9

9.1. “Post diem tertium, dubiō aspectū procul respicimus duōs camēlīs sedentēs venīre concitē. Statimque mēns malī praesāga putāre dominum, meditārī mortem, sōlem cernere nigrēscentem. Dumque timēmus, et vestīgiīs per arēnās nōs prōditōs intellegimus, offertur ad dexteram specus longē sub terram penetrāns. 9.2 Igitur timentēs venēnāta animālia—solent quippe vīperae, rēgulī, et scorpiōnēs, cēteraque hūiuscemodī fervōrem sōlis dēclīnantia umbrās petere—intrāmus quidem spēluncam, sed statim in ipsō introitū sinistrae nōs foveae crēdimus, nēquāquam ultrā prōgredientēs, nē, dum mortem fūgimus, incurrerēmus in mortem, illudque nōbīscum reputantēs: sī iuvat Dominus miserōs, habēmus salūtem; sī dēspicit peccātōrēs, habēmus sepulcrum. 9.3 Quid putās nōbīs fuisse animī? Quid terrōris, cum ante specum haud procul stārent dominus et cōnservus et, vestīgiō indice, iam ad latebrās pervēnissent? 9.4 Ō multō gravior exspectāta, quam illāta mors! Rūrsus collābor et timōre lingua balbūtit; et quasi clāmante dominō, muttīre nōn audeō. 9.5 Mittit servum, ut nōs dē specū prōtrahat. Ipse camēlōs tenet et, ēvāgīnātō gladiō, nostrum exspectat adventum. 9.6 Intereā tribus fermē vel quattuor cubitīs introgressō famulō, nōbīs ex occultō tergum eius videntibus—nam oculōrum istīusmodī nātūra est ut, post sōlem, umbrās intrantibus caeca sint omnia—vōx per antrum sonat: ‘Exīte, furciferī; exīte, moritūrī! Quid stātis? Quid morāminī? Exīte, dominus vocat.’ 9.7 Adhūc loquēbātur, et, ecce, per tenebrās aspicimus leaenam invāsisse hominem, et gutture suffōcātō, cruentum intrō trahere. Iēsu bone, quid tunc nōbīs terrōris, quid gaudiī fuit! Spectābāmus hostem nostrum perīre, dominō nesciente. 9.8 Quī cum vidēret illum morās facere, suspicātus duōs ūnī resistere, sed et īram differre nōn valēns, sīcut tenēbat gladium, ad spēluncam venit; et, clāmōre validō, servī increpāns socordiam, prius ā ferā tentus est quam nostrās latebrās penetrāret. 9.9 Quis hoc umquam crēderet, ut ante ōs nostrum bēstia prō nōbīs dīmicāret? Sublātō autem illō metū, similis ante oculōs nostrōs versābātur interitus, nisi quod tūtius fuerat leōnis rabiem quam īram hominum sustinēre. 9.10 Pavēmus intrīnsecus; et nē movēre quidem nōs ausī, praestōlābāmur ēventum reī, inter tanta perīcula, pudīcitiae tantum cōnscientiā prō mūrō saeptī. 9.11 Leaena īnsidiās cavēns, et vīsam sē esse sentiēns, apprehēnsum mordicus catulum mātūtīna effert, nōbīsque cēdit hospitium. Neque tamen satis crēdulī statim ērumpimus, sed exspectāmus diū; et ēgredī cōgitantēs, illīus nōbīs semper figūrābāmus occursum.

    Pursued by their master and a slave of his, Malchus and his wife hide in a cave. First the slave and then the master enter the cave to kill them, but a lioness saves them.

    Post diem tertium: “two days later” (Gray)

    dubiō aspectū “dimly,” < aspectus -ūs m., “seeing, sight.”

    duōs camēlīs sedentēs = duōs (virōs) sedentēs (in) camēlīs.

    concitē: “quickly,” a rare synonym of celeriter, possibly a coinage of Jerome’s.

    putāre ... cernere: historical infinitives (AG 463), unless meditārī and cernere are infinitives depending on putāre (see Gray). In either case, the darkening of the sun is metaphorical.

    vestīgiīs per arēnās: “by our footsteps through the sand”; on the “adnominal prepositional phrase” see Gray.

    offertur: “appeared” (LS offero I)

    ad dexteram: “on the right-hand side”

    specus: specus -ūs m., “cave”

    9.2

    venēnāta animālia < venēnātus -a -um, “poisonous”

    rēgulī < rēgulus -ī m., a basilisk, a kind of poisonous or noxious serpent (DMLBS regulus 2)

    intrāmus quidem spēluncam < spēlunca -ae f., “cave.” quidem: probably looks forward to what comes next: “and it is true that we entered the cave, but we entrusted ourselves to a crevice at its very entrance” (Gray).

