05.08.25: topic; the fruits of the earth [16]; Comenius (1658); fruits of trees (iv); notes and vocabulary (iii)

Barren trees are the firr, the alder, the birch, the cypress, the beech, the ash, the sallow (willow), the linden-tree, &c., but most of them affording shade. │ sterilēs arborēs sunt abiēs, alnus, betula*, cupressus, fāgus, fraxinus, salix, tilia, &c. Sed plēræque umbriferæ.

But the Juniper, and Bay-tree, yield Berries. │ At Jūniperus & Laurus ferunt Baccās

The Pine, Pine-apples. │ Pīnus, Strobīlōs.

The Oak, Acorns and Galls**. │ Quercus Glandēs & Gallās.

*CL: betulla

**oak-apples

[8]

Many names of trees in Latin are second declension in -us, but, unlike the vast majority of 2^nd declension -us nouns, they are feminine and not masculine:

alnus, -ī [2/f]: alder

fāgus, -ī [2/f]: beech

frāxinus, -ī [2/f]: ash

iūniperus, -ī [2/f]: juniper

laurus, -ī [2/f]: laurel; bay tree

pīnus, -ī [2/f]: pine

pōmus, -ī [2/f]: any kind of fruit tree

ulmus, -ī [2/f]: elm

cupressus, -ī [2 m/f]: cyprus

Note:

quercus, -ūs [4/f]: oak

[9]

bacca, -ae [1/f]: berry

galla, -ae [1/f]: oak-apple

glāns, glandis [3/f]: acorn; any acorn-shaped fruit

It’s interesting to note the translator’s use of the word pine-apples, referring to the ‘fruit’ i.e. the produce of the pine-tree: strobilus, -ī [2/m]: pine-cone; from Ancient Greek στρόβῑλος [stróbīlos]. Pineapples, indigenous to South America, were first introduced to Europe in the 17th century but were not cultivated in Europe until the first half of the 18th century. The first recorded written reference of the word pineapple meaning the tropical fruit was in 1714. Comenius and Hoole, his translator, may have known about the pineapple but it is unlikely they had ever seen a picture of one, they certainly hadn’t tasted one, and no reference to the tropical fruit is given anywhere in Comenius’ work.

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/06/140824-follow-up-food-and-drink-6-solve.html

[10]

abiēs, abietis [3/f]: silver fir

betulla, -ae [1/f] (CL);  betula, -ae [1/f] (Late / Mediaeval): birch tree

salix, salicis [3/f]: willow

tilia, -ae [1/f]: linden; lime-tree

05.08.25: topic; the fruits of the earth [15]; Comenius (1658); fruits of trees (iii); notes and vocabulary (ii)

The apple is round. │mālum est rotundum.

The pear and fig are something long. │ pyrum* & fīcus sunt oblonga.

The cherry hangeth by a long start**. │ cerasum pendet longō pediolō**.

The plumb and peach by a shorter. │prūnum & persicum breviōrī.

The mulberry by a very short one. │mōrum brevissimō.

*Mediaeval Latin for pirum

** “start” = stalk; the Latin here is most likely a mis-spelling for petiolus (Late Latin): stalk, stem

[4]

cerasum, -ī [2/n] or cerasus, -ī [2/f]: cherry

fīcus, -ūs [4 m/f] or -ī [2 m/f]: fig

mālum, -ī [2/n]: apple; note: “any tree-fruit fleshy on the outside, and having a kernel within hence, applied also to quinces, pomegranates, peaches, oranges, lemons, etc.” (Lewis and Short)

mōrum, -ī [2/n]: mulberry; blackberry

persicum, -ī [2/n]: peach

pirum, -ī [2/n]: pear

prūnum, -ī [2/n]: plum

More information on the Latin terms for fruit is here:

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2024/07/200824-follow-up-food-and-drink-11.html

[5] Note the use of the comparative and superlative:

The cherry hangeth by a long start (stalk) │ cerasum pendet longō petiolō.

The plum and peach by a shorter │prūnum & persicum breviōrī.

The mulberry by a very short one │mōrum brevissimō.

petiolus, -ī [2/m] (Late Latin) stalk; stem; the word is a diminutive literally meaning little foot and derived from pēs, pedis [3/m]: foot, but the spelling is with /t/, not /d/ as in the Comenius text.

