Below is a text describing a classroom. The sentences, or
parts of sentences are in the wrong order. Match the sentences with the images.
The correct text is at the end.
… atque attentās aurēs eī praebent.
… atque eō scrībit in libellō suō.
… et ad cathedram venī.
… et subsellia discipulōrum.
Ātrāmentum est eōdem colōre ac tabula, id est nigrum.
Discipulī et discipulae in subselliīs sedent.
Discipulī, ex subselliīs, oculīs magistrum spectant, …
Ex cathedrā spectat discipulōs et discipulās omnēs et cum iīs
loquitur.
In conclāvī scholārī sunt cathedra magistrī (vel magistrae)
…
In mediō conclāvī scholārī sunt subsellia;
Magister (vel magistra) sedet in cathedrā, quae est alta.
Magister calamum ātrāmentō intingit, …
Optimē; nunc redī ad subsellium.
Puer, exī ē tuō subselliō, …
Sub cathedrā est gradus quī eam sustinet.
Super cathedram est ātrāmentārium, in quō ātrāmentum est, et
calamus.
____________________
[1] In conclāvī scholārī sunt cathedra magistrī (vel
magistrae) [2] et subsellia discipulōrum.[3] Magister (vel magistra) sedet in cathedrā, quae est alta; [4] ex
cathedrā spectat discipulōs et discipulās omnēs et cum iīs loquitur. [5] Super
cathedram est ātrāmentārium, in quō ātrāmentum est, et calamus. [6] Magister
calamum ātrāmentō intingit, [7] atque eō scrībit in libellō suō. [8] Ātrāmentum
est eōdem colōre ac tabula, id est nigrum. [9] Sub cathedrā est gradus quī eam
sustinet. [10] In mediō conclāvī scholārī sunt subsellia; [11] discipulī et
discipulae in subselliīs sedent. [12] Discipulī, ex subselliīs, oculīs
magistrum spectant, [13] atque attentās aurēs eī praebent. [14] Puer, exī ē tuō
subselliō, [15] et ad cathedram venī. [16] Optimē; nunc redī ad subsellium.
[ii] The gerundive, which we can also refer to as a future
passive participle, is formed from the stem of the present tense with a
distinctive -nd- ending + the adjective endings -us, -a, -um; below are its
forms with its basic meaning
laudō, laudā¦re [1] > lauda- > lauda¦nd¦us, -a,
-um │ which is to be praised (future passive participle i.e. something that is
to be done in the future)
timeō, timē¦re [2] > time- > timendus, -a, -um│
which is to be feared
dūcō, dūce¦re [3] > dūc- > dūcendus, -a, -um│
which is to be led
3-iō and 4th conjugation have -ie- before the
ending is added
capiō, cape¦re [3-iō] > capie¦nd¦us, -a, -um│
which is to be captured
audiō, audī¦re [4] > audiendus, -a, -um│ which is to be
heard
[iii] The ‘dictionary’ translation, however, is usually
expressed in other ways. The gerundive most often refers to something that needs
to be or has to be done to the noun which is why the expression
‘gerundive of obligation’.
English has something similar e.g. “That wall needs to be
painted” or “that work has to be finished by 4pm”
[iv] The gerundive is adjectival; it agrees in gender,
number and case with the noun it describes.
redūcō, -ere, -dūxī, -ductus [3]: bring back > redūcendus,
-a, -um: which is / needs / has to be taken back; must be taken back
deinde eum … redūcendum Faleriōs puerīs trādidit │ he then
handed him to the boys to be taken back to Falerii
He handed him ¦ literally: who was to be taken back to
Falerii ¦ to the boys
That clumsy literal translation will not work and so it needs
to be rewritten:
The man who was to be taken back to Falerii he handed over
to the boys.
He then handed him to the boys [and he was] to be taken back
to Falerii.
[v] Here are some other examples of the gerundive.
The first one is very well known and is a reworking of a
statement made by Cato the Elder during the Third Punic War: Carthāgō dēlenda
est. │ Carthage is to be destroyed.
Vir laudandus est. │ The man must / needs to / has to / be
praised.
