05.02.25: level 2; crime and punishment [12]; reading [4]; international headlines

“I would advise you, as you tender your life, to devise some excuse to shift of your attendance of this Parliament".

This is part of an anonymous letter sent to Lord Monteagle, a member of the House of Lords, who passed the letter to the King’s advisors resulting in the discovery of what is known in Britain as the Gunpowder Plot. And they almost got away with it: on November 4^th 1605 Guy Fawkes was found in the vaults of Parliament – together with 36 barrels of gunpowder. King James should have sacked his security team!

The failed attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament on November 5^th 1605 made international headlines. Interestingly, in order to maximise the readership, the report is written not only in French and German, but also in Latin which does show the significance of the language even at this period in history since the Latin version would have ensured that all the places of learning throughout Europe would have been furnished with the details.

The impression I have of this report is that it was written quickly, which is understandable since it was a major event, and not all the conspirators are listed. Some of the word order is a little chaotic (the French version is much neater), there are spelling errors and omissions, inconsistencies in capitalisation, and confusion with certain words and phrases.

[1] CONCILIVM SEPTEM NOBILVM ANGLORVM CONIVRANTIVM IN NECEM IACOBI I │ The meeting of the seven English noblemen conspiring in the murder of James 1*

• concilium, -ī [2/n]: meeting
• coniūrō, -āre, -āvī [1]: conspire; coniūrāns, coniūrantis (participle): conspiring
• nex, necis [3/f]: murder

 *James VI of Scotland who became James I of both Scotland and England after the union of the crowns in 1603

[2] Vidēs Spectātor hūmānissimē hīc expressās effigiēs septem Anglōrum quī Rēgem suum cum (i) *paraecipuēs* [= praecipuōs] Statūs Anglicī Proceribus ad *Parlementum* [= Parlamentum] ut vocant convocātīs pulvere tormentāriō simul horrendō modō in ipsā domō *Parlemntī* [= Parlamentī] ēvertere voluērunt.

You see, most cultured ‘reader’ (i.e. person looking at the picture) = ‘dear reader’, reproduced here the images of the seven Englishmen who wanted to overthrow their (own) king together with the noblemen as they call (i) the leading men of the English State (who had been) summoned to Parliament at the same time in an horrific manner by means of gunpowder in the House of Parliament itself.

(i) ‘paraecipues’: the writer probably means praecipuōs i.e. the preeminent / distinguished (men) or he has principēs (leaders) in mind. The French translation says ‘les premiers’  i.e. the first (leading) men and ‘les principaus *offic(ie)rs*’ [the missing letters are added above]: the chief officers

• convocātus, -a, -um: summoned; convened < convocō, -āre, -āvī [1]: summon; convene; call together
• effigiēs, -ēī [5/f]: (here) image
• ēvertō, -ere, ēvertī [3]: destroy; (political) subvert; overthrow
• expressus, -a, -um: (here) reproduced < exprimō, -ere, expressi [3]: copy; imitate
• ipse, ipsa, ipsum: himself / herself / itself i.e. in the report it emphasises the enormity of the crime; in ipsā domō Parlamentī │ in the very House of Parliament i.e. right inside it, dear readers!
• procer, -is [3/m]: nobleman (mainly in the plural)
• status, -ūs [4/m]: (here) State
• pulvis, pulveris [3/n]: powder
• pulvis tormentārium: gunpowder; tormentārius, -a, -um is not attested in CL but used by this period and derived from tormentum, -ī [2/n] a Roman war machine for throwing missiles i.e. artillery; the powder is used as a weapon; similarly, globus tormentārius: cannonball

There is a contemporary reference to it by Diego Collado, a Spanish Christian missionary (1587 – 1638):

Ego pulverem tormentārium cōnficiō: cum ergō ita sit: haereticīs et pyrātīs Holandīs vēndidī huiusmodī pulverem; illīs etiam ministrāvī quaerendō vīctū alia, sclopōs, et glandēs seu globōs tormentāriōs, et tormenta et alia īnstrūmenta bellica. │ I make the gunpowder, and as it is, I have sold it to the Dutch heretics and pirates. For obtaining my livelihood, I also procured other stuff for them: guns and bullets or cannon balls and cannons and other instruments of war.

