26.11.25: Level 3; Theodorus [1]; text; notes [i] inchoative verbs (review)

Cȳrēnaeum Theodōrum philosophum praeclārissimum nōnne mīrāmur? Lȳsimachō rēgī crucem minantī, "Istīs," inquit, "ista crūdēlia mināre prīmōribus tuīs: haec ad Theodōrum nihil attinent: humī putrēscere aut in aere, idem est."

[1] note the use of ‘istīs’ and ‘ista’ which had a derogatory sense in Classical Latin.

[2] crūx, crūcis [3/f]: a wooden frame on which criminals were crucified which usually, but not always, was in the shape of a cross; it can refer to a gallows or execution in general

[3] putrēscō, -ere[3]: rot; decay

This is an example of an inchoative verb (also known as an inceptive verb) with the distinctive -sc- in the stem. They were discussed at:

20.04.24: inchoative verbs

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/05/200424-inchoative-verbs.html

20.04.24: inchoative verbs [2]

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/05/200424-inchoative-verbs-2.html

puter, putris: rotten

putreō, -ēre [2]: be rotten

putrescō, -ere [3]: rot; become rotten; the inchoative verb expresses the beginning of the action and / or a change of state i.e. something is becoming something else e.g.  frīget: it’s cold > frīgēSCit: it’s getting cold

[4] Lȳsimachō rēgī [dative] ¦ crucem minantī, [dative]…  inquit │ He said to King Lysimachos ¦ who was threating him with the gallows

[5] "Istīs," inquit, "ista crūdēlia mināre prīmōribus tuīs”

minor, -ārī, -ātus sum [1/deponent]: threaten (1) somebody [dative] (2) with something [accusative]:

(1) istīs … (2) ista crūdelia mināre (1) prīmōribus tuīs │ threaten (2) these cruelties (1) to those nobles of yours = Threaten (1) those nobles of yours (2) with these cruelties

In the sentence ‘mināre’ looks like an infinitive but it is an imperative i.e. he is telling the king to make threats: “istīs,” inquit “ista crūdelia mināre prīmōribus tuīs” │ Threaten these cruelties to those nobles of yours.

This brings us to a feature of Latin that is not commonly found, but needs to be recognised; the next post explains it.

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Surely we admire Theodorus of Cyrene, the celebrated philosopher? [ = We admire …., don’t we?]. He said to King Lysimachos who was threating him with the gallows: “Threaten these cruelties to those nobles of yours; these things do not concern Theodorus: to rot on the ground or in the air is the same thing.”