The wall-nut, the hazel-nut, and chest-nut, are wrapped in a husk and a shell. │nux jūglāns avellāna* & castanea involūta sunt corticī & putāminī

*abellāna

[6]

abellāna, -ae [1/f]: hazelnut; also listed in some dictionaries as avellāna

castanea, -ae [1/f]: chestnut; chestnut tree

iūglāns, iūglandis [3/f]: walnut; walnut tree

nux, nucis [3/f]: nut; nut tree

cortex, corticis [3 m/f]: bark of a tree; shell; outward covering

putāmen, putāminis [3/n]: shell; peel (from eggs, vegetables etc.)

[7]

involūta sunt │ (they) are wrapped (have been wrapped)

involvō, -ere, involvī, involūtus [3]: wrap up; cover; involve

05.08.25: topic; the fruits of the earth [14]; Comenius (1658); fruits of trees (ii); notes and vocabulary (i)

Fruits are pull’d from fruit-bearing trees. │ Pōma dēcerpuntur ā frūctiferīs arboribus.

[1]

[a] frūctus, -ūs [4/m]: apart from ‘fruit’, the words has several meanings in Latin e.g. enjoyment, produce, profit

fēcundior annus prōvenit, et frūctum terra pecūsque ferunt (Ovid) │ a more fertile year proceeds, and the land and the cattle bring forth produce.

[b] pōmum, -ī [2/n]: refers to any type of fruit i.e. do not be influenced by French pomme which refers to an apple

[2] carpō, -ere, carpsī, carptus [3]: pluck; pick; harvest

carpe diem: seize the day i.e. make good use / enjoy the day (this period of time in your life)

dēcerpō, -ere, -cerpsi, -cerptus [3]: pluck, pull, break off; harvest

Prōtinus haerentem dēcerpsī pollice flōrem (Ovid) │ Immediately I plucked the clinging flower with my thumb

[3] frūctifer, -a, -um: fruit-bearing

The suffix -fer indicates bringing, carrying, for example:

ignifer, -a, -um: fiery; bringing fire

lactifer, -a, -um: producing milk

pōmifer, -a, -um: fruit-bearing

aquilifer, -ī [3/m] (< aquila: eagle + fer): the standard bearer in the Roman army

From the text:

umbrifer, -a, -um (< umbra, -ae [1/f]: shadow; shade + fer): shade-giving

From this construction we have the English tree name conifer

cōnifer, -a, -um (cōnus, -ī [2/m]: cone + fer): bearing conical fruit

Also: Lucifer, -ī [2/m] (< lūx, lūcis [3/f]: light + fer): “the bringer of light” = the morning star; (Bibl.) Lucifer

05.08.25: topic; the fruits of the earth [13]; Comenius (1658); fruits of trees (i); text and translation

fruits of Trees │ Frūctūs Arborum

Fruits are pull’d from fruit-bearing trees. │ Pōma dēcerpuntur ā frūctiferīs arboribus.

The apple is round. │ mālum est rotundum.

The pear and fig are something long. │ pyrum¹ & fīcus sunt oblonga.

The cherry hangeth by a long start². │ cerasum pendet longō pediolō².

The plumb and peach by a shorter. │prūnum & persicum breviōrī.

The mulberry by a very short one. │mōrum brevissimō.

The wall-nut, the hazel-nut, and chest-nut, are wrapped in a husk and a shell. │nux jūglāns avellāna³ & castanea involūta sunt corticī & putāminī

Barren trees are the firr, the alder, the birch, the cypress, the beech, the ash, the sallow (willow), the linden-tree, &c., but most of them affording shade. │ sterilēs arborēs sunt abiēs, alnus, betula⁴, cupressus, fāgus, fraxinus, salix, tilia, &c. sed plēræque umbriferæ.

But the juniper, and bay-tree, yield berries. │ at jūniperus & laurus ferunt baccās

The Pine, Pine-apples. │ Pīnus, Strobīlōs.

The Oak, Acorns and Galls⁵. │ Quercus Glandēs & Gallās.

[1] Mediaeval Latin for pirum

[2] “start” = stalk; the Latin here is most likely a mis-spelling for petiolus (Late Latin): stalk, stem

[3] abellana

[4] Classical Latin: betulla

[5] oak-apples

02.08.25: topic; the fruits of the earth [12]; Comenius (1658); tree

Only part of the original text is used here.