    sinistrae nōs foveae crēdimus = crēdimus nōs sinistrae foveae. < fovea -ae f., “hiding-place, retreat” (DMLBS fovea 1.d); dative with crēdimus. crēdimus: crēdō (+ dat.), “to entrust oneself to” (OLD 1).

    ne ... incurrerēmus: imperf. subj. in a negative purpose clause (AG 531). Note the word play of mortem fugimus / incurrerēmus in mortem.

    illudque ... reputantēs: illud probably looks forward to sī iuvat ... salūtem: “thinking about this, namely that ...” Another possibility (see Gray) is that illud introduces the allusion to Seneca in what follows.

    si iuvat ... habēmus salūtem; sī dēspicit ... habēmus sepulcrum: pres. indicatives in simple present condition (AG 515). Note the play on salūtem ... sepulcrum. Duckworth cites Andromache’s speech to Astyanax in Seneca’s Troades, when she hides him in Hector’s tomb: fāta sī miserōs iuvant, / habēs salūtem; fāta sī vītam negant, habēs sepulcrum (510-512).

    9.3

    Quid ... animī? Quid terrōris: “what state of mind,” “what terror,” partitive genitives (AG 346).

    cum ... stārent … et ... pervēnissent: imperf. and plup. subj. in a circumstantial cum clause (AG 546).

    vestīgiō indice < index icis m., “informer; indication”; ablative absolute.

    latebrās < latebra -ae f., “hiding place”; plural with singular meaning, as usual with this word.

    9.4

    Ō multō gravior exspectāta, quam illāta mors! = Ō multō graviōra (est mors) exspectāta, quam (est) mors illāta! multō is ablative of degree of difference. illāta = "inflicted," > īnferō īnferre (LS II.A).

    Rūrsus collābor et timōre lingua balbūtit < collābor collābī collāpsus, “to give way, fail” (of mind or spirit, OLD 4); < balbūtiō balbūtīre, “to stammer.” The present tense of collābor and balbūtit expresses Malchus’ strong feelings as he relives the story (Gray).

    et quasi clāmante dominō, muttīre nōn audeō: “and, as if the master was (right here) shouting, I do not dare (even) to mutter.” < muttiō muttīre, “to mutter”; the action belongs to the present of narration, but the feeling of fear in the present is identical to that which Malchus felt in the past (Gray).

    9.5

    ut ... prōtrahat: purpose clause

    ēvāgīnātō gladiō: ablative absolute, or instrumental ablative (Gray)

    9.6

    tribus fermē vel quattuor cubitīs < cubitum -ī n., “an elbow-length, cubit” (about 1.5 feet); ablative of degree of difference (AG 414).

    introgressō famulō < famulus -ī m., “servant, slave”; ablative absolute.

    nōbīs ... videntibus: ablative absolute or dative of advantage / disadvantage.

    nam oculōrum ... nātūra est = nam nātūra oculōrum istīusmodī est; the parenthetical sentence explains why the slave did not immediately see that they were standing in a hiding place just inside the entrance of the cave.

    ut, post sōlem, umbrās intrantibus caeca sint omnia: substantive clause of result (consecutive clause), which can function as a predicate nominative after mōs est and similar expressions (AG 571). caeca < caecus -a -um, “dark” (LS II).

    furciferī < furcifer -erī m., “scoundrels,” masc. pl. vocative. As a prelude to crucifixion a condemned slave or bandit was bound to a large Y-shaped wooden apparatus (the furca). He was then made to carry this around the neighborhood, earning him the nickname furcifer, “fork-carrier.” This word was a common insult in Roman comedy, sometimes translated "gallows-bird." The language here is reminiscent of the colloquial Latin of Plautus.

    9.7

    leaenam invāsisse hominem ... cruentum intrō trahere < leaena -ae f., “lioness”; acc. + inf. in indirect statement; hominem is the direct object of invassisse; cruentum (hominem) is the direct object of trahere.

    gutture suffōcātō: < suffōcō (1), “to choke, strangle”; ablative absolute. It is hard to believe that a lioness would actually strangle someone, and the fact that there was blood (cruentum) suggests that we should not take suffōcātō too literally.

    intrō trahere < intrō, adv. “inside”; here it has to mean “further inside.”

    quid ... terrōris ... quid gaudiī: partitive genitives.

    nostrum: masc. sing. acc. of noster nostra nostrum

    dominō nesciente: ablative absolute

    9.8

    Quī cum vidēret illum morās facere = cum (dominus) vidēret illum (famulum) morās facere. vidēret: “perceived, appreciated” (OLD videō 14).

    duōs … resistere: acc. + inf. in indirect statement.

    sed et: “and” (Gray).

    sīcut: “inasmuch as, since” (LS II.A)

    servī increpāns socordiam = increpāns socordiam servī; < increpō (1), “to utter noisy or violent reproaches at, chide, reprove” (OLD 4); < socordia -ae f., “sluggishness, inaction.”

    prius ... quam ... penetraret = ā ferā tentus est priusquam ad nostrās latebrās penetraret. priusquam (“before”) can be written as two words; with an imperfect subjunctive it means that the action was anticipated or intended, rather than completed (AG 550.b). ā ferā = ā leaenā. tentus est > teneō = “seize” (LS A.1).

