., to inform; “writ of certiorari.”—fcist mihi grtum: we might say “I am grateful,” but what is the lit. translation?—item, adv., similarly; likewise, in addition.—posthc, adv., from now on, hereafter.—opus esse, idiom, to be needed/ necessary.—accid, accidere, accid, to fall down; befall, happen; “accident.”—facere (ut), idiom, to see to it that, + subjunct. in a NOUN CLAUSE OF RESULT.—cr ut vales: a common closing wish at the end of letters; the val following is not exactly redundant, as the former expression here lit. wishes Terentia good health, while the latter means more simply “good-bye.”—D. IIII Nn. In.: abbreviation for the standard way of formulating dates, ante diem qurtum Nns Inis, the fourth day before the Nones of June, i.e., June 2 (the Nones of June was the 5th, and by Roman inclusive counting the 2nd was four days before, i.e., 2–3–4–5; for dates in the Roman calendar, see notes to “Gladiators, Wild Animal Hunts, and…Air Conditioning,” Capvt XXIX).

  QUAESTI: Cicero and Terentia, who had been married in 79 B.C., experienced growing marital difficulties during the 40s and were divorced in late 47 or early 46, within a year of the date of this letter; comment on the content and tone of this letter in the context of this circumstance.

  Marble bust of Cicero. Musei Capitolini, Rome, Italy

  Bildarchiv Preussischer Kulturbesitz / Art Resource, NY; photo: Alfredo Dagli Orti

  The King Is Dead

  Ad hoc, Pater ipse Patriae perpetuusque dicttor. Novissim (dubium an ips volente) oblta pr rostrs ab Antni cnsule rgnnsignia. Quae omnia velut nfulae in dstintam mort victimam congerbantur. Quippe clmentiam prncipis vcit invidia, gravisque erat lbers ipsa beneficirum potentia. Nec ditius lta dminti est, set Brutus et Cassius alique patrs cnsnsre in caedem prncipis. Quanta vs ft! Mnverat lt conirti, libellus etiam Caesar datus edem di, nec perlitre centum victims potuerat. Vnit in criam tamen, expedtinem Parthicam meditns. Ibi in curl sedentem eum sentus invsit, tribusque et vgint volneribus ad terram datus est. Sc ille, qu terrrum orbem cvl sanguine implverat, tandem ipse sanguine su criam implvit.

  Florus Epit. 2.13.91–95: Florus concludes his chronicle of the extraordinary honors and powers that had been granted to Julius Caesar by 44 B.C. with a brief account of the dictator’s assassination in the senate house on the Ides of March. For Florus’ Epit., see notes to “The Augustan Peace,” Capvt XXXI.

