it is good to love - finite and infinite verbs /  by Anthony Gibbins

What do the terms Finite and Infinite mean in regards to a Verb? Finite means limited. The word comes from the Latin Adverb finite within limits which in turn is related to the Latin Noun finis boundary, border, limit, territory. In Book I of the Aeneid, Jupiter promises the goddess Venus that her son Aeneas, founder of the Romans race, will be given an empire sine fine without end, limitless. But what exactly limits a Finite Verb? Two things; Person and Number.

Number simply means whether the Verb is Singular or Plural. Person means whether the Verb is First, Second or Third Person. This gives us six possible combinations; 1st Person Singular amo I love, 2nd Person Singular amas you love, 3rd Person Singular amat he, she or it loves, 1st Person Plural amamus we love, 2nd Person Plural amatis y’all love 3rd Person Plural amant they love.

An Infinite Verb (or Infinitive Verb) is not limited by these things. The Infinitive amare, for example, means to love. There are many Finite Verbs that invite an Infinitive Verb to complete their idea. Teach is an example; Venus nos amare docet Venus teaches us to love. Another is it behooves; nos amare oportet It behooves us to love. An Infinite Verb is also, in a very real way, a Noun. It must be, because it can be described by an Adjective bonum est amare It is good to love.

There are three Tenses of Infinite Verb. amare to love amavisse to have loved amaturum esse to be about to love. bonum est amare. It is good to love. bonum est amavisse. It is good to have loved. bonum est amaturum esse. It is good to be about to love.

The Infinitive Verb also plays a crucial role in Indirect Speech, where each of these Tenses come into their own. sperat se amare. He hopes that he loves. sperat se amavisse. He hopes that he has loved. sperat se amaturum esse. He hopes that he will love. sperat se amorem inventurum esse. He hopes that he will find love. sperat se involucrum inventurum esse. He hopes that he will find the envelope.

‘Alas,’ the artist groans hurrying out of the barber shop. He immediately rushes to the dumpster. He hopes that he will find the envelope inside.

Ablative of Manner /  by Anthony Gibbins

Adverbs are great. For a start, they can modify Verbs (She runs daily), Adjectives (The show is almost ready), and even other Adverbs (We read almost daily).

Secondly, they can tell us When something happens (I arrived yesterday), Where it happens (I stopped here for lunch), the Manner in which it happens (I ate quickly), the Degree to which it happens (I nearly choked), and the Frequency with which it happens (I always do that). These are the generally agreed upon Five Types of Adverbs.

But in English and Latin alike, you cannot expect an Adverb for everything! For example, there are Adverbs that means quietly (quiete and tranquille for example), but no Adverb that specifically means with a lowered voice. For this, we need the Ablative of Manner.

As the name suggests, the Ablative of Manner replaces only Adverbs that express Manner. And the Words are in the Ablative Case. These Words are commonly a Noun and an Adjective. For example, submissa voce with a quiet voice, magna voce with a loud voice, vultu laetissimo with a very happy expression, summo gaudio with the greatest joy.

Occasionally the Preposition cum with will be placed between the Noun and the Adjective, although it is not required. You may be familiar with the expression summa cum laude with the greatest praise.

‘Excellent!’ Marcellus shouts. ‘Where is this sack?’ Alan coughs and, in a lowered voice, responds, ‘I have already thrown the sack in the dumpster.’

it’s possible /  by Anthony Gibbins

The Latin Verb fio, fieri, factus sum is a strange beast indeed. Of events or physical phenomena it means to take place, to occur, to arise. lux fiat! Let there be light! But it also supplies the Passive form of facio, facere, feci, factum to make or do. populus Caesarem dictatorem facit. The people are making Caesar a dictator. Caesar a populo dictator fit. Caesar is being made a dictator by the people.

The Verb possum, posse, potui means to be able. linguam Latinam legere potes. You able to read the Latin language. linguam Latinam legere possum. I am able to read the Latin language. Marcellus linguam Latinam legere potest. Marcellus is able to read the Latin language. lingua Latina legi potest. The Latin language is able to be read. legi potest. It is able to be read. [id] fieri potest. It is able to come about. This last expression, [id] fieri potest, is the Latin equivalent of the English it is possible.

