18.07.25: topic; the fruits of the earth [3]; Tacuinum Sānitātis (2): enhancing your love-life

Whatever was wrong with you, the Tacuinum Sānitātis seems to have a cure for it including enhancing your love-life and treating scorpion bites – not at the same time, of course. We’ll start with asparagus.

Full marks to whoever battled through the Mediaeval manuscript; I have added notes and vocabulary along with the translations together with comments in italics along the way.

Texts like this, apart from giving you an insight into the importance attached to the healing properties of plants of the Middle Ages, there is some very useful vocabulary – not all of it, of course, but you can identify words that are common.

Sparagus │ Asparagus

Complectiō [ = complexiō] calida et hūmida in prīmō │Nature: hot and wet in the first degree*.

• calidus, -a, -um: hot
• complexiō, complexiōnis [3/f]: (Mediaeval) constitution; nature
• hūmidus, -a, -um: wet; humid; moist

* hot and wet in the first degree:

“Common to all traditional medical systems is the concept of the temperature of a medicine. This is related to both its nature, and medicinal effect. Whereas usually a medicine is classed as 'hot', 'warm', 'cool' or 'cold', the Western tradition … elaborated by giving degrees of heat and cold, 1st degree being mild, while a 4th degree denotes extreme. In addition, they add the secondary qualities of dryness and moisture. Therefore a medicine may be Hot in the 2nd degree and dry in the first degree.”

https://www.medicinetraditions.com/temperatures-of-medicines.html

Ēlēctiō recentēs cuius summitātēs dēclīnant ad terram │ Optimum [refers to the best or most favorable condition]: fresh and ¦ with the tip ¦ towards the earth [the tips of which bend]

• ēlēctiō, ēlēctiōnis [3/f]: choice; selection
• recēns, recentis: fresh; recent
• summitās, summitātis [3/f]: the highest point (of something)

Iuuāmentum [ = in the manuscript /u/ and /v/ are not distinguished which is a standard practice] addunt in coitū et aperiunt op(p)ilatiōnēs │ Benefit: they promote intercourse and open up obstructions

• addō, -ere, addidī, additus [3]: add to; augment
• coitus, -ūs [4/m]: meeting; joining; (here) (sexual) intercourse
• iuvāmentum, -ī  [2/n]: (Late Latin) aid; assistance; help
• oppīlātiō, oppīlātiōnis [3/f]: (Late Latin) blockage; obstruction 

Nocumentum nocent uillīs stomachī  │ Harm: they damage / do harm to the fibrous tissues of the stomach.

• nocumentum, -ī [2/n]: (Mediaeval) harm; nuisance
• noceō, -ēre, -uī, nocitus [3]: injure; harm; do harm to; the verb is followed by the dative case
• stomachus, -ī [2/m]: stomach
• villus, -ī [2/m]: literally refers to shaggy hair; the term is still used in Biology and Botany

Remōtiō nocumentī ¦ postquam elisātī* sunt ¦ comedantur ¦ cum muri(ā)** aut acētō │ Remedy for harm: cooked and seasoned afterwards [after they have been salted ¦ they should be / are to be eaten] with brine or vinegar.

Scribes sometimes made mistakes, but, when dealing with anything of this age, you cannot make assumptions; you can only check references as much as you can and, if there is no listing anywhere, then you can conclude that it might be a mistake

*elisātī: I cannot find this listed anywhere although the manuscript is clear in using the word; given that the text is referring to seasoning, I suspect it’s from:

saliō, -īre, -iī [4]: to salt; (perfect passive participle) salītus, -a, -um: salted 

**cum muri; the ending in the text does not apply to either of the two possibilities: muria, -ae [1/f] or muriēs, -ēī [5/f]: brine; pickle

Does the scribe omit the final /a/ of muriā because the next word begins with /a/ (aut), or is it just a slip of the quill?

• acētum, -ī  [2/n]: vinegar
• comedō, -ere, comēdī, comēsus [3] eat; consume
• remōtiō, remōtiōnis [3/f]: removal > remōtiō nocumentī: removal of harm = remedy

Quid generant nūtrīmentum bonum │ Effects [literally: what they produce] good nutrition.

• generō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus [1]: produce
• nūtrīmentum, -ī [2/n]: nourishment; sustenance

Conueniunt frīgidīs et siccīs* senibus et dēcrepitīs in vēre et in regiōnibus in quibus reperiuntur. │ Advisable for the cold and dry [temperaments], the elderly and decrepit, in spring and in the regions where found.

