29.01.25: level 2; crime and punishment [9]; the tormenting of malefactors

Comenius’ book has a novel way of teaching the passive to the kids. At the same time it is a fascinating but disturbing insight into the rough justice of the 17th century.

Many common verbs are used here and all of them in the present passive voice describing what is done to criminals (or people they thought were criminals); below are some of the main verbs both in the present and the perfect passive.

[1] damnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus [1]: condemn; convict; find guilty

• damnātur │ (s)he is found guilty
• damnantur │ they are convicted
• damnātus, -a est │ (s)he was condemned
• damnātī, -ae sunt │ they were sentenced (to a punishment)

[2] suspendō, -ere, suspendī, suspēnsus [3] hang; suspend; Engl. deriv. suspense

• fūrēs suspenduntur │ thieves are hanged
• fūr suspēnsus est │ the thief was hanged
• fūrēs ¦ ā carnifice ¦ in patibulō ¦ suspēnsī sunt │ the thieves were hanged ¦ by the executioner ¦ on the gallows

[3] cremō, cremāre, cremāvī, cremātus [1]: burn; Engl. deriv. cremate

• strigēs super rogum cremantur │ witches are burned upon a great fire
• strīx super rogum cremāta est │ the witch was burned upon a great fire
• strigēs super rogum cremātae sunt │ the witches were burned upon a great fire

strīx, strīgis [3/f]: witch; Latin has several words for witches, the original meaning of this word referring to a type of owl considered to be a bad omen. By extension the word also referred to a vampire or, in the text, a witch; also: striga, -ae [1/f] vampire; witch, and, from the text, lamia, -ae [1/f]: vampire; witch; sorceress

[4] dēcollō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus [1]: behead

• Medūsa ā Perseō dēcollāta est │ Medusa was beheaded by Perseus

[5] torqueō, torquēre, torsī, tortus [2]: torture; torment; also: twist

Note the use of the present passive infinitive

torquēre │ to torture > present passive infinitive: torquērī │ to be tortured

• Maleficī torquērī solent │ Wrongdoers are wont to be tortured

[6] Note in general the two different ways in which the ablative expresses [i] by whom something is done, and [ii] the means by which something

[i] if an object, an “instrument”, is used then the ablative alone expresses that idea:

caedō, caedere, cecidī, caesus [3] [i] fell (a tree) [ii] kill [iii] defeat (resulting in heavy losses of an enemy) [ii] (here) strike; beat

• virgīs ¦ caeduntur │ they are beaten ¦ with rods

stigma, stigmatis [3/n]: brand mark < Anc. Gk. στίγμα (stígma)

• stigmate ¦ notantur │ they are marked ¦ with a brandmark

forceps, forcipis [3/m]: pincers

• forcipibus uruntur │ they are burned ¦ with pincers

Equō raptantur │ they are dragged ¦ by a horse

Perduellēs ¦ quadrīgīs ¦ discerpuntur │ traitors are pulled to pieces by four horses

quadrīga, -ae [1/f]: originally refers to a chariot pulled by four horses

[ii] if the action is performed by a human being the preposition ā / ab + the ablative case is used:

• Fūrēs suspenduntur ¦ ā carnifice │ thieves are hanged ¦ by the executioner

[7] The perfect passive participle can stand alone and function as a noun

dōnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus [1]: give (as a gift)

• vitā ¦ donātī │ [those (who have been) gifted] ¦ with life = those whose lives have been spared