multus sanguis fluit /  by Anthony Gibbins

Ask someone who studied Latin from the Cambridge Course (long enough ago that they have forgotten most of what they knew) what they remember. I’ve tried this on numerous occasions and the first response has always been one of the following. Metella est in atrio. flocci non facio. multus sanguis fluit. Metella is in the atrium. I don’t give a damn. Much blood flows.

In the pages that follow you will read a retelling of the Cambridge story that ends with much blood flowing. I taught myself Latin from the Cambridge course, and I have a hell of a lot of respect for its methods. It’s not perfect – no text is – and it only got me so far. But it revolutionised how Latin was being taught at the time of its publication. It’s the reason that I read Latin, rather than translate it. And there are some really great stories. versus scurrilis est.

At this moment Claudia is walking to the tonstrina to visit the tonsor. The tonsor, named Alan, is her friend.

(not) Walking with Virgil /  by Anthony Gibbins

Just for something different, I thought that today I would pick a couple of verses from Virgil that contain any form of the verb ambulare and translate them for you. I imagined I would be spoilt for choice, and able to pick four or five favorites from the Aeneid.

I have just the book for this sort of thing, too; an 1822 edition of Virgil’s complete works that I picked up in a second hand bookstore in Armidale, rural New South Wales. Among some other wonderful features, it has an index of EVERY word in EVERY work; index vocabulorum omnium quae in Eclogis, Georgicis, et Aeneide Virgilii leguntur.

But here’s the rub. The word ambulare does not appear anywhere in any work of Virgil. It appears in Ovid, and Seneca, and Plautus, and Cato, and Martial, and Terrence, and Cicero, and Quintilian, but not in Virgil. Anywhere. Weird.

Meanwhile, a woman who is already (iam) known to you, named Claudia, is walking in the street. Do you wish to know to-where (quo) our Claudia is walking?

 

present contrary to fact conditional clause /  by Anthony Gibbins

What to make of all the ridiculous grammatical terms we encounter when studying a language? If I were in charge, they would all be outlawed! ‘If I were in charge’, for example, is a present contrary to fact conditional clause.  Conditional, because they would only be outlawed under the condition that I was in charge. Contrary to fact, because I’m not. And so they’re not either.

There is a contrary to fact conditional on today’s page, but it is called ‘mixed’ rather than ‘present’ because it crosses time-zones (so to speak). The narrator says si possem (if I were [now] able), te certiorem faciam (I would [in the future] make you more certain). certiorem facere (to make more certain), by the way, is the Latin expression that best means ‘inform’.

Without a doubt you wish to know what this suitcase holds inside (intus). Believe me – if I was able, I would tell you.

nondum /  by Anthony Gibbins

nondum is a very powerful and positive word. The same is probably true of the expression ‘not yet’ in English, but it became more obvious to me when I began to speak Latin. Perhaps that was because I was surrounded by positive people, or it may have more to do with how good the word feels in the mouth. Try saying it out loud. nondum, nondum, nondum. Now try the same with ‘not yet’. Am I wrong? Doesn’t nondum just feel a whole lot better?

But why is it so positive? Imagine a Latin learner who desperately wishes to read Virgil’s Aeneid in the original Latin. They are asked, potesne Virgilium legere?, ‘Are you able to read Virgil?’. One possible answer is non possum, ‘I am not able’. It is definite and final. Another is nondum. It is full of promise and hope for the future, of plans that may well come to fruition.

Which reminds me of a wonderful book by William Fitzgerald, Professor of Latin at King’s College London. The title is ‘How to Read a Latin Poem: If You Can’t Read Latin Yet’. The italics are his. If you can’t read Latin yet (or not as well as you would like), that is fine. It is a long and enjoyable journey.

But first, today a certain sailor, not yet know to you, arrived at the town. This sailor is carrying a suitcase (sarcinam) in his right hand.

Claudia /  by Anthony Gibbins

If Claudia was a real person, I think she’d be pretty cool. We don’t know much about her as Legonium pars quarta opens, but we do know that she shoots pool, has an amica called Miranda and likes talking about ancient monuments. We learn quite a bit more about her in par quarta, more from what she does that what is said about her. She is thoughtful of others, smiles at a joke, and is maybe a bit of a peace keeper. She has other adventures ahead – including an overseas trip – but I really shouldn’t say too much about that.

The narrator, on the other hand, is a bit more eager to please. I guess she reflects that part of me that hopes that these stories are well received. She rejoices because you are back to hear more. I rejoice whenever I get the sense that these stories are being enjoyed. So, thank you for coming back and enjoying them!

Hello reader. I rejoice because you have returned to hear more of my story. Today I want to narrate to you more about Claudia.

he recites poetry and has an appreciation for art /  by Anthony Gibbins

It is November 1st, and Legonium pars quarta can now be read on the Legonium.com website. I really hope that you’ll not only check it out, but also let me know what you think of the story so far. If you have any ideas, I’d love to hear them.

For those of you who know the Cambridge Latin Course, I hope the visit to the tonstrina will give you a laugh. tonsor est occupatus. senex in sella sedet.

I’ll be back in a few days to start daily blogging.

Thanks for reading!

Anthony 

Pico verus /  by Anthony Gibbins

The is a picture of the REAL Pico, taken on lazy Sunday afternoon. You can almost make out his eyes rolling.

In memory of our Pico, both an excellent cat and companion.

the end of episode 3 (well, almost) /  by Anthony Gibbins

And with the return of our narrator, we reach the end of Legonium pars tertia. Well, almost. On the next page, the back cover if you will, you will see a picture of the real Pico. Such an awesome cat. in pace requiescat.

Like the narrator, I hope that you have enjoyed Legonium pars tertia. And I hope that you will continue the journey with Legonium pars quarta, which will be released on the Kalends of November. Bell well!

I hope that it pleased you to hear about a day in the life of Pico. But who are those people conversing in that room? Soon I will return to narrate more of the story to you. Be well!