10.10.26: Level 3 / 3+ (Review); Hillard & Botting [70] Labours of Hercules (6)

[1] Rex quīdam, Diomēdēs nōmine, equās suās carne hūmānā pascēbat. Hās Mycēnās portāre iussus Herculēs cum paucīs comitibus ad ōram dūxit. Quō cum cīvēs rēgis vēnissent, diū et ācriter pugnātum est. Equās, dum proeliō interest, Herculēs amīcō suō Abdērō mandat, quem illae statim vorant.

[i] What did the horses eat? (1)

[ii] Who had accompanied Hercules? (1)

[iii] Where did the battle take place? (1)

[iv] What did Hercules ask Abderus to do? (2)

[v] What happened to Abderus? (1)

[2] Translate: Herculēs, cum hostēs vicisset, rēgem occīdit corpusque equīs iactāvit: tum urbem in eō locō condidit, quam urbem Abdēra vocāvit. Equās, quae cum dominī carnem ēdissent mansuēverant, Mycēnās avexit: mox līberātae et ipsae ā ferīs in Monte Olympō vorābantur. (12)

[3] Posteā Amazonum rēgīnae zōnam, quam eī Mārs dederat, petere iussus, cum multa perīcula superāvisset, rēgīnam ipsam occīdit zōnamque reportāvit.

Which of the following statements is true?

[A] Mars took back the girdle.

[B] Hercules killed the Queen.

[C] The Queen of the Amazons gave Mars a girdle.

[D] Hercules brought back the girdle.

[E] Mars had overcome many dangers.

[F] The Queen killed herself.

[G] Hercules had overcome many dangers.

[H] Mars gave Hercules a girdle.

[I] The Queen had overcome many dangers.

[J] Mars had given the Queen of the Amazons a girdle.

Vocabulary

equa, equae [1/f]: mare 

fēra, fērae [1/f]: wild beast 

mansuēscō, mansuēscere, mansuēvī, mansuētus [3]: become tame 

zōna, zōnae [1/f]: girdle

Notes: subjunctive

(1) cum-clauses conveying the circumstances in which something happened, or the causes for it

https://adckl.blogspot.com/search/label/subjunctive%3A%20cum-clauses

(2) pluperfect subjunctive

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2026/01/190426-level-3-subjunctive-22-tenses-4.html

quō cum cīvēs rēgis vēnissent, … ∣ and after the king’s subjects had arrived there, …

cum hostēs vicisset, …  ∣ after he had conquered the enemy, …

cum multa perīcula superāvisset, … ∣  since he had overcome many dangers, …

____________________

[1]

[i] human flesh

[ii] a few companions

[iii] at the shore

[iv] take care of the horses (1) while he was in the battle (1)

[v] eaten by the horses

[2] When he had defeated the enemy (1), Hercules killed the king (1) and threw the body to the horses (1): then he founded a city (1) in that place (1), and he called the city Abdera (1). The horses, which had become tame (1), since they had eaten the master’s flesh (1), he took away to Mycenae (1): having soon been freed (1) they themselves were also devoured (1) by wild beasts on Mount Olympus (1).

[3]

[B]; [D]; [G]; [J]

____________________

A certain king, named Diomedes, used to feed his horses on human flesh. Having been ordered to bring these to Mycenae, Hercules led them to the coast with a few companions. When the king’s subjects had come there, a long and fierce battle was fought. While he was taking part in the fight, Hercules entrusts the horses to his friend Abderus, whom they immediately devour. After Hercules had defeated the enemy, he killed the king and hurled his body to the horses; then he founded a city in that place, which he called Abdera. The horses, which had become tame since they had eaten their master’s flesh, he took to Mycenae; soon after, having been set free, they too were devoured by wild beasts on Mount Olympus.

Afterwards, having been ordered to seek the girdle of the queen of the Amazons, which Mars had given her, he killed the queen herself, after he had overcome many dangers, and brought back the girdle.

09.10.26: topic: architecture [7]; The Roman House [2]

[4] Images #5 - #8: beyond the ātrium are two further main areas of the house:

[i] tablīnum, -ī [2/n]: the ‘study’; the office in a Roman house, where the owner would receive his clients.

The tablīnum was separated from the ātrium by curtains and, in image #6, partitioned from the peristȳlium by wooden sliding doors.