A plant groweth from a seed. │planta prōcrēscit ē sēmine.

A plant waxeth to a shoot, │planta abit in fruticem,

A shoot to a tree, │frutex in arborem,

The root beareth up the tree. │rādīx sustentat arborem.

The body or stem riseth from the root. │stirps (stemma) surgit ē rādīce.

The stem divideth itself into boughs and green branches made of leaves. │stirps sē dīvidit in rāmōs & frondēs factās ē foliīs.

The top is in the height. │cacūmen est in summō.

The stock (trunk) is close to the roots. │ truncus adhæret rādīcibus.

Notes and vocabulary

[1] prōcrēscō, -ere [3]: literally: grow forth i.e. arise; spring up

[2] a plant waxeth to a shoot / grows into a shoot, │planta abit in fruticem

abit < abeō, abīre: depart; go away, but can, as here, be used more poetically to mean ‘be transformed; turn into’

In villōs abeunt vestēs, in crūra lacertī. (Ovid)│ Clothes turn (in)to fur, arms to legs.

[3] stirps sē [reflexive] dīvidit │ the stem divides itself

[4] stirps sē dīvidit in rāmōs et frondēs ¦ factās ē foliīs │ the stem divides itself into boughs and branches ¦ made of leaves; perfect passive participle (factās)

Note: frōns, frondis [3/f] in itself means a leafy branch

ē / ex + ablative indicating source or material:

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/02/210525-level-3-summary-of-of-uses-of_25.html

[5] adhaereō, -ēre [2]: stick to; cling to; be close to

truncus adhæret rādīcibus [dative] │ the trunk is close to the roots.

The verb is a compound of ad + haereō; many compound verbs in Latin take the dative case:

https://adckl.blogspot.com/2025/02/130425-level-3-verbs-with-dative-case-1.html

[6] vocabulary

cacūmen, cacūminis [3/n]: top; peak; summit

folium, -ī [2/n]: leaf; petal; needle of a conifer:

Ex hīs pīnus atque pīnaster folium habent capillāmentī modo praetenue longumque et mucrōne aculeātum. (Pliny the Elder) │ Of these, the pine and wild pine have a leaf [that is] very thin and long, in the manner of hair, and tipped with a sharp point.

frōns, frondis [3/f]: a leafy branch

frutex, fruticis [3/m]: although the translator gives the meaning as ‘shoot’ i.e. the small stem of a new plant, the word refers to the trunk or lower part of the tree, and in Classical Latin also means ‘shrub’ or ‘bush’, but not in this text

rādīx, radīcis [3/f]: root

rāmus, -ī [2/m]: branch; bough

sēmen, sēminis [3/n]: seed

stemma, stemmatis [3/n]: stem; the noun has the original meaning of ‘garland’ or ‘wreath’ as well as ‘lineage’, genealogical tree; the English word stem is of Germanic origin (OE: stemn; Gmn: Stamm)

stirps, stirpis [3/f]: lower part of the plant; stem; stalk; the noun can also refer to a person’s lineage (i.e. family roots)

truncus, -ī [2/m]: tree trunk

30.07.25: topic; the fruits of the earth [11]; Comenius (1658); the dressing of gardens (extract) [iii]: notes and vocabulary III and IV

III: The Gardener diggeth in a Garden-plot, with a Spade, or Mattock, and maketh Beds, and places wherein to plant Trees, on which he setteth Seeds and Plants.

Hortulānus (Olitor), fodit in Viridāriō, Ligōne, aut Bipāliō, facitque Pulvīnōs, ac Plantāria, quibus īnserit Sēmina & Plantās.

IV: The Tree-Gardener planteth Trees, in an Orchard and grafteth Cyons* in Stocks.

Arborātor, plantat Arborēs, in Pōmāriō, īnseritque Surculōs, Vīvirādīcibus.

