RITCHIE'S FABULAE FACILES RITCHIE'S SIMPLE STORIES: 77 - RITCHIE’S FABULAE FACILES TRANSLATION – THE ARGONAUTS 77

I love this painting of Medea by Anthony Frederick Augustus Sandys (painted 1866). (Pic from Wiki media Commons). She looks somewhat worried as she mixes her magical potion don't you think? She reminds me of an American actress who appears regularly in tv cop series but I can't think of her name.

THE ARGONAUTS 77. - THE MAGIC ARTS

a)Hís rébus cógnitís Médéa rem aegré tulit, et régní cupiditáte adducta mortem régí per dolum ínferre cónstituit. Hóc cónstitútó ad fíliás régis vénit atque ita locúta est: "Vidétis patrem vestrum aetáte iam esse cónfectum neque ad labórem régnandí perferendum satis valére. Vultisne eum rúrsus iuvenem fierí?" Tum fíliae régis ita respondérunt: "Num hóc fierí potest? Quis enim umquam é sene iuvenis factus est?" At Médéa respondit: "Mé medicínae summam habére scientiam scítis. Nunc igitur vóbis démónstrábó quó modó haec rés fierí possit." Postquam fínem loquendí fécit, arietem aetáte iam cónfectum interfécit et membra éius in váse aéneó posuit, atque ígní suppositó in aquam herbás quásdam infúdit. Tum, dum aqua effervésceret, carmen magicum cantábat. Mox ariés é váse exsiluit et víribus refectís per agrós currébat.
b)

Some words have been chosen for special consideration and are listed below. For the words not included in this list please refer to the WORDLIST in PAGES TOP RIGHT SIDE BAR. If you need help with points of grammar raised in today's excerpt, consult ESSENTIAL GRAMMAR NOTES also top right side bar.

his rebus cognitis – ablative absolute, ‘these things having been found out’, but we would probably say ‘when Medea found out she ... etc’

rem aegre tulit – rem, accusative singular of the fifth declension noun res meaning, matter, affair, thing, aegre is an adverb ‘badly’ coming before the verb as we expect and tulit third person singular perfect active of the verb fero, ferre, tuli, which has many meanings one of which is ‘take’, so altogether something like our expression ‘she took it badly’.

regni cupiditate adducta – led by a desire for the kingdom.

mortem regi ... constituit – to make even a gist translation intelligible you have to turn this around, it means ‘death - to the king - through a trick - to bring about - she decided’

filias regis – the daughters (accusative plural of filia) of the king (genitive of rex), or ‘the king’s daughters’.

ita locutus est – this she spoke, ita ‘thus, in this way’, locutus est, third person singular perfect tense active of the deponent verb loquor, ‘she spoke’, together being ‘thus she spoke’ but we would probably say: ‘she said this’.

vestrum – ‘your’, when talking to more than one person, accusative singular masculine adjective agreeing with the masc acc noun patrem.

aetate – ablative of cause from the feminine third declension noun aetas, aetatis, ‘age’, meaning ‘with age, by age’.

ad laborem regnandi perferendum satis valere – for the work of ruling enduring enough being well, with the sense ‘being well enough to endure the work of being ruler’.

vultisne – the enclitic ne (or add-on) is added to the first word to turn a statement into a question, vultis= you want, vultisne= do you want?.

Num hoc fieri potest? – Num introduces a question which expects a negative answer: hoc fieri potest – literally, ‘this to happen it can’ or ‘this can happen’, so num hoc fieri potest? means something like, ‘Surely this can’t happen?’ or ‘This can’t happen can it?’

e sene – ablative after the preposition e (ex before a vowel) from the adjective and noun senex, senis ‘old, aged’, meaning ‘from being old’, or ‘from being an old man’.

vobis demonstrabo – vobis is dative plural, meaning ‘I will show to you’ but in English we say ‘I will show you’.

quo modo haec fieri possit – in what way this thing may be brought about/may happen’, so we put ‘how this can be done’.

me .habere.. scitis – Accusative Infinitive construction, ‘you know me to have a great deal of knowledge etc.’ but we would probably say ‘You know that I have etc.’

igni supposito – ablative absolute again, meaning ‘having put the fire under’.

in aquam – accusative after in here as it means ‘into’.

herbas quasdam – certain (unspecified) herbs.

e vase – e followed by ablative of vas, vasis, third declension neuter noun, ‘dish, pot’.

viribus refectis – ablative phrase, ‘with his strength renewed’.

per agros – the preposition per ‘through’ takes the accusative, here the acc plural of ager, -i masc second declension noun, meaning therefore ‘through the fields’.

Note: This section is not translated into idiomatic English but is intended, together with the notes, to give you the gist of the meaning; you can then come up with your own improved translation.

His rebus cognitis

When these things were found out

Medea rem aegre tulit,

Medea took it badly

et regni cupiditate adducta

and led by a desire to rule

mortem regi per dolum inferre constituit.

she decided to bring about death to the king by a trick

Hoc constituto ad filias regis venit

Having decided this she came to the daughters of the king

atque ita locuta est:

and said this:

"Videtis patrem vestrum

You see your father

aetate iam esse confectum neque

is now worn out with age and is not

ad laborem regnandi perferendum

for carrying on the work of ruling

satis valere.

sufficiently strong.

Vultisne eum rursus iuvenem fieri?"

Do you want to see him become young again?

Tum filiae regis ita responderunt:

Then the daughters of the king answered thus:

"Num hoc fieri potest?

Surely this can’t happen?

Quis enim umquam

For who ever

e sene iuvenis factus est?"

from and old man has been made young?

At Medea respondit:

But Medea answered:

"Me medicinae

I, of medicinal arts

summam habere scientiam scitis.

have the greatest knowledge you know.

Nunc igitur vobis demonstrabo

Now therefore I will show you

quo modo haec res fieri possit."

in what way this thing can happen.

Postquam finem loquendi fecit,

After she finished speaking,

arietem aetate iam confectum

a ram already worn out with age

interfecit et membra eius

she killed and its limbs

in vase aeneo posuit,

she put in a brass pot,

atque igni supposito

and having put a light

in aquam herbas quasdam infudit.

poured into the water certain herbs.

Tum, dum aqua effervesceret,

Then, while the water was bubbling,

carmen magicum cantabat.

she sang a magical song.

Mox aries e vase exsiluit

Soon the ram jumped out of the pot

et viribus refectis per agros currebat.

and with strength renewed he was running through the fields.

d) The following section is for you to copy and translate.