Note the uses of the ablative case:

[i] ablative of means / instruement i.e. what was going to be used

• pulvere tormentāriō │ by means of gunpowder

[ii] ablative of manner i.e. in what way was this going to be done, in this case not nicely …

• horrendō modō │ in an horrific manner

[3] Cuius Coniūrātiōnis nefandae Auctōrēs fuēre inprīmīs Robertus Catesby & Thomas Perci quī sibi deinde adiūnxēre aliōs, vidēlicet, Thomam & Robertum Winter, Guidonem Fawkens …

The perpetrators / instigators of this heinous conspiracy were firstly Robert Catesby and Thomas Percy who then added others to themselves [= involved others], namely Thomas and Robert Winter, Guido Fawkes …

• adiungō, -ere, adiūnxī [3]: add; join
• auctor, auctōris [3/m]: the ‘doer’, author, originator, person who started something
• coniūrātiō, conīurātiōnis [3/f]:conspiracy
• inprīmīs = imprīmīs: firstly; especially
• nefandus, -a, -um: heinous; abominable
• videlicet: namely

The most famous of the conspirators, and after whom the 5^th of November celebration in the UK is named, is Guido [from Italian = Guy] Fawkes which is translated as a 3^rd declension noun i.e. Guido, Guidonis

[4] Sed coniūrātiōne hāc Dīvīnā prōvidentiā & clēmentiā decem aut (i) [minus (?)] hōrīs ante futūra(m) Cessiōnem [= sessiōnem] Parlamentī [note: he gets the spelling right this time] Dētēcta & Coniūrātīs persecūtīs ex iīs Robertus Catesbī & Thomas Percī ictū sclopētī periēre et *eonum* [= eōrum] capita domuī Parlementī (ii) *inperpetuant* [= in perpetuam] reī memoriam imposita *caeterī* [= cēterī; nōn-standard spelling] cum multīs aliīs quī eandem in rem cōnspīrārant adhūc captīvī dētinentur, dignam facinore sententiam expectantēs

But this conspiracy through divine providence and mercy having been disclosed ten or (i) (less [?]) hours before the sitting of parliament (was about to happen) and the conspirators pursued of whom Robert Catesby and Thomas Percy perished from a gunshot (rifle shot) and their heads (were) placed on the house of parliament (ii) as a permanent reminder of the deed / matter / affair / event, the rest together with many others who had conspired in the same deed are still being held captive awaiting a sentence befitting  / worthy of the crime.

(i) This is very unclear in the document (and, if there is a translation, I couldn’t find one); it is possibly ‘minus’ and the French version says ‘environ dix heures devant l’assemblé(e)’ i.e. about ten hours before the gathering

(ii) *inperpetuant* … memoriam [= in perpetuam … memoriam]; I suspect that not only was this document written quickly, but also dictated i.e. he seems to be writing what he is hearing rather than what he knows himself; again, the French says en memoire de l’acte (in memory of the deed)

• dētectus, -a, -um: disclosed; uncovered; revealed; ‘disclosed’ is probably the best translation of this since the conspiracy wasn’t discovered through any detective work or security measures but by the anonymous letter to Monteagle
• dignus, -a, -um: worthy; the adjective is followed by a noun in the ablative case
• facinus, facinoris [3/n]: crime > sententiam, dignam facinore … │ a sentence worthy of / befitting the crime
• ictus, -ūs [4/m]: stab; thrust; (here) shot; note the use of the ablative case to indicate the means by which they died or the cause of death: ictū sclopētī periēre │ they died from (by means of / because of) a gunshot
• impositus, -a, -um: placed (upon) < impōno, -ere, imposuī [3] place, put, lay etc. upon, and what you place the thing on is in the dative case: capita domuī Parlamentī … imposita │ (their) heads (were) placed upon the house of Parliament
• persecūtus, -a, -um: pursued
• sclopētum, -ī [2/n]: rifle

Notes:

contracted forms

This is something that will come up later in the group when literature is discussed in more detail. These are examples of contracted forms; when we say ‘I’m’ instead ‘I am’ of that is a contracted form of two adjacent vowels [I + am > I’m, he + is > he’s etc.], the same is evident in French: il n’est pas [ne + est]. Compare older Latin: homost (Plautus) = homo est.

