18.02.27: Level 2 (review); Carolus et Maria [40] (3)

NOTE: This the last post on the textbook 'Carolus et Maria'; the entire book has been discussed in a total of 147 posts; the link to all of them is at:

https://adckl.blogspot.com/search/label/textbook%3A%20Carolus%20et%20Maria

Ōlim vesperī magistra cum discipulīs ad silvam it. Cēnam portāvērunt. Secūrēs sūmpsērunt. Puerī arborēs parvās secūribus suīs cecīdērunt frēgēruntque quod ignem facere voluērunt. Post cēnam omnēs circum ignem sē disposuērunt. Intereā discipulī fābulam postulāvērunt. Hōc modō magistra nārrāre incēpit:

“Multīs ante annīs per hās ipsās silvās prīmī incolae Americānī errābant. Barbarī ab hostibus Britannīs appellābantur. Saepe apud hōs incolās ignēs huius generis vidēbantur. Apud Britannōs cōnspectus eōrum ignium signum perīculī esse putābātur, quandō ipsī aut fugiēbant aut in castella sē recipiēbant et per vigiliās noctis sine quiēte sē dēfendēbant. Saepe Britannī secūrēs sūmēbant et arborēs caedēbant. Tum castella validiōra faciēbant.

“Multī barbarī, autem, erant benignī et aliōs incolās occīdere nōlēbant, sed saepe iniūriae hostium eōrum erant magnae. Posteā ubi barbarī ē rēgnō suō ab hostibus pellēbantur ipsī saevī et dūrī fīēbant. Semper paucī ex barbarīs cum hostibus pācem restituere volēbant. Tum hostēs eōrum ad ignem magnum invītābantur et erat pāx. At intereā hostēs erant perfidī. Tum barbarī impetūs magnōs facere cōnstituēbant. Usque ad castella hostium succēdēbant et castella circumveniēbant. Hostēs ē castellīs exīre nōn poterant quod undique castella circumventa sunt.

“Barbarī nōn semper pugnābant. Saepe cantābant et saltābant. Interdum animālia capiēbant. Equōs validōs habēbant et bonī equitēs in summō honōre habēbantur. Nōnne vōs etiam nunc in animīs vestrīs sonitum pedum equōrum paene audītis?”

Diū omnēs siluērunt. Postrēmō “Habēbanturne fēminae in summō honōre?” rogāvit Maria.

“Minimē,” respondit magistra. “Fēminae, autem, nōn erant semper miserae quamquam officia eārum erant magna difficiliaque.”

Post fīnem fābulae Maria “Utra est grātior vīta,” rogāvit, “nostra an vīta barbarōrum?”

“Nostra,” clāmāvērunt puellae. At puerī ita nōn putāvērunt.

[1] Give the 1^st person singular present tense of the following verbs from the text:

[i] it

[ii] sūmpsērunt

[iii] cecīdērunt

[iv] frēgērunt

[v] disposuērunt

[vi] nōlēbant

[vii] fīēbant

[viii] poterant

[ix] siluērunt

[2] Give the nominative singular of the following nouns from the text:

[i] hostibus

[ii] ignēs

[iii] generis

[iv] noctis

[v] quiēte

[vi] animālia

[vii] equitēs

[viii] pedum

[3] Identify (1) the case and (2) declension of the noun in bold and (3) explain why it is being used:

[i] barbarī … ab hostibus pellēbantur

[ii] barbarī impetūs magnōs facere cōnstituēbant

[4] Identify the clause type

[i]  … ubi barbarī ē rēgnō suō ab hostibus pellēbantur …

[ii] … quod undique castella circumventa sunt.

[iii] … quamquam officia eārum erant magna difficiliaque.

[5] Identify the type of word in bold:

[i] ōlim

[ii] frēgēruntque

[iii] Tum castella validiōra faciēbant.

[iv] quandō ipsī aut fugiēbant aut in castella sē recipiēbant

[v] sē recipiēbant

[vi] ē rēgnō suō

[vii] ipsī saevī et dūrī fīēbant

[viii] officia eārum

[6] Find from the text a one word synonym for nōn semper.