  ad: here in addition to; by hoc Florus refers to the lengthy list of Caesar’s newly acquired offices and titles that he has just enumerated.—Pater…dicttor: sc. appelltus est; Pater Patriae was an honorific title awarded by the senate only a few times during the Republic, most recently in 63 B.C. to Cicero, for his role as consul in suppressing the coup d’etat headed by Lucius Sergius Catilina.—novissim, adv., most recently; after all else, finally; “novelty,” “novice.”—dubium, -, n., doubt; here sc. est; “dubious,” “indubitably.”—an, conj., whether (or not).—oblta: sc. sunt.—rostra, -rum, n. pl., the Rostra, the speaker’s stage in the Roman Forum, where major news events were regularly announced.—Antnius, -, m., Antonius, a Roman family name; here, Marc Antony, who was co-consul with Caesar in 44 and who on February 15 at the festival of the Lupercalia offered his colleague a diadem, a symbol of royal status; Caesar refused the honor, perhaps reluctantly, but the gesture itself further outraged his opponents.—rgnum, -, n., kingship, monarchy; kingdom; “reign,” “interregnum.”—nsigne, nsignis, n., something worn as an indication of rank; emblem, trapping; “insignia.”—quae: = haec.—velut, conj., as if, like.—nfula, -ae, f., headband, worn by sacrificial victims.—dstin (1), to fix in place; fix for a purpose, earmark, destine (for); “destination,” “destiny.”—victima, -ae, f., animal off ered in sacrifice, sacrificial victim.—conger, congerere, congess, congestum, to bring together, amass; “congeries,” “congestion.”—quippe, conj., for.—beneficirum: i.e., political favors.—potentia, -ae, f., power; “potential,” “potency.”—dminti, dmintinis, f., mastery, rule; “domination.”—set: = sed.—Brtus, -, m., Brutus, Roman cognomen; here Marcus Junius Brutus, senator and a former supporter of Caesar, who participated in the assassination.—Cassius, -, m., Cassius, Roman family name; Gaius Cassius Longinus was an ardent anti-Caesarian and a leader of the conspiracy.—patrs: a term traditionally employed for members of the Roman senate, which in origin consisted of heads of Rome’s leading families.—cnsenti, cnsentre, cnsns, cnsnsum, to agree, concur; with in + acc., to agree on; “consent,” “consensus.”—caeds, caedis, f., killing, slaughter; “homicide,” “regicide.”—mn (1), to flow, pour; spread, become known; “emanate.”—lt, adv., broadly, widely; “latitude.”—conirti, conirtinis, f., conspiracy; “conjurer.”—libellus: i.e., some written document.—datus: sc. erat.—perlit (1), to obtain favorable omens.—cria, -ae, f., senate-house; “amicus curiae.”—expedti, expedtinis, f., military campaign; “expedition.”—Parthicus, -a, -um, of Parthia (ancient kingdom
in the area of northeastern Iran, south of the Caspian Sea), Parthian; Rome had suff ered a humiliating defeat by the Parthians at the battle of Carrhae in 55 B.C., and Caesar was planning a retaliatory campaign when he was slain.—meditor, meditr, medittus sum, to think about constantly, contemplate; “meditate.”—curlis, -e, curule, i.e., relating to the highest ranking Roman magistrates; here, as often, sc. sella, chair: the curule chair, made with inlaid ivory, was a throne used by high magistrates at official functions.—invd, invdere, invs, invsum, to enter on; move against, attack; “invade,” “invasion.”—volneribus: = vulneribus.—orbis, orbis, m., circle, sphere; orbis terrrum, idiom, the world, earth; “orb,” “orbit.”—cvlis, -e, of/ aff ecting (one’s fellow) citizens; civil, civic.—sanguis, sanguinis, m., blood; “sanguine,” “consanguineous.”—imple, implre, implv, impltum, to fill up/ out, complete; “deplete.”—tandem, adv., finally; “tandem.”

  Cicero Congratulates One of Caesar’s Assassins

  Cicer Basil s.

  Tibi grtulor, mihi gaude. T am, tua tueor. t amr et quid ags quidque agtur certior fier vol.

  Cicero Fam. 6.15: For a number of reasons, including its brevity and hurried tone, this letter from Cicero to Lucius Minucius Basilus has been taken by many scholars to refer to the assassination of Julius Caesar on the Ides of March 44 B.C. and to have been hastily written in the immediate aftermath of that event, even perhaps the same day. Although an outspoken opponent of Caesar, who had himself declared dicttor perpetuus in early 44, Cicero did not take part in the conspiracy; Basilus, however, praetor in 45 and a once trusted associate of Caesar’s, was among the assassins, motivated in part by disappointment over his recent treatment by the dictator.

  Bust of Julius Caesar. Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Naples, Italy

  SEF / Art Resource, NY

  s.: do you recall what this abbreviation represents? (if not, see “On the Death of a Friend’s Daughter,” Capvt XXXV).—grtulor, grtulr, grtultus sum, + dat., to give thanks to; wish a person joy, congratulate.—tueor, tur, tuitus sum, to look at; look after, protect; “tutor,” “intuit.”—am: the word was of course commonly used of the aff ection between friends.—certior fier: for the idiom, see above; here + IND. QUESTION.

  GRAMMATICA

  Verba: List all forms of the important irregular verb e, and its compounds, that appear in the chapter’s readings, and then transform all singulars to plural, and plurals to singular; check your work by referring to the Summrium Frmrum at the back of the book.

  Nmina: List all nouns in the readings that are employed in place and time constructions, then identify the case and the specific usage of each.