These are “standard” explanations. However, when researching, we must be careful not to make too many assumptions:

Tablinum was in all probability a recess or room at the farther end of the atrium opposite the door leading into the hall, and was regarded as part of the atrium. It contained the family records and archives (Vitruv. vi. 4 and 8). It appears, from the houses of Pompeii, to have been separated not by a door, but simply by a curtain or velum, while it had a door at the back leading into the peristylium.” (Thurston Peck)

“It is very difficult to assign the correct position of the tablinum, nor are we acquainted with any passage containing information on the subject.” (Becker)

While Vitruvius refers to it, he does not clearly define its position, and it is not mentioned by any other Roman authors beyond:

Tablīnum proximē ātrium locus dīcitur (Festus)

The place nearest the atrium is called the tablinum.

Festus goes on to explain that the name refers to the place where records of accounts were kept on tablets (tabulae).

[ii] images #7 and #8: peristȳlium, -ī [2/n]: an internal ‘peristyle’ garden surrounded by colonnades; within the garden there could also be a piscīna, -ae [1/f]: (fish) pond; pool

fish pond of a Roman villa excavated in Turkey

[5] āla, -ae [1/f]

[i] the wing (of an animal)

[ii] usually in the plural (ālae, -ārum): the wings of a house; two small quadrangular apartments or recesses on the left and right sides of the ātrium 

INTERIOR OF A ROMAN HOUSE, showing:

[1] ātrium

[2] ālae

[3] compluvium

[4] impluvium

[5] faucēs

[6] tablīnum

[7] peristȳlium

08.10.26: Level 1 (review); vocabulary [22]: the Portall to the Gate of Tongues (1642): comparatives [ii]

Label the images:

Aspis est pessima.

Camēlus est māior.

Cervīsia est bona.

Elephās est maximus.

Lacerta est mala.

Mulsum est melius.

Pārus est minor.

Passer est parvus.

Prīmus est doctus.

Secundus est doctior.

Taurus est magnus.

Tertius est doctissimus.

Trochilus est minimus.

Vīnum est optimum.

Vīpera est peior.

____________________

08.10.26: Level 1 (review); vocabulary [21]: the Portall to the Gate of Tongues (1642): comparatives [i]

Comparatives | Comparātīva

The first is learned. | Prīmus est __________.

The second is more learned. | Secundus __________.

The third most learned | Tertius __________.

Irregular Comparison | Anōmala Comparātiō

A bull is large. | Taurus est __________.

A camel bigger. | Camēlus __________.

An elephant the biggest. | Elephās __________.

A sparrow is small. | Passer est __________.

A titmouse smaller. | Pārus __________.

A wren the smallest. | Trochilus __________.

Ale is good. | Cervīsia est __________.

Meath (mead) better. | Mulsum __________.

Wine the best. | Vīnum __________.

A lizard is bad. | Lacerta est __________.

A viper worse. | Vīpera __________.

An asp the worst. | Aspis __________.

bonus, doctior, doctissimus, doctus, magnus, malus, māior, maximus, melius, minor, minimus, optimus, parvus, peior, pessimus

07.10.26: Level 3+ (review); impersonal verbs [10] with gerundives

(1) We’ll begin with a quick review of the gerundive:

02.06.25: Level 3; the gerundive [1]

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/03/020625-level-3-gerundive-1.html

The basic meaning of the gerundive is to express that something needs to be done [X needs to be Yed] and may be translated in several ways:

Hoc faciendum est. │ This must be / has to be / needs to be / is to be done.

Hoc faciendum erat. │ This had to be / needed to be done.

Hoc faciendum erit. │ This will have to be done.

Hic liber legendus est.

Literally: This book is to be / ought to be / should be / worthy of being / read 

This book is worth reading.

Carthāgō dēlenda est.

Carthage must / should be destroyed.

Mīles laudandus erat.

The soldier was to be praised [= the soldier was praiseworthy].

If the action that needs to be done includes who needs to do it i.e. the agent, then the dative is used to express it. The gerundive conveys a sense of obligation, and it is given that grammatical term: the gerundive of obligation.

Carthāgō nōbīs dēlenda est. │ Carthage is to be destroyed by us i.e. even though the translation is ‘by us’ (which would suggest an ablative), it is the dative that expresses the idea in this construction.

It would be perfectly possible to rework the sentence from a passive to an active meaning:

Carthāgō nōbīs dēlenda est. │ Carthage is to be destroyed by us > We must destroy Carthage.

English can convey a similar idea:

Hic liber tibi legendus est │ literally: this book is to be read by you >  this book is for you to read > you need to read this book.

(2) However, the neuter singular of the gerundive + esse can express an impersonal idea: there is no noun naming what must be done; the gerundive itself functions as the grammatical subject.

Mihi currendum est │ I need to run; the gerundive here indicates the agent must perform that action.