[7] Translate, focussing on the words on in bold:

[i] Hōc modō magistra nārrāre incēpit:

[ii] Usque ad castella hostium

[iii] Apud Britannōs

[iv] “Habēbanturne fēminae in summō honōre?”

[8] Explain the meaning and use of the words in bold:

[i] [a] “Utra est grātior vīta,” rogāvit, “nostra [b] an vīta barbarōrum?”

[ii] Nōnne vōs etiam nunc … audītis?”

[9] Explain the differences in verb usage between:

[a] castella circumveniēbant

[b] castella circumventa sunt

____________________

[1]

[i] eō; [ii] sūmō; [iii] caedō; [iv] frangō; [v] dispōnō; [vi] nōlō; [vii] fīō; [viii] possum; [ix] sileō

[2]

[i] hostis; [ii] ignis; [iii] genus; [iv] nox; [v] quiēs; [vi] animal; [vii] eques; [viii] pēs

[3]

[i] hostibus: ablative; 3rd declension; used after ab to show the agent of the passive verb pellēbantur

[ii] impetūs: accusative; 4th declension; direct object of facere

[4]

[i] temporal clause

[ii] causal clause

[iii] concessive clause

[5]

[i] adverb (of time)

[ii] enclitic particle acting as a conjunction

[iii] comparative adjective

[iv] conjunctions; specifically correlative conjunctions since they are used together

[v] reflexive pronoun

[vi] reflexive possessive adjective referring to the subject of the sentence

[vii] emphatic pronoun

[viii] possessive pronoun

[6] interdum

[7]

[i] In this way the teacher began to tell the story.

[ii] Right up to the enemies’ forts.

[iii] Among the Britons.

[iv] Were women held in the highest honour?

[8]

[i]

[a] utra: which (of two)?; suggests there are two alternative answers

[b] an: or; introduces the second alternative i.e. X or Y?

[ii] nōnne: surely?; the answer is expected to be positive

[9]

[a] circumveniēbant: active verb; they surrounded the forts

[b] circumventa sunt: passive verb; the forts were / have been surrounded

17.02.27: Level 1; step-by-step; scaffolding [2] identifying nouns

[A]

vīnum | wine

Quid est hoc? | What is this?

Vīnum est. | It’s wine.  

• X est | It is X.

Estne aqua? | Is it water?

• Estne X? | Is it X?

Nōn est aqua. | It’s not water

• Nōn est X| It is not X.

Vīnum est. | It’s wine.

• Y est | It’s Y.

The patterns can be used with no changes to the nouns.

Quid est hoc?

Elephantus est.

Estne crocodīlus?

Nōn est crocodīlus.

Elephantus est.

Exercise

Practise creating your own dialogue using the ‘scaffold’ below with some nouns related to food and drink.

Quid est hoc?

__________ est.

Estne __________ ?

Nōn est __________.

__________ est.

• aqua: water
• cervisia: beer
• bāca: berry
• olīva: olive
• būtȳrum: butter
• cāseus: cheese
• mālum: apple
• ōvum: egg
• pirum: pear
• vīnum: wine

16.02.27: Level 1; First Latin Lessons (4); genitive case: 1st declension; singular and plural

I: Agricola est amīcus nautae.⁠ Nauta est amīcus poētae. Poēta est amīcus fīliārum tuārum.⁠ Fīliae tuae poētam amant.

II: Poēta incola Americae est. Sed Italia est patria poētae. Poēta fīliam habet. America est patria fīliae poētae. Poēta Italiam amat. Fīlia poētae Americam amat.

III: Incolae īnsulārum sunt agricolae et nautae. Vīta agricolārum vīta bona est. Poētae saepe vītam agricolārum laudant. Vītam nautārum interdum laudāmus. Nautae multās terrās vident. Sed vīta nautārum perīculōsa est.

IV: Nauta amīcus agricolae est. Soror mea epistulam puellae habet. Hibernia patria nautae est. Soror parvārum puellārum epistulās scrībit. Incolae īnsulae nautae sunt. Incolae multārum īnsulārum agricolae sunt.

