[1.11.2] Quōmodo nunc mē hōc locō geram? quid vōcem? imāginēs sōlis? historicī sōlēs vocant et bīnōs ternōsque appāruisse memoriae trādunt; Graecī παρήλια appellant, quia in propinquō ferē ā sōle vīsuntur aut quia accēdunt ad aliquam similitūdinem sōlis. nōn enim tōtum imitantur sed magnitūdinem eius figūramque. cēterum nihil habent ārdōris, hebetēs et languidī. hīs quod nōmen impōnimus? an faciō quod Vergilius? quī dubitāvit dē nomine, deinde id dē quō dubitāverat posuit:
et quō tē nomine dicam,
Rhaētica? nec cellīs ideō contende Falernīs.
[1.11.3] nihil ergō prohibet illās parhēlia vocārī. sunt autem imāginēs sōlis in nūbe vīcīnā et spissā in modum speculī. quīdam parhelion ita dēfīniunt: nūbēs rotunda et splendida similisque sōlī. sequitur enim illum nec umquam longius relinquitur quam fuit cum appāruit. num quis nostrum mīrātur sī sōlis effigiem in aliquō fonte aut placidō lacū vīdit? nōn, ut putō. atquī tam in sublīmī faciēs eius quam inter nōs potest reddī, sī modo idōnea est māteria quae reddat.
[1.12.1] Quotiēns dēfectiōnem sōlis volumus dēprehendere, pōnimus pēlvēs quās aut oleō aut pice implēmus, quia pinguis ūmor minus facile turbātur et ideō quās recipit imāginēs servat. appārēre autem imāginēs nōn possunt nisi in liquidō et inmōtō. tunc solēmus notāre quemadmodum sōlī lūna sē oppōnat et illum tantō maiōrem subiectō corpore abscondat, modo ex parte, sī ita competît ut in latus eius incurreret, modo tōtum. haec dīcitur perfecta dēfectiō, quae stēllās quoque ostendit et intercipit lūcem, tunc scīlicet cum uterque orbis sub eōdem lībrāmentō stetit. [1.12.2] quemadmodum ergō utriusque imāgō in terrīs aspicī potest, ita in āëre, cum sīc coāctus āër et limpidus cōnstitit ut faciem sōlis acciperet. quam et aliae nūbēs accipiunt, sed trānsmittunt sī aut mōbilēs sunt aut rārae aut sordidae: mōbilēs enim spargunt illam, rārae ēmittunt, sordidae turpēsque nōn sentiunt, sīcut apud nōs imāginem maculōsa nōn reddunt.
[1.13.1] Solent et bīna fierī parhēlia et plura eādem ratiōne. quid enim impedit quōminus tot sint quot nūbēs fuērunt aptae ad exhibendam sōlis effigiem? quīdam in illā sententiā sunt, quotiēns duo simulācra tālia existunt, ut iūdicent in illīs alteram sōlis imāginem esse, alteram imāginis. nam apud nōs quoque cum plūra specula disposita sunt ita ut alterī sit cōnspectus alterīus, omnia implentur, et ūna imāgō ā vērō est, cēterae imāginum effigiēs sunt. nihil enim refert quid sit quod speculō ostendātur: quidquid videt, reddit. ita illīc quoque in sublīmī, sī sīc nūbēs fors aliqua disposuit ut inter sē cōnspiciant, altera nūbēs sōlis imāginem, altera imāginis reddit. [1.13.2] dēbent autem hae nūbēs quae hoc praestant dēnsae esse, lēves, splendidae, plānae, †nātūrae sōlis†. ob hoc omnia eiusmodī simulācra candida sunt et similia lūnāribus circulīs, quia ex <re>
notes
Selection 11 (1.11.2-14.6): Parhelia and other fires in the sky.