*cyon: obsolete spelling of ‘scion’: shoot, twig containing buds

[4] hortulānus, -ī [2/m]: gardener

(h)olitor, (h)olitōris [3/m]: gardener; vegetable grower; herb / vegetable seller

a feminine form exists (although not from the Classical period): (h)olitrīx, (h)olitrīcis [3/f]

[5] fodiō, -ere, fōdī, fossus [3-iō]: dig (up); also: mine, quarry

[6] viridārium, -ī [2/n]: in Classical Latin it refers to a plantation of trees or pleasure-garden / park

[7] two references to garden tools:

[i] ligō, ligōnis [3/m]: hoe; the translation describes it as a ‘spade’ i.e. as any instrument with a flat blade used for digging; the word can also mean a mattock, a tool similar to a pickaxe, a grub-axe

There are other Latin words used to describe these tools:

• batillum, -ī [2/n]: shovel; shovel for coal, firepan
• dolābra, -ae [1/f], pick-axe
• pāla, -ae [1/f]: spade; shovel
• sarculum, -ī [2/n]: hoe

[ii] bipālium, -ī [2/n]: double mattock (see image)

It is not always easy precisely to identify the objects which the vocabulary refers to; a similar issue occurs when finding images that represent specific types of Roman crockery and dishes:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/408980231713251/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/latinforstarters/posts/496565872954686/

The images below are all of Roman origin and, I think, best convey what the vocabulary is referring to.

[8] pulvīnus, -ī [2/m]: [i] cushion, pillow [ii] a raised border, bank, (here) bed i.e. a garden plot

[9] plantārium, -ī [2/n]: a nursery garden; as the translation states: a place wherein to plant

[10] serō, -ere, sēvī, satus [3], and īnserō, -ere, īnsēvī, īnsitus [3]: sow, plant

nōs frūgēs serimus, nōs arborēs (Cicero) │ we sow the crops and trees

[11] sēmen, sēminis [3/n]: seed

[12] planta, -ae [1/f]: plant

[13] arborātor, arborātōris [3/m]: (rare in Classical Latin) a pruner of trees, a ‘tree-gardener’

[14] plantō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus [1]: plant

coepit autem dīcere ad plēbem parabolam hanc homō plantāvit vīneam et locāvit eam colōnīs et ipse peregrē fuit multīs temporibus (Vulgate) │ He began to tell the people this parable. "A man planted a vineyard, and rented it out to some farmers, and went into another country for a long time.

[15] arbor, -is [3/f]: tree

[16] pōmārium, -ī [2/n]: orchard; also: pomētum, -ī [2/n]

The last sentence refers to grafting, the joining together of plants parts

[17] surculus, -ī [2/m]: shoot, sprig, sprout, twig

[18] vīvirādix, vīvirādicis [3/f] < vīvus (living) +‎ rādīx (root), a cutting which has a root; the English translation refers to the plant onto which the sprout is grafted

30.07.25: topic; the fruits of the earth [10]; Comenius (1658); the dressing of gardens (extract) [ii]: notes and vocabulary I and II

I: The Dressing of Gardens. │ Hortōrum cultūra.

The first and most ancient sustenance, were the Fruits of the Earth. │ Prīmus & antīquissimus Victus, erant Frūgēs Terræ.

II: Hereupon the first labour of Adam, was the dressing of a garden. │ Hinc prīmus Labor Adamī, Hortī cultūra.

[1] cultūra, -ae [1/f]: care; cultivation

The English term horticulture dates from the 17^th century i.e. hortus, -ī [2/m] (garden) + cultūra, -ae [1/f] (cultivation) following the earlier English agriculture: ager, agrī [2/m] (field) + cultūra; ‘dressing’ simply refers to the cultivation of land, a garden etc.

The verb colō, -ere, -uī, cultus [3], from which cultūra is derived, has two main meanings:

[i] cultivate (the land); [ii] worship

[i] Sicilia magna et mīra īnsula Ītaliae est. Terra fēcunda atque oleīs ūvīsque plēna, Sicilia agricolārum et nautārum patria est. Multī incolae agricolae sunt et sūcōsās olīvās, tenerum frūmentum, cōpiōsa pōma colunt.

Sicily is a large and wonderful island in Italy. A fertile land full of olives and grapes, Sicily is the homeland of farmers and sailors. Many of the inhabitants are farmers and cultivate juicy olives, tender wheat and abundant apples.

