Collection of Ghost Stories

I've been really busy (read: distracted) this past week, but have managed to find a nice page on ghost stories in Rome and Greece. Check it out.

Eyewitness Account: Eruption at Pompeii

In “Latin Letters” by Cecilia A E Luschnig which I have been dabbling in throughout all of summer, I stumbled across a very, very interesting letter written by Pliny (the younger one, not his uncle, Pliny the Elder, whom he writes about) to the well-known historian Cornelius Tacitus following up on one of his early letters concerning the death of his uncle at the eruption of Vesuvius near Pompei. For the curious, the letter is Epistulae VI.20.

Pliny begins the letter, fittingly where he left off his previous one:

“Ais te adductum litteris quas exigenti tibi de morte avunculi mei scripsi cupere cognoscere quos ego Miseni relictus (id enim ingressus abruperam) non solum metus verum etiam casus pertulerim. 'Quamquam animus meminisse horret, incipiam.'

You say that you have been compelled by the letters which I wrote at your bidding having left Misenum (for it was there that my letters broke off) about the death of my uncle, to desire to learn not only the terrors but also the misfortunes I endured. 'Although my mind is won't to remember, I will begin.' ”

The end quote Pliny includes is from Virgil's Aeneid II.12. This passage is a telling sign of the friendship of Tacitus and Pliny. Having previously requested only the account of Pliny's uncle's death, Tacitus again writes Pliny seeking to know what he had to endure during the chaos surrounding the eruption of Vesuvius. The historian side of Tacitus may also be showing through, as he may want doubly to know of Pliny's experience for personal as well as professional interest. What better thing to include in a history (the text of which I would so lovingly wish to consult right now!) than an eyewitness account of one of the most important natural disasters in history.

Pliny begins his story with how he survived this eruption, by choosing to spend what time he had (relinquum tempus) engaged in his studies, instead of joining his uncle (who had invited him to come along) to investigate the clouds of smoke pouring from the volcano. The time passed quickly for him and soon he was off to a short and unpleasant sleep. The reason for this, was the strong earthquake that shook the town. Pliny notes that:

“tremor terrae minus formidulosus quia Campania solitus. Illa vero invaluit ut non moveri omnia sed verti crederentur.

An earthquake was not a cause for fear in Campania, as it was a common occurrence. That earthquake though grew strong that everything was not only moved but overturned.”

His mother bursts in at this point, whereupon they move into an open area of the house away from falling objects and are frightened and unsure of what to do. Being only eighteen he is unsure of how to look back at his behavior. He says that in his frightened state he took up a book of Livy and read from it as he did in his leisure time, and even jotted notes from it. A friend of his uncle appears and they decide to leave the town for fear of being crushed by the tottering buildings (quassatis circumiacentibus tectis) surrounding them.

They arrive to the chariots they had ordered to be drawn up for them, but are amazed to see them rocking back and forth violently even though they are on level ground. Then the group catches sight of something even more ominous:

“Praeterea mare in se resorberi et tremore terrae quasi repelli videbamus. Certe processerat litus multaque animalia maris siccis harenis detinebat. Ab altero latere nubes atra et horrenda ignei spiritus tortis vibratisque discursibus rupta in longas flammarum figuras dehiscebat: fulguribus illae et similes et maiores erant.

Meanwhile we saw the sea seem to swallow itself, as if were being moved by the earthquake. Certainly the shore had advanced and held many sea-animals on its dry sands. On the other side, a black cloud bristling with twisted suffocating flame and broken by agitated lightning was gaping among the many figures of flames: these were similar to sheet lightning but greater.”

They debate about whether to leave with the safety of Pliny's uncle being uncertain, but are eventually urge on to go as they flee the rushing black cloud of ash behind them. They make it off the main road to avoid being crushed by the mob as the cloud overtakes them in darkness. Pliny's description of this is stunning:

“Vix consideramus, et nox, non qualis inlunis aut nubila, sed qualis in locis clausis lumine extincto.

We had hardly decided this when night appeared, not the moonless and cloudly kind, but the kind like being in an enclosed space with the lights cut off.”