Sometimes, no agent is indicated i.e. there is simply a neuter gerundive with esse; context will determine how that is best translated, for example:

Pugnandum est │ (I, you, we etc.) need to fight i.e. there is need for fighting; even though no agent is indicated, it is usually best to include a subject.

Examples; note that translations will not necessarily convey the original impersonal idea:

Quid igitur nōbīs faciendum est?  (Cicero)

What then must be done ¦ by us? / What then are we to do?

In the examples that follow note that:

[i] the impersonal construction may not be rendered in English

[ii] the person to whom the impersonal construction refers may not be specifically stated but understood from context

[iii]  a literal translation can frequently sound clumsy

(1) Nam id maximē cavendum est (Cato)

• For this is especially to be avoided.

(2) Quotiēns dīcendum est tibi? (Plautus)

• How many times do you need to be told [literally: does it need to be said to you?]

(3) Ab domō abeundum est mihi (Plautus)

• I have to leave the house.

(4) Clam illūc redeundum est mihi (Plautus)

• I must return there secretly.

(5) Nōn pol mīrandum est (Plautus)

• By Pollux, it’s no wonder [literally: it is not to be wondered at]

(6) Ita nōn verbōrum tantum grātiā legendum vel audiendum est (Quintilian)

Literally: Thus it not must be read or heard merely for the sake of words.

• Then one / you should not read or listen merely for the sake of words.

(7) Poscit, dandum est; vocat, veniendum est; ēicit, abeundum; minātur, extimēscendum (Cicero)

Note in the example that est is not used with all the gerundives; the sense of obligation is already clear from the first two; Cicero then quickens the pace of the Latin statement by using the gerundive alone:

• He demands — it must be given; he calls — one must come; he drives out — one must go away; he threatens — one must be afraid.

In these last three examples, note the appropriate though highly idiomatic rendering of the construction in translation:

(8)

Haud somnīculōsē hoc agendum est (Plautus)

• We can't go to sleep doing it [literally: This is not to be done sleepily].

(9) Male cubandum est (Plautus)

• I’m in for a bad night [literally: It is to be slept badly].

(10) Inambulandum est (Plautus)

• Now for some wandering around / It’s time to wander around.

07.10.26: Level 3+ (review); impersonal verbs [9] impersonal passive constructions

Diū pugnātum est. │ The battle went on for a long time.

[i] A transitive verb can be followed by a direct object, for example:

Rēx epistulam scrībit │ The king writes / is writing a letter.

Imperātor epistulam legēbat │ The commander was reading a letter.

Magister epistulam mīsit / mīserat │ The teacher (has) sent / had sent a letter.

Fēmina epistulam accipiet │ The lady will receive a letter.

[ii] Those transitive verbs can be changed into passive forms, epistula becoming the subject of the sentence:

Epistula (ā rēge) scrībitur │ A letter is (being) written (by the king).

Epistula (ab imperātōre) legēbatur│ The letter was being read (by the commander).

Epistula (ā magistrō) missa est / erat│ The letter was (has been) / had been sent by the teacher.

Epistula (ā fēminā) accipiētur │ A letter will be received by the lady.

[iii] Intransitive verbs cannot be followed by a direct object, for example:

currō, -ere: run

dormiō, -īre: sleep

eō, īre: go

pugnō, -āre: fight

veniō, -īre: come

[iv] Intransitive verbs cannot have passive forms with a subject e.g. *he has been slept*, *they were being run*. However, passive forms of intransitive verbs without a subject are used to convey impersonal ideas; in English, that may be expressed by, for example:

“There was shouting going on outside / people were shouting” i.e. the focus is on an action rather than anybody specific performing it.

Diū pugnātum est.

Literally: It was fought for a long time

• There was fighting / people fought for a long time, or (an impersonal) ‘they’ fought for a long time

A noun related to the verb may also work:

• There was a battle for a long time / the battle went on for a long time.

Translations can vary but, in the examples below from the authors, you can see that the impersonal nature of the verb is retained:

Pugnātum est ab utrīsque ācriter (Caesar)

• There was fierce fighting on both sides [ literally: ‘it’ was fought bitterly …]

Ea mē spectātum tulerat per Dionȳsia. postquam illō ventum est, iam, ut mē collocāverat, exorītur ventus turbō (Plautus)

• She had taken me to see (the show) at the Dyonisiac festival. After we’d arrived there, just as she had settled me, a storm wind arose.

Ergō ex omnibus locīs urbis in forum curritur (Livy)

• Therefore, from all parts of the city people are running into the forum.