Haruspex timenda est. │ The soothsayer is to be feared.
Pontēs capiendī erant. │ The bridges were / had to be
captured.
Castra (pl.) capienda sunt. │ The camp is to be / must be
taken.
Nunc est bibendum. │ The time has come to drink [literally:
it needs to be drunk; now one must drink].
Sometimes, there can be a sense of “worthiness”:
Hic liber legendus est. │ This book is to be read / has to
be read / is worth reading.
Mīles fortis laudandus est. │ The brave soldier is praiseworthy
i.e. he needs to be praised.
[vi] The gerundive is used in constructions with ad +
the accusative that express future purpose.
Compare these two English sentences that will give you an
idea of how it works:
The estate agent says:
“This is a handy cupboard for ¦ cleaning materials¦ to
be stored.”
or
“This a handy cupboard for you ¦ to store ¦ your
cleaning materials.”
Here are examples from previous posts:
[1] Mēnsē proximō ībō prīmum ad Iowa ¦ ad amīcum vīsitandum.
The literal translation is:
Next month I shall go to Iowa ¦ to a friend who is to be
visited.
The participle agrees in gender, number and case with the
noun.
However, English would most often rephrase this, turning the
participle into an infinitive:
Next month I shall go to Iowa ¦ to visit a friend.
[2] Similarly:
Venīte mēcum ¦ ad eōs spectandōs.
Come with me ¦ to them that need to be looked at (the
speaker was referring to reptiles in a lake).
Rephrased: Come with me ¦ to look at them.
[3] Inter Dubrās et Rutupiās est locus ad nāvigia applicanda idōneus
Between Dover and Richborough is a place suitable for ¦ vessels to
be brought to land [i.e. English can sometimes closely translate the Latin
original]
or
Between Dover and Richborough is a place suitable ¦ to
land vessels.
[4] Locus idōneus est ad cōpiās explicandās.
It’s a suitable place for ¦ forces to be deployed.
or
It’s a suitable place ¦ to deploy forces.
[5] If you’re in business, you may well be surrounded by
gerundives …
…at a meeting when you are given an agenda i.e.
things that need to be done
… when you receive a memo by email i.e. a memorandum
(something that needs to be remembered) or maybe you have several things
you need to remember: memoranda
… when the boss forgot to include something in a document
which needs to be added, and sends you an addendum (or several addenda)
Less so nowadays, but a book may contain a corrigendum
or, more commonly, a list of corrigenda i.e. this is added to the book /
document after its publication to refer to errors that have been noted and,
presumably, are to be corrected in the next edition or which need to
be corrected by the reader when they appear. That word often occurs together
with errāta (from the perfect passive participle) referring to errors that
have been made.
If you’ve watched Britain’s Got Talent, no doubt you know
who Amanda Holden is, and her name is telling you that she needs to
be loved: amandus, -a, -um
And the formidable boss of Runway in “The Devil wears Prada”
is Miranda Priestly, she who is to be wondered / marvelled at:
mirandus, -a, -um. And it is a perfect choice of name for her character.
[6] Again, there is more to discuss regarding the gerundive
and it will reappear at Level 3. However, if you want to explore it in more
depth now, then the Latin Tutorial video will give you more information:
Because the participles are now acting purely as adjectives,
they decline not only in gender and number, but also in case because they are
agreeing with whatever case the noun is in:
[i] rēx necātus est = perfect passive sentence = the king
was killed
[ii] rēgem necātum vīdimus = participle as
adjective = Literally: we saw the killed king.
As mentioned in the previous post English cannot always be
so concise, the literal translation sounding odd or clumsy. Therefore, English
may need to rework it: “We saw the king who had been killed.”
Agrī vastātī saepe iterum colī nōn possunt. │ Destroyed
fields [= fields that have been destroyed] often cannot be cultivated again.
mīlitem vulnerātum cūrāvimus │ we cared for the wounded
soldier [= the soldier who had been wounded = the soldier after he had been
wounded]
Urbem dēlētam hostēs incendērunt │ the soldiers set fire to
the destroyed city [= the city which had been destroyed]
Tum Pompēius ¦ pīrātās captōs ¦ in urbibus et agrīs procul ā
marī collocāvit. │ Pompey then located the captured pirates in towns and fields
far from the sea.
in lītore dēsertō stābāmus │ we were standing on the
deserted shore
The table shows the declension of the participle captus
(captured; taken). It is only there for quick reference since the participles
decline in exactly the same way as any other 1st / 2nd
declension adjective.