In this blanket of darkness they hear the screams of women and children, the shouting of men, the voices of families calling to one another and searching for their children. The sound of people praying for death can also be heard in the darkness. Panic quickly spreads with false tales springing up and portents of the end of the world seemingly being fulfilled. Pliny (in a fit of ego-grooming) says his only solace was that he never called out in fear since he felt he was perishing with all the world. The smoke lightens up and all fear that fire is approaching, which is what was happening in truth, but the fire lands far off in the distance. At last the sun begins to shine through as Pliny says:

“sol etiam effulsit, luridus tamen, qualis esse, cum deficit, solet.

the Sun also shined through, although murkily, as it is accustomed to do during an eclipse.”

He and his mother return to Misenum and weather out the remaining earthquakes to await news of his uncle. He ends the letter telling Tacitus that the account is unfit for something as glorious as his histories and that he will understand if Tacitus deems the letter unfit to respond to.

A strangely humble ending to such a landmark letter, and it is unclear if Tacitus did respond to the letter. The true moving experience of this letter though is not valuing in literary worth, but understanding the emotions and experiences of a man who survived the eruption of Vesuvius. It is simply awe-inspiring that any such account exists.

phantasma temporis acti

Ghost stories have always had a certain charm for me. I have long been engaged by the simplicity of the paranormal anecdotes of Pu Songling's Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, as well as the cheesiness of Scifi Original's horror films.

The broad stretch of time which my interests cover, provides an interesting parallel that shows how little the structure and stock characteristics of the traditional ghost story vary over time. Recently, my interests have begun to wander over to whether or not ghosts or other paranormal beings existed in Roman and Greek society. Yes, there is the story in the Iliad of Achilles' ghost, as well as countless others. And in Virgil's Aeneid we have ghosts too, however I have seen little mention of everyday encounters with the paranormal. It's one thing for the ghosts to exist in the realm of epic, but quite another to be talked about by the people.

So far I have come across only one mention (only having done a little research) of a traditional haunted house story by Pliny the Younger in one of his letters. Pliny is writing to L. Licinius Sura, a famous orator and ex-consul. His letter opens up with a short discourse on the paranormal:

"Et mihi discendi et tibi docendi facultatem otium praebet. Igitur perquam velim scire, esse phantasma et habere propriam figuram numenque aliquod putes an inania et vana ex metu nostro imaginem accipere.

Since leisure provides a means for me to learn and you to teach I would very much like to know therefore, if you think that there are ghosts and that they have a proper figure and any divine power, or that they are some unsubstantial and hollow thing that receive form out of our fear."

It is interesting here to note the words that represent what ghosts are in Roman society. Phantasma comes from the Greek φάντασμα which literally means an image or appearance. This same concept is reflected in other words used for ghosts in Latin: imago, idolon, and simulacrum. All these concepts have a base meaning somewhere along the lines of "likeness, copy, image". This shows that the Romans clearly related ghosts to reflections of human beings. They saw these figures as copies of the real thing, also implying that perhaps they were imitators of dead friends, whom would be recognized.

His first account of a ghost is one which appears to Curtius Rufius, foretelling events in hid life which end up coming true. Further on in Pliny's letter a very traditional ghost story is set up:

"Erat Athenis spatiosa et capax domus, sed infamis et pestilens. Per silentium noctis sonus ferri et, si attenderes acrius, strepitus vinculorum longius primo, deinde e proximo reddebatur. Mox apparebat idolon, senex macie et squalore confectus, promissa barba, horrenti capillo; cruribus compedes, manibus catenas gerebat quatiebatque.

There was in Athens a large and spacious house, but is was ill-reputed and unwholesome. Through the silence of night the sound of iron, and if you paid close attention, the rattling of chains was heard at first from far off, then from nearby. Soon a ghost appeared, an emaciated old man weakened by squalor, with a long beard and dishevelled hair; he was holding and shaking chains with hands and shackles with his legs."

This is a very traditional depiction of the popular ghost. You have the mysterious rattling of chains in a run-down house with a dirty looking ghoul as the culprit. This depiction is still popular today, with almost every ghost-based horror movie having mysterious sounds that approach, and the ghoul in the attic of the Weasley's house in Harry Potter is known to have a chain shaking fetish.