Macte novā virtūte, puer: Sīc ītur ad astra (Vergil)

• Be blessed in your new courage, boy; this is the way to the stars / one goes to … [literally: In this way it is being gone …]

Ad arma conclāmātum est (Livy)

• The cry ‘to arms!’ was raised.

Et Rōmam inde frequenter migrātum est, ā parentibus maximē ac propinquīs raptārum (Livy)

• And from there, there was frequent migration to Rome, especially by the parents and relatives of those / the women who had been abducted.

Magnīs opibus dormītur in urbe (Juvenal)

• Only with great wealth is it possible to sleep / do people sleep in the city.

However, Martial’s dormouse doesn’t quite obey the ‘rule’:

(1) Tōta mihi (2) dormītur (1) hiems et pinguior illō tempore sum, quō mē nihil nisi somnus alit.

• Literally:  (1) the whole winter for me (2) is slept [ = I sleep the whole winter] and I am fatter during that time (season), when nothing but sleep feeds me.

06.10.26: Level 3 / 3+ (Review); Hillard & Botting [68] Labours of Hercules (5)

Ingēns ōlim aper ā monte Erymanthō in campōs dēscenderat. Hunc, cum agrōs ubīque vastāret, vīvum ad rēgem portāre iussus Herculēs per altam nivem diū petēbat: tum labōre fessum rēte impedīvit Mycēnāsque avexit. Aprum dum petit, Centaurō Pholō occurrit, cui Bacchus olim cadum optimī vīnī dederat. Hunc cadum Herculēs aperuit: tum reliquī Centaurī, vīnī odōre dulcissimō ductī, spēluncam in quā Pholus habitābat obsēdērunt: ab Herculē pulsī Chīrōnis domum fugā petīvērunt. Quōs ille cum fugāret, incautē amīcum suum Chīrōnem sagittā venenātā vulnerāvit: Pholus quoque sagittā, quae in pedem eius forte ceciderat, vulnerātus est. Chīrōn, cum immortālis esset, sagittā nōn necātus erat: ultrō tamen vītā excessit.

[1] The following statements are untrue; correct them:

[i] The boar had gone up to Mt. Erymanthus.

[ii] Hercules had been ordered to kill the boar.

[iii] There was heavy rain.

[iv] The boar was caught by a trap.

[2] Translate: Aprum dum petit, Centaurō Pholō occurrit, cui Bacchus olim cadum optimī vīnī dederat. Hunc cadum Herculēs aperuit: tum reliquī Centaurī, vīnī odōre dulcissimō ductī, spēluncam in quā Pholus habitābat obsēdērunt: ab Herculē pulsī Chīrōnis domum fugā petīvērunt. (10)

[3] Complete the Latin with the words listed below; note the differences in word order:

(1) While he was chasing (2) them, he accidentally wounded (3) his own friend Chiron with a (4) poisoned arrow. Pholus also was (5) wounded by an arrow (6) which had (7) by chance fallen on (8) his foot. Chiron, since he (9) was immortal, (10) was not killed by the arrow; (11) nevertheless, (12) of his own accord, he died [ = departed from life].

(2) __________ ille (1) __________ fugāret, incautē amīcum (3) __________ Chīrōnem sagittā (4) __________ vulnerāvit: Pholus quoque sagittā, (6) __________ in pedem (8) __________  (7) __________ ceciderat, (5) __________ est. Chīrōn, cum immortālis (9) __________, sagittā nōn necātus (10) __________: (12) __________ (11) __________ vītā excessit.

cum; eius; erat; esset; forte; quae; quōs; suum; tamen; ultrō; venenātā; vulnerātus

Vocabulary

aper, aprī [2/m]: boar 

cādus, cādī [2/m]: cask 

odor, odōris [3/m]: smell 

rēte, rētis [3/n]: net 

venēnātus, -a, -um: poisoned

Notes: subjunctive

(1) cum-clauses conveying the circumstances in which something happened, or the causes for it

https://adckl.blogspot.com/search/label/subjunctive%3A%20cum-clauses

(2) imperfect subjunctive

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2026/01/070426-level-3-subjunctive-13-tenses-3.html

cum agrōs ubīque vastāret, … ∣ since it was ravaging the fields everywhere, …

quōs ille cum fugāret, … ∣ while he was chasing them away, …

cum immortālis esset, … ∣  since he was immortal, …

____________________

[1]

[i] had come down from Mt. Erymanthus

[ii] bring the boar back alive

[iii] deep snow

[iv] caught in a net

[2] While he was pursuing the boar (1), he encountered the centaur Pholus (1), to whom Bacchus had once given (1) a jar (bottle, cask) of excellent wine (1). Hercules opened this jar (1); then the other centaurs / the rest of the centaurs (1), led by the very sweet smell of the wine (1), besieged the cave (1) in which Pholus lived. Driven off by Hercules (1), they fled and made for the home of Chiron (1).

