20.06.25: topic; ships [6]; Comenius; XCI; a Ship-wreck (1)

There are different editions of the work of Comenius; this one – and I have reproduced the text exactly – show an interesting comparison between Latin, the spelling of which has remained virtually unchanged for centuries, and 17^th century English, which still shows remarkable inconsistency in spelling, a feature also noticeable in the early editions of Shakespeare’s works.

suddain = sudden; sayl = sail; shipwrack = shipwreck; sheat = sheet; shoars = shores

When a storm ariseth on a suddain, they strike sayl lest the ship should be dashed against rocks or light upon shelves.

Cum procella oritur repente contrahunt vēla nē nāvīs ad scopulōs allīdātur, aut incīdat in brevia (syrtēs).

If they cannot hinder her they suffer shipwrack.

Sī nōn possunt prohibēre patiuntur naufragium.

And then the men, the wares, all things are miserably lost.

Tum hominēs, mercēs, omnia miserābiliter pereunt.

Nor doth the sheat-anchor, being cast with a cable, do any good.

Neque hīc sacra anchora, rūdentī iacta quidquam adiuvat.

Some escape, either on a plank, and by swimming, or in the boat.

Quīdam ēvādunt, vel tabulā, ac ēnatandō, vel scaphā.

Part of the wares, with the dead folks, is carried out of the sea, upon the shoars.

Pars mercium cum mortuīs ā marī in littora dēfertur.

[i] Passives:

Pars mercium … dēfertur │ Part of the wares … is carried away

anchora … iacta │ the anchor (which has been) thrown

[ii] Deponent verbs:

procella oritur │ a storm arises

patiuntur naufragium │ they suffer a shipwreck

[iii] Gerund:

Quīdam ēvādunt … ēnatandō │ some escape by swimming away

[iv] procella, -ae [1/f]: violent wind, storm, hurricane, tempest

tempestās, tempestātis [3/f]: context will determine the meaning: [i] storm or gale, [ii] weather (either good or bad), [iii]  period of time, season

[v] image #1: contrahō, -ere, contrāxī, contractus [3]: draw in; pull (several objects) together; contrahunt vēla │ they strike the sails i.e. the sails are furled

solvō, -ere, solvī, solūtus [3]: untie, loosen; used to refer to ‘setting sail’ i.e. untying the ship from its mooring: paulō post mediam noctem nāvēs solvit (Caesar) │ he sets sail a little after midnight

[vi] scopulus, -ī [2/m]: rock, cliff, crag

[vii] syrtis, -is [3/f]: sandbank

brevis, -e: [i] short; [i] (of depth) shallow i.e. Comenius is referring to the “shallow parts” of the water; Engl. shelf = reef, sandbar

[viii] naufragium,-ī [2/n]: shipwreck

Image #2: late 3^rd century Roman shipwreck off the coast of Sicily

submergō (summergō), -ere, -mersī, -mersus [3]: sink

nāvēs submerguntur │ ships are sunk

nāvis submersa │ a sunken ship

[ix] merx, mercis [3/f]: merchandise; goods

Image #3: Some of the 135 amphorae from the wreck of a Roman ship off the coast of northern Catalonia

[x] sacra anc(h)ora: the term “sacred anchor”, derived from sailors, refers to the strongest anchor, only weighed when the ship is at its most critical point; sheet anchor: a large, spare anchor for use in emergencies

Image #4: Prīncipia Latīnē Loquendī Scrībendīque (1556) with depiction of the sacra anchora

[xi] rūdēns, rūdentis [3/m]: rope, cord, cable

[xii] tabula, -ae [1/f]: [i] (here) plank, [ii] wax covered tablet used for writing with a stylus

[xiii] scapha, -ae [1/f]: light boat, skiff

et cum scaphās concurrere undique ab nāvibus cernerent (Livy) │ When they saw boats from all the ships rowing to the place [i.e. small boats which belong to larger ones]

[xiv] littus, littoris [3/n]: alternative of litus, litoris [3/n]: shore

Grammar

For the moment, note the use of the Latin subjunctive in the sentence:

contrahunt vēla ¦ nē nāvīs ad scopulōs [i] allīdātur, aut [ii] incīdat in brevia │ they strike the sails ¦ lest the ship [ii] (might / should) be dashed against the rocks or [ii] light upon sandbanks

The subjunctive is used to express purpose. That purpose may be [1] positive i.e. X is done in order that Y happens, or [2] negative i.e. X is done in order that Y does not happen. Latin uses a subjunctive here because, at the point at which the main action [X] takes place, the purpose [Y] has not yet been achieved; in older English, it was common to read: “He went [X] to the shop in order that he might buy [Y] bread”, and it is this type of structure which Latin uses.

What we have here is a negative purpose:

contrahunt vēla [X] ¦ nē nāvis ad scopulōs allīdātur [Y]

They strike the sails [X] ¦ in order that the ship might not be dashed [Y] against the rocks

The archaic word ‘lest’ is often used to convey this: they strike the sails lest the ships (should / might) be dashed against the wrecks [i.e. this is what they do not want to happen], but it can be rendered in a less stilted manner: … (in order) to avoid the ship being dashed against the rocks

Nē mīlitēs oppidum inrumperent, portās obstruit (Caesar) │ He barricaded the gates, in order that the soldiers might not break into the town = …to avoid the soldiers breaking into the town