  CAPVT XXXVIII

  Aborigines, Busybodies, and Brits

  In this chapter you’ll read some very moving epitaphs, including a memorial from a monument in Tunisia composed in verse by Cornelia Galla to her husband, as well as a letter written by a soldier reporting, disparagingly, on the British cavalry. The Prverbia et Dicta include the Roman equivalent of “easier said than done” and Ovid’s tongue-in-cheek pronouncement on why women go to the theater; the literary selections include another poem by Sulpicia, lamenting her lover’s disinterest, three stinging epigrams by Martial, Pliny’s letter to a delinquent correspondent, and Sallust’s brief account of Rome’s settlement by Trojans and aborigines.

  Grammatica nova: Relative clauses of characteristic; dative case uses, including the dative of reference; supines.

  NSCRPTINS

  The Vindolanda Tablets:

  The British Cavalry

  …]NENV[…]N • BRITTONES

  NIMIVM MVLTI • EQVITES

  GLADIS • NON VTVNTVR EQVITES

  • NEC RESIDVNT

  BRITTVNCVLI • VT • IACVLOS

  MITTANT […]nenu[…]n Brittns. Nimium mult

  equits. Glads nn tuntur equits, nec

  resdunt Brittuncul ut iaculs mittant.

  Vindolanda tablet 164: Portion of a 1st-cent. A.D.. letter in which the writer, doubtless a Roman legionnaire, comments to the recipient on the local British cavalry; the editors of the Vindolanda tablets conjecture this was part of an “intelligence report” sent by a Roman scout to his commander or perhaps a memo from a departing garrison commander to his replacement. Only this page of the wooden diptych survives, and the reverse side is blank, so we lack the full context of the letter, but these remarks, and their disparaging tone, are an example of the historical insights the Vindolanda tablets provide—in this case regarding the British cavalry and its tactics, about which little else is known. The author’s handwriting is relatively clear, and he employs puncta in several places to separate words. For other selections from the tablets, see Capita XXII, XXV, and XXXII.

  Vindolanda tablet 164, second century A.D.., Vindolanda (near modern Chesterholm), Great Britain

  © The Vindolanda Trust

  Britt, Brittnis, m., inhabitant of Britain, Briton; the letter is damaged so that this first sentence is unintelligible.—nimium: here, as often, very; with the phrase nimium…equits, sc. sunt.—gladius, -, m., sword; “gladiator,” “gladiolus” the contraction glads for gladis was a common variant reflecting pronunciation.—eques, equitis, m., horseman, cavalryman; “equestrian.”—resd, resdere, resd, to take one’s seat, sit down, mount (a horse); settle down; “reside.”—Brittunculus, -, m., disparaging DIMINUTIVE of Britt (like homunculus from hom), little Brit.—iaculum, -, n., spear, javelin; “projectile” the writer confused the word’s gender, a common error, seen in the Vindolanda tablets and elsewhere (see, e.g., “A Shared Bowl,” Capvt XX).

  TWO EPITAPHS

  Requiem for Laggus

  LAGGE • FILI

  BENE • QVIESCAS

  MATER • TVA • ROGAT

  TE • VT • ME • AD • TE

  RECIPIAS • VALE

  P • Q • XV • Lagge, fl, bene quiscs. Mter tua rogat t ut m ad t recipis: val. P(eds) q(uadrt) XV.

  CIL 12.4938: Funerary inscription for Laggus, from Narbo (modern Narbonne); a very similar epitaph has been found in Cartenna (Mostaganem), Algeria (CIL 8.9691: M fl, mter rogat ut m ad t recipis).

  quisc, quiscere, quiv, quitum, to repose in sleep; rest, find rest; “quiet,” “requiem,” “requiescat in pace.”—ps, pedis, m., lower leg, foot; foot (unit of measurement); “pedal,” “pedestrian.”—quadrtus, -a, -um, divided into four parts; square, squared; “quadrate,” “quadrant.”—peds quadrt XV: not a part of the epitaph, but indicating the size of the burial plot (cf. “Flavius Martialis Lies Here,” Capvt XXI).

  QUAESTINS: Comment on the pathos of the mother’s entreaty to her dead son; what does the epitaph suggest about her view of the afterlife?