[3]

(2) Quōs ille (1) cum fugāret, incautē amīcum (3) suum Chīrōnem sagittā (4) venenātā vulnerāvit: Pholus quoque sagittā, (6) quae in pedem (8) eius (7) forte ceciderat, (5) vulnerātus est. Chīrōn, cum immortālis (9) esset, sagittā nōn necātus (10) erat: (12) ultrō (11) tamen vītā excessit.

____________________

Once, a huge boar had come down from Mount Erymanthus into the plains. Since it was ravaging the fields everywhere, Hercules, having been ordered to bring it back alive to the king, pursued it for a long time through deep snow. Then, when it was exhausted from effort, he trapped it in a net and carried it off to Mycenae.

While he was pursuing the boar, he encountered the centaur Pholus, to whom Bacchus had once given a jar of excellent wine. Hercules opened this jar; then the other centaurs, led by the very sweet smell of the wine, surrounded the cave in which Pholus lived. Driven off by Hercules, they fled in panic to the home of Chiron.

While he was chasing them away, he accidentally wounded his own friend Chiron with a poisoned arrow. Pholus also was wounded by an arrow which had by chance fallen on his foot. Chiron, since he was immortal, was not killed by the arrow; nevertheless, of his own accord, he died.

05.10.26: topic: architecture [6]; The Roman House [1]

Many of the wealthy houses in Pompeii were deliberately designed to appear modest and closed off from the street, with narrow entrances that opened into spacious and richly decorated interiors. The presence of shops along the street frontage – which were often owned by the household behind them – also contributed to this limited visibility.

The layout controlled privacy and social access, allowing owners carefully to manage how visitors experienced their homes and to reveal their wealth only to selected guests.

The design faces inward with only a few small windows which regulated temperature in the warm climate, creating a cooler and more comfortable environment inside.

The restricted entrance and minimal exterior openings may have provided some security benefits.

According to the Roman architect Vitruvius, the main parts of a Roman house were:

ālae (plural)

ātrium

faucēs (plural)

ōstium

peristȳlium

tablīnum

vestibulum

[1] vestibulum, -ī [2/n]: enclosed space between the entrance of the house and the street

There is debate as to what this represented since it had different meanings in different periods of history and in different kinds of houses. Moreover, written records and what has been discovered in archaeology do not always match.

[i] In palaces or large villas, this could refer to a courtyard surrounded on all three sides by the house itself: In the vestibulum the clients assembled, till the door was opened, to pay their respects (salūtātiō) to the master of the house, so that they might not be left standing either in the street or within the house. (Thurston Peck)

[ii] Image #1: in smaller houses in Rome and in other towns, there was either no vestibulum i.e. the door opened straight onto the street, or the vestibulum was simply marked by a door standing a few feet back from the street. Steps sometimes led up to the vestibulum.

The Diagram below shows (figure 4) that the entrance to the properties could be surrounded by shops. In other words, the only part of the house visible from the street was the door.

Comenius’ use of the word – and Hoole’s translation of it as ‘porch’ – conveys the second idea, which, of course, is still a feature of houses now.

By Domus_romana_Vector001.svg: *PureCorederivative work: PureCore (talk)derivative work: Papa Lima Whiskey 2 (talk) - This file was derived from: Domus romana Vector001.svg:, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18274163

[2] Images #2 and #3: the terms vestibulum and faucēs, -ium [3/f] are sometimes not differentiated, especially in town houses. The first meaning of faucēs is ‘throat’ but, in architecture, it specifically refers to the narrow entry passage immediately beyond the main entrance and door to the house. In the diagram faucēs are also marked as being narrow corridors within the property.

ōstium, -ī [2/n]: entrance

iānua, -ae [1/f]: door

foris, -is [3/f]: door; entrance; pl: forēs, -ium, refers to the two leaves of a door

Note: forās, an adverb referring to “out of doors”

In this line from Plautus, the entrance area and door are expressed as separate ideas:

īte forās: hīc volō ante ōstium et iānuam 

Come out of doors; here, before the entrance and the door

This typically led to the:

[3] image #4: ātrium, -ī [2/n]: the main reception room in a large city house or villa – a declaration of wealth and status; you can imagine first walking through the narrow entrance that finally reveals this large and impressively decorated area with natural overhead light from the [a] compluvium, -ī [2/n], the opening in the ceiling through which rainwater fell into the [b] impluvium, -ī [2/n], a shallow pool directly below. The water from the basin flowed down into a well: puteus, -ī [2/m].