In Book 1 Seneca offers a critical survey of various atmospheric fires, including rainbows, parhelia (“sun dogs” or “false suns” that flank the sun if certain atmospheric conditions are present), and “falling stars” of various types. It begins with an preface (Selection 10) stressing how the work of physics leads to theological understanding and encourages an ethically beneficial “view from above.” It concludes with the notorious story of Hostius Quadra, as well as an account about the proper use of mirrors (Selection 12). The present selection discusses parhelia and “falling stars,” and provides a good example of Seneca’s critical doxography.
[1.11.2] How should I refer to the phenomenon of parhelia?
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Seneca begins by examining the terminology of Latin historians for parhelia, which he rejects, then settles on a transliteration of the Greek term. The question of Latin or Greek terminology and the paucity of specific Latin terms for scientific phenomena hearkens back to Lucretius (egestam linguae, 1.139; cf. 1.832) and Cicero (hac inopi lingua, Fin. 3.51) and is addressed elsewhere in the NQ (e.g., 5.16.3–6 which gives the Greek and Latin names of various winds).
me … geram: “express myself,” deliberative subjunctive (AG 444).
loco: “section” of the discussion
quid vocem: “what shall I call (them)?” Deliberative subjunctive > voco -āre.
historici: Roman historians often noted portents and prodigies, including multiple suns, e.g., Livy 28.11 and 41.21.12.
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Seneca attacks historians throughout the NQ, often in rather humorous ways; e.g. in 7.16.1: “it doesn’t take great effort to remove prestige from Ephorus: he is a historian” (nec magna molitione detrahenda est auctoritas Ephoro: historicus est). For more on historians in the NQ, see Master 2015.
memoriae tradunt: “pass down to memory,” “record,” a common idiom describing the work of historians.
Graeci παρήλια appellant: the Greek term (‘parēlia’) comes from παρά + ἥλιος (‘para’ + ‘ēlios’) meaning, literally, “on either side of the sun,” as Seneca will explain in the quia clause.
ceterum: “moreover”
hebetes et languidi: at this point Seneca is still thinking of parhelia as suns (soles), hence the masculine plural forms of these adjectives.
an facio: “or should I do?” In questions that are truly deliberative, the indicative is almost as common as the subjunctive (Woodcock, New Latin Syntax p. 130).
quod Vergilius: supply facit.
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By quoting Vergil here, Seneca implies that Vergil may be a more important predecessor than the historians. Seneca substitutes nomine for Vergil’s carmine to make Vergil’s line speak to his line of questioning. After this quotation, he is able to write “therefore” (ergo) to show that Vergil endorses his methodology, i.e. to transliterate the Greek. Quotations of Vergil appear often in Seneca’s prose, while intertexts to Vergil pepper Seneca’s tragedies. For a recent appraisal of Seneca’s appreciation and understanding of Vergil, see Papaioannou (2020).
dubitavit: “expressed uncertainty,” as Seneca expresses uncertainty about what to call the phenomenon under discussion.
id: nomen
et quo … Falernis: Vergil, Georgics 2.95–96, on wine from R(h)aetia, an area north of the Po river.
Rhaetica: supply vina
contende: “vie with” + dat. (LS contendo II.B.2)
cellis: “cellars,” i.e., “vintages” by metonymy.
[1.11.3] Parhelia are clouds that act as mirrors reflecting the light of the sun.
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Mirrors and clouds acting as reflective surfaces are discussed often in Book 1. The Book will conclude with a diatribe against the luxurious mirrors of the rich (see Selection 12). According to Seneca, a mirror like this first-century AD example in the Metropolitan Museum would be considered cheap compared the bejeweled monstrosities of the wealthy (1.17.8–10).
illas: imagines
in modum speculi: “in the manner of a mirror”
soli: “to the sun,” dative after similis (AG 407). The parhalia never moves further away from the sun after its first appearance.
num quis: “Does anybody...?” expecting a negative answer; quis = aliquis.
atqui: introduces a fresh step in the reasoning (AG 324). Order: atquī faciēs eius potest reddī tam in sublīmī quam inter nōs.
reddi: “be reflected” (LS reddo II.5)
tam … quam: “just as”
in sublimi: “on high,” “in the atmosphere”
quae reddat: relative clause of purpose (AG 531), as is common after idoneus.
