Today’s page has three sentences. The bare bones of the first sentence are tabernaria in cenaculo habitat The shopkeeper lives in an attic apartment. This sentence is expanded upon with sicut Marcellus, which means like Marcellus. You may remember that Marcellus also lives in an attic apartment, in the building that houses the French Restaurant.
Like Marcellus, the shopkeeper lives in an attic apartment.
The bares bones of the second sentence are diu habitat she has been dwelling for a long time. It is interesting to note the difference in tense use between English and Latin. habitat alone means she is dwelling or she dwells. It is the Adverb diu that suggests this has been going on for an extended period. English requires us to change the tense of the Verb, Latin does not. nec… nec… neither… nor… is used here to group two things, neither of which are true. in hoc cenaculo means in this attic apartment. in oppido means in the town. oppido is described by the Demonstrative Adjective ipso itself. The entire sentence is linked to what has come before with the Conjunction sed but.
But she has been dwelling neither in this apartment nor in the town itself for a long time.
The bare bones of the third sentence are huc migravit she migrated to here, huc being an Adverb that means to here. This statement is expanded upon by the Adverb nuper recently. The sentence is joined to what has come before by the Particle immo rather. immo often begins a sentence that will correct something that has come before and/or provided further detail. Here it corrects the (denied) assertion that the shopkeeper has dwelt in Legonium for a long time. ut officium faceret that she might perform a duty is a Purpose Clause. It explains the purpose for which the shopkeeper migrated to Legonium. Purpose is often expressed by ut and a Subjunctive Verb, here faceret that she might perform. officium duty is described by a Genitive of Value. As the name implies, a Genitive of Value is written or spoken in the Genitive Case and provides the value of something. magni momenti means of great importance.
Rather, she migrated to here recently to perform a duty of great importance.