Exercise
Choose the appropriate participle. This time, the
translations are less literal and some alternatives are given to show that the
Latin participle can be conveyed in several ways. If the Latin cannot be translated
by a neat, single equivalent in English, then the aim is to retain the idea
that something had / has already happened to the person / thing.
[1]
Vōcem sorōris __________ audīvit. │ He heard the voice of
(his) frightened sister.
Vōcem frātris __________ audīvit. │ He heard the voice of
(his) brother who had been frightened.
Reliquī Rōmānī cīvēs __________ per viās currentēs
occīdērunt. │ The remaining Romans killed the terrified citizens as they were
running through the streets.
Clāmōrēs cīvium __________ audiēbantur. │ The cries of the
terrified citizens could be heard.
[2]
Vōcēs puerōrum __________ audīvimus. │ We heard the voices
of the captured boys.
Vōcēs fēminārum __________ audīvimus. │ We heard the voices
of the captured women.
Urbem __________ incendērunt. │ They set fire to the city which
had been captured.
[3]
Cēnam __________ sōlus ēdit. │ He ate the prepared dinner
alone [very literal: how about ‘he was / sat alone eating the dinner that had
been prepared’ or ‘the dinner had been
prepared and he ate it alone’; the last version is possible i.e. you can break
the sentence into two separate clauses provided it is clear that one event was
done before the other happened]
Sociī nāvēs __________ ad Menelāum mīsērunt. │ The allies
sent to Menelaus ships which they had prepared.
[4]
Pecūniam __________ reddam. │ I’ll return the money that
has been found.
Librum __________ reddam. │ I’ll return the book that has
been found.
[5]
Mihi epistulam __________ dedit. │ He gave me the letter which
had been read [= which he had read = after he’d read it]
Librōs __________ tibi dabō. │ I’ll give you the books that
have been read.
[6]
Librum __________ invēnī. │ I’ve found the lost book.
Pecūniam __________ invēnī. │ I’ve found the money that was
lost.
[7]
Uxōrēs mīlitum __________ diū lacrimāvērunt. │ The wives of
the soldiers who had been killed [= after they had been killed] cried
for a long time.
Fīlia mīlitis __________ flēvit. │ The daughter of the
soldier who had been killed wept.
[8]
Iuvenēs mīlitem __________ cōnspexērunt. │ The young men
caught sight of the wounded soldier.
Iuvenēs fēminam __________ cōnspexērunt. │ The young men
caught sight of the wounded lady.
Iuvenēs mīlites __________ cōnspexērunt. │ The young men
caught sight of the soldiers who had been wounded.
[9]
Troiānī nāvēs cōnscendere mālunt quam in urbe __________
manēre. │ The Trojans would rather board the ships than stay in the destroyed
city.
Inter urbis __________ ruīnās stābat. │ He stood among the
ruins of the destroyed city.
[10]
Pontem __________ refēcimus. │ We repaired the broken
bridge.
Pontēs __________ refēcērunt. │ They repaired the broken
bridges.
There are two points in this text which are “knocking at the
door” of Level 3, one of which was briefly discussed in an earlier post and one
which has never been discussed at all; both involve a longer explanation than
is given here, but we can at least begin to look at them; they both matter
because they both very frequently occur. We’ll deal with the first one in this
post, and the second one in the next post.
the ablative absolute
Take a look at these two sentences:
[i] After killing / having killed the traitor, the commander
sent envoys to the camp.
In [i] it was the commander who killed the traitor
[ii] The traitor having been killed, the commander
sent envoys to the camp.
In [ii] the commander did not kill the traitor or, to be
more precise, that is not what is suggested i.e. the phrase in italics is not
connected to the subject of the sentence.
We are looking at [ii].
