About Those Ships in Pliny the Younger VI.16

When my students were reading authentic Latin literature, I would encourage them, as they worked through a passage, to pay attention to references to people, places, and things, and look them up so that they would have a fuller understanding of what the author was saying. To pass over a reference was an indication of trying to just get through the work and not really engage in the passage. A good example is the passage below from Pliny the Younger's description of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius and the actions of his uncle, Pliny the Elder, to observe and record this extraordinary event. When the reader gets to the mention of liburnicam, it is too easy to say "Hmm, that must be some sort of boat," and move on. You really don't have any more understanding of it until you get further in the letter and Pliny the Elder changes his mind and orders out the quadriremes. Then you think that a liburnicam must be smaller and that a more substantial vessel is necessary. Let's take a closer look.

https://pompeiitourguide.me/2013/10/21/miseno-cape/

In 79 CE, Pliny the Elder (Gaius Plinius Secundus) was in command of the Roman fleet stationed at Misenum, the port located across the Bay of Naples from Mount Vesuvius. As the author of the Naturalis Historia, he would have been very interested in closely observing and experiencing a volcanic eruption, particularly one so close to him. His nephew, Pliny the Younger (Gaius Plinius Caecilius Secundus), writes:

Magnum propiusque noscendum ut eruditissimo viro visum. Iubet liburnicam aptari; mihi si venire una vellem facit copiam; respondi studere me malle, et forte ipse quod scriberem dederat. 8 Egrediebatur domo; accipit codicillos Rectinae Tasci imminenti periculo exterritae — nam villa eius subiacebat, nec ulla nisi navibus fuga -: ut se tanto discrimini eriperet orabat. 9 Vertit ille consilium et quod studioso animo incohaverat obit maximo. Deducit quadriremes, ascendit ipse non Rectinae modo sed multis — erat enim frequens amoenitas orae — laturus auxilium.

So here is a picture of a liburnica:

https://ferrebeekeeper.wordpress.com/tag/boat/

This is not such a small ship and certainly would have served Pliny the Elder's purposes until he changes his mind and his plan.

In English the passage above reads:

"This [the eruption] was a great and rather close thing to be examined, as it seemed to a very learned man. He [Pliny the Elder] orders the liburnica to be made ready; he gives me the opportunity whether I wanted to come with him; I responded that I preferred to study, and by chance he himself had given me something to write. He was setting out from home; he receives a message from Rectina, the wife of Tascus, frightened by the impending danger -- for her villa was lying at the foot [of the mountain], and htere was no escape execpt by ships --: she was begging him to rescue her from such great peril. He changes his plan and what he had begun with a studious mind he finishes with a very great/noble one. He launches the quadriremes, he himself climbs on board, about to bring help not only for Rectina but for many -- for the pleasantness of that coast was popular." (The translation is my own.)

And this is a picture of a quadrireme:

https://naval-encyclopedia.com/antique-ships/roman-ships

This is certainly a larger ship and much faster with its four banks of oars.

So what does this contribute to the reading of the of the passage about Pliny's intentions? It illustrates that Pliny the Elder was taking a ship probably larger than we imagined, but that the quadrireme is definitely larger and better suited to his decisions to mount a rescue mission. The pictures helps us to imagine the scene better and understand fully the plan. 

Short, Doable Latin

David Pellegrino, a retired, high school Latin teacher who lives in Upstate New York, occasionally shares on Facebook "short, doable Latin," which teachers can use with their students. Here is his post from Friday, February 24:

Cicero Basilo sal.

Tibi gratulor, mihi gaudeo; te amo, tua tueor; a te amari et, quid agas quidque agatur, certior fieri volo.

Cicero, Ad Familiares VI.15

I particularly like the passage's variety of pronouns, something students frequently need to review: tibi, mihi, te, and a te, not to mention the substantive use of the possessive adjective tua. Reading this letter also gives the opportunity to review the subjunctive use of the indirect question: quid agas quidque agatur set up by the Latin idiom certior fieri. There is a lot of Latin packed into this brief missive.

Here is my literal translation in the Latin word order:

"Cicero to Basilus greetings. To you I give thanks; for myself I rejoice; you I love, your things I watch over; by you to be loved and, what you are doing and what is being done, more certain to be made I want."