(1) vocabulary

• amīcus: friend (male)
• bona: good
• incola: inhabitant
• interdum: sometimes
• laudant: (they) praise
• nauta: sailor
• perīculōsa: dangerous
• poēta: poet
• vident: (they) see
• vīta: life

(2) The genitive case has a number of uses, one of which expresses possession, the equivalent of English:

The sailor’s friend; an inhabitant of America; the farmers’ life; the inhabitants of the islands

• amīcus nautae | a friend of the sailor [ = the sailor’s friend]
• incola Americae | an inhabitant of America
• vīta agricolārum | The life ¦ of the farmers [ = the farmers’ life]
• incolae īnsulārum | inhabitants of the islands

This text deals with the genitive case of 1^st declension nouns:

1^st declension: nouns end in -a

Nominative singular: puella

[i] Genitive singular: puellae

Nominative plural: puellae

[ii] Genitive plural: puellārum

(4)

[i] genitive case singular: -ae

Agricola est amīcus ¦ nautae.⁠ 

• The farmer is the friend ¦ of the sailor [ = the sailor’s friend]

Soror mea epistulam ¦ puellae ¦ habet.

• My sister has ¦ the girl’s ¦ letter.

America est patria ¦ [i] fīliae ¦ [ii] poētae.

• America is the homeland ¦ [i] of the daughter ¦ [ii] of the poet [ = of the poet’s daughter]

[ii] genitive case plural: -ārum

Vīta ¦ agricolārum ¦ vīta bona est.

• The life ¦ of the farmers [ = the farmers’ life] ¦ is a good life.

The same endings apply to 1^st / 2^nd declension adjectives:

Soror ¦ parvae puellae ¦ epistulās scrībit.

• The sister ¦ of the little girl [ = the little girl’s sister] ¦ writes letters.

Soror ¦ parvārum puellārum ¦ epistulās scrībit.

• The sister ¦ of the little girls [ = the little girls’ sister] ¦ writes letters.

Poēta est amīcus ¦ fīliae tuae.⁠ 

• The poet is a friend ¦ of your daughter [ = your daughter’s friend]

Poēta est amīcus ¦ fīliārum tuārum.⁠ 

• The poet is a friend ¦ of your daughters [ = your daughters’ friend]

Incolae ¦ multārum īnsulārum ¦ agricolae sunt.

• The inhabitants ¦ of many islands ¦ are farmers.

LINKS

01.03.24: genitive case singular and plural of 1st declension nouns

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/04/10324-genitive-case-singular-and-plural.html

all posts:

https://adckl.blogspot.com/search/label/genitive%20case

____________________

I: The farmer is the sailor's friend. The sailor is the poet's friend. The poet is your daughters' friend. Your daughters love the poet.

II: The poet is an inhabitant of America. But Italy is the poet's homeland. The poet has a daughter. America is the homeland of the poet's daughter. The poet loves Italy. The poet's daughter loves America.

III: The inhabitants of the islands are farmers and sailors. The farmers' life is a good life. Poets often praise the farmers' life. We sometimes praise the sailors' life. Sailors see many lands. But the sailors' life is dangerous.

IV: The sailor is the farmer's friend. My sister has the girl's letter. Ireland is the sailor's homeland. The little girls' sister writes letters. The island's inhabitants are sailors. The inhabitants of many islands are farmers.

14.02.27: Level 4; literature; Mediaeval; Tacuinum Sānitātis (6): the benefits of garlic

Alleum │ Garlic

Using the previous text as a guide, and the vocabulary which has been given in previous posts on this topic, try to answer the questions about the benefits or otherwise of garlic. The text together with its translation is attached.

Alleum 

Complēctiō calida in 4° sicca in 3°

Ēlēctiō meliōrā ex eō est quī modicē acuitātis est

Iuuāmentum contrā uenēna frīgida et morsus scorpiōnum et uīperārum et interficit uermēs

Nocumentum nocet oculīs et cerebrō

Remōtiō nocumentī cum acētō et oleō

Quid generat hūmōrem grossum et acūtum

Conuenit frīgidīs dēcrepitīs et senibus hyēme* et montānīs et septentriōnālibus.