To express [ii] Latin uses a construction called the ablative
absolute and it occurs all the time in the literature; it refers to an event
that has / had happened to someone / something before the action in the clause;
the phrase stands alone, a “self contained” event which is detached from
the rest of the sentence: detached = Latin absolūtus
This is formed primarily with a noun + a participle but
other word types can be used; here, we are looking only at the noun + perfect
passive participle:
prōditor interfectus │ a killed traitor / a traitor (having
been) killed
[ii] Both parts are now put into the ablative case:
prōditōre interfectō[= ablative absolute], dux lēgātōs ad castra mīsit.
[iii] The standard “grammar book” way of translating this
is:
with X ¦ having been Y-ed
with the traitor ¦ having been killed
That shows precisely what the phrase conveys. However, we
would rarely translate it that way.
[1] The following could translate the phrase in italics:
The traitor having been killed, the commander sent
envoys to the camp.
After / once / when the traitor had been killed, the
commander sent envoys to the camp.
None of those translations suggest the commander did it.
[2] The following do not translate the phrase in bold:
Having killed the traitor, the commander …
After he had killed the traitor, the commander …
Those two state that the commander himself killed the
traitor, and this is not what the Latin phrase is saying. What the Latin
says is that the traitor had been killedbefore the commander
sent envoys; there is no suggestion that the commander had anything to do with
it.
Could it be translated as [2] above? Yes, it possibly could
but only if the context is clear that it was the commander who had killed the
traitor e.g. if that had been stated in a previous sentence. At this stage, however,
it is best to stick to the translation versions in [1].
Here is a further example:
Caesar, acceptīs litterīs, nūntium mittit.
[i] litterae (noun): letter + acceptae (perfect passive
participle): (having been) received
litterae acceptae │ a letter (having been) received
[ii] both parts in the ablative case
litterīs acceptīs = ablative absolute
(With) the letter having been received, Caesar sends
a message.
After / once / when the letter was received, Caesar sends a
message.
Here are the examples from the original text:
[1] arma habemus non adversus eam aetatem, cui etiam captis
urbibus parcitur
[i] noun + perfect passive participle:
capta (perfect passive participle): (having been) captured +
urbs (noun): city
urbs capta │ a captured city
urbēs captae │ captured cities
[ii] both noun and participle put in the ablative
case:
captīs urbibus = ablative absolute
(with) cities having been captured
after / when / once cities have been captured
arma habemus non adversus eam aetatem, cui etiam captis
urbibus parcitur │ We do not use our weapons against those of an age which is
spared even when cities have been captured
[2] … deinde eum manibus post tergum inligatis
… pueris tradidit
[ii] both noun and participle put in the ablative case:
manibus ligātīs = ablative absolute
(with) his hands having been bound
after / when / once his hands had been bound;
… deinde eum manibus post tergum inligatis …
pueris tradidit │ He then handed the man, with his hands tied behind his
back / his hands having been tied behind his back, over to the boys
There will be more on this later but I think that’s enough
to get the idea and get started. It will come up again and again.
The video goes into this in a little more depth if you do
want to find out more at this point.
Image #1: I fully admit to stealing this idea from the Latin
tutorial video to which I’ll give a link at the end of this series of posts. I
just thought it was such a neat way of conveying the idea.
Compare:
[1]
The building was shaken by an earthquake.
Once the cake mix has been slowly stirred, put
it onto a baking tray.
Both of those are passive sentences; they describe
what is done to the subject.
[2] What about this one?
James Bond ordered a vodka martini – shaken, not stirred.