*The text says literally “They are suitable for the cold and dry (something in the plural)”; the translation refers to temperaments, a rather archaic term for conditions

• conveniō, -īre, -vēnī, conventus [4]: (here) be suitable for
• dēcrepitus, -a, -um: very old; decrepit
• frīgidus, -a, -um: cold
• reperiō, -īre, repperī, repertus [4]: find; discover; in regiōnibus ¦ in quibus reperiuntur │ in the regions ¦ in which they are found (passive)
• senex, senis [3 m/f]: old person
• siccus, -a, -um: dry
• vēr, -is [3/n]: spring 

18.07.25: topic; the fruits of the earth [2]; Tacuinum Sānitātis (1)

First published in Baghdad in the 11^th century The Taqwīm aṣ‑Ṣiḥḥa is an Arabic medical work of which there are Latin versions entitled Tacuinum Sānitātis from the 14^th and 15^th centuries. It is primarily a health handbook, is stunningly illustrated and includes most of the vocabulary presented in the previous post. I have added a few which are appropriate to the topic:

apium, -ī [2/n]: celery; can refer to several species including types of parsley

asparagus, -ī [2/m]: asparagus; also found in the Mediaeval texts as sparagus

bēta, -ae [1/f]: beet

mēlongēna, -ae [1/f] (Mediaeval): aubergine; variants: melongiana, molongenia

porrus, -ī [2/m], porrum, -ī [2/n]: leek

spinachia, -ae [1/f]: spinach (rare, and with variant spelling)

tūber, -is [3/n]: truffle

• bōlētus, -ī [2/m]: type of edible mushroom; bōlētus edūlis: edible mushroom
• fungus, -ī [2/m]: mushroom

Note: some of the images have their original titles which show the Mediaeval spelling shift from /ae/ > /e/; all the Latin nouns have plural forms although a couple of English versions are uncountable:

cēpe = cēpae = onions; lactūce = lactūcae = lettuce(s); pastināce = pastinācae = carrots, parsnips; rāpe = rāpae = turnips; spinachie = spinachiae = spinach(es) 

17.07.25: Level 1; Road to Latin [15]; Laeca poēta I; serva Claudiae; notes and exercises

[i] Read the text for understanding and note the prepositions all of which are followed by the ablative case.

ā / ab: (away) from

ē / ex: out of

in: in; on

cum: (together) with

[ii] The ending of the ablative singular in the first declension is -ā; the ending in the plural is -īs

Laeca Poēta I

Laeca poēta vīllam pulchram in Italiā habet. In vīllā Laeca cum fīliā Iūliā habitat. Aqua est proxima vīllae. In aquā poēta nāviculam rubram habet. Poēta ex vīllā saepe properat. Nunc in nāviculā est. Tum ab ōrā poēta nāvigat. Silvae quoque sunt proximae vīllae. In silvīs Laeca saepe ambulat. Poētae silvās et aquam maximē amant quod in silvīs et in aquā multās et pulchrās pictūrās poētae vident. Poētae ā silvīs et ab aquā properant et fābulās nārrant. Iūlia in vīllā labōrat. Fēminae et puellae Rōmānae in vīllīs saepe labōrant. Noctū Iūlia ex vīllā properat. Tum Iūlia cum Laecā in silvīs ambulat. Interdum poēta et fīlia ex silvīs properant et in ōrā stant. Laeca et Iūlia stēllās et lūnam spectant. Tandem Laeca et Iūlia ab ōrā ambulant et in vīllā iterum sunt.

Servae Claudiae

Claudia est domina multārum servārum. Servae Claudiae in terrā et in vīllā cotīdiē labōrant. Claudia servīs cāra est quod est domina benigna. Servae cēnam parant et vīllam ōrnant. Sed servae Claudiae nōn semper labōrant. Noctū servae ē casīs properant et in ōrā et in silvīs ambulant. Lūna clāra et stēllae pulchrae servīs dēfessīs sunt grātae. Tandem Claudia servās vocat. Tum ex silvīs et ab ōrā servae properant.

Notes

In general, many prepositions can refer to [i] a physical location (spatial) or [ii] an abstract (non-spatial) concept, for example:

The book is on the table (spatial) i.e. it describes where the book is physically located.

I'm going on Tuesday (non-spatial; temporal i.e. used in expressions of time). There is no physical location being described here and yet the same preposition is used.

Latin functions in a similar way. It can use prepositions in both a spatial and non-spatial sense, and it sometimes uses no preposition at all to convey an idea in English which does require a preposition.

There is no purpose in producing an extensive 'one-off' list (there are plenty of those online elsewhere), but the aim is to focus on the main meanings and usages; in the text the prepositions all refer to physical location. Where other uses occur, they will be referred to.

[1] ē / ex refers to movement physically out of a place i.e. from somewhere inside to somewhere else:

Interdum poēta et fīlia ex silvīs properant. │ Meanwhile the poet and the daughter hurry out of the forests.