*alternative spelling of hieme

acuitās, acuitātis [3/f]: (Mediaeval); sharpness; intensity

The translation gives this as ‘juiciness’ which is also possible since there is a rare word – aqueitās – which means ‘wateriness’ or ‘moisture’, but the manuscript is clear in its use of acuitātis

acūtus, -a, -um: sharp

cerebrum, -ī [2/n]: brain

grossus, -a, -um: (Mediaeval) thick

hiems, hiemis [3/f]: winter

modicē: moderately < modicus, -a, -um: moderate

montānus, -a, -um: (adjective) mountain; mountainous

morsus, -ūs [4/m]: bite; sting

septentriōnālis, -e: northern

venēnum, -ī [2/n]: poison

vermis, -is [3/m]: worm

____________________

[i] Is garlic [a] cold [b] hot [c] dry [d] wet?

[ii] The best type is moderately __________.

[iii] True or false? You can use garlic to treat poisons.

[iv] Garlic is good if you are bitten by __________ and __________.

[v] What can garlic kill?

[vi] Garlic damages the __________ and the __________.

[vii] Damage can be remedied with __________ and __________.

[viii] The text refers to the humours i.e. bodily fluids, in particular the four "cardinal humours" - blood, yellow bile, black bile and phlegm – believed to control the health and mood of the human body.

What two effects does garlic have on the humour?

[ix] Garlic is advisable:

[a] for what kind of conditions?

[b] for what kind of people?

[c] in what season?

[d] in what regions?

14.02.27: Level 4; literature; Mediaeval; Tacuinum Sānitātis (5): vocabulary

Sparagus

Complēctiō calida et hūmida in prīmō Ēlēctiō recentēs cuius summitātēs dēclīnant ad terram Iuuāmentum addunt in coitū et aperiunt opilatiōnēs Nocumentum nocent uillīs stomachī Remōtiō nocumentī postquam elisātī sunt comedantur cum mūri(ā) aut acētō Quid generant nūtrīmentum bonum Conueniunt frīgidīs et siccīs senibus et dēcrepitīs in vēre et in regiōnibus in quibus reperiuntur.

That little text comprises just over 50 words, despite which a great deal can be learned from it. Not only does it give us an insight into the content of a Mediaeval medical handbook, but, by picking and choosing, we can review common vocabulary. Match the Latin with the English in the word cloud:

1. acētum, -ī  [2/n]
2. addō, -ere, addidī, additus [3]
3. calidus, -a, -um
4. coitus, -ūs [4/m]
5. comedō, -ere, comēdī, comēsus [3]
6. conveniō, -īre, -vēnī. conventus [4]
7. dēclīnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus [1]
8. dēcrepitus, -a, -um
9. frīgidus, -a, -um
10. hūmidus, -a, -um
11. noceō, -ēre, -uī, nocitus [3]
12. nūtrīmentum, -ī [2/n]
13. recēns, recentis
14. regiō, regiōnis [3/f]
15. reperiō, -īre, repperī, repertus [4]
16. senex, senis [3 m/f]
17. siccus, -a, -um
18. stomachus, -ī [2/m]
19. terra, -ae [1/f]
20. vēr, -is [3/n]

add; be suitable; bend; cold; discover; dry; eat; fresh / recent; harm; hot; joining; land; nourishment; old person; region; spring; stomach; very old; vinegar; wet / moist

14.02.27: Level 4; literature; Mediaeval; Tacuinum Sānitātis (4): reading Mediaeval Manuscripts [2]: superscript letters; u/v; long s

Image Set #4

[i] Abbreviation by superscript letters can simply indicate the ending of the word; we use superscript in ordinal numbers e.g. 1^st 2^nd but is used far more widely in the manuscripts:

ī p^o│ in p[rim]o

iuua^tū  │ iuua[men]tum

nocu^tū │ nocu[men]tum

nocu^ti _│ nocu[men]ti

ſtoⁱ•│sto[machi]; in another section of the manuscript he writes the same superscript i alone for nocumenti i.e. nocⁱ• with identical formation of i

[ii] superscript i: above q, it denotes the superscript letter itself and the vowel u. 