[1.12.1] The same principle of reflection operates when we observe an eclipse in a bowl of oil or pitch.
defectionem: “eclipse” (LS defectio B.II.b)
deprehendere: “to observe”
pice: a more or less viscous liquid made by cooking the resin from various kinds of trees, pitch was used as a sealant and as a flammable material in torches. This is the only reference in extant Latin to its use as a reflective medium.
quemadmodum … opponat … abscondat: indirect questions
tanto maiorem: “though it is so much larger” (ablative of degree of difference, AG 414).
modo … modo: “sometimes … sometimes”
si ita competît ut: “if it so happens that” (impersonal, LS competo II.B.1). The perfect tense in the protasis of a present general condition is normal ( AG 518.b).
haec dicitur perfecta defectio: this may be the case, but this is the only time the phrase perfecta defectio appears in extant Latin for our "total eclipse of the sun".
intercipit lucem: “shuts out daylight”
sub eodem libramento: “in the same straight line” (LS libramentum II.C), i.e., “perfectly aligned.” He writes something similar about eclipses at Ben. 5.6.4: “if the moon in the same straight line moves between the sun and earth” (si recto libramento inter solem terrasque media successit).
[1.12.2] Under certain conditions clouds reflect the sun’s light.
quemadmodum … ita: “just as… so… ”
sic … constitit ut … acciperet: result clause (AG 537)
coactus: “concentrated” (> cogo -ere) as opposed to rarae, below.
limpidus: “clear,” as opposed to sordidae, below.
constitit: “stands still,” as opposed to mobiles, below.
maculosa: “dirty things,” such as metal mirrors or dishes.
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See Horace Epist. 1.5.24 for polished dishes that can act as mirrors. The only other time Seneca uses this adjective is likewise to discuss reflection, the reflection of the soul of the angry man in de Ira (Ira. 2.36.1).
[1.13.1] If there can be one parhelion, there can also be two or more if similar clouds reflect the original reflection, like a hall of mirrors in the atmosphere
While to a certain degree the subject matter will dictate a repetition of words, Seneca is also having fun with “reflecting” language.
eadem ratione: “in the same way” (AG 412)
quid enim impedit quominus: “for what gets in the way so as to prevent,” i.e. “what is there to prevent?” Verbs of hindering take quominus (= ut eo minus) and the subjunctive (AG 558).
tot … quot: “as many… as”
ad exhibendam solis effigiem: ad + gerundive for purpose (AG 506). exhibendam agrees with effigiem.
in illa sententia sunt: “have the following opinion,” which is given by the ut result clause.
in illis: “among these”
alteram ... alteram: “one ... the other.” With the second, supply imaginem esse.
disposita sunt ita ut: introducing a result clause (AG 537).
alteri sit conspectus alterius: “one has a view of the other.” alteri is dative of possession with the verb “to be” (AG 373).
nihil enim refert quid sit: “for it makes no difference what it is” (LS refert II). quid sit is an indirect question (AG 574).
ita … sic: “just as … so.” The sic also triggers the upcoming result clause (ut … conspiciant).
