something of money /  by Anthony Gibbins

In Latin, the word for some is not-none. nullos amicos habeo. I have no friends. nonnullos amicos habeo. I have some friends.

But a different expression is used with Nouns that tend to be used only in the Singular.  Say, money, food or water. Then the appropriate expression is I have something of money. I have something of food. I have something of water. aliquid pecuniae/cibi/aquae habeo (where pecuniae, cibi and aquae are all in the Genitive Case).

On this page Marcellus is speaking of specific money – the money quam argentariae debeo which I owe to the bank. That is the reason why he says he has something EIUS pecuniae of THAT money. The eius anticipates quam argentariae debeo.

‘I have something of that money which I owe to the bank,’ Marcellus says. He puts his right hand into his pocket to pull out the envelope.

you may well laugh (or maybe smile) /  by Anthony Gibbins

Most languages have a separate word for hot (temperature wise) and hot (spicy). It makes perfect sense! How many times have you been warned, putting that first fork of food into your mouth, ’Careful, it’s hot!’, only to wonder which hot is meant?

Now I am no expert on this but it appears to me that the Romans had the same problem with laugh and smile. There is a wonderful letter written by Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus in which he tells his friend Tacitus (yes, that Tacitus!) about his hunting trip. It consists of sitting by the nets with his books and tablets while others chase three boars into his trap. He begins the letter ridebis, et licet rideas. You will laugh, and it is permitted that you laugh. Or does he mean smile? The truth is, the Verb ridere can mean both.

In Pliny’s case the distinction is not so important, but what of Marcellus? It makes a huge difference whether he enters Augustus’ office and smiles to him or laughs at him! The situation is worse with Nouns. The entry for risus in the Cassell’s Latin Dictionary defines it as laughter, laughing, jeering, ridicule. But when you turn to the back to find an appropriate word for a smile, it suggests risus! And a risor one who laughs (or is it smiles?), is defined as a mocker!

Both the Cassell’s and The Oxford Latin Dictionary suggest that subridere means to smile, which I guess means that a smile is a kind of under-laugh. So I went with that. But, just to be clear, there is no matching Noun. There is another Verb that I may have used, adridere to smile at. But an adrisor is a flatterer, not a good thing to be in Ancient Rome. Then there is deridere, which I include only out of interest for its English Derivative. It means to laugh down at or deride. The whole situation is risible.

Augustus, the bank manager, rises out of his seat in order to greet Marcellus in a friendly manner. The artist smiles to Augustus. 

The Office /  by Anthony Gibbins

officium is a Latin word meaning a helpful or beneficial act done to someone in fulfilment of an obligation, a service, or similar. It was originally a compound of two words, facere to do or to make and ops power, ability, strength, dominion, influence, resources, means of action, wealth, property. The meaning of officium expanded to encompass one’s duty or obligations to individuals or the state, the role one needed to fulfil due to their position, a task undertaken as a duty, and employment, post or position.

As the classicist Peter Jones points out in his recently published Quid Pro Quo, 

It expanded into meaning one’s job, function, task, but that sense of duty about it was never entirely lost. Cicero’s dialogue de officiis (On Duties) was a discussion of the proper obligations of the state and the individual.

In the mid-13th Century the word office entered English meaning a post, an employment to which certain duties are attached. The first recorded use of it meaning a place for conducting business was in the 1560’s. Interestingly, the term office hours goes right back to 1841.

sedes is a Latin word meaning seat in the widest possible sense. It can simply be somewhere to sit, or the seat of a particular activity. sedes officii seat of duty, has become the standard Latin translation for our 1560’s sense of an office.

Marcellus climbs the stairs to the second story and looks around. It is not difficult for him to find the office of Augustus.

Indirect Speech /  by Anthony Gibbins

There are three types of Indirect Speech; Indirect Statements, Questions and Commands. This page includes an example of the first two.

Direct Statement:       ego Augustum visitare cupio. I want to visit Augustus.

Indirect Statement:    Marcellus dicit se Augustum visitare cupere. Marcellus says that he wants to visit Augustus.

Direct Question:          cur argentariam visitas? Why are you visiting the bank?

Indirect Question:       femina Marcellum rogat cur argentariam visitet. The woman asks Marcellus why he is visiting the bank.

For the sake of completing the set, let’s add an example with a Command.

Direct Command:        ascende scalas! Climb the stairs!

Indirect Command:     femina Marcello imperat ut scalas ascendat. The woman tells Marcellus to climb the stairs.