04.10.26: Level 1 (review); vocabulary [20]: food and drink (5)

[1] Which of the following refer to:

(a) cooking utensils; kitchen equipment

(b) cutlery

(c) drinking vessels or objects for holding liquids

amphora

caccabus

calix

cantharus

coc(h)lear

culter

frixōrium

fuscinula

lagēna / lagoena

mortārium

ōlla

pistillum

pōcillum

pōculum

spatha

urceus

vāsa coquināria

[2] Label the images:

amphora, -ae [1/f]     

fuscinula, -ae [1/f]

lagēna / lagoena, -ae [1/f]

ōlla, -ae [1/f]

spatha, -ae [1/f]

cantharus, -ī [2/m]   

caccabus, -ī [2/m]     

urceus, -ī [2/m]

culter, cultrī [2/m]

frixōrium, -ī [2/n]     

mortārium, -ī [2/n]

pistillum, -ī [2/n]      

pōcillum, -ī [2/n]

pōculum, -ī [2/n]

vāsa coquināria         

vāsum, -ī [2/n]

calix, calicis [3/m]     

cochlear, -āris [3/n]

____________________

[1]

(a) caccabus; frixōrium; mortarium; ōlla; pistillum; spatha; vāsa coquināria

(b) coc(h)lear; culter; fuscinula

(c) Amphora; calix; cantharus; lagēna / lagoena; pōcillum; poculum; urceus

[2]

03.10.26: Level 3+ (review); impersonal verbs [8] introducing clauses with ut + subjunctive; cōnstat + accusative-infinitive

[1] A number of impersonal verbs introduce a clause that expresses the actual or possible result. For most of these verbs, the translations are very similar and may vary in context.

accidit: it happens; it occurs

contingit: it happens; it comes to pass

efficitur: it is brought about; it results

ēvenit: it happens; it turns out

fierī potest: it is possible

fit: it happens; it comes about; the result is

sequitur: it follows; the result is

relinquitur: it remains; it is left (to conclude)

The result clause is constructed with ut + subjunctive:

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2026/02/220526-level-3-subjunctive-40-dependent.html

Eādem nocte accidit ut esset lūna plēna (Caesar)

• On that same night it happened that the moon was full.

Ita enim contingit ut aestāte pariat (Varro)

• For thus it happens that she gives birth in the summer.

Ex quō efficitur, ut, quod sit honestum, id sit solum bonum (Cicero)

• From which it is brought about that what is honorable is the only good.

Mī ēvēnit, ut ovāns praeda onustus incēderem (Plautus)

• It happened to me that I was marching along in jubilation, laden with booty.

Neque fierī potest ut doleat is, quī audit, ut ōderit, ut invideat, ut pertimēscat aliquid, ut ad flētum misericordiamque dēdūcātur (Cicero)

Note Cicero’s repetitive use of ut which, in translation, would sound clumsy:

• Nor is it possible that the listener [literally: he who listens] should feel pain, (that he should) hate, or envy, or fear anything, or be moved to tears and pity.

Fit ut pretiō novus vincat (Cicero)

• The result is that, through bribery, a new man is victorious.

Relinquitur ut, sī vincimur in Hispāniā, quiēscāmus (Cicero)

• It remains that, if we are defeated in Spain, we should be at rest (i.e. cease).

Sequitur ut dē frūmentō ēmptō vōs, iūdicēs, doceam (Cicero)

• It follows that I should inform you, judges, about the grain that was purchased.

[2] cōnstat: it is agreed; it is certain

In translation this impersonal verb introduces a clause i.e. “It is agreed that…”.

Unlike accidit ut, evenit ut, and the other expressions in [1] above which use ut + subjunctive, cōnstat works differently since it uses an accusative-infinitive construction in the same way as other indirect statements.

https://adckl.blogspot.com/search/label/indirect%20statement

(1) Pompēium [accusative] nōbīs amīcissimum cōnstat (2) esse [infinitive] (Cicero)

• It is certain ¦ [that] (1) Pompey (2) is very friendly towards us [ = me].

Cōnstat enim (1) aditūs [accusative] īnsulae (2) esse [infinitive] mūrātōs (Cicero)

• For it is proved ¦ [that] (1) the approaches to the island (2) are surrounded by walls.

Rhodōque Alexandrēam (1) C. Cassium [accusative] (2) prōfectum esse [infinitive] cōnstat (Cicero)

• It is certain ¦ [that] (1) C. Cassius (2) has left Rhodes for Alexandria.