Qⁱd │ quid

[iii] superscript bȝ: [ȝ] this sign is very often used to represent the dative and ablative plural endings of the third, fourth and fifth declension i.e. bus

ī regio^bȝ │ in regio[ni]bus

As mentioned above, scribes do not always adhere to the rules; the same /bȝ/ is also found in the manuscript but not as superscript, and, elsewhere, it can have different meanings.

ſeībȝ │ se[n]ibus

[iv] As we still do today, a dot (period) can be placed after the word to indicate truncation. In this manuscript, the writer places most of these below the superscript letters. 

Image Set #5

[v] Classical Latin had no /v/ sound as in very; in inscriptions V = u (CIRCVS MAXIMVS [kirkoos maksimoos]

The sound can be:

[1] as a separate vowel either short or long (the latter in edited texts marked by a macron: ū): sum, tū

[2] as a semi-vocalic sound similar to English w before another vowel: uideō [wideo], amāuī [amawi]

Ecclesiastical Latin distinguishes these two both in writing and in pronunciation, the semi-vocalic of [2] being pronounced as Modern English v  i.e. [1] sum [soom]; [2] videō [video]

In most edited texts (including textbooks) for Classical Latin that distinction is maintained in writing i.e. sum / videō, but the original pronunciation of [2] as w is retained. Some textbooks, however, e.g. Jones and Sidwell’s Reading Latin, retain u for both.

In the manuscript there is no distinction in:

Iuua^tū • │ Iuua-; cōuēiūt │ conueniunt

Using our most common means of distinguishing between these two iuvamentum and conveniunt would appear in a dictionary or textbook, but the scribe did not distinguish them and the transcription should reflect what he wrote. He does, however, write v at the beginning of vere.

This variation of /v/ and /u/ is evident in the first folio of Shakespeare’s works (1623), the initial letter of the word regardless written as /v/, in all other instances written as /u/ regardless of pronunciation.

From Macbeth (Act I, scenes 1 and 2):

[i] Valours; Victorie; Villainies: reflect the pronunciation of /v/, but:

the Victorie felt on vs [us]

Vpon the Heath; vpon the Foe [upon]

to our generall vse [use]

[ii] Below are examples where /u/ represents both sounds:

thunder / houer through the fog and filthy air [hover]

I must report / ouer-charg’d [over]

braue [brave]; deſerues [deserves]; lauiſ [lavish]; leaue [leave]; Reuolt [revolt];

A bit of “gentle” Shakespeare shows both these letters in action:

“Till he vnseam’d [unseamed] him from the Naue [Nave] toth’ Chops, And fix’d his head vpon [upon] our Battlements” │ Until he split him from belly to jaw and stuck his head upon our castle walls.

Image Set #6

Look out for the long s: ſ, not to be confused with f:

ſic │ sic[cis]

ſunt │ sunt

ſeībȝ │ se[n]ib[u]s

Both the long s and the ‘round’ s we have now are used in the manuscripts. You can learn the “rules” from a vegetable. Long s is not used:

[i] for upper case letters: Sparagus (but small case ſunt)

[ii] at the end of the word: Sparagus, ſūmitates │ su[m]mitates

It needs to be emphasised that, despite there being common abbreviations which can be identified by “a few simple rules”, there are some very peculiar forms with meanings that are not always consistent. Below is my attempt to transcribe this text using the abbreviations as they are used in the manuscript; I can’t vouch 100% for its accuracy but the group is entitled “Latin for Learners” – and I’m learning about this too! Any comments or amendments are welcome.

Sparagus Complc̄ cal + hm¯ ī p^o• Elec̄ recentes cuiꝰ  ſūmitates declināt ad terrā  Iuua^tū • addūt in coitu, et aperiūt opilatioēs¯ Nocu^tū • nocēt uillis ſtoⁱ•  Remō nocu^ti • poſtꝗ̃ eliſati ſunt comedātur cū muri aut aceto Quⁱd gnant nutrimentū bonū Cōuēiūt frīs et ſic ſeībȝ + decrepitis in vere et ī regio^bȝ • in quibus reꝑiūtur.