However, a ghost story would not be complete without some seemingly hapless victim coming along, who manages to turn the tables and solve the ghost problem. Many stories by Pu Songling have a Taoist priest coming by to trick the ghost or fox spirit into going away. Even the setup is very similar as well as the scenes. I highly recommend to get a translated copy if you can.

Our hapless man happens to be the philosopher Athenodorus. He has recently arrived in Athens and is looking for a place to live. The locals have been bothered by the ghost long enough that they are even frightened in the day time, though the ghost is not out. The house he haunts has been put up for sale at a cheap price to lure the unsuspecting buyer in. Athenodorus purchases the house and is not bothered by the warning of his neighbors. At first all is quiet and Athenodorus is writing peacefully, but it is not long before he hears the sounds of the ghost:

"Initio, quale ubique, silentium noctis; deinde concuti ferrum, vincula moveri; ille non tollere oculos, non remittere stilum, sed obfirmare animum auribusque praetendere. Tum crebrescere fragor, adventare et iam ut in limine, iam ut intra limine audiri; respicit, videt agnoscitque narratam sibi effigiem.

The beginning of the night was the usual sort of silence; then the sound of iron being struck together and of chains moving was heard; Athenodorus did not raise his eyes, did not lay down his pen, but strengthened his mind and shut his ears. Then the din grew louder, and now approached the door, now was heard within the room; he looked up, and saw and recognized the image that had been described to him."

The ghost then beckons to him with a finger and at first he tells it to hold on and continues writing, but the ghost grows impatient and rattles its chains above his head until he gets up and follows it. This is a pretty humorous scene. Athenodorus follows the ghost into the courtyard of the house whereupon it disappears, however being a wise philosopher he marks the spot with some grass and orders the magistrate to dig up the spot the next day. Under the spot they find the remains of a man shackled in chains. They collect the bones and bury him at public expense (a willing compromise I am sure), and afterwards the haunting ceases.

One more ghost story is included in the letter and is a bit more personal. Apparently one of Pliny's slave boys was visited by a ghost which cut off his hair and scattered it about the room.

A bit of an odd thing to do as a ghost in my opinion.

At first the household is suspicious and thinks perhaps the slave boy did it himself. A few days later, however, another slave boy is woken in the middle of the night by two people garbed in white who climb in through his window and cut off his hair too and spread it around the room. So either there is some weird hair fetish cult in ancient Rome or the ghosts were real. Pliny takes it as a sign that he would escape persecution under Domitian's reign, since it was common for the accused to grow out their hair.

I hope to find some more interesting ghost stories to share, and perhaps I can follow this line of study at school. Stay tuned for further episodes of A Haunting: Ancient Rome.

Links:

By the way, here are the English and Latin copies of Pliny's letter which I discussed and used for reference. All translations here were mine, but credit for the Latin belongs to the author of the website.

Language Spotlight: lingua latina, pars secunda

After a summer spent leisurely working my way through Wheelock's Latin in order to give myself a first official introduction to Latin grammar, I still felt lacking. I didn't feel like my Latin was any better or worse, and of course it didn't help that my previous education with the language was so fragmentary. When school started again, I half thought of auditing elementary Latin while taking advanced Latin to get a real refresher, but ended up just enrolling in advanced.

When I had previously dealt with Ovid in AP Latin, I much preferred the shorter, more humorous poems of Catullus, but when I started reading Ovid's Metamorphoses I fell in love. I began to get a deeper appreciation for the language Ovid employed and the techniques he used to create the best poetry I have ever read. I quickly branched out and started reading his other works (mostly in English translation) and have now decided that I want to focus on him for my thesis. I breezed through Ovid and then focused on Horace for my ISP by translating book one of his Odes and compiling an annotated bibliography of some scholarly work pertaining to them. I was surprised to see the end product weighing in at over 50 pages!