The most common example of contraction is the 3^rd person plural perfect where the ending -ērunt can be contracted to -ēre which is what you see in the first three examples from the text:

• adiunxēre = adiunxērunt: they joined
• fuēre = fuērunt: they were
• periēre = periērunt: they perished

Other contracted forms occur such as a further example from the text:

• qui eandem in rem cōnspīrārant = cōnspīrāverant │ who had conspired in the same matter

https://www.thelatinlibrary.com/101/contractions.pdf

PS: dignam facinore sententiam expectantēs │ awaiting a sentence befitting the crime

Fawkes and the conspirators who remained alive, were tried for high treason in Westminster Hall on 27 January 1606 and all were convicted and sentenced to death. The executions took place on 30 and 31 January (Fawkes was executed on 31) and included hanging, drawing and quartering. The heads and other portions of the conspirator's bodies were set up at different points around Westminster and London. (parliament.uk)

PPS: as part of British tradition, the Yeomen of the Guard still search the Houses of Parliament before the State Opening!

02.02.25; level 2; crime and punishment [11]; “passive” deaths

Match the “passive” crime, death or punishment with the image

• cruciō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus [1]: crucify; Engl. deriv. excruciating
• flagellō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus [1]: whip; Engl. deriv. flagellate
• fodiō, -ere, fōdī, fossus [3-iō]: stab
• percutiō, -ere, percussī, percussus [3-iō]: strike; kill; Engl. deriv. percussion (instrument)
• strangulō, -ārē, -āvī, -ātus [1]: throttle; strangle
• trānsfīgō, -ere, trānsfīxī, trānsfīxum [3]: thrust through; Engl. deriv. transfix(ed)
• vinciō, -īre, vinxī, vīnctus [4]: bind; fetter; tie up
• pūgiō, pūgiōnis [3/m]: dagger

____________________

ā discipulīs suīs flagellātus est

captīvus vīnctus est

cruciātus est

Cicerō dēcollātus est

gladiō suō trānsfīxus est

mīles vulnerātus est; ā medicō cūrātur

puella suspēnsa est

pūgiōne fossus est

secūrī percussus est

strangulātus est

strigēs cremātae sunt

venēnātus est

virgā caesus est

31.01.25; level 2; crime and punishment [10]; reading [3]

[1] homō enim vidēlicet timidus aut etiam permodestus vōcem cōnsulis ferre nōn potuit; simul atque īre in exsilium iussus est, pāruit (Cicero)

for that evidently timid, or even excessively bashful man could not bear the voice of the consul; as soon as he was ordered to go into banishment, he obeyed

īre in exsilium ¦ iussus est │ he was commanded ¦ to go into exile

in exsilium missus est │ he was sent into exile

[2] Again, different uses of the passive all appear in the same extract:

… [i] obvolūtum caput est ōciusque [ii] rapī extrā portam iussus.  ita in castra [iii] perdūcitur extemplōque [iv] impositus in nāvem et Carthāginem [iv] missus (Livy) │ … his head was muffled up and orders were given for him to be carried off more quickly outside the city gate. In this way he was brought into the camp and then at once put on board a ship and sent to Carthage.