[1.13.2] Only certain kinds of clouds in certain positions can produce these images.
debent ... hae nubes quae hoc praestant densae esse, leves: order: hae nūbēs quae hoc praestant dēbent esse dēnsae, leves .... The antecedent of hoc would be a single parhelion.
lēvēs: “smooth” > lēvis, not levis (“light”)
†naturae solis†: the reading of the manuscripts is nonsensical here and the editor does not trust various emendations. Hine suggests either deleting these words as a marginal gloss that has intruded on the text, or else emending to vicinae soli (“near the sun”).
ob hoc: “on account of this”
similia lunaribus circulis: “similar to moon-shaped discs”
ex <re>percussu: “from the reflection.” The textual emendation <re> helps to clarify that it is the reflection that causes these to shine.
oblique accepto sole: “when they are struck obliquely by the sun,” ablative absolute.
si … fuerit … dissipatur: a mixed condition with future more vivid protasis and present general apodosis (AG 516). Clouds too close to the sun are dispersed by the sun’s rays.
quia apud nos quoque specula: Seneca assumes that what happens on earth is replicated in the atmosphere. These sorts of parallels from personal experience are common in ancient scientific accounts.
acies nostra: “our vision.” The Stoics believed vision involved a rays moving from our eyes to an external object. For more on Stoic ideas about optics (and Book 1 of the NQ) see the illuminating discussion in Bartsch 2006: 58–66, 103–114.
[1.13.3] Parhelia foretell rain.
historica lingua: ablative after utar (AG 410). It is interesting that Seneca switches back to the language used by historians here (see above, 1.11.2). Possibly it signals a desire for ring-composition in this section.
a parte austri: “in the southern part of the sky.” The southern winds were notorious for their rain, see Ovid Met. 1.66: pluvio … austro, which Seneca quotes at NQ 5.16.1.
si Arato credimus: Aratus (3rd c. BCE) was the author of a Greek hexameter poem on astronomy, Phaenomena (“Visible Signs”). His work was widely read in Rome, and there are several preserved Latin translations, one by Cicero, and another by the famous general Germanicus. Aratus’ discusion of parhelia as predictors of rain is at lines 880–889.
[1.14.1] Other glowing lights in the sky: putei, pithiae, and chasmata.
tempus est: “it is time” + infin. (AG 504 note 2).
ardores: “glowing lights,” caused by lightning, meteors, etc.
volubiles: “whirling past” (Corcoran)
putei: the various atmospheric fires resemble familiar shapes from everyday life. In this case, the “wells” have a circular “crown” (the mouth of the well) and a downward, circular “cave” of light.
effosae … specu: dative after similis. specus is variable in gender (AG 106). -ū is a common alternate ending for the dative of the fourth declension.
in orbem: “in a circular shape.”
pithiae: pithias -ae f. (πίθιας) is a celestial phenomenon resembling a fiery barrel or storage jar, Greek πίθος, Latin dolium. Preserved Roman dolia hold as much as 2,463 litres. See Pliny, N.H. 2.90: pitheus doliorum cernitur figura.
vel fertur vel uno loco flagrat: the pithias can either move or be stationary.
chasmata: “chasms,” a kind of comet known to Aristotle, who says they “get their appearance of depth from light breaking out of a dark blue or black mass of air” (Meteorologica Book 1, Part 5, 342a).
dehiscens in abdito: “gaping in hiding,” a description no clearer than that of Aristotle.
[1.14.2] The colors of these phenomena are variable.
ruboris acerrimi: genitive of quality (AG 345). Acerrimus is the superlative form of the adjective acer (see AG 125 for superlatives in –rimus).
quidam micantes: Seneca changes the construction and starts to use nominative forms of adjectives here and with fulvi. This is less about the color than the way the light shines.
‘flammarum longos … tractus’: Vergil, Georgics 1.367, discussing “falling stars” as weather signs. Seneca quotes the same line at NQ 7.20.1, where similar phenomena are examined.
[1.14.3] Falling stars move so quickly that we can only discern their trails and not the objects themselves.
hae velut stellae: “these so-called stars.” Seneca sees them not as stars but as things produced in various ways in the atmosphere. See below, 1.14.5.
cum … discernat: cum causal clause (AG 549). Seneca admits to the fallibility of the senses (especially, in this book, sight). In so doing he implicitly critiques Epicurean epistemology, which maintained that the senses are always reliable.
tanta est ... ut dispiciantur … prendatur: result clauses (AG 537). prendatur > pre(he)ndo -ere, “take in visually,” “get sight of” (OLD prehendo 7.a).
summa: “the movement as a whole” (LS summa II.C.1)
magis qua ierit stella quam qua eat: magis … quam (AG 407) with qua introducing indirect questions (ierit, eat are subjunctive, following the sequence of tenses, AG 575).