Now here is my polished translation:

"Greetings to Basilus from Cicero! Congratulations to you! I am so happy! I love you and am taking care of your personal affairs. I hope the feelings are mutual. Let me know how you're doing and what's going on."

Apparently this is the congratulatory message sent by Cicero to one Lucius Minucius Basilus, one of the conspirators who is taking refuge or has fled after the assassination of Julius Caesar. This context explains the expressions of congratulations, thanks, and affection for Basilus from Cicero, who was no fan of Caesar or his politics.

Wrapping It All Up: Translating Into Latin

At this year's American Classical League Institute in Minneapolis, I attended a session on the Cambridge Latin Course. Having taught for years from the Ecce Romani series, I was well aware of the reading approach to learning (and teaching) language, but I was very surprised to hear the speaker make the emphatic statement that the Cambridge series is not designed to teach the student to translate into Latin, only to read Latin as quickly as possible.

I can think of no better way to review all aspects of learning Latin, vocabulary, grammar, than by having the students translate into the language. To me, a parallel example would be to have a math student solve a word problem by applying all he has learned in map. Moreover, translating into Latin also allows the student to add creativity and test the effects of emphasis and logic by word choice and word order.

Translating into Latin should be handled in two different ways. The first exercise is to have the student take a set English sentence and then turning that sentence into something a Roman would understand. There is a limited range of expected vocabulary and constructions to be used and useful comparisons can be made between examples. The second exercise, and this one is more important, is to have the student generate an original sentence in Latin. The freedom of vocabulary and constructions allows the student to work at his or her own comfort level and in a way that promotes interest.

Different exercises allowing for original writing can include displaying a picture and having the student describe what is happening. This approach lends some focus as the student should limit vocabulkary choice to the subject matter of the picture. Another activity, completely wide open, is to have the student create a comic strip in Latin. Create a handout with four, six, or even eight blocks, and the have the student create whatever comes to mind. The results can be fun, amusing, and sometimes a little strange. This is also a great opportunity for artistic expression, and don't let the student fret if she thinks she cannot draw, tell her that stick figures are certainly acceptable!

The one thing to remember about translating into Latin, particularly if the student is generating something original, is the rule that simple is always best.

"... and they are eating snails."

In my brand new, right-out-of-the-package Latin II classes, I have led off early with an exercise having the students translate an English passage into Latin. The passage goes,

"Look! In the picture is a Roman girl named Cornelia. Also in the picture is another girl named Flavia. The girls are sitting under a tree and they are eating snails."

The students are not allowed to use any books, notes, etc. -- just translate the passage in Latin. They, being eager to impress and please, set off with confidence because this is too easy... until they get to the end. Most remember the passage and translate it perfectly through "Flavia." There are occasional errors in adjective-noun agreement or spelling. Believe it or not, "The girls are sitting under the tree" is a little more challenging to translate cold; and then they get to the end. Some openly question whether we have had "snail" before, others think we must have because (certainly) the teacher would never ask them to translate "snails" (without notes!) unless we've talked about it before. Some think they must have forgotten it.

I then asked for four volunteers to put their Latin passages on the board. Some wave their hands frantically, trying to get my attention, so I oblige and send them up. After they have written their works on the board, I go over the English again and THEN talk about the point of the exercise: "This year in Latin II, we are going to build upon what we have learned before. Some things are going to be very simple, because they are second nature, like 'Look! In the picture is a Roman girl named Cornelia.' Other things will need some polishing and review, like '(there) is another girl.' Some things will need to be retaught, like 'under the tree' or 'they are eating' and some things are going to be brand new, like 'snails.'" Almost right away most are relieved that their teacher really didn't expect them to know 'snail' from Latin I. Hey, good illustration there of what we are going to do in Latin!

The interesting creations for "they are eating snails"?

edent escargoti

cenant snailos

appetizent snaili

and the best,

edunt (drawing of a snail)

Mapping the New World

A colleague, who is an outstanding teacher of geography, is conducting some research and came across this map of what is now eastern North Carolina. She needed a translation of the title in the upper right-hand corner and asked if I would translate it for her. The Latin reads:

Americae pars, nunc Virginia dicta: primum ab Anglis inuenta, sumtibus Dn. Walteri Raleigh, Equestris ordinis Viri, Anno Dni. MDLXXXV regni Vero Sereniss. nostrae Reginae Elisabethae XXVII, hujus vero Historia peculiari Libro descripta est, additis etiam Indigenarum Iconibus / autore Ioanne With; sculptore Theodoro de Bry, qui et. excud.