[i] obvolvō, -ere, obvolvī, obvolūtus [3]: wrap; cover all over; smother

[ii] rapiō, -ere, rapuī, raptus [3-iō]: carry off; snatch; grab

rapere │ to carry off > present passive infinitive: rapī │ to be carried off

[iii] and [iv] two features to note here when you start to read original Latin prose:

[iii] the use of the present tense to give a greater sense of immediacy to past events:

in castra perducitur │ he was brought into the camp [literally: he is brought …]

[iv] the omission of the verb esse in perfect passive constructions

… extemplōque ¦ impositus [est] ¦ in nāvem et Carthāginem ¦ missus [est] │and was immediately put on board a ship and sent to Carthage

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

27.01.25: level 2; Crime and punishment [8]; people, things and places

poenās dō, dāre [1]: pay the penalty

supplicium, -ī [2/n]: punishment

captīvus, -ī [2/m]: prisoner; captive

custōs, custōdis [3/m]: guard

carcer, -is [3/m]: prison; image: Mamertine prison in Rome

carnifex, carnificis [3/m]: [i] butcher [ii] executioner

secūris, -is [3/f]: axe

vinculum, -ī [2/n]: chain; anything by which somebody can be bound

numella, -ae [1/f]: in Ancient Rome, a type of shackle for slaves or cattle; here it is referring to a pillory

crux, crucis [3/f]: a wooden frame on which criminals were crucified, often a cross; can also refer to torture

https://www.albionarchaeology.co.uk/news/2021/12/8/roman-crucifixion-burial-at-fenstanton-cambridgeshire

pālus, -ī [2/m] post; stake

patibulum, -ī [2/n]: gallows

rogus, -ī [2/m]: funeral pyre

rota, -ae [1/f]: wheel

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breaking_wheel

25.01.25: level 2; topic; crime and punishment [7]: reading [2]

[1] occīdō, -ere, occīdī, occīsus [3]: kill

nōn occidēs (Vulgate) │ Thou shalt not kill

sexāgintā mīlia hominum ūnō diē volāticōrum manibus occīdī meīs. (Plautus) │ with my own hands, in one day, I slew sixty thousand flying men.

[i] active and [ii] passive forms of the same verb

[i] magnum numerum eōrum occīdērunt (Caesar) │ they killed a great number of them

[ii] magnusque eōrum numerus est occīsus (Bellum Africum) │ and a great number of them were killed [literally: was killed agreeing with numerus (singular)

trucīdō, -ārē, -āvī, -ātus [1]: slaughter; massacre

caedō, -ere, cecīdī, caesus [3]: kill; murder; (mil.) defeat (incurring heavy losses)

[2] venēnō, -āre, -avī, -ātus [1]: poison

[i] active and [ii] passive forms of the same verb

[i] serpentem in aquam mīsit quī eam venēnāvit (Hyginus) │ the sent a serpent into the water which poisoned it

[ii] imperāvit quam plūrimās [a] venēnātās serpentēs vīvās [b] colligī eāsque in vāsa fictilia [b] conicī (Nepos) │ He gave orders for the greatest possible number of venomous snakes to be collected and to be thrown together into earthenware jars.

[a] the past passive participle is often used as an adjective i.e. literally poisoned, but it would be translated as poisonous (venomous)

[b] note the use of the passive infinitives of

colligō, -ere, collēgī, collēctus [3]: gather together > colligī: to be gathered together

coniciō, -ere, coniēcī, coniectus [3-iō]: throw together > conicī: to be thrown together

[3] iugulō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus [1] < iugulum, -ī [2/n] (physical) throat; (figurative) murder; the verb, apart from meaning ‘slay’ or ‘kill’, may also translate as ‘slit the throat’ and ‘strangle’ (strangulation was a common form of execution)

[i] active and [ii] passive forms of the same verb

illum miserum ¦ fugientem ¦ iugulāvit (Cicero) │ he slew that miserable man ¦ as he was fleeing

īnsciente Antigonō ¦ iugulātus est ¦ ā cūstōdibus (Nepos) │ he was strangled ¦ by his guards ¦ without the knowledge of Antigonus

[4] coniūrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus [1] │ [i] swear together by oath [ii] conspire

[i] PASICOMPSA: et inter nōs coniūrāvimus, ego cum illō et ille mēcum: ego cum virō et ille cum muliere, nisi cum illō aut ille mēcum, neuter stuprī causā caput līmāret. (Plautus)│ and we swore on oath between ourselves, I with him and he with me: neither I with a man nor he with a woman would besmirch our head for the reason of [= because of] sexual intercourse unless it was I with him or he with me