[1.14.4] Lightning likewise appears as a track because it moves faster than our eyes can follow.
These shooting stars are a lot like lightning, whose path we cannot trace because of its speed. Lightning will be the subject of the following book of NQ.
igne continuo: ablative of means
et unde exiluerit et quō pervēnerit: “where it started and where it ended,” indirect questions. exiliuerit pf. subj. > ex(s)ilio -ilīre -iluī, “leap out,” “start out.” See below, prosiliunt (1.14.5), which has much the same meaning.
oculis nostris occurrit universum: “meets our eyes as a unity” (see OLD universus 4.b, “undivided”). occurro takes the dative.
per quod deiectus est: “(the space) through which it fell,” subject of occurrit.
extenti corporis: genitive of quality (AG 345). The thin expression of the lightning is not its true form, but merely marking the path of its flight. The traditional way a lightning bolt was viewed can be seen in Greek and Roman sculpture and in coins minted at Elis.
per omne: supply spatium.
neque ... in impetum valent: “are too weak for the impact.” Lightning packs quite a punch, and Seneca believes that thin and extenuated forces could not produce such damage.
[1.14.5] “Falling stars” are produced by friction, or involve earthly materals falling in the atmosphere.
prosiliunt: “come suddenly into being,” like exiliunt, 1.14.4.
adtritu aëris ignis incensus … impellitur: a two-part process: first the flame breaks out through friction, then it is moved by wind (both adtritu and vento are ablative of means).
oportunitate: “favorable quality”
terrena: “earthly materials.” Comets are in fact composed of dust, rock, and frozen gases.
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It might come as a surprise that that there is earthly material in the atmosphere, but Seneca could have inferred this from the fact that meteorites are found on the ground. One fell at Aegospotami in 467 BCE and was a local attraction for centuries afterwards. The philosopher Anaxagoras had supposedly predicted the event. The existence of “earthly” materials in space also explains why these fires fall through the atmosphere.
pabulum suum subsequens: “following its own type of fuel.” The fuel for such fires helps to explain their course, like the flame at the end of a long fuse.
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At NQ 7.21.2 Seneca says, discussing the path of comets, “where a vein of fuel leads it, there it moves, and it does not advance as a star but is fed as a fire” (qua illum vena pabuli sui duxit, illa repit nec ut stella procedit sed ut ignis pascitur). Lucretius believed that stars, as fires, must have fuel. Discussing explanations of why the stars move, he suggests as one possibility that “they can creep (serpere) along on their own, in whatever direction their food (cibus) calls and summons them as they go” (Lucretius, On the Nature of Things 5.523–25).
ideoque: “and for that reason,” because it is falling (defluit)
[1.14.6] The colors of such celestial fires differ according to the fuel and the intensity of the fire; they foretell windy weather.
refert: “it matters,” introducing an indirect question.
quantum et quam vehemens: supply est: “how great and how intense (is).”
quo incenditur: “(the force) by which it is set aflame.” The vague antecedent is omitted, as usual (AG 307.c).
eiusmodi lapsus: “falling lights of this type,” subject of significant.
quidem: “and what is more,” adding a reinforcement
ab eā parte:“from the same direction” (LS pars I.13). Seneca divides the winds and sky into quadrants at 5.16.1–5.17.4. For a schema, see this wind rose.