13.02.27: Level 3+ (review); correlatives [5] making comparisons (2) tantum … quantum …

[x] tantum … quantum … | as much … as …

The first three examples from Adler show tantum … quantum with a noun in the genitive case:

tantum panis [genitive] quantum lactis [genitive] emit

• She buys as much (of) bread as (of) milk

dā mihi tantum aquae quantum vīnī

• Give me as much (of) water as (of) wine

Habēsne tantum aurī quantum argentī?

• Do you have as much gold as silver?

These quotations from Plautus use the same construction:

quīn ex occlūsō atque obsignātō armāriō dēcutiō ¦ argentī tantum ¦ quantum mihi lubet (Plautus)

• why, though his chest is shut up and sealed, yet I shake ¦ as much money ¦ out of it as I like

cui bonī tantum afferō quantum ipsus [ = ipse] ā dīs optat, atque etiam amplius (Plautus)

• I'm bringing him as much good fortune as he desires from the gods, and even more.

But you should expect variations:

… mihique ¦ ex agrō tuō tantum ¦ adsignēs, quantum meō corpore occupārī potest (Cicero)

• and allot me ¦ as much of your land ¦ as can be occupied by my body

The use of the correlative is not only with nouns and often functions purely as an adverb:

amāta tantum quantum amābitur nūlla (Catullus)

• loved as much as no other will (ever) be loved

nōn queō tantum, quantum vereor, scrībere (Cicero)

• I cannot write as much as I fear [ = I cannot write all my fears]

meam āmentiam accūsō, quod mē ā tē tantum amārī, quantum ego vellem, putāvī (Cicero)

• I blame my foolishness, because I thought I was loved by you as much as I would wish.

The construction reversed:

Domum mē rūrsum quantum poterō tantum recipiam (Plautus)

• I'll come back home as much as I can [less literally: … just as fast as I can]

Two correlatives in the same extract:

mōtum in rē pūblicā nōn tantum ego impendēre videō, quantum tū aut vidēs aut ad mē cōnsōlandum adfers (Cicero)

I do not see the change in the state as so imminent as you either see it or bring to me for consolation.

The three quotations below – all from Cicero’s letters to Atticus – well illustrate the need to be flexible in translation. At this higher level of Latin, a dictionary translation of a construction may act as a starting point, but it is not necessarily the solution. The Latin original may need to be reworked to achieve greater fluency. The translations given are from the Loeb edition (translator: Winstedt).

(1) … sī mē amās tantum, quantum profectō amās … (Cicero)

[Lit: … if you love me as much as you surely love …]

• if your affection for me is as real as I know it to be (transl. Winstedt)

(2) ‘tantum’ as an independent adverb means ‘only’, and that sense can be conveyed in the correlative construction:

ita sum ab omnibus dēstitūtus, ut tantum requiētis [genitive] habeam, quantum cum uxōre et fīliolā et mellītō Cicerōne cōnsūmitur. 

[Lit: I am so deprived of everything, that I have only as much rest as is spent with my wife, my little daughter and darling little Cicero.]

• So utterly am I deserted, that the only moments of repose I have are those which are spent with my wife, my little daughter and darling boy. (transl. Winstedt)

(3) Two correlative constructions in the same sentence

nec tantum intellegēbam eī esse offēnsiōnis, quantum litterae tuae dēclārārant, nec tantum prōficiēbam, quantum volēbam (Cicero)

[Lit: And I neither understood that he had as much offence as your letter had declared, nor did I make as much progress as I wanted.]

• I could neither find that he was as much annoyed as your letter makes out, nor yet make as much headway with him as I wished. (transl. Winstedt)

12.02.27: Comenius XXI; singing birds [4]

the party colour’d (5) parret, | discolor (5) psittacus

the (6) black-bird, | (6) merula

the (7) stare, | (7) sturnus

with the mag-pie | cum pīcā,

and the jay, learn | et monedula, discunt

to frame men’s words. |  hūmānās vōcēs fōrmāre.  