I had to do a little digging to understand some of the abbreviations, but here is my translation:

"Part of America, now called Virginia: first discovered by the English, by the expenses of Sir Walter Raleigh, a man of the rank of knight, in the year of the Lord 1585, indeed in the 27th (year) of the rule of our fairest Queen Elizabeth, indeed in that one's (Raleigh's) own book the history was described, also with the images of the natives added / with Ioanne With (John White) the author; with Theodoro de Bry the engraver, who also printed it"

I enjoy this type of exercise because it allows me to keep my skills in practice and apply them to assist others in learning. I learned that sumptus, sumptus, m. is the Latin word for "expenses, costs". I also learned a bit about Queen Elizabeth, Sir Walter Raleigh, and the early exploration of the New World.

Translating Cicero in Word Order

I have encouraged my students this year to read and translate their Latin passages in the order in which they appear, left to right. We have endured the "Yoda-speak" and seem to be making progress. After we translate in the word order, we do, of course, go back and "English it up."

In his First Oration Against Catiline, Cicero writes in chapter 11:

Tune eum quem esse hostem comperisti, quem ducem belli futurum vides, quem expectari imperatorem in castris hostium sentis, auctorem sceleris, principem coniurationis, evocatorem servorum et civium perditorum, exire patiere, ut abs te non emissus ex urbe, sed immisus in urbem esse videatur?

When we approach this from the beginning and move from left to write, we end up saying, with appropriate inflection of our voice in English,

"Do you [something] him whom you have discovered to be an enemy, whom you[etc.], whom you [etc.], whom you know to be an author of crime, a chief of conspiracy, an inciter of slaves and of evil citizens, to leave you will allow..."

The advantages of this technique allows the student to know immediately that the speaker of the passage (in this case, the personified Republic) is asking a question of Cicero about Catiline (Tune eum). Then there are three full relative clauses and then three more relative clauses abbreviated by ellipsis, and then an infinitive and (finally!) the main verb. If a student were to hunt and peck through this sentence, she would be hopelessly lost. Indeed, after the first reading in Latin, the relative clauses would be easily identified and mentally bracketed, then leading to a easier discovery of exire patiere to complete the main sentence. The students do need, of course, a prompt that patiere is really a patieris. The student then passes to the rest of the sentence, a subordinate clause, happliy marked by the ut.

Riding Those Ponies

In this day of quick and easy answers from the internet, it is too easy for our students to give in to the expedient and avoid the honorable. I have seen students take a question and make a bee-line for Wikipedia and not really read the article but scan it and hit the print button. They will read the copy later. On top of that, they also make multiple copies and distribute them to their classmates. They too will read the copies later. I have seen Latin students (gasp!) Google a poem of Catullus, make copies, and pass them around. No problem, though, their homework is done and they can move on to more important things.

O tempora! O mores! What would Cato say? What would Cicero think? What would Quintilian do?

The answer lies in what we expect from our students. They have ready access to all the answers and this resource is not going away. We as teachers need to refocus our efforts and teach our charges how to handle and understand all these answers. What is a good answer and what is bad? Why? How can one tell the difference?

Unfortunately the machines are now the vessels of knowledge. The belief among the students are that there is no longer a need to learn and memorize, regardless of the need to spout forth these seemingly random facts on the so-called high stakes test du jour.

I tell my students that they need to learn how to think, how to analyze, and how to understand what is being said by the author we are reading. If they take the easy path and print out someone else's translation, they are, in fact, defeating the purpose for being in the class. Anyone can read off from someone else's efforts and feel satisfied... but to what end?

More thoughts later -- I think I'm just rambling here.

"Doing my Latin homework takes forever!"

A student came to see me after school recently and wanted to know if I had any suggestions for helping her complete her Latin homework assignments -- translation assignments, specifically. She lamented that it was taking her over an hour to "do" her translations and then she still didn't understand what the Latin was saying.