[ii] circumspicite paulisper mentibus vestrīs … hōsce ipsōs hominēs quī huic adfīnēs scelerī fuērunt. Catilīna contrā rem pūblicam coniūrāvit. cuius aurēs umquam haec respuērunt cōnātum esse audācter hominem ā pueritiā nōn sōlum intemperantiā et scelere sed etiam cōnsuētūdine et studiō in omnī flāgitiō, stuprō, caede versātum? (Cicero) │ Survey for a moment in your mind's eye … these very men who were implicated in this wickedness. Catiline conspired against the republic. Whose ears were ever unwilling to believe in this attempt on the part of a man who had spent his whole life, from his boyhood upwards, not only in intemperance and debauchery, but who had devoted all his energies and all his zeal to every sort of enormity, and lust, and bloodshed?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catilinarian_conspiracy

adfīnis, alternative to affīnis, -e: (here) associated with; taking part in

huic adfīnēs scelerī [dative] fuērunt │ they were party to this crime / wicked deed

This extract contains numerous words referring to immorality i.e. not necessarily crimes but terms used to besmirch a person’s character:

caedēs, -is [3/f]: see previous post; bloodshed

flāgitium, -ī [2/n]: disgraceful / shameful action or crime; scandal

intemperantia, -ae [1/f]: lack of moderation; extravagance; excessive behaviour

stuprum, -ī [2/n]: see previous post; note that, both in the Cicero and the Plautus texts, the noun again refers to sexual impropriety i.e. sexual intercourse (outside marriage); lust

In the same “area” of vocabulary is: libīdō, libīdinis [3/f]: desire; lust; wantonness; sensuality

[5] interficiō, -ere, interfēcī, interfectus [3-iō]: kill

Salvē, quī mē interfēcistī paene vītā et lūmine (Plautus) │ Welcome to you, you who have almost deprived me of life and light [= you who have almost killed me …]

atque eōs ¦ convulnerātōs ¦ usque in castra rēgia reppulērunt multōsque ex hīs interfēcērunt. │and he drove them ¦ [who had been / having been] severely wounded ¦ to the king's camp, and slew many of them

[6] The last extract makes extensive use of the passive and is a good illustration of why it is important to be very familiar with it; in particular note how Latin can express the idea concisely with a single word whereas the translation most often requires several. There are seven passive forms used here which allow for a flowing and fast-moving narrative not weighed down by clauses.

quōs … [i] corripī atque [ii] interficī iussit; quōrum alter ¦ [iv] acceptō vulnere [iii] occupātus ¦  per suōs prō [vi] occīsō [v] sublātus, ¦ alter [vii] interfectus est. (Caesar)

quōs … [i] corripī atque [ii] interficī iussit: passive infinitives │ He ordered them … [i] to be seized and [ii] put to death, one of whom

quōrum alter ¦ [iv] acceptō vulnere [iii] occupātus │ one of whom [iv] (literally) having been seized by a wound [iii] which had been received = having received a dangerous wound

per suōs prō [vi] occīsō [v] sublātus [est]: the verb ‘esse’ is often omitted │ [v] he was carried off [vi] for dead [= like a person who had been killed i.e. the participle is acting like a noun] 

23.01.25; level 2; crime and punishment [6]: people

sceleratus, -ī [2/m]: criminal

maleficus, -ī [2/m]: wrongdoer; also: magician; sorcerer

malefica, -ae [1/f]: feminine form of maleficus; also: witch; sorceress

venēfica, -ae [1/f]: sorceress; witch; female poisoner

coniūrātus, -ī [2/m]; coniūrātor, coniūrātōris [3/m] (Late Latin): conspirator

perduellis, -is [3/m]: public enemy; enemy of the state; traitor

parricida, -ae [1 m/f]: has several meanings including the murderer of a near relative, but it also can refer to a person who commits (high) treason i.e. a traitor

fūr, -is [3/m]: thief

latrō, latrōnis [3/m]: robber; highwayman

pīrāta, -ae [1/m]: pirate

raptor, raptōris [3/m]: referring to a person who forcibly seizes something / someone i.e. [i] robber; plunderer [ii] abductor [iii] ravisher