(2) Horātiōs Cūriātiōsque [accusative]  (1) fuisse [infinitive] satis cōnstat (Livy)

• It is well enough agreed ¦ [that] (1) it was (2) the Horatii and Curiatii.

03.10.26: Level 3+ (review); impersonal verbs [7] placet; displicet; iuvat; dēlectat; vidētur

placet: it pleases

displicet: it displeases

iuvat: it pleases; it delights

dēlectat: it pleases; it delights

vidētur: it seems

Like interest and rēfert discussed in the previous post, a number of other verbs are not inherently impersonal but can be used in impersonal constructions.

[1] placet: it pleases

Videāmus, sī placet. │ Let us see if (literally) it pleases [or, depending on context, if you like]

[i] As with other impersonal constructions, the person affected may be implied by context rather than directly stated:

Pergāmus igitur, quō placet (Cicero) │ Therefore, let us go to wherever it pleases [ = wherever we want]

[ii] The person affected is in the dative case:

placet ¦ mihi [dative]│ Literally: it is pleasing ¦ to me; English would most often rework the construction to make the person affected the subject of the sentence: I like it.

French still retains this construction in, for example, s’il vous plaît [literally: if it pleases you]

placuit ¦ eī (Cicero) │ it pleased ¦ him [was pleasing ¦ to him]

sī ¦ dīs ¦ placet │ if it pleases ¦ the gods [is pleasing ¦ to the gods]

senātuī ¦ placet │ it pleases ¦ the Senate [is pleasing ¦ to the Senate] = the Senate decrees

Placet hoc tibi? (Cicero) │ Does this please you? / Do you approve of this?

[iii] The verb does not always function impersonally: it may take an expressed subject, or an infinitive phrase functioning as the grammatical subject.

In arce Athēnīs statiō mea nunc placet (Cicero)

• I like my residence now on the Acropolis at Athens [literally: my residence is pleasing …]

Nōn placet M. Antōniō cōnsulātus meus. At placuit P. Servīliō, … (Cicero)

Literally: My consulship is not pleasing to Marcus Antonius. But it was pleasing to Publius Servilius, …

• Marcus Antonius disapproves of my consulship; but it was approved of by Publius Servilius …

Lūdōs Antī spectāre nōn placet (Cicero)

• I do not wish to see the games at Antium [literally: it does not please (me) to see…]

i.e. Seeing the games does not please (me): the infinitive phrase acts as the subject of placet.

[2] The opposite of placet is displicet: it displeases; again, the person affected is in the dative case.

Note this first example where the verb is not always used in the 3^rd person:

Displiceō mihi nec sine summō scrībō dolōre (Cicero)

• I am displeased with myself nor am I writing without the utmost pain.

Mihi vērō, iūdicēs, nōn displicet (Cicero)

• But, judges, it does not displease me.

Varrōnī quidem displicet cōnsilium puerī (Cicero)

• Varro, for his part, dislikes the boy’s plan.

Placet Stōicīs omnia peccāta esse paria; at hoc Antiochō vehementissimē displicet (Cicero)

• It pleases the Stoics [ = the Stoics hold] that all sins are equal, but this strongly displeases Antiochus.

Quodne vōbīs placeat, displiceat mihi? (Plautus)

• Should that which pleases you, be displeasing to me? [ = Must I dislike what you like?]

Quoniam tibi nōn omnīnō displicet dēfīnīre (Cicero)

• Since it does not altogether displease you to define [ = As you do not entirely disapprove of definition]

[3]

iuvō, -āre [1]: [i] help, benefit, support; [ii] delight, please

dēlectō, -āre [1]: delight, charm, please

The verbs regularly take the accusative of the person or thing affected, whether used personally or impersonally.

(1) personal use

Audentīs Fortūna iuvat (Vergil)

• Fortune favours the brave.

Venātiō dūrīque piscēs et ex domesticīs animālibus assa carō maximē iuvant. (Celsus)

• Venison and hard fish and roasted meat of domestic animals are especially advantageous.

Nōn lapis hanc gemmaeque iuvant (Tibullus)

• Neither precious stone nor jewels delight her.

(2) impersonal use

Quod iuvat, id semper faciant (Sallust)

• Let them always do what pleases (them)

Quid autem mē iuvat? (Cicero)

• But how does it help me?

Neque umquam quicquam mē iuvat quod edō domī (Plautus)

• And nothing that I eat at home ever pleases me.

Et tē et mē iuvat fābulās Plautī spectāre.

• It pleases both you and me to watch the plays of Plautus [= Both you and I like to watch]

Ut iuvat castella contrā undās spūmiferās aedificāre!

• How pleasant it is to build little forts against the foaming waves!