The woman asks Marcellus why he is visiting the bank. Marcellus says that he wants to visit Augustus. The woman, smiling, points out the stairs to Marcellus.

atrium argentariae /  by Anthony Gibbins

The interior of the bank is pretty impressive. There is a glass fronted counter and behind that a picture of a bridge (which Marcellus may very well have painted). The floor is tiled in grey, white and two fancy colours called sand-blue and sand-green. The shield shaped tiles are brand new – they were created for the recently released Nexo Knights range. Against one of the stained glass windows is a bench for filling out deposit and withdrawal slips. What you cannot see is the large chandelier that hangs from the ceiling. Nor the bank vault with the huge lockable door.

There is a set of stairs that leads up to the second floor, on which is situated a clerk (complete with his or her own coffee machine) and the office of Augustus. You may remember seeing this office – and Augustus – in Legonium episode two. Most of the second floor, however, is a great void, that allows you to look down into the atrium. Another set of stairs leads from the second floor up onto the roof. You may remember seeing the bank roof at the end of Legonium episode one.

Marcellus at last enters the atrium of the bank and approaches the woman standing behind the counter. Do you like the very large and ornate atrium?

 

on the threshold /  by Anthony Gibbins

Marcellus, who owes a good deal of money to the bank, is intimidated by its imposing structure. He stands frozen on the threshold for a short moment, unwilling or unable to enter. He seems anxious.

The limen threshold plays an important part in Latin literature. In erotic elegy, the shut-out-lover spends a good deal of time on the wrong side of the threshold wishing to be let in. So much time, in fact, that there is a ancient literary term (Greek) for the genre: paraclausithyron (παρακλαυσίθυρον). Here is an example from Ovid. The translation is by Peter Green.

          Who but a soldier or lover would put up with freezing

          Nights – rain, snow, sleet? The first

          Goes out on patrol to observe the enemy’s movements,

           The other watches his rival, an equal foe.

          A soldier lays siege to cities, a lover to girls’ houses,

          The one assaults city gates, the other front doors.

The idea of love as conquest is all too familiar.

The bank has large glass double-doors (fores). Our Marcellus, the doors having been opened, waits on the threshold for-a-short-time (paulisper). He seems anxious.

birota /  by Anthony Gibbins

 

birota is an example of one way in which modern Latin handles concepts that the Romans had no word for. bi- is a prefix meaning consisting of, having, measuring, etc two of the things named.

Here are some cool examples from classical Latin; biceps two-headed, biclinium a dining-couch on which two persons can recline, bicodulus having two tails, bicornis two horned, bidens having two permanent teeth, biduum a period of two days, biennium a period of two years, bifer bearing fruit or flowers twice a year, biformatus (of a monster) consisting of two parts of different creatures, such as the minotaur, bigae a chariot drawn by two horses, bigarius, a driver of said chariot.

rota means wheel. Now, the Oxford Latin Dictionary has no entry for the word birota, but according to other (admittedly less reliable) sources it was used by the Romans to mean a two-wheeled cart, usually drawn by three mules, used for transporting commercial goods and one or two passengers. Which certainly makes sense. Today it is the generally agreed upon word for bicycle.

Riding a bicycle is a Passive activity in Latin. The Verb veho, vehere, vexi, vectum means to carry or convey. vehit means he, she or it carries or conveys. vehitur means he, she or it is carried or is conveyed. birota is in the Ablative Case and means by a bicycle.

Marcellus now at last walks straight to the bank. Do you see the young man who is riding a bicycle (literally, who is conveyed by a bicycle)? He is taking food someplace.

thank you /  by Anthony Gibbins

When learning a language, thank you is one of the first things you learn. But when learning a so-called Dead Language – like Latin – these niceties are too often ignored.

I once had a German friend staying with me who asked to be taught some Latin. I lent her the Oxford Latin Course and she turned out to be a very quick learner – not surprising, as she had already mastered German, English and a good deal of French. After completing Chapter 7 she lamented that she had not yet learnt to say thank you but could easily form tuum amicum mortuum e casa in hortum tecum portare possum. I am able to carry your dead friend out of the house and into the garden with you. Fortunately, that never became necessary.

Thank you, in its standard form, is gratias tibi ago. Literally, something like I drive-forth thanks for the benefit of you. Hence in today’s story Marcellus multas gratias Alano agit. Marcellus drives-forth much thanks for the benefit of Alan.

The appropriate response, by the way, is libenter. This is an Adverb meaning with pleasure, willingly, gladly.

Soon, the hair having been cut, Marcellus gives much thanks to Alan and exits (from out of) the barber shop. Alan meanwhile sweeps the pavement with his broom.