Pro Archia poeta

Symposion

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Helsingia (Finnia)
Yes, Cicero's letters aren't easy for a novice Latinist, not least because you have to be conversant with the minutiae of Cicero's personal and public life to get much out of them.

But Symposion, you're not a novice, are you? You've been learning Latin since 2011. Or is it that your university studies these past five years have not actually required you to know Latin, and you've been doing it all this time on an entirely voluntary basis?
I would say that I am at a intermediate level regarding Latin. My studies have not been at a continuous basis but more on a voluntary basis on and off. I am not a Latinist nor am I going to be a professional Latinist even when I want to master that language in away. For me is Medieval history the most essential aspect and I work with history. I want to become better at Latin because the written documents are mostly in that language.
 

Symposion

Active Member

Location:
Helsingia (Finnia)
In Pro Archia poeta 13 is written in Latin Quae si cui levior videtur...

I do not find cui in this context in a dictionary. Could someone please explain it?
 

Pacifica

grammaticissima

  • Aedilis

Location:
Belgium
Here it means "to anyone/someone".

After some words like si, nisi, num... forms of quis are often used instead of forms of aliquis.
 
 

Dantius

Homo Sapiens

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Location:
in orbe lacteo
Si quis = if anyone. So, "si cui" = if ... to anyone.

Quae (referring to "facultas" in the previous sentence), so "If this (ability) seems to anyone too light/without weight/fickle".

EDIT: Ninja'd.
 

Symposion

Active Member

Location:
Helsingia (Finnia)
Si quis = if anyone. So, "si cui" = if ... to anyone.

Quae (referring to "facultas" in the previous sentence), so "If this (ability) seems to anyone too light/without weight/fickle".

EDIT: Ninja'd.
But is levior not a comparative adjective for comparison?
 

Pacifica

grammaticissima

  • Aedilis

Location:
Belgium
But is levior not a comparative adjective for comparison?
Comparatives don't always tranlsate as "more X". Depending on context, they can also translate as "too X" or "rather X" and the like.
 

Symposion

Active Member

Location:
Helsingia (Finnia)
So you would translate levior in an excessive degree (too...) rather than in a considerable degree (rather...)?

The sentence does not make any sense. Cicero continues illa quidem certe quae summa sunt ex quo fonte hauriam sentio. Could someone please explain it for me?
 

Araneus

Umbraticus Lector

  • Civis Illustris

Location:
Norvegia
That one's a bit tricky indeed, but if you read illa as a neuter plural accusative, and object to hauriam, it will perhaps become clearer.

Otherwise try reading it punctuated like this: Quae si cui levior videtur, illa quidem certe, quae summa sunt, ex quo fonte hauriam sentio.
 

Symposion

Active Member

Location:
Helsingia (Finnia)
I'd say you should read all of it as long as you find it interesting.
I have now decided that I will read Pro Archia poeta now. I can always return back for more of De bello gallico by Caesar later on if I want to.
 

Araneus

Umbraticus Lector

  • Civis Illustris

Location:
Norvegia
I have now decided that I will read Pro Archia poeta now. I can always return back for more of De bello gallico by Caesar later on if I want to.
Great! Did you figure out the sentence you asked about above?
 

Symposion

Active Member

Location:
Helsingia (Finnia)
I have now successfully completed the Latin course on Pro Archia poeta by Cicero. This is good news as I was not that interested in the work anyway. I think there are more interesting texts to read than this one. For example De oratore or Epistulae ad Quintum fratrem would have been more fun to read. On the other hand I am interested in the political culture of the time of Cicero in Ancient Rome. Therefore the course were alright in a way. I am still more of a historian than a linguist. I also have to mention that after this course I am more interested in Caesar than Cicero. I have therefore been thinking of reading next De bello gallico from book I to VIII.
 

Araneus

Umbraticus Lector

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Location:
Norvegia
Great! I'm sure you will enjoy Caesar a lot. I'm currently reading Suetonius' book on Caesar, which is full of interesting anecdotes and facts about him. Perhaps something you too could try later.
 

Symposion

Active Member

Location:
Helsingia (Finnia)
Great! I'm sure you will enjoy Caesar a lot. I'm currently reading Suetonius' book on Caesar, which is full of interesting anecdotes and facts about him. Perhaps something you too could try later.
Suetonius biographies in De vita Caesarum is an interesting and great source to read about the early Emperors of Ancient Rome. I have it in a Swedish translation Kejsarbiografier by Ingemar Lagerström. This as Swedish is my native language. I bought it soon after it was published by Wahlström och Widstrand in Stockholm in 2001.

What publication are you reading? Your link does not function. I recommend Suetonius in two volumes. It contains the Latin text with an English translation by J. C. Rolfe. It was published by Loeb Classical Library in Cambridge in Massachusetts and London in 1979. It was originally published in 1913-1914.
 

Araneus

Umbraticus Lector

  • Civis Illustris

Location:
Norvegia
Sorry, I didn't check the link. I read it off the latin library (http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/suetonius/suet.caesar.html#56) , which is not really the best idea, due to the lack of annotation. So I have to look some things up online now and then, especially details about political matters, which Suetonius of course expects the reader to be perfectly familiar with.
 
 

Dantius

Homo Sapiens

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Location:
in orbe lacteo
I have the same edition as Symposium. Suetonius is full of cultural references (way more than Livy or Sallust) so it's helpful to have explanatory notes so you can understand the text as well as possible. But they don't overload you with unnecessary notes either.
 

Symposion

Active Member

Location:
Helsingia (Finnia)
I have the same edition as Symposium. Suetonius is full of cultural references (way more than Livy or Sallust) so it's helpful to have explanatory notes so you can understand the text as well as possible. But they don't overload you with unnecessary notes either.
You did romanize my Ancient Greek username! ;) Do which edition do you refer to? The Swedish or Latin and English edition?
 
 

Dantius

Homo Sapiens

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Location:
in orbe lacteo
You did romanize my Ancient Greek username! ;) Do which edition do you refer to? The Swedish or Latin and English edition?

I'm referring to the Latin and English Loeb edition. I don't know Swedish. Sorry for changing your username! :oops:
 
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