moechus, -ī [2/m]: adulterer; fornicator

cadāver, -is [3/m]: corpse

homicīda, -ae [1 m/ f]: murderer; murderess

percussor, percussōris [3/m]: murderer; assassin

interfector, interfectōris [3/m]: murderer

interfectrīx, interfectrīcis [3/f]: murderess

occīsor, occīsōris [3/m]: killer

sīcārius, -ī [2/m]: murderer; assassin; contract killer

Image: Clytemnestra; yes, I know she wasn’t Roman but she does have a tremendous name that just screams murderess.

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

19.01.25: level 2; crime and punishment [4]: types of crime

There is a huge range of vocabulary related to crime, killing, punishment and immoral behaviour and so we’ll look at this over a number of posts.

There are several words used to describe a crime in general. Here are a few:

facinus, facinoris [3/n]: crime

scelus, sceleris [3/m]: crime; sin; evil deed

vitium, -ī [2/n]: crime; sin; vice

iniūria, -ae [1/f]: ‘injury’ in the sense of a wrongdoing, offence, insult hence the term ‘injured party’ in law referring to somebody who has suffered an injustice; the Latin term can also refer to slander

iniūria nōn excūsat iniūriam │ an injury does not excuse an injury i.e. one wrong does not justify another

specific crimes

[1] furtum, -ī [2/n]; latrōcinium, -ī [2/n]: theft; spoliātiō, spoliātiōnis [3/f]: plundering; robbery

[2] venēficium, -ī [2/n] poisoning; also: witchcraft; sorcery; the noun can refer to a poisoned substance

[3] Whether we like it or not, killing (mainly intentionally) features a lot in the literature and there are many words to describe it, some of which are general and some of which, while not common in Classical Latin or which appear in Mediaeval Latin, refer to specific types of murder; many of those words have entered legal terminology in English.

[a] The first six words listed below all refer to forms of violent death and, depending on context, may be translated as murder, killing, slaughter, massacre; caedēs and trucīdātiō often refer to ‘carnage’ or ‘massacre’ i.e. groups are involved, for example in battles or military campaigns, either as perpetrators or victims.

• iugulum, -ī [2/n]
• lētum, -ī [2/n]
• nex, necis [3/f]
• occīsiō, occīsiōnis [3/f]
• caedēs, -is [3/f]: slaughter; carnage
• trucīdātiō, trucidātiōnis [3/f]: slaughtering; massacring

[b] -cīdium is a suffix which refers to an act of killing and can form nouns which specify the person(s) being killed:

homō (person) + cīdium > homi¦cidium, -iī [2/n]: homi¦cide; manslaughter

frāter (brother) + cīdium > frātricīdium: fratricide, the killing of a brother

soror (sister) + cīdium > sorōricīdium: sororicide, the killing of a sister

(g)nātus (son) + cīdium > (g)nāticīdium:  murdering of one’s son / child

parricidium, -ī [2/n] from pār (even; equal) refers to the murder of one’s father or parents but also the murder of a near relative and assassination (of the head of state); “any horrible crime” (Lewis and Short); parricide

Who has been killed?

• īnfanticīdium
• mātricīdium
• patricīdium
• suīcīdium (New Latin)
• uxōricīdium

[4] coniūrātiō, coniūrātiōnis [3/f]: conspiracy

[5] adulterium, -ī [2/n]; stuprum, -ī [2/n]: adultery; stuprum can refer more generally to debauchery, defilement, “criminal fornication”; term not used in dealing with prostitutes

Sejanus, the prefect of the Praetorian guard under Tiberius was, according to Tacitus, guilty of stuprum:

nōn sine rūmōre Apīciō dīvitī et prōdigō stuprum vēnō dedisse │ not without a rumour that he had disposed of his virtue at a price to Apicius, a rich man and a spendthrift

In this context Tacitus alleges that Sejanus committed sexual acts for money and with a male, the use of stuprum suggesting that Sejanus performed the “woman’s role” in this financial relationship; for the Romans that was the lowest of the low.