I asked her to tell me exactly what she did and how she did it.

If she was given an assignment of 20 lines to translate from the story (in Ecce Romani II), she said that she copied down every word (even et and sed) in a long list and them looked up every word and wrote the English meaning next to it. After this tedious process she would look over the translation and then try to make sense out of it. She said that she would then become frustrated and usually give up.

I quickly saw the problem in this approach and offered some advice:

1) The problem - She was looking up the words outside of context. By making a list and writing down the meaning (usually the first one listed), she was losing or missing the meaning as it fit with the other words.

2) The other problem - She was looking up every word. I encourage my students to trust themeselves and guess at the meaning based upon the context. If she looks up movere and discovers that it means "to move," she has used valuable time on an item she could have very well anticipated.

3) My solution - Don't write down every word, or any words, for that matter. Read the sentence to yourself (preferably outloud) and then anticipate the meaning. If you need to look up a word (or a few words), do so but choose the meaning that works in context.

She took my advice and discovered that she could shave off over half the time she typically spent on translations and had a better understanding of what the Latin actually meant.

Cheering for Compositions

Composition, the translation of English into Latin, has long been a chore for students learning Latin. I've always enjoyed the mental exercise and find it to be a useful teaching activity. What other assignment requires students to apply everything they've practiced and learned in one, neat, little package? My students, though, can find it tedious and even frustrating. I'm sure that I'm not the only teacher who has this experience!

I do have a game we play occasionally to make composition more interesting and exciting... turn it into a competition!

This is what I do:

1) Divide the students into three teams. You can do this randomly or assign them by ability to get a good combination on each team.

2) Divide your blackboard/whiteboard into three sections; assign each team to a section. Keep the sections close together so that you can see all three at the same time.

3) Announce that each team will be translating the same sentence into Latin and the first team that gets the sentence completely correct will win the point or get credit. Here's the catch: each team puts their sentence on the board but the teacher can only say, "There are no correct sentences on the board" until one of them is completely correct. The teacher can offer no assistance or even tell the teams where the problems are -- that is the job of each team to determine.

4) Continue assigning sentences from a list or an exercise in the textbook as time and tolerance will allow. The team with the most points at the end of the game will receive credit, extra credit, or some other reward.

Suggestions:

A) Only one person from a team at the board at a time. This allows the teacher to see the whole board and determine which sentence is correct first. Students have to "tag team" to get to the board. A team shouting at a member on the board often leads to confusion or frustration. Have the team member return to the group's huddle.

B) Don't assign the sentences for homework ahead of time. One diligent student can dominate the team and the whole game.

C) Don't worry about teams "copying" the sentences from other teams on the board. This is part of the learning process. Also, savvy teams have been known to leave an obvious error which can lead another team astray but can be easily corrected to catch the win.

D) Encourage the members of each team to work together to figure out the sentence. When the pressure is on and there are three incorrect sentences on the board, the suggestion or idea of everyone on the team can make the difference between winning or losing.

E) You can make more than three teams if you have enough board space and you feel comfortable looking at multiple sentences at the same time.

I have found no other technique which makes translating into Latin so exciting. To hear students cheer when they have translated a sentence correctly is truly music to a Latin teacher's ears!

Compositio Hodierna

Moving to block scheduling has allowed me to try something new this year: I call it Compositio Hodierna (Daily Composition).

When the students come into the room, there is an English sentence on the board. Their job is to translate this sentence into Latin. I gloss the odd forms or new vocabulary for them. Often the sentence relates to the vocabulary we have been reviewing (particularly on those days on which we have vocabulary quizzes) and/or incorporating the grammar and syntax we have been covering.

I've seen other teachers use similar "focus activities" for their students to begin class. Indeed, this activity was not even my idea. I must give credit to my colleague in a neighboring school who calls them CODs (Compositions of the Day). I have to admit that most of my students balked at the beginning of the year (particularly those who had me the previous year) but they have come around and some even enjoy it! I usually call 2-4 students at a time to the board to write their sentences and then I compare them, emphasing what they get correct, not their mistakes. I have seen definite improvements in their composition skills and nothing beats this type of exercise to pull together all the elements in need of review: vocabulary, grammar, and syntax.