  Forever in My Eyes and in My Heart

  HIC • SITVS • EST • VARIVS • COGNOMINE • FRONTONIANVS • QVEM • CONIVNX • LEPIDA • POSVIT • CORNELIA • GALLA • DVLCIA • RESTITVENS • VETERIS • SOLACIA • VITAE • MARMOREOS • VOLTVS • STATVIT • OCVLOS • ANIMVMQVE • LONGIVS • VT • KARARA POSSET • SATVRARE • FIGVRA HOC • SOLAMEN • ERIT • VISVS • NAM • PIGNVS • AMORIS PECTORE CONTEGITVR MEMOR DVLCEDINE MENTIS NEC • POTERIT • FACILI • LABIVM • OBLIVIONE • PERIRE • SET • DVM • VSTA MANET TOTO EST IN CORDE MARITVS NEC MIR QVONIAM TALES QVAE FEMINA MORES •

  Hc situs est Varius cognmine Frontoninus,

  quem coninx lepida posuit Cornlia Galla,

  dulcia restituns veteris slcia vtae;

  marmores volts statuit, oculs animumque

  longius ut krara posset saturre figra.

  5

  Hoc slmen erit vsus: nam pignus amris

  pectore contegitur memor<> dulcdine mentis,

  nec poterit facil labium oblvine perre;

  set dum usta manet, tt est in corde martus.

  Nec mr, quoniam tls quae fmina mrs

  …

  10

  CIL 8.434: Funerary inscription from Ammaedara (modern Haïdra), an early Roman settlement in western Tunisia; 2nd cent. A.D.. The monument was set
up by Cornelia Galla for her husband Varius Frontonianus, and the epitaph was written, possibly by Galla herself, in dactylic hexameters; there were originally 10 more verses, but the stone was badly damaged and only the first word or two of each line survives.

  situs, -a, -um, stored, deposited; laid in the grave, buried; hc situs (sita) est, often abbreviated h. s. e., was a standard formula in epitaphs.—cognmen, cognminis, n., cognomen, epithet of an individual or family, regularly following the nmen or family name.—Frontoninus: the second -o-, ordinarily long, was here treated as short, a metrical device known as systole.—coninx, coniugis, m./ f., spouse; “conjugal.”—lepidus, -a, -um, agreeable, charming, delightful; lepida is nom., but the -a (like the -i- in statuit, line 4) must be pronounced long, a device called DIASTOLE, for the meter to scan correctly.—restitu, restituere, restitu, restittum, to set up again; restore, revive; “restitution.”—marmoreus, -a, -um, (made of) marble.—vultus (voltus), -s, m., facial expression, look; face; here pl. for sg.—statu, statuere, statu, stattum, to set, stand; set up (a statue of); “statue,” “statute.”—krara: the engraver’s error for kra = cra; again there are metrical irregularities.—satur (1), to sate, satisfy; “saturate.”—figra, -ae, f., form, composition; image, likeness; “figurative.”—slmen, slminis, n., source of comfort, solace; “consolation.”—vsus, -s, m., seeing; sight; “vision.”—pignus, pigneris, n., pledge, surety.—conteg, contegere, contex, contectum, to cover over, conceal; “protect.”—memor, gen. memoris, mindful (of); having a good memory, unforgetting; “memorial.”—dulcd, dulcdinis, f., sweetness; pleasantness; “dulcet.”—labium, -, n., lip, here sg. for pl.; “labial” some editors conjecture the reading was labsum = lapsum, from labor, lab, lapsus sum, to slip away (“lapse,” “elapse”) and modifying pignus.—oblvi, oblvinis, f., (act/ state of) forgetting; “obliviousness.”—set: = sed.—usta: the editors of CIL read VSTA (burned, cremated) here, but VITA/ vta, suggested by other editors (and removing what would otherwise be a metrical anomaly), is doubtless what Galla intended and what the sculptor either misconstrued from the written text she provided or simply misspelled.—cor, cordis, n., heart; soul, spirit; “cordial,” “courage.”—martus, -, m., husband; “marital.”—mrus, -a, -um, amazing, surprising; nec (est) mrum, idiom, nor is it surprising; “miracle” the sentence beginning here in line 10 continued into the following verse, which, as noted above, has been lost.