vocabulary
historicus -i m: a historian
bīnī –ae –a: two at a time, in pairs, double
ternī –ae –a: three at a time, three each
Graecus (Grāius) –a –um: Greek, of Greece
παρήλιον = parhēlion (parēlion –iī n.: mock sun, sun dog
propinquus –a –um: near, neighboring
vīsō vīsere vīsī vīsus: to look at
similitūdō similitūdinis f.: likeness
imitor imitārī imitātus sum: to imitate, copy, mimic
figūra figūrae f.: form, shape
ārdor ārdōris m.: flame, fire, brightness
hebetō hebetāre hebetāvī hebetātus: blunt, deaden, make faint/dim
languidus –a –um: languid
Vergilius (Virgilius) –iī m.: Vergil
Rhaeticus –a –um: of the Rhaeti, a mountain people north of the Po and south of Danube
cella cellae f.: storeroom, wine cellar, larder
contendō contendere contendī contentus: to compete with, vie with + dat.
Falernum –ī n.: Falernian, a kind of wine
παρήλιον = parhēlion (parēlion –iī n.: mock sun, sun dog 1.11.3
nūbēs nūbis f.: cloud, mist
spissus –a –um: thick, dense
speculum –ī n.: mirror
παρήλιον = parhēlion (parēlion –iī n.: mock sun, sun dog
dēfīniō dēfīnīre dēfīnīvī/dēfīniī dēfīnītus: to define, limit, determine, settle, assert
nūbēs nūbis f.: cloud, mist
rotundus –a –um: round, circular, spherical
splendidus –a –um: shining, clear, brilliant, splendid
quis quid (after sī nisī ne or num): anyone/thing, someone/thing
effigiēs –eī or effigia –ae f.: copy, image, likeness, ghost
placidus –a –um: calm, quiet
lacus lacūs m.: lake, pond, reservoir
atquī or atquīn: nevertheless; indeed
sublīmis sublīme: elevated, lofty, heroic, noble
idōneus –a –um: suitable, fit, appropriate
dēfectiō dēfectiōnis f.: eclipse 1.12.1
dēprehendō dēprehendere dēprehendī dēprehensus: to apprehend, detect, indicate.
pēlvis –is f.: shallow bowl, basin
oleum –ī n.: oil
pic picis f.: pitch, aviscous liquid made by cooking the resin from various kinds of trees
pinguis pingue: thick
ūmor –oris m.: moisture, liquid
liquidus –a –um: clear, liquid, melodious
immōtus –a –um: unmoved, unchanged, unrelenting
notō notāre notāvī notātus: to mark, sign, censure
oppōnō oppōnere opposuī oppositum: to place opposite, oppose
tantō: by so much
subiciō subicere subiēcī subiectus: to throw under, put up for auction
abscondō abscondere abscondī / abscondidī absconditus / absconsus: to hide, conceal, bury, engulf
competō –petere –petīvī or –petiī –petītum: to meet, coincide, agree, happen at the same time
incurrō –ere –currī (–cucurrī) –cursus: attack, run into
perficiō perficere perfēcī perfectus: to accomplish, perfect
dēfectiō dēfectiōnis f.: eclipse
intercipiō –ere –cēpī –ceptus: cut off, intercept, steal
lībrāmentum –ī n.: straight line
limpidus –a –um: clear 1.12.2
nūbēs nūbis f.: cloud, mist
trānsmittō –ere –mīsī –missus: go across, go through
mōbilis –e: movable, loose
sordidus –a –um: dirty, filthy, shabby
mōbilis –e: movable, loose
ēmittō ēmittere ēmīsī ēmīssus: let go, send out, cast, expel
sordidus –a –um: dirty, filthy, shabby
maculōsus –a –um: spotted, dirty
bīnī –ae –a: two at a time, in pairs, double 1.13.1
παρήλιον = parhēlion (parēlion –iī n.: mock sun, sun dog
impediō impedīre impedīvī/impediī impedītus: to impede, hinder, prevent
quōminus or quō minus: that not, from
quot: how many , as many as (indeclinable)