• cōpiōsus, -a, -um: plentiful, abundant
• fēcundus, -a, -um: fertile
• sūcōsus, -a, -um: juicy
• tener, -a, -um: soft, delicate, tender

[i] agrī nōn omnēs frūgiferī sunt quī coluntur (Cicero) │ not all fields which are cultivated are fruitful

We see the word in:

• agricola, -ae [1/f]: farmer
• colōnus, -ī [2/m]: farmer

[ii] et piē sānctēque colimus nātūram excellentem atque præstantem (Cicero) │ and we worship, in piety and holiness, a sublime and exalted nature

also: incolō, -ere [3]: inhabit; incola, -ae [1 m/f]: inhabitant

Gallia est omnis dīvīsa in partēs trēs, quārum ūnam incolunt Belgae (Caesar) │ Gaul, taken as a whole, is divided into three parts, one of which the Belgae inhabit

hæc loca, quæ nōs incolimus (Cicero) │ those places which we inhabit

[2] vīctus, -ūs [4/m]: nourishment, diet, sustenance

In later Latin the word is used to refer to all the necessities of life:

Verbō vīctus continentur, quae ēsuī pōtuīque cultuīque corporis quaeque ad vīvendum hominī necessāria sunt. (Justinian I) │ By the word vīctus is meant that which is necessary for the feeding and hydration and care of the body and for the life of a human.

[3] frūx, frūgis [3/f]: fruit, mainly in the sense of produce from fields as opposed to fructus, -ūs [4/m]: fruit from a tree

frūgifer, -a, -um: fruitful < frūx, frūgis (fruit) + -fer (bearing, carrying)

ager frūgifer: a fertile field

terra vērō fēta frūgibus et variō legūminum genere (Cicero) │ the earth, teeming with crops and the different kinds of leguminous produce

30.07.25: topic; the fruits of the earth [9]; Comenius (1658); the dressing of gardens (extract) [i]: text and translation

I: The Dressing of Gardens. │ Hortōrum cultūra.

The first and most ancient sustenance, were the Fruits of the Earth. │ Prīmus & antīquissimus Victus, erant Frūgēs Terræ.

II: Hereupon the first labour of Adam, was the dressing of a garden. │ Hinc prīmus Labor Adamī, Hortī cultūra.

III: The Gardener diggeth in a Garden-plot, with a Spade, or Mattock, and maketh Beds, and places wherein to plant Trees, on which he setteth Seeds and Plants.

Hortulānus (Olitor), fodit in Viridāriō, Ligōne, aut Bipāliō, facitque Pulvīnōs, ac Plantāria, quibus īnserit Sēmina & Plantās.

IV: The Tree-Gardener planteth Trees, in an Orchard and grafteth Cyons* in Stocks.

Arborātor, plantat Arborēs, in Pōmāriō, īnseritque Surculōs, Vīvirādīcibus.

*cyon: obsolete spelling of ‘scion’: shoot, twig containing buds

27.07.25: topic; the fruits of the earth [8]; Celsus (ii)

The causes and cures for flatulence (Celsus)

If you’re suffering from īnflātiō Celsus tells you what, and what not to eat …

Īnflant autem omnia ferē legūmina, omnia pinguia, omnia dulcia, omnia iūrulenta, mustum, atque etiam id vīnum, cui nihil adhūc aetātis accessit (1); ex holeribus alium, cēpā, brassicā, omnēsque rādīcēs, exceptō sisere et pastinācā; bulbī, fīcūs etiam āridae sed magis viridēs, ūvae recentēs, nucēs omnēs, exceptīs nucleīs pīneīs, lac, omnisque cāseus; quicquid deinde subcrūdum aliquis adsūmpsit.

Now flatulence is produced by: almost all food which is leguminous, fatty, sweet, everything stewed, new wine, and also that wine which has not as yet matured; among pot-herbs, garlic, onion, cabbage, and all roots except skirret and parsnip; bulbs, figs even when dried but especially when green, fresh grapes, all nuts except pine kernels, milk, cheese of all kinds; lastly anything eaten half-cooked.

Minima īnflātiō fit ex vēnātiōne, aucupiō, piscibus, pōmīs, oleīs, conchȳliīsve, ōvīs vel mollibus vel sorbilibus, vīnō vetere. Fēniculum vērō et anetum īnflātiōnēs etiam levant.