A great many are wont to be shut in (8) cages. | Plēræque solent inclūdī (8) caveīs.

____________________

vocabulary

psittacus, -ī [2/m]: parrot

merula, -ae [1/f]: blackbird

sturnus, -ī [2/m]: the ‘stare’ (archaic); starling

pīca, -ae [1/f]: magpie

monēdula, -ae [1/f]: jackdaw (Hoole translates the noun as ‘jay’)

cavea, -ae [1/f]: cage

notes

(1) discolor, -ōris: [i] having a different colour; [ii] (here) variegated / of different colours

(2) plērusque, plēraque, plērumque: most (of); very many; a great number of

mostly occurs in plural forms:

plēraeque [feminine plural] | a great many (birds) …

(3) plēraeque solent inclūdī caveīs | a great many are accustomed to being shut in cages [ = the birds are usually shut in cages]

inclūdō, -ere [3]: shut in; confine; enclose

inclūdere: (present active infinitive) to confine

inclūdī: (present passive infinitive) to be confined

The birds may be accustomed to being shut in cages, but it is doubtful whether they wanted to be:

"A robin redbreast in a cage / Puts all Heaven in a rage." (Blake)

12.02.27: Comenius XXI; singing birds [3] the ‘Classical’ canary

When I’ve been working with Comenius’ book, 99% of it has been trouble free, but then there is the 1%! Sometimes, it is deciphering the 17th century translation where we can discover a treasure trove of English words that we never knew existed! However, the task can also be working out why Comenius chose a particular Latin word or phrase, especially when there was no original Classical Latin term. We must remember that this is during the Renaissance period, a time of new discoveries – with the need to find new terms to describe them.  

Therefore, today’s “task” was: Why does Comenius in 1658 use the term lūteola peregrīna to refer to a canary?

Both parts are CL words:

[i] lūteus, -a, -um: yellow; bright yellow;  saffron coloured

> lūteolus, -a, -um: (diminutive form) yellowish

The term is used as a descriptor for a number of species, for example:

vigna luteola, a type of vine with yellow flowers

sicalis luteola: grassland yellow finch

[ii] peregrīnus, -a, -um: strange; foreign exotic; the noun peregrīna, -ae [1/f] meaning ‘a foreign woman’ is attested in the work of Terence

We see the derivative in peregrine falcon (falcō, -nis [3/m] peregrīnus) i.e. a ‘wandering’ / migratory falcon.

Therefore, lūteola peregrīna literally means ‘the yellowish foreigner’ or ‘a foreign yellowish (bird)’.

The bird had been introduced to Europe by Spanish sailors from the Canary Islands in the 15^th century. By the time Comenius’ work was published, the canary was bred locally, but still had a ‘foreign’ or ‘exotic’ association.

Image #1: The German edition of Orbis Pictus refers to the bird as ‘der fremde Canarienvogel’ (the foreign canary bird).

However, even in the 17^th century, lūteola peregrīna does not appear to be the standard term for it. Online search does not find this attested in any other work apart from this one.

Image #2: Between 1551 and 1558 Conrad Gessner published the Historia Animalium, the first modern attempt to create a complete inventory of every known animal on earth. In Book 3 he describes birds, specifically referring to the canary as (avis) canaria.

canārius, -a, -um: (adjective) pertaining to dogs; Pliny the Elder uses the term Canāria to refer to one of what are now known as the Canary Islands owing to the presence of large dogs.

Images #3 and #4:

It was not until the mid 18^th century that Carl Linnaeus created the modern system for naming and grouping plants and animals by giving every living thing a two-part Latin name based on its physical traits. Linnaeus coined the term fringilla canaria in 1758; the same expression is also listed at:

https://neolatinlexicon.org/latin/canary/

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/727088#page/200/mode/1up

Image #5: passer, -is [3/m] canārius (used in a later edition of Comenius’ own work)

Image #6: avis, -is [3/f] canariēnsis (complete English To Latin Dictionary Of 1838); note Linn. in the second definition i.e. referring to the classification by Linnaeus.