nūbēs nūbis f.: cloud, mist
exhibeō exhibēre exhibuī exhibitum : to present, furnish, exhibit, produce
effigiēs –eī or effigia –ae f.: copy, image, likeness, ghost
simulācrum simulācrī n.: image, likeness, form
exsistō –sistere –stitī: to emerge, appear, be visible, be
speculum –ī n.: mirror
dispōnō dispōnere dispōsuī dispōsitus: distribute, arrange, assign
cōnspectus conspectūs m.: sight, view, aspect, look
effigiēs –eī or effigia –ae f.: copy, image, likeness, ghost
speculum –ī n.: mirror
illic: in that place, there
sublīmis sublīme: elevated lofty heroic noble
nūbēs nūbis f.: cloud, mist
dispōnō dispōnere dispōsuī dispōsitus: distribute, arrange, assign
cōnspiciō cōnspicere cōnspexī cōnspectus: to catch sight of, behold
nūbēs nūbis f.: cloud, mist 1.13.2
dēnsus –a –um: thick, dense
splendidus –a –um: shining, clear, brilliant, splendid
plānus –a –um: level, flat
ēiusmodī: of that sort, of such a kind
simulācrum simulācrī n.: image, likeness, form
lūnāris –e : of or belonging to the moon, lunar
circulus –ī m.: orbit, circle
repercussus –ūs m.: reflection, rebound
oblīquus –a –um: slanting, indirect, covert
resplendeō –ēre: to shine brightly (with reflected light), radiate light
īnfrā: below
nūbēs nūbis f.: cloud, mist
propior propius; proximus –a –um: nearer; nearest
dissipō –āre: to scatter, disperse, dissipate
radius radi(ī) m.: ray; beam
remittō remittere remīsī remissum: to send back, yield, relax
speculum –ī n.: mirror
abdūcō abdūcere abdūxī abductus: to lead/take away
recursus –ūs m.: running back; return; retreat
pluvia –ae (sc. aqua) f.: rain, rain shower 1.13.3
historicus –a –um: of history, historical
indicium indici(ī) n.: information, evidence
utīque: certainly, by all means, at any rate
Auster –trī m.: the south wind, south
māximus –a –um: greatest; maxime: most, especially, very much
nūbēs nūbis f.: cloud, mist
ingravēscō ingravēscere: to increase, grow heavier
utrimque: from/on both sides
effigiēs –eī or effigia –ae f.: copy, image, likeness, ghost
Arātus –ī m.: 3rd c. BCE author of a Greek hexameter poem on astronomy, Phaenomena (“Visible Signs”).
percurrō –ere –cucurrī (–currī) –cursus: to run through, treat in succession, look over 1.14.1
dīversus -a -um: different, diverse, opposite, contrary, conflicting
figūra figūrae f.: form, shape
aliquā: in any direction
ēmicō ēmicāre ēmicuī ēmicātus: flash out, dart out, shoot out
aliquā: in any direction
ārdor ārdōris m.: flame, fire, brightness
nōnnumquam: sometimes
fīgō fīgere fīxī fīxus: to fix, fasten
haereō haerēre haesī haesus: cling, be attached to (+dat.); be in doubt; linger, stay
volūbilis –e: turning, spinning, whirling, revolving, moving
cōnspiciō cōnspicere cōnspexī cōnspectus: to catch sight of, behold
puteus –ī m.: well
corōna corōnae f.: garland; crown
intrōrsum or intrōrsus: inwardly, within
recessus –ūs m.: recess, corner, secret spot
effodiō –ere –fōdī –fossus: to dig out, mine, excavate
specus –ūs m./f.: cave
pithias –ae f.: a celestial phenomenon that resembles a fiery jar
vāstus –a –um: empty; vast
rotundus –a –um: round, circular, spherical
dōlium –ī n.: a large, wide-mouthed, globular jar (image of a preserved example)
flagrō flagrāre flagrāvī flagrāturus: to burn