Nec tibi mōbilitās minor est, sī forte volantem aut gemināre pilam iuvat aut revocāre cadentem (Laus Pisonis: author unknown)

• Nor is your nimbleness any less, if by chance it is your pleasure to return the flying ball⁠ or (to) recover it when falling to the ground.

dēlectō, -āre [1]: delight, charm, please

Ōtium tē dēlectat (Cicero)

• Leisure delights you.

Mē vērō nihil dēlectat aliud nisi cōnsilium et litterae tuae (Cicero)

• But nothing else indeed pleases me except your advice and your letters.

mēque … hoc ipsum nihil agere et plānē cessāre dēlectat (Cicero)

• And this very thing — to do nothing and to be completely idle — delights me.

Catullus 103:

aūt sōdēs mĭhĭ rēddĕ dĕcēm sēstērtĭă Sīlō│ If you don’t mind, Silo, either give me back the ten sesterces

deīnde ēstō quāmuīs saēvŭs ĕt īndŏmĭtŭs │ Then be as wild and unrestrained as you like

aūt sī tē nūmmī dēlēctānt dēsĭnĕ quaēsō │ Or, if money [literally; coins] delights you, please stop

lēno ēsse ātque īdēm saēvŭs ĕt īndŏmĭtŭs. │ being a pimp and at the same time wild and unrestrained.

(Catullus 103)

mē pedibus dēlectat claudere verba (Horace)

• It delights me to enclose words in feet [i.e. metrical feet / poetic metre].

[4] vidētur

[i] the passive form of videō, -ēre [2] see, like any other passive verb, can have a singular or plural subject and be used in any tense; its passive meaning is “is / are seen” but it frequently translates as “seem(s)”

(1) In these first examples, the passive verb has a distinct subject although note that, in translation, an impersonal construction using “it seems”  can sometimes convey the same idea.

Dī immortālēs, iterum gnātus videor (Plautus)

• Great Heavens! I seem to have been born again. [It seems that I have been born again.]

Scelestus ¦ tibi [dative] ¦ vidētur Chrysalus? (Plautus)

• Does Chrysalus seem a criminal ¦ to you? [ = Do you think Chrysalus is a criminal?]

Ut videntur dērīdere nōs (Plautus)

• How they seem to be mocking us.

omnēs videntur ¦ scīre (Plautus)

• All seem / everybody seems ¦ to know [It seems that everybody knows.]

Ita mihi videntur omnia, mare terra caelum, cōnsequī.

Literally: Thus all things / everything, sea, land, and sky, seem / seems to me to be pursuing (me)

• So it seems to me that everything, sea, land and sky, is pursuing me.

Ac mihi vidētur mātrem valdē, ut dēbet, amāre tēque mīrificē (Cicero)

• But to me he seems to love [it seems to me that he loves] his mother greatly, as he should, and is extremely fond of you.

Cui vidēberis bella? (Catullus)

• To whom will you seem pretty?

Tertiā vigiliā, quā minimē arduus ad nostrās mūnītiōnēs ascēnsus vidēbātur, omnibus cōpiīs repente ex oppidō ēruptiōnem fēcērunt (Caesar)

• In the third watch, on the side where the ascent to our fieldworks seemed least steep, they made a sudden sally from the town in full force.

(2) vidētur can stand alone as an impersonal verb or be followed by an infinitive construction or refer to a previous statement:

Vix vidētur fierī posse (Plautus)

Literally: it scarcely seems to be able to happen

• It scarcely seems possible.

Hinc enim mihi dextra vōx aurīs, ut vidētur, verberat (Plautus)

• Yes, a voice from the right here, as it seems, strikes my ear.

Depending on context, there can be an implication that something seems right or fitting:

intereā, sī vidētur, concēdite istūc (Plautus)

• Meanwhile, if it seems right (to you), step aside over there

Hāc rē mihi placet, sī tibi vidētur, tē ad eum scrībere (Cicero)

• Under the circumstances I see no objection [literally: it is pleasing to me], if you think fit, to your writing to him …

Sum profectō et hīc et illīc. hoc cuivīs mīrārī licet, / neque tibi istuc mīrum magis vidētur quam mihi (Plautus)

• I am indeed both here and there. This may surprise anyone, nor does that seem any more surprising to you than to me.

Tū, sī tibi placuerit liber, cūrābis, ut et Athēnīs sit et in cēterīs oppidīs Graeciae ; vidētur enim posse aliquid nostrīs rēbus lūcis adferre (Cicero)

• If you like the book, you will see to that it is at Athens and in other Greek towns have it in stock; for I think it can add some lustre to my achievements.