Cicero, Ad Atticum 7.13: Ænigma […] plane non intellexi; est enim numero Platonis obscurius. I didn’t quite understand your riddle; it’s more obscure than Plato’s number. I’m not sure if ‘obscure’ is the best word to describe a riddle. “Plato’s number,” or the nuptial number, is given as either 6³ or 60â´, both of which […]
Tagged 1st century BC, Cicero, numerus, Plato's number, translationLivy, Ab Urbe Condita 2.23: Sabino bello ait se militantem, quia propter populationes agri non fructu modo caruerit, sed villa incensa fuerit, direpta omnia, pecora abacta, tributum iniquo suo tempore imperatum, æs alienum fecisse. He said he served in the Sabine War and that he had not only lost his harvest on account of the pillaging, […]
Tagged 1st century BC, abigo, Livy, translationCicero, De Lege Agraria 2.97: Singularis homo privatus, nisi magna sapientia praeditus, vix cancellis et regionibus offici magnis in fortunis et copiis continetur. A private individual, unless he is endowed with great wisdom, is hardly restrained by the bars and boundaries of his position when among great wealth and power. I’ve been posting these less […]
Tagged 1913ese, 1st century BC, cancelli, Cicero, officium, translationVitruvius, advising proportions of an architrave should vary depending on how high they are relative to the ground (De Architectura 3.5): Quo altius enim scandit oculi species, non facile persecat aëris crebritatem, dilapsa itaque altitudinis spatio et viribus, exstructam incertam modulorum renuntiat sensibus quantitatem. For, given how high the eye’s view is rising, it’s not […]
Tagged 1st century BC, quantitas, translation, VitruviusPlautus (Captivi 4.4): DÄÄ“s|pÄtÄ“r | tÄ“ dÄ«|qu(e), Ä’rgăsÄ|lÄ•, pÄ“r|dÄnt Ä“t | vÄ“ntrÄ“m | tÅÅ«m, părăsÄ«|tÅsqu(e) Åm|nÄ«s, Ä“t | quÄ« pÅs|thÄc cÄ“|nÄm pără|sÄ«tÄ«s | dăbÄ«t. May Jupiter and the gods destroy you and your belly, Ergasilus—and all freeloaders—and whoever from now on offers dinner to freeloaders! I think I’ve gotten the hang of scanning these Plautine […]
Tagged 2nd century BC, iambic octonarius, Plautus, scansion, translationOvid (Metamorphoses 15.871–2): JÄmqu(e) ÅpÅs | Ä“xÄ“|gÄ«, quÅd | nÄ“c JÅvÄs | Ä«ră nÄ•c | Ä«gnÄ«s nÄ“c pÅtÄ•|rÄ«t fÄ“r|rÅ«m nÄ•c Ä•|dÄx ăbÅ|lÄ“rÄ• vÄ•|tÅ«stÄs. And now I have completed a work that neither the wrath of Jupiter nor fire nor the sword nor gluttonous Time can do away with. Because just being ære perennius is underachieving. […]
Tagged 1st century BC, dactylic hexameter, Ovid, translationPlautus (Mostellaria, 490–5). ―ĂÄt vÄ“|nÄ«ss(e) Ä«l|l(um) Ä«n sÅm|nÄ«s Äd | sÄ“ mÅr|tÅÅm. ―NÄ“mp(e) er|g(o) Ä«n sÅm|nÄ«s? ―Ĭtă. |SÄ“d Äus|cÅ«ltÄ | mÅdÅ. Ä‚Ät Ä«l|l(um) hÅc pÄc|tÅ sÄbÄ | dÄ«xÄ«s|sÄ• mÅr|tÅÅm. ―Īn sÅm|nÄ«s? ―MÄ«|rÅ«m quÄ«n | vÄgÄlÄn|tÄ« dÄ«|cÄ•rÄ“t, qu(i) ăbhÄ«nc | sÄ“xÄ|gÄ«nt(a) Än|nÅs Åc|cÄ«sÅ«s | fÅrÄ“t. ĪntÄ“r|d(um) ÄnÄ“p|tÄ“ stÅ«l|tÅs Ä“s. | QuÄ«n tÅ« | tăcÄ“s? “He said a […]
Tagged 2nd century BC, iambic senarius, Plautus, translationHorace (Epistulae 1.15): Ä€d mărÄ• | cÅ«m vÄ“|nÄ«, gÄ•nÄ•|rÅs(um) Ä“t | lÄ“nÄ• rÄ•|quÄ«rÅ, quÅd cÅ«|rÄs ăbÄg|Ät, quÅd | cÅ«m spÄ“ | dÄ«vÄtÄ• | mÄnÄ“t Ä«n vÄ“|nÄs ănÄ|mÅ«mquÄ• mÄ•|Å«m, quÅd | vÄ“rbă mÄ|nÄ«strÄ“t, quÅd mÄ“ | LÅ«cÄ|næ jÅvÄ•|nÄ“m cÅm|mÄ“ndÄ•t ă|mÄ«cæ. When I go to the sea, I need a smooth [wine] with a good lineage, to […]
Tagged 1st century BC, abigo, dactylic hexameter, Horace, scansion, stress accent, translationPliny the Elder, quoting Varro (Naturalis Historia 36.19): supra id quadratum pyramides stant quinque, quattuor in angulis et in medio una, imæ latæ pedum quinum septuagenum, altæ centenum quinquagenum ita fastigatæ, ut in summo orbis aëneus et petasus unus omnibus sit inpositus […] supra quem orbem quattuor pyramides insuper singulæ stant altæ pedum centenum, supra […]
Tagged 1st century, Lars Porsena, Pliny, pyramids, pyramis, tombs, translation, VarroPlautus (Casina 39-42): Īs sÄ“r|vÅs, sÄ•d ăb|hÄ«nc Än|nÅs fÄc|t(um) Ä“st sÄ“|dÄ•cÄ«m, quÅm cÅn|spÄcÄ|tÅ«st prÄ«|mÅlÅ | crÄ•pÅ«s|cÅlÅ pÅÄ“l|l(am) Ä“xpÅ|nÄ«, ădÄt | Ä“xtÄ“m|pl(o) Äd mÅlÄ|Ä•rÄ“m, qu(æ) Ä«ll(am) Ä“x|pÅnÄ“|bÄt: Å|rÄt, Åt Ä•|Äm dÄ“t | sÄbÄ This servant—now, this happened sixteen years ago, when he managed to see a little girl being abandoned, at first light—immediately went up to […]
Tagged 2nd century BC, abhinc, iambic senarius, Plautus, scansion, translation