The least flatulence comes from what is got by hunting and birding, from fish, orchard fruit, olives, or shellfish, from eggs whether cooked soft or raw, from old wine. Fennel and anise in particular even relieve flatulence.

(1) etiam id vīnum, cui nihil adhūc aetātis accessit │ literally: also that wine to which no age (nothing of age) has yet come = wine that has not yet matured

aucupium, -ī [2/n]: hunting for wild fowl

vēnātiō, vēnātiō [3/f]: hunting

āridus, -a, -um: dry

dulcis, -e: sweet

iūrulentus, -a, -um: stewed; containing juice

pinguis, -e: (here) fatty; rich

subcrūdus / succrūdus, -a, -um: half-raw; par-boiled; not fully ripe

anēt(h)um, -ī [2/n] [i] anise, a plant cultivated for its aromatic seeds and used as a spice [ii] dill

vae vōbīs scrībae et Pharisaeī hypocritae quia decimātis mentam et anēthum et cymīnum et relīquistis quae graviōra sunt lēgis iūdicium et misericordiam et fidem (Vulgate) │ "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith.”

• menta, -ae [1/f]: mint
• cymīnum (cūminum), -ī [2/n]: cumin

bulbus, -ī [2/m]: bulb, especially edible

conchȳlium, -ī [2/n]: [i] (here) shellfish [ii] can refer specifically to an oyster

fēniculum / fēnuculum [2/n]: fennel

fīcus, -ūs [4 m/f] or -ī [2 m/f]: fig

legūmen, legūminis [3/n] legume e.g. peas, beans

mustum, -ī [2/n]: ‘must’; unfermented wine

nucleus, -ī [2/m]: kernel

nux, nucis [3/f]: nut (-tree)

ōvum sorbile: raw egg; sorbilis, -e (rare) refers to something that can be ‘supped’ or ‘sucked up’

rādīx, rādīcis [3/f]: [i] root (of a plant); [ii] radish

27.07.25: topic; the fruits of the earth [7]; Celsus (i)

In one of her outstanding documentaries on Ancient Rome, Professor Mary Beard visits sewers and (use your imagination) identifies the varied diet enjoyed by the Romans. There are, however, other ways of identifying what foodstuffs the Romans knew about.

Not only vegetables but an astonishing range of foods are discussed by Aulus Cornelius Celsus in his dē Medicīnā, “a primary source on diet, pharmacy, surgery and related fields, … one of the best sources concerning medical knowledge in the Roman world” (Wikipedia)

I'm posting two extracts (the second is in the next post). For both these extracts, I have only highlighted those words which were not in the previous posts and those which are very common and have appeared many times before.

[1]

Inbēcillissimam vērō māteriam esse omnem caulem holeris et quicquid in caule nāscitur, quālis est cucurbita et cucumis et capparis, omnia pōma, oleās, cochleās, itemque conchulae. (Celsus)

The weakest of food materials are: all vegetable stalks and whatever forms on a stalk, such as the gourd and cucumber and caper, all orchard fruits, olives, snails, and likewise shellfish.

capparis, -is [3/f]: caper

caulis, -is [3/m]: [i] stalk, stem [ii] cabbage-stalk; Engl. cauliflower is, via Fr. chou-fleur, derived from this

cochlea, -ae [1/f]: snail; image: mosaic of snails from Aquileia (4^th century AD)

conchula, -ae [1/f] (very rare), a small shell-fish, diminutive of concha, -ae [1/f]: mussel

olea, -ae [1/f]: olive (fruit or tree)

• also: olīva, -ae [1/f]; image: from the Tacuinum Sānitātis, a man climbing the tree to pick olives; note again the Mediaeval spelling: olīve nigre = olīvae nigrae = black olives

24.07.25: topic; the fruits of the earth [6]; Tacuinum Sānitātis (5): the benefits of garlic

Alleum │ Garlic

Using the previous text as a guide, and the vocabulary which has been given in previous posts on this topic, try to answer the questions about the benefits or otherwise of garlic. The text together with its translation is attached.