    9.9

    Quis ... crēderet: potential subjunctive, used when there is a suggestion that the action is merely a possibility (AG 447.3).

    ut ... bēstia … dīmicāret: substantive clause of result (consecutive clause), in apposition with hoc (AG 570); in CL we would would expect quod ... bēstia dīmicāret (Gray).

    Sublātō ... illō metū: ablative absolute. Sublātō > tollo, tollere, sustuli, sublatum: "take away," "remove" (LS II).

    similis ante oculōs nostrōs versābātur interitus = similis interitus versābātur ante oculōs nostrōs. < interitus -ūs m., “violent or untimely death.” versābātur is passive un middle sense, "was constantly present" (see OLD s.v. verso 11.b)  Hyperbaton thrown emphasis on similis and interitus.

    nisi quod: “save that,” “except for the fact that” (LS nisi I.C.5)

    tūtius fuerat: “it would have been a safer thing.” The statement is an ironical comment from Malchus on the cruelty with which slave masters treat runaways. Fuerat is a vivid pluperfect indicative instead of the expected pluperferct subjunctive, in a disguised contrary to fact conditional where the protasis is stated as an infinitive (AG 521.a note).

    leōnis rabiem < rabiēs -ēī f., “ferocity.”

    9.10

    intrīnsecus: “on the inside, internally” (adv.)

    nē movēre quidem: < nē ... quidem “not even”; the two words emphasize the word or words they surround (LS I.2.a).

    praestōlābāmur < praestōlor (1), “to wait for, await.”

    prō:“by way of, as” + abl.

    saeptī: “enveloped, encircled” (in protection, OLD saepio 6.a).

    9.11

    vīsam sē esse sentiēns = sentiēns sē (= leaenam) vīsam esse, acc. + inf. in indirect statement.

    mordicus: “with the teeth” (adv.)

    catulum < catulus -ī m., “cub”

    mātūtīna: “at dawn,” adverbial (DMLBS matutinus 6)

    hospitium: “the lodgings,” as if the lion were a fellow hotel guest (see DMLBS hospitium 2–4)

    illīus nōbīs semper figūrābāmus occursum = semper figūrābāmus nōbīs occursum illīus (leanae). < figūrō (1), “to form a mental image of, imagine, picture” (LS II.B.1); < occursus -ūs m., “meeting.”

    core vocabulary

    aspectus aspectūs m.: possibility of seeing, sight

    camēlus -ī m./f.: a camel

    īnsideō -ēre -sēdī -sessus: to sit or be seated on; w. dat., rest, recline upon; settle on; w. acc., occupy, hold (> in and sedeo)

    concitē: quickly

    praesāgus -a -um: divining, prophetic; foreboding, w. gen. (> praesagio)

    dominus dominī m.: master, lord

    meditor meditārī meditātus sum: to think, prepare to; think out; rehearse, practice

    nigrēscō -ere -uī: to become or turn black; grow dark (> niger)

    arēna (harēna) -ae f.: sand, desert, beach; (combat) arena

    prōdeō prōdīre prōdiī prōditum: to go, come forth, advance; appear; spring up

    specus -ūs m./f.: a cave, cavern; cavity, deep wound

    penetrō penetrāre penetrāvī penetrātus: to go into, penetrate

    venēnātus -a -um: filled with poison, envenomed, poisonous

    animālis -e: consisting of air, aerial; animate, living

    vīpera -ae f.: a viper, adder, snake, serpent

    rēgulus -ī m.: a kind of poisonous or noxious serpent, a basilisk

    scorpiō -ōnis or scorpius (scorpios) -ī m.: scorpion; dart throwing engine; torture instrument

    hūiusmodī: of this sort

    fervor -ōris m.: fury (> ferveo)

    dēclīnō dēclīnāre dēclīnāvī dēclīnātus: to turn down or away; of the eyes, to close in sleep; (intrans.) turn aside (to), be inclined (towards)

