Lucretius III 262-287

262: inter is here the adverb, which should be taken closely with cursant (i.e., they "fly about"). principiorum motibus locative abl., or perhaps manner: "in the motions of the fundamental atoms" (i.e., in the very way in which we would expect such basic particles to move).

263: ut introduces a clause of result whose main verb is possit, of which the complements are secernier (alt. form of the pres. pss. inf. < secerno (3)) and fieri.

264: divisa is nom. sg. fem., referring to potestas. fieri here "be realized." spatio "in space" or "by [empty] space.”

265: multae vis is an unusual form of the nominative plural, here as subject of extant and unius corporis is possessive genitive. The point is of course that the power of the anima is derived from the unified work of its four parts.

266: quod genus ("in which way" or "just as") is a favorite phrase of L's, an extension of the accusative of respect, or adverbial accusative (~ "in respect to which character"). Here, quod genus acts as a correlative to sic in line 268. V. line 276 for another example of this construction.

270: mobila illa vis this is the fourth element in the subject, which has been delayed until after creant unam naturam for emphasis.

271: dividit "distribute" or "portion out" (the sense of divido listed at L&S I. A. 2) ab se "from itself" in the sense of "from its own supply.” The fourth unnamed element does not separate or divide the initum motus from itself (as if they had once been a unity), but rather transfers it outward from itself into other three elements. ollis = illis dat. of advantage or indirect object.

273: haec natura is, again, the fourth element. This section suggests that the fourth element is deeply hidden in the body. Some readers feel that this means that it is physically further inside than the other elements, but it seems more likely that Lucr.is speaking of its being more difficult to find than any other element. v. comments on 323 for further discussion of various uses of (haec) natura in this complex section.

274: magis modifies infra. hac abl. of comparison. quicquam subj. of est.

275: est ... proporro "and it [haec natura] is furthermore ...". Thus, the subject of est is still haec natura in l. 273, and anima ... animae ... totius ipsa is subjective predicative complement "the very anima of the entire anima.”

276: quod genus ... sic (l. 279) "just as .... so.”

277: est can be read as existential, or part of a periphrastic perfect passive with mixta.

284: aliud ... subsit . . . emineat that is "one thing lies below and [another thing] rises up.” This is a compressed form of the common expression in which forms of alius in the same case mark two successive distributive clauses to indicate "one...another" or "some ... others" (L&S II. A; AG 315. a.). By extension, the logic of this syntax seems to imply the more complex idea that "one thing [at one time] lies below and [at another time] rises up.”

285: videatur subjunctive in a clause of result.

286: ni = ne. The negative clause of purpose following necessest and the substantive clause of result (AG 569. 2) expresses the somewhat complex logic of "one must believe [a particular idea] lest that person erroneously conclude [another obviously wrong idea].”