Alleum 

Complēctiō calida in 4° sicca in 3°

Ēlēctiō meliōrā ex eō est quī modicē acuitātis est

Iuuāmentum contrā uenēna frīgida et morsus scorpiōnum et uīperārum et interficit uermēs

Nocumentum nocet oculīs et cerebrō

Remōtiō nocumentī cum acētō et oleō

Quid generat hūmōrem grossum et acūtum

Conuenit frīgidīs dēcrepitīs et senibus hyēme* et montānīs et septentriōnālibus.

*alternative spelling of hieme

acuitās, acuitātis [3/f]: (Mediaeval); sharpness; intensity

The translation gives this as ‘juiciness’ which is also possible since there is a rare word – aqueitās – which means ‘wateriness’ or ‘moisture’, but the manuscript is clear in its use of acuitātis

acūtus, -a, -um: sharp

cerebrum, -ī [2/n]: brain

grossus, -a, -um: (Mediaeval) thick

hiems, hiemis [3/f]: winter

modicē: moderately < modicus, -a, -um: moderate

montānus, -a, -um: (adjective) mountain; mountainous

morsus, -ūs [4/m]: bite; sting

septentriōnālis, -e: northern

venēnum, -ī [2/n]: poison

vermis, -is [3/m]: worm

____________________

[i] Is garlic [a] cold [b] hot [c] dry [d] wet?

[ii] The best type is moderately __________.

[iii] True or false? You can use garlic to treat poisons.

[iv] Garlic is good if you are bitten by __________ and __________.

[v] What can garlic kill?

[vi] Garlic damages the __________ and the __________.

[vii] Damage can be remedied with __________ and __________.

[viii] The text refers to the humours i.e. bodily fluids, in particular the four "cardinal humours" - blood, yellow bile, black bile and phlegm – believed to control the health and mood of the human body.

What two effects does garlic have on the humour?

[ix] Garlic is advisable:

[a] for what kind of conditions?

[b] for what kind of people?

[c] in what season?

[d] in what regions?

25.07.25: topic; the fruits of the earth [5]; Tacuinum Sānitātis (4): vocabulary

Sparagus

Complēctiō calida et hūmida in prīmō Ēlēctiō recentēs cuius summitātēs dēclīnant ad terram Iuuāmentum addunt in coitū et aperiunt opilatiōnēs Nocumentum nocent uillīs stomachī Remōtiō nocumentī postquam elisātī sunt comedantur cum mūri(ā) aut acētō Quid generant nūtrīmentum bonum Conueniunt frīgidīs et siccīs senibus et dēcrepitīs in vēre et in regiōnibus in quibus reperiuntur.

That little text comprises just over 50 words, despite which a great deal can be learned from it. Not only does it give us an insight into the content of a Mediaeval medical handbook, but, by picking and choosing, we can review common vocabulary. Match the Latin with the English in the word cloud:

1. acētum, -ī  [2/n]
2. addō, -ere, addidī, additus [3]
3. calidus, -a, -um
4. coitus, -ūs [4/m]
5. comedō, -ere, comēdī, comēsus [3]
6. conveniō, -īre, -vēnī. conventus [4]
7. dēclīnō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus [1]
8. dēcrepitus, -a, -um
9. frīgidus, -a, -um
10. hūmidus, -a, -um
11. noceō, -ēre, -uī, nocitus [3]
12. nūtrīmentum, -ī [2/n]
13. recēns, recentis
14. regiō, regiōnis [3/f]
15. reperiō, -īre, repperī, repertus [4]
16. senex, senis [3 m/f]
17. siccus, -a, -um
18. stomachus, -ī [2/m]
19. terra, -ae [1/f]
20. vēr, -is [3/n]

add; be suitable; bend; cold; discover; dry; eat; fresh / recent; harm; hot; joining; land; nourishment; old person; region; spring; stomach; very old; vinegar; wet / moist

21.07.25: topic; the fruits of the earth [4] [2]; Tacuinum Sānitātis (3): reading Mediaeval Manuscripts [2]: superscript letters; u/v; long s

Image Set #4

[i] Abbreviation by superscript letters can simply indicate the ending of the word; we use superscript in ordinal numbers e.g. 1^st 2^nd but is used far more widely in the manuscripts:

ī p^o│ in p[rim]o

iuua^tū  │ iuua[men]tum

nocu^tū │ nocu[men]tum

nocu^ti _│ nocu[men]ti

ſtoⁱ•│sto[machi]; in another section of the manuscript he writes the same superscript i alone for nocumenti i.e. nocⁱ• with identical formation of i

[ii] superscript i: above q, it denotes the superscript letter itself and the vowel u. 