    spēlunca spēluncae f.: cave

    introitus -ūs m.: an entering

    sinister -a -um: left, improper,adverse; inauspicious

    fovea -ae f.: a small pit; hiding place

    nēquāquam: by no means

    prōgredior prōgredī prōgressus sum: to go, come forth, go forward, march forward; advance, proceed, make progress

    incurrō -ere -currī (-cucurrī) -cursus: to run into or against; rush upon, charge

    reputō reputāre reputāvī reputātus: to think, consider

    dēspiciō -ere -spēxī -spectum: to look down upon, despise

    peccātor -ōris m.: a transgressor, sinner

    terror terrōris m.: fear, terror

    conserva -ae f. or conservus -ī m.: fellow-slave

    index indicis m.: informer, witness; book title, book label

    latebra -ae f.: hiding place, concealment

    conlābor -lāpsus sum: to slip or fall together or completely; give way, fail; sink down; swoon, faint; fall

    balbūtiō balbūtīre: to lisp, stammer, stutter

    clāmō clāmāre clāmāvī clāmātus: to proclaim, declare; cry/shout out; shout/call name of; accompany with shouts

    mūttiō mūttīre: to mutter, mumble, speak in a low tone

    prōtrahō -ere -trāxī -trāctus: to draw, drag, bring forth

    ēvāginō -āre: unsheath, draw from a scabbard (late Latin)

    adventus adventūs m.: arrival, approach; visit, appearance, advent; ripening; invasion, incursion

    intereā: meanwhile

    fermē: nearly, almost, about; (with negatives) hardly ever

    cubitum -ī n.: the elbow; an elbow-length, cubit (about 1.5 feet)

    intrōgredior -gressus sum: to go within; enter (> intro and gradior)

    famulus -a -um: pertaining to the house; (subst.) a house servant or slave; manservant; attendant

    occultum -ī n.: secrecy; ex occulto, from a place of concealment, secret place

    istīusmodī: of that kind, such

    antrum -ī n.: a cave, cavern, grotto

    furcifer furciferī m. or furcifera -ae f.: a yoke-bearer, gallows-bird, hang-dog, rascal

    leaena -ae f.: lioness

    invādō invādere invāsī invāsum: to go in, attack, invade

    guttur -uris n.: windpipe, throat

    suffōcō -āre -āvī -ātus: to throttle, choke, stifle, strangle, suffocate

    cruentus -a -um: bloody, blood-stained; covered with blood

    intrō: within, in; to the inside, indoors

    Iēsūs -ū m.: Jesus (Christ)

    suspicor suspicārī suspicātus sum: to mistrust, suspect; suppose

    resistō resistere restitī: to pause; continue; resist, oppose; reply; withstand, stand (+ dat.); make a stand

    increpō increpāre increpavī/increpuī increpatus/increpitus: complain loudly about, inveigh against, upbraid, reprove

    sōcordia -ae f.: negligence, laziness

    priusquam or prius quam: before; until; sooner than

    fera ferae f.: wild animal

    bestia -ae f.: beast, creature

    dīmicō dīmicāre dīmicāvī dīmicātus: to struggle, fight

    versō versāre versāvī versātus: to keep turning/going round, spin, whirl; turn over and over; stir; maneuver

    interitus interitūs m.: death (esp. a violent or untimely death)

    leō leōnis m.: lion

    rabiēs -em -ē f.: madness, frenzy, fury, fierceness; of inanimate things

    paveō -ēre -uī: to tremble, fear

    intrīnsecus: on the inside, inwardly

    nē…quidem: not even

    praestōlor praesōlārī praestōlātus: to wait for

    ēventum -ī n.: an occurrence, chance, event, result

    pudīcitia -ae f.: chastity, modesty, virtue

    cōnscientia cōnscientiae f.: awareness, conscience

    saepiō -īre saepsī saeptus: to fence in; inclose, surround; envelop (> saepes, inclosure)

    īnsidiae īnsidiārum f. pl.: ambush, plot, treachery

    apprehendō apprehendere apprehendī apprehēnsum: to seize, take hold of

    mordicus: by biting, with bites, with the teeth

    catulus -ī m.: a young dog; a whelp, the young of wild animals; a cub, whelp

    mātūtīnus -a -um: in the morning, early, morning

    efferō efferre extulī ēlātus: to carry out; bring out; carry out for burial; raise; transport (emotionally)

    hospitium hospiti(ī) n.: hospitality; lodgings, inn

    crēdulus -a -um: that easily believes, credulous, easy of belief, confiding, unsuspecting

    ērumpō ērumpere ērūpī ēruptus: to break out, burst out

    figūrō figūrāre: to form, fashion, shape; imagine

    occursus -ūs m.: a meeting, falling in with

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