Salvēte, sodālēs.
Today’s reading is only short, but two big concepts are introduced, so we’ll take our time.
Let’s begin with Dāve. Dāve is the form of Dāvus we would use if we were addressing Dāvus. Perhaps we are saying ‘Salvē, Dāve.’ Perhaps we are just saying his name to get his attention. ‘Dāve, ubi est tuus sacculus?’
The rules for using somebody’s name to address them in Latin are simple and there are three of them:
Rule One : If their name ends in -us (Dāvus, Mēdus, Quīntus, Mārcus) we address them as Dāve, Mēde, Quīnte, Mārce.
Rule Two : If their name ends in -ius (Iūlius, Cornēlius) we address them as Iūlī and Cornēlī.
Rule Three : If their name ends in any other way (Aemilia, Iūlia, Caesar, Cato) it remains unchanged, and we address them as Aemilia, Iūlia, Caesar, Cato.
Here is a picture of Iūlius calling Mēdus, using the form of his name appropriate for address:
Iūlius Mēdum vocat : ‘Mēde!’ from Lingua Latīna Per Sē Illustrāta, page 29.
Now let’s move onto venī. Venī is a form of the verb venit, which me met in Capitulum Tertium. Similarly, vocā, which you’ll also see in today’s reading, is a form of vocat.
But how are venī and vocā used in Latin? See if you can puzzle that out for yourself during today’s reading. If not, I’ll explain it afterward. READ lines 23-28 now.
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The verbs venī and vocā (ending in a single vowel) are used to give instructions to somebody. After Julius tells Medus to call Davus, Medus calls Davus. And after Medus tells Davus to come, Davus comes.
This brings us to the end of Capitulum Quartum, Scaena Prīma. We'll be seeing more examples of both of these big concepts throughout Capitulum Quartum, Scaenae Secunda Tertiaque.
Satis est. See you soon.