[6] raptiō, raptiōnis [3/f]: abduction; rape

plagium, -ī [2/n]: the term is used in Scots law to refer to the abduction of a child although its original meaning is kidnapping, stealing slaves:

https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0062:entry=plagium-harpers

17.01.25: level 2; crime and punishment [3]; the Seven Deadly Sins and the Seven Cardinal Virtues

Match the sin with the virtue

acēdia, -ae [1/f]

avāritia, -ae [1/f]

gula, -ae [1/f]

invidia, -ae [1/f]

īra, -ae [1/f]

luxuria, -ae [1/f]

superbia, -ae [1/f]

____________________ 

cāritās, -tātis [3/f]

castitās, -tātīs [3/f]

dīligentia, -ae [1/f]

hūmānitās, -tātīs [3/f]

humilitās, humilitātis [3/f]

patientia, -ae [1/f]

temperantia, -ae [1/f]

16.01.25: level 2; crime and punishment [2]; the Seven Deadly Sins (Hieronymous Bosch c.1500)

accīdia, -ae [1/f]; acēdia, -ae [1/f]: sloth

avāritia, -ae [1/f]: greed; Bosch uses the Mediaeval spelling avaricia

gula, -ae [1/f]: gluttony

invidia, -ae [1/f]: envy; invideō, -ēre, invīdī, invīsus [2]: to envy

īra, -ae [1/f]: anger; wrath

lūxuria, -ae [1/f]: lust (luxury; extravagance); fornicātiō, -iōnis [3/f]: fornication (the term can also refer to prostitution)

superbia, -ae [1/f]: arrogance

The price of arrogance

Marsyas dares to challenge Apollo to a music competition. Not surprisingly, Marsyas loses …

Tum deus hominem īnfēlīcem propter superbiam crūdēliter pūnīvit: ad arborem vīnxit et cutem ā vīvō homine dētrāxit. │ Then the god cruelly punished the unhappy man for his pride: he tied him to a tree and tore the skin from the living man.

cutis, -is [3/f]: living skin

dētrahō, -ere, dētrāxī, dētractus [3]: remove; pull off

• deus cutem dētrāxit │ the god removed the skin
• cutis hominis īnfēlīcis dētracta est. │ the skin of the unfortunate man was removed

pūniō, -īre, pūnīvī, pūnītus [4]: punish

• deus hominem pūnīvit │ the god punished the man
• homō ā deō pūnītus est │ the man was punished by the god

vinciō, -īre, vīnxī, vīnctus [4]: bind; tie; fetter; chain

• deus hominem ad arborem vīnxit │ the god tied the man to a tree
• homō ad arborem vīnctus est │ the man was tied to a tree

14.01.25: level 2; crime and punishment [1]

I’m labelling all the posts on this topic as level 2, the reason being that crime ‘reports’ – both now and in Rome –frequently use the passive e.g. he was murdered, he was arrested etc. and so it is a good topic from the point of view of looking in more depth at the passive voice, and since this is the last topic of level 2, as well as being a way in to reading original literature. Crime, immoral behaviour and killing in a military context are common themes.

The Latin for the passage below will come in time. Meanwhile we could make a TV series out of this …

“Oppianicus was a man who was convicted of having tampered with the public registers of his own municipality, of having made erasures in a will, of having substituted another person in order to accomplish the forgery of a will, of having murdered the man whose name he had put to the will, of having thrown into slavery and into prison the uncle of his own son and then murdered him, of having contrived to get his own fellow-citizens proscribed and murdered, of having married the wife of the man whom he had murdered, of having given money for poisoning, of having murdered his mother-in-law and his wife, of having murdered at one time his brother's wife, the children who were expected, and his own brother himself,— lastly, of having murdered his own children; as he was a man who was manifestly detected in procuring poison for his son-in-law, — who, when his assistants and accomplices had been condemned, and when he himself was prosecuted, gave money to one of the judges to influence by bribes the votes of the other judges.” (Cicero: pro Cluentio)

It might have been quicker for Cicero to have listed what Oppianicus hadn’t done.