• ē: used when the noun begins with a consonant
• ex: used when the noun begins with a vowel or a consonant

[2] ā / ab refers to movement physically away from a place with no suggestion that the movement began inside anywhere: think of a train departing from a platform:

Tandem Laeca et Iūlia ab ōrā ambulant. │ Laeca and Julia finally walk (away) from the seashore.

• ā: used when the noun begins with a consonant
• ab: used when the noun begins with a vowel or a consonant

[3] in: with the ablative case it means ‘in’ or ‘on’ a place:

poēta vīllam pulchram in Italiā habet │ the poet has a beautiful villa in Italy

[4] cum: (together) with e.g. with a person; other meanings of ‘with’ in English are expressed differently in Latin

Iūlia cum Laecā ambulat │ Julia is walking with Laeca

Here are three other prepositions that are followed by the ablative case :

[5] dē: down / away from, but it also conveys a useful non-spatial meaning of 'about; concerning':

Dē quō ¦ cōgitās? │ About what are you thinking? = What are you thinking about?

[6] sine: without; a fun way of remembering it is this one line from a Mediaeval drinking song:

Bibunt omnēs ¦ sine mētā. │ They all drink without a limit.

[7] sub: under

sub umbrā castaneae │ under the shade of a chestnut tree

Some prepositions can take more than one case and they can have more than one meaning, but don't run before you can walk; familiarise yourself with the basic meanings of the prepositions.

Exercise [1]

1. Ubi Laeca villam habet? *Ubi = where?
2. Ubi poēta cum Iūliā habitat?
3. Estne aqua proxima vīllae?
4. Ubi est nāvicula poētae?
5. Unde poēta saepe properat? *Unde = from where?
6. Ubi poēta est?
7. Unde poēta nāvigat?
8. Nōnne sunt silvae proximae villae?
9. Quid poētae in silvīs et in aquā vident?
10. Unde poētae properant?
11. Ubi Iūlia labõrat?
12. Unde Iūlia noctū properat?
13. Ubi Iūlia cum Laecā ambulat?
14. Unde poēta et filia properant?
15. Quōcum poēta ambulat? *Quōcum = with whom?

Unit [7]: Grammar exercise

Supply the proper case endings:

1. Iūlia fīlia Laecae in vill___ labōrat.
2. Laeca nāviculam in aqū___ videt.
3. Poēta cum fīli___ ex silv___ properat.
4. Ab ōr___ servae properant.
5. Laeca et Iūlia ē vill___ saepe properant.
6. Poētae in silv___ et in aqu___ pictūrās vident.

17.07.25: Level 1; Road to Latin [14]; Laeca poēta I; serva Claudiae; reading and vocabulary

[ablative with ā, ab, ex, ē, in, cum]

Laeca Poēta I

Laeca poēta vīllam pulchram in Italiā habet. In vīllā Laeca cūm fīliā Iūliā habitat. Aqua est proxima vīllae. In aquā poēta nāviculam rubram habet. Poēta ex vīllā saepe properat. Nunc in nāviculā est. Tum ab ōrā poēta nāvigat. Silvae quoque sunt proximae vīllae. In silvīs Laeca saepe ambulat. Poētae silvās et aquam maximē amant quod in silvīs et in aquā multās et pulchrās pictūrās poētae vident. Poētae ā silvīs et ab aquā properant et fābulās nārrant. Iūlia in vīlla labōrat. Fēminae et puellae Rōmānae in vīllīs saepe labōrant. Noctū Iūlia ex vīllā properat. Tum Iūlia cum Laecā in silvīs ambulat. Interdum poēta et fīlia ex silvīs properant et in ōrā stant. Laeca et Iūlia stēllās et lūnam spectant. Tandem Laeca et Iūlia ab ōrā ambulant et in vīllā iterum sunt.

Servae Claudiae

Claudia est domina multārum servārum. Servae Claudiae in terrā et in vīllā cotīdiē labōrant. Claudia servīs cāra est quod est domina benigna. Servae cēnam parant et vīllam ōrnant. Sed servae Claudiae nōn semper labōrant. Noctū servae ē casīs properant et in ōrā et in silvīs ambulant. Lūna clāra et stēllae pulchrae servīs dēfessīs sunt grātae. Tandem Claudia servās vocat. Tum ex silvīs et ab ōrā servae properant.

ā/ab (+abl.): from, away from

​cēna: dinner

clāra: bright, famous

cum (+abl.): with

dēfessa: tired, exhausted

ex/ē (+abl.): out of

habitat: he/she/it lives, dwells

in (+abl.): in, on

iterum: again, a second time

​nāvicula: little boat, skiff

nāvigat: he/she/it sails

noctū: at night

nunc: now

ōra: coast, shore

parat: he/she/it prepares

pictūra: picture

poēta: poet

properat: he/she/it hastens, hurries

stēlla: star

tandem: finally, at last

ubi: where

unde: whence, from where