Qⁱd │ quid

[iii] superscript bȝ: [ȝ] this sign is very often used to represent the dative and ablative plural endings of the third, fourth and fifth declension i.e. bus

ī regio^bȝ │ in regio[ni]bus

As mentioned above, scribes do not always adhere to the rules; the same /bȝ/ is also found in the manuscript but not as superscript, and, elsewhere, it can have different meanings.

ſeībȝ │ se[n]ibus

[iv] As we still do today, a dot (period) can be placed after the word to indicate truncation. In this manuscript, the writer places most of these below the superscript letters. 

Image Set #5

[v] Classical Latin had no /v/ sound as in very; in inscriptions V = u (CIRCVS MAXIMVS [kirkoos maksimoos]

The sound can be:

[1] as a separate vowel either short or long (the latter in edited texts marked by a macron: ū): sum, tū

[2] as a semi-vocalic sound similar to English w before another vowel: uideō [wideo], amāuī [amawi]

Ecclesiastical Latin distinguishes these two both in writing and in pronunciation, the semi-vocalic of [2] being pronounced as Modern English v  i.e. [1] sum [soom]; [2] videō [video]

In most edited texts (including textbooks) for Classical Latin that distinction is maintained in writing i.e. sum / videō, but the original pronunciation of [2] as w is retained. Some textbooks, however, e.g. Jones and Sidwell’s Reading Latin, retain u for both.

In the manuscript there is no distinction in:

Iuua^tū • │ Iuua-; cōuēiūt │ conueniunt

Using our most common means of distinguishing between these two iuvamentum and conveniunt would appear in a dictionary or textbook, but the scribe did not distinguish them and the transcription should reflect what he wrote. He does, however, write v at the beginning of vere.

This variation of /v/ and /u/ is evident in the first folio of Shakespeare’s works (1623), the initial letter of the word regardless written as /v/, in all other instances written as /u/ regardless of pronunciation.

From Macbeth (Act I, scenes 1 and 2):

[i] Valours; Victorie; Villainies: reflect the pronunciation of /v/, but:

the Victorie felt on vs [us]

Vpon the Heath; vpon the Foe [upon]

to our generall vse [use]

[ii] Below are examples where /u/ represents both sounds:

thunder / houer through the fog and filthy air [hover]

I must report / ouer-charg’d [over]

braue [brave]; deſerues [deserves]; lauiſ [lavish]; leaue [leave]; Reuolt [revolt];

A bit of “gentle” Shakespeare shows both these letters in action:

“Till he vnseam’d [unseamed] him from the Naue [Nave] toth’ Chops, And fix’d his head vpon [upon] our Battlements” │ Until he split him from belly to jaw and stuck his head upon our castle walls.

Image Set #6

Look out for the long s: ſ, not to be confused with f:

ſic │ sic[cis]

ſunt │ sunt

ſeībȝ │ se[n]ib[u]s

Both the long s and the ‘round’ s we have now are used in the manuscripts. You can learn the “rules” from a vegetable. Long s is not used:

[i] for upper case letters: Sparagus (but small case ſunt)

[ii] at the end of the word: Sparagus, ſūmitates │ su[m]mitates

It needs to be emphasised that, despite there being common abbreviations which can be identified by “a few simple rules”, there are some very peculiar forms with meanings that are not always consistent. Below is my attempt to transcribe this text using the abbreviations as they are used in the manuscript; I can’t vouch 100% for its accuracy but the group is entitled “Latin for Learners” – and I’m learning about this too! Any comments or amendments are welcome.

Sparagus Complc̄ cal + hm¯ ī p^o• Elec̄ recentes cuiꝰ  ſūmitates declināt ad terrā  Iuua^tū • addūt in coitu, et aperiūt opilatioēs¯ Nocu^tū • nocēt uillis ſtoⁱ•  Remō nocu^ti • poſtꝗ̃ eliſati ſunt comedātur cū muri aut aceto Quⁱd gnant nutrimentū bonū Cōuēiūt frīs et ſic ſeībȝ + decrepitis in vere et ī regio^bȝ • in quibus reꝑiūtur.