chasma –tis n.: a chasm, fissure in earth, a celestial phenomenon that resembles this
dēsideō dēsidēre dēsēdī: to settle, subside, sink
dehīscō –ere: to gape
abditus –a –um: hidden, secluded, out of the way
ostentō ostentāre ostentāvī ostentātus: to display
rubor rubōris m.: redness 1.14.2
ēvānidus –a –um: vanishing, passing away
micō micāre micuī: to twinkle, tremble, glitter, flash
aequālis –e: equal, of the same age
ēruptiō –ōnis f.: a breaking out, bursting forth
radius radi(ī) m.: ray; beam
fulvus –a –um: reddish yellow, golden, tawny, deep yellow
albēscō –ere: to become white, whiten
trāctus –ūs m.: track, course, train
ex(s)iliō ex(s)ilīre ex(s)iluī: to spring forth 1.14.3
transvolō –āre: to fly across; fly over
porrigō porrigere porrēxī porrēctum: to stretch forth
immēnsus –a –um: immeasurable, boundless, endless, vast
celeritās celeritātis f.: quickness
discernō –ere –crēvī –crētus: to distinguish one thing from another; determine
trānsitus trānsitūs m.: passing over, transit, transition
quācumque: wherever, wheresoever
igneus –a –um: fiery
vēlōcitās –ātis f.: swiftness, speed
mōtus mōtūs m.: movement, earthquake (esp with terrae), motion
dispiciō –ere –spexī –spectus: to discern, perceive, make out
summus –a –um: highest
pre(he)ndō –ere prendī prēnsum: to lay hold of, grasp, snatch, seize, catch, apprehend, comprehend
continuus –a –um: connected 1.14.4
signō signāre signāvī signātus: to mark, stamp, coin
vīsus vīsūs m.: vision, look
tarditās –ātis f.: slowness of movement/action
subsequor sequī secūtus sum: pursue, follow closely after
mōmentum –ī n.: movement, motion, instant, moment
ex(s)iliō ex(s)ilīre ex(s)iluī: to spring forth
fulmen fulminis n.: a lightning flash, thunderbolt
cito citius (comp.) citissime (superl.): quickly
trānsiliō –īre –īvī (–iī or –uī): to leap over; pass over
ūniversus –a –um: all together, whole, entire
dēiciō dēicere dēiēcī deīctum: to throw down, eject
extendō –ere –tendī –tentus (–tēnsus): to stretch forth; stretch
extenuō –āre –āvī –ātum: to make small, reduce, rarefy.
prōsiliō –īre –uī (–īvī or –iī): to leap or spring forth 1.14.5
atterō atterere atterīvī attrītus: wear down or away; weaken
incendō incendere incendī incensus: to set fire to, burn
praeceps praecipitis: headlong
impellō impellere impulī impulsum: strike, force, compel
attrītus –ūs m.: friction, chafing
nōnnumquam: sometimes
opportūnitās –ātis f.: occasion, opportunity, suitableness
sublīmis sublīme: elevated lofty heroic noble
siccus –a –um: dry
calidus (caldus) –a –um: warm, hot
terrēnus –a –um: earthly, terrestrial, land, earth
pābulum –ī n.: food, fuel, nourishment
subsequor sequī secūtus sum: pursue, follow closely after
dēfluō –ere –fluxī –fluxus: to flow down; sail down
vēlōx –ōcis: fast
dīversus -a -um: different, diverse, opposite, contrary, conflicting 1.14.6
incendō incendere incendī incensus: to set fire to, burn
vehemēns –ntis: violent
incendō incendere incendī incensus: to set fire to, burn
significō significāre significāvī significātus: show, express, make known, indicate, portend
ēiusmodī: of that sort, of such a kind
lāpsus –ūs m.: fall, flight, slipping, slide
ērumpō ērumpere ērūpī ēruptus: burst forth, break out