Over time, we can see that the original term used in Comenius’ work – which may have been either an independent attempt to describe the bird, or a light-hearted way of describing it to appeal to 17th century school pupils – became far more specific. 

11.02.27: Level 2 (review); Carolus et Maria [40] (2)

[3]

“Multī barbarī, autem, erant benignī et aliōs incolās occīdere nōlēbant, sed saepe iniūriae hostium eōrum erant magnae. Posteā ubi barbarī ē rēgnō suō ab hostibus pellēbantur ipsī saevī et dūrī fīēbant. Semper paucī ex barbarīs cum hostibus pācem restituere volēbant. Tum hostēs eōrum ad ignem magnum invītābantur et erat pāx. At intereā hostēs erant perfidī. Tum barbarī impetūs magnōs facere cōnstituēbant. Usque ad castella hostium succēdēbant et castella circumveniēbant. Hostēs ē castellīs exīre nōn poterant quod undique castella circumventa sunt.

“Barbarī nōn semper pugnābant. Saepe cantābant et saltābant. Interdum animālia capiēbant. Equōs validōs habēbant et bonī equitēs in summō honōre habēbantur. Nōnne vōs etiam nunc in animīs vestrīs sonitum pedum equōrum paene audītis?”

[i] “Posteā ubi barbarī ē rēgnō suō ab hostibus pellēbantur ipsī saevī et dūrī fīēbant.” What caused the local inhabitants to react in this way?

[ii] What would provoke the local inhabitants to attack?

[iii] What were their tactics?

[iv] Name any four positive characteristics of the local inhabitants (4):

[4] Complete the Latin text with the words listed below:

(1) For a long time (2) everyone was silent. (3) At last Maria asked, “Were women held in the (4) highest honour?”

(5) “Not at all,” replied the teacher. “(6) However, women were not (7) always miserable, (8) although (9) their duties were great (10) and difficult.”

(11) After the end of the story Maria asked, “(12) Which life is more pleasant, ours (13) or the life of the barbarians?”

“Ours,” shouted the girls. (14) But the boys did not think (15) so.

(1) __________ (2) __________ siluērunt. (3) __________  “Habēbanturne fēminae in (4) __________ honōre?” rogāvit Maria.

(5) “__________,” respondit magistra. “Fēminae, (6) __________, nōn erant (7) __________ miserae (8) __________ officia (9) __________ erant magna (10) difficilia_____.”

(11) __________ fīnem fābulae Maria “(12) __________ est grātior vīta,” rogāvit, “nostra (13) __________ vīta barbarōrum?”

“Nostra,” clāmāvērunt puellae. (14) __________ puerī (15) __________ nōn putāvērunt.

an; at; autem; diū; eārum; ita; minimē; omnēs; post; postrēmō; quamquam; que; semper; summō; utra

____________________

[3]

[i] being driven out of their own kingdom by enemies

[ii] the treachery / deceit of their enemies

[iii] advanced right up to the enemies’ forts (1); surrounded the forts (1); trapped enemies inside the forts / enemies could not go out of the forts (1)

[iv] any four:

kind / generous | benignī

did not want to kill other inhabitants | aliōs incolās occīdere nōlēbant

some … wanted to restore peace with their enemies | …  paucī ex barbarīs cum hostibus pācem restituere volēbant

invited their enemies to a great fire | hostēs eōrum ad ignem magnum invītābantur

good horsemen were held in high honour | bonī equitēs in summō honōre habēbantur

they would sing and dance | cantābant et saltābant

[4]

(1) Diū (2) omnēs siluērunt. (3) Postrēmō “Habēbanturne fēminae in (4) summō honōre?” rogāvit Maria.

(5) “Minimē,” respondit magistra. “Fēminae, (6) autem, nōn erant (7) semper miserae (8) quamquam officia (9) eārum erant magna (10) difficiliaque.”

(11) Post fīnem fābulae Maria “(12) Utra est grātior vīta,” rogāvit, “nostra (13) an vīta barbarōrum?”

“Nostra,” clāmāvērunt puellae. (14) At puerī (15) ita nōn putāvērunt.