“shaken” and “stirred” are not creating passive sentences
i.e. they are not used with verb ‘to be’; they function as adjectives
describing the vodka martini
Latin can do exactly the same
[1] passive sentences, the perfect passive participle
agreeing in gender and number with the subject, and working together with esse:
Mīles vulnerātus est │ the soldier was / has been wounded
Puer ā magistrō monitus erat │ the boy had been warned by
the teacher
Servus captus est │ the slave was captured
Cēna parāta erit │ the dinner will have been prepared
Urbs oppugnata est │ the city was attacked
Templum in forō aedificatum erat │ a temple had been built
in the forum
Nōs ad convīvium rogātī sumus │ we were invited to the
banquet
Multae navēs dēlētae sunt │ many ships were destroyed
[2] As in English, the perfect passive participle can
function without ‘esse’ and act exactly like an adjective
mīles vulnerātus = an injured soldier [i.e. a soldier ¦ who
was / had been injured]
[ii] break – broke – ¦ broken > a broken window
frangō – frangere – frēgī – ¦ frāctus > fenestra frācta
│ a broken window; fenestrae frāctae │ broken windows
[iii] destroy – ¦ destroyed > a destroyed town
dēleō – dēlēre – dēlēvī – ¦ dēlētum > oppidum dēlētum
│ a destroyed town;oppida dēlēta
│ destroyed towns
They function as adjectives but the key point is that they
describe something that already has / had happened to the noun.
An important rule of thumb: when translating anything from
Latin into any other language, the translation should adhere to the style of
that language. The exercise below does match precisely English and Latin
participles. However, that doesn’t always work:
Puella vocāta timēbat │ literally: the summoned girl was
afraid; in English it isn’t ‘wrong’ but just sounds ‘odd’ whereas in Latin it
doesn’t. It is perfectly possible to rework that into a more fluent style which
still conveys the same idea. Context may determine what the best rendering is.
Examples:
Having been summoned, the girl was afraid.
The girl who had been summoned was afraid.
The girl, when / after she had been summoned, was afraid.
Again, remember the ‘two stages’ of translation: first go
for the literal to ensure you know what the word / phrase actualy means and
then pause and think about how it would be best translated in your own
language.
Exercise:
Below are ten verbs; focus on the fourth principal part;
from the word cloud choose the appropriate participle to complete the Latin
phrase and remember that the participle will agree in gender and number
There’s
no getting around it; original literature is crammed with participles! In
English we very often need a clause or a phrase to convey an idea which Latin
can convey in one word; that feature of Latin allows for more concise
expression, often a “faster moving” narrative. Here are four excerpts all of
which contain participles:
[i]
virgasque eis, quibus proditorem agerent in urbem verberantes, dedit │ and he
gave them rods by which they might drive the traitor into the city while
beating him
[ii]
arma habemus … adversus armatos │ we use
our weapons … against armed men
[iii]
… qui nec laesi nec lacessiti a nobis ... │ …who, neither injured nor provoked by
us, …
[iv]
denudatum deinde eum … pueris tradidit │ he then handed him, stripped, to the
boys
Let’s
take them apart to see what’s happening …
armō,
-āre, -āvi, armātus [1]: furnish with weapons
>
armātus, -a, -um: having been furnished with weapons
laedō,
-ere, laesī, laesus [3]: offend; hurt
>
laesus, -a, -um: having been offended
lacessō, -ere,
lacessīvī, lacessītus [3]: provoke
>
lacessītus, -a, -um: having been provoked
dēnūdō,
-āre, -āvī, dēnūdātus [1]: strip; make naked
>
dēnūdātus, -a, -um: having been stripped
[i]
present active participle: used to convey two actions happening at the same
time
virgasque
eis, quibus proditorem [1] agerent in urbem [2] verberantes,
dedit │ and he gave them rods by which they might drive the traitor into
the city while beating him
The
other three are perfect passive participles, used to convey something that had
already happened to someone
[ii]
The participle being used as a noun:
arma
habemus … adversus armatos │ we
use our weapons … against armed men / those who have been armed
[iii]
The participle being used in a phrase describing the enemy
…
qui nec laesi nec lacessiti ¦ a nobis ¦ ... │ …who, (having
been) neither injured nor provoked ¦ by us, ¦ …
[iv]
The participle being used as an adjective:
denudatum deinde eum … pueris tradidit │ he then
handed him, stripped, to the boys = the man, who had been stripped,
he handed over to the boys
“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 4th
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 5th 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*
*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
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 5th
of November celebration in the UK is named, is Guido [from Italian = Guy]
Fawkes which is translated as a 3rd 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) = homoest.
The most common example of contraction is the 3rd
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
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!