On today’s page, the expression is kept simple, id fieri potest It is possible. More often we would say ‘It is possible that…’. This is achieved in Latin with the word ut followed by a Verb in the Subjunctive Mood. involucrum in sacco est. The envelope is in the sack. fieri potest ut involucrum in sacco sit. It is possible that the envelope is in the sack.

‘No,’ Alan responds. But, having swept the floor, I placed all the hair(s) in a big sack. Perhaps I accidently (casu) put your envelope in this sack. It is possible.’

epic simile, dude! /  by Anthony Gibbins

Legonium is a long walk from epic poetry, but this page shares something of epic’s character – the love of a good simile. Here is Peter Toohey (Reading Epic) on what defines mythological epic (emphasis mine);

narratives concerning the heroic actions of mythological heroes; a concern with the relation between these heroes and divine powers; length matched with an elevation of style; the use of the hexameter metre; an ostensible glorification of the past – often achieved by repetition of description, by catalogues, and by fixed descriptive formulas. There are, too, shared technical features such as similes, battles, set speeches, invocations of the Muses, councils of the gods and leaders, and the description of shields and other artefacts.

I will give one example from the greatest Latin mythological epic, the Aeneid. Seeing as Marcellus enters the barber shop sicut tempestas like a storm, it seems fitting to present the very first simile that appears in that work. The god Neptune is quelling a storm at sea to rescue Aeneas and his Trojan refugee sailors;

As often, when rebellion breaks out in a great nation,

and the common rabble rage with passion, and soon stones

and fiery torches fly (frenzy supplying weapons),

if they then see a man of great virtue, and weighty service,

they are silent, and stand there listening attentively:

he sways their passions with his words and soothes their hearts:

so all the uproar of the ocean died, as soon as their father,

gazing over the water, carried through the clear sky, wheeled

his horses, and gave them their head, flying behind in his chariot.

The translation is by A. S. Kline.         

Marcellus flies through the door of the barber shop like a storm. “Alan! I have lost an envelope of great importance. Perhaps you have found it?’

indirect hope /  by Anthony Gibbins

Indirect Speech has a fairly broad definition. It includes Reported Speech, Perceptions and Thought. For example, involucrum in tonstrina est The envelope is in the barber shop.

Reported Speech: Marcellus dicit involucrum in tonstrina esse Marcellus says that the envelope is in the barber shop. Marcellus declarat involucrum in tonstrina esse Marcellus declares that the envelope is in the barber shop.

Reported Perception: Marcellus audit involucrum in tonstrina esse Marcellus hears that the envelope is in the barber shop. Marcellus videt involucrum in tonstrina esse Marcellus sees that the envelope is in the barber shop.

Reported Thought: Marcellus putat involucrum in tonstrina esse Marcellus thinks that the envelope is in the barber shop. Marcellus scit involucrum in tonstrina esse Marcellus knows that the envelope is in the barber shop.

And then we have Marcellus sperat involucrum in tonstrina esse Marcellus hopes that the envelope is in the barber shop. Is this just another example of Reported Thought? Well, yes and no. I say no, because what is really being reported is not the statement involucrum in tonstrina est but a wish! And that wish would be expressed utinam involucrum in tonstrina sit! Oh, may the envelope be in the barber shop!

By the way, that troubled face belongs to the Animal Ranger in Series 15 of the collectable minifigures. Why does she look like that? Because she comes with a skunk.

Marcellus hurries through the street very quickly. He hopes that the envelope is in the barber shop. Perhaps Alan has already found it.

commotus /  by Anthony Gibbins

Poor Marcellus. No matter how he feels he has trouble expressing it with his face. There is only one Lego head that comes with his signature goatee and, besides a permanently raised left eyebrow, it isn’t giving much away. Luckily, those around him can convey something of his emotional state. Augustus looks simply horrified by what is going on! And, on tomorrow’s page, you will see a woman who looks annoyed/concerned/positively put out (?) by Marcellus racing through the street.

This photo also shows the large void on the second floor of the bank that looks down into the atrium. Unfortunately, you still can’t see the impressive chandelier.

Alas! The envelope is not in [his] pocket. Nothing is in Marcellus’ pocket. He does not have the money! ‘Goodbye!’ Marcellus shouts, upset (commotus), and immediately runs out of the office.

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.