21.01.25: level 2; crime and punishment [5]: reading [1]

Both here and in later reading / quotations pertaining to crime and immoral behaviour, you will begin to see the passive used in context

Plautus: Mostellaria (The Haunted House)

TRANIO: Scelus, inquam, factum est iam diū, antīquom[i] et vetus │ TRANIO: A crime, I tell you, was committed a long time ago, an ancient and old one.

THEUROPIDES: Antīquom? │ THEUROPIDES: An ancient one?

TRANIO: Id adeō nōs nunc factum invēnimus │ TRANIO: It’s only now that we’ve discovered this deed.

THEUROPIDES: Quid istuc est sceleris? aut quis id fēcit? Cēdō[ii]. │THEUROPIDES: What is this crime, or who committed it? Tell me.

TRANIO: Hospes necāvit hospitem captum manū; iste, ut ego opīnor, quī hās tibi aedis vēndidit. │ TRANIO: A host murdered his guest, seized by his hand; he’s the one I think who sold you the house.

THEUROPIDES: Necāvit? │ THEUROPIDES: Murdered?

TRANIO: Aurumque eī adēmit hospitī eumque hīc dēfodit hospitem ibīdem in aedibus. │ TRANIO: And stole the gold from this guest, and buried this guest here in the house, in that very place.

[i] antiquom = antiquum

[ii] cedō: literally ‘I yield / step aside / give way’ i.e. he is allowing Tranio to give further information

[1] scelus, sceleris [3/n]: crime

• scelus faciō, facere, fēcī, factus [3-iō]: commit a crime; note the use of the perfect passive:
• scelus … factum est │ a crime was committed
• nōn fūrtum faciēs (Vulgate) │ Thou shalt not steal [i.e. you will not commit a theft]

[2] factum, -ī [2/n]: deed

[3] dēfodiō, -ere, dēfōdī, dēfossus [3-iō]: bury; dig deep

[4] necō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus [1]: kill; murder; slay

[5] adimō, -ere, adēmī, ademptus [3]: steal; snatch away; deprive somebody of something

• aurumque eī adēmit hospitī │  and stole the gold from this guest

There is a use of the dative known as the dative of separation; it occurs when somebody is “deprived” of something e.g. something is snatched from somebody; what you are deprived of is in the accusative and person who was deprived of it is in the dative

aurumque [accusative] eī [dative] adēmit hospitī [dative]│ and he stole the gold ¦ from this guest

absum tibi [dative] │ I am away from you

[6] capio, capere, cepi, captus [3-iō]: capture, seize; here the perfect passive participle is used in a participial phrase:

Hospes necāvit hospitem ¦ captum manū │ A host murdered his guest ¦ [who had been] seized by his hand