After ISP came my first introduction to Latin prose by the duet of Suetonius and Seneca the Younger with their works about the emperor Claudius. Prose marked a fairly easy transition and the Apocolocyntosis of Seneca was so easy that I sight-read most of it. Concurrent with this endeavor was my self-started IRP (individual research project) on Latin composition. Writing a little bit in Latin everyday really helped give me a strong hold on grammar and aided in some vocabulary. My only qualm with the textbooks made for Latin composition are the strong focus on military vocabulary and the lack of modern vocabulary used to allow for practical application of the composition skills. It was only recently that I have found books for such things, which I plan to use this year in conjunction with that Latin club at school I run.

My Latin learning will be a continuous adventure that I don't see ending soon, though that may change when I go overseas to teach English. It remains to be seen what will happen, but I will enjoy whatever time I continue to pursue the language.

Language Spotlight: lingua latina, pars prima

The most esteemed and beautiful Latin language has long bewitched the mind of your humble blogmaster. I first came across the language after changing high schools in my junior year. I had previously (read: lackadaisically) attempted to fulfill my language requirement for graduation by means of Spanish, yet, due to a lack of desire to learn the language and a general lack of desire to apply myself, this never quite worked out. Upon changing high schools however, I was presented with a larger option of languages (my previous high school only offered--you guessed it--Spanish). French, Italian, Mandarin Chinese, Hebrew, Latin, all these languages swirled in my head each calling out to me to try to surmount their individual difficulties.

The choice was a hard one.

My mother though, had taken both French and Latin when she was in high school and thus could give me recommendations with those languages. After slogging through a semester of Spanish, I wanted something different. Different yet familiar. Being the eccentric person I am, I had no choice but to go for the geekier lingua latina. This was my first real attempt at a language, and soon I fell in love. I was charmed for the first time by the old Roman myths I had held such distaste for previously. The language itself seemed to make so much more sense than my native English, and was taught by a hilarious, flamboyant Irish man who spoke more languages than I had fingers to count! Combine my interest with the language and a very engaging teacher, and I was sold.

My Latin learning, however, was very fragmentary in nature. Seeing how I was a second semester junior heading into my senior year, I didn't exactly have much time to cram my head with this language. So I finished up Latin I with little difficulty and had to make the decision to teach myself Latin II or summer so I could come into the AP Latin class in the fall, or to wait for fall to come around and enter into Latin II. Out of my class of 20 or so students, I was the only one to make the jump to AP. A new year and a new class. The kids in AP Latin were some of the best I ever had the pleasure to meet in high school. We struggled with the new syntax brought about by Latin poetry and pulled our hair out at finally being confronted by 'real' Latin (a problem I have with the way Latin is taught in most American schools). We somehow managed to pull through for the whole year and sit the AP exam with great confidence. Somehow I managed to pull a 5 on the exam although having little Latin experience in comparison my classmates.

In my excitement for applying and getting into college, I left Latin by the wayside. I had spent countless hours struggling with it for almost two years, and wanted nothing more than a break. So it was no surprise that in my first semester at college, I opted to try something new and try my hand at Mandarin (to be discussed at a later date). However, come spring semester I could no longer resist the temptation that Latin hung in front of me. So for my ISP (independent study project) I chose to go back to my lingua patria and translate a never-before-translated Medieval Latin epic poem. Now there were a couple of things that hindered my ability: 1) I hadn't worked on Latin for almost a year, 2) it was a much later form of Latin than I was used to, and 3) I was a lazy first-year college kid. I plan on going back and revising my work and will probably post it on here when I get around to it. After struggling with my half-forgotten Latin for a month straight I was thrown into the metaphorical pot of boiling water: Juvenal.

Now for the unknowing, Juvenal was a Roman satirist who has the horrid reputation of being basically the hardest Latin writer to read in the history of everything.

And I am tempted to agree.

We read all sixteen of his satires in one semester, but only translated/read in the original Latin, the first six of them. These six satires are still probably the most awful Latin writings I have ever had to struggle through. I don't know how I managed to pull through and pass the class, but I sure did better my Latin skills. With that under my belt, I moved on to summer, and my second year of college.

(continued in lingua latina pars secunda)

Update/Upcoming

I've been busy learning my ass off the past week and celebrating my big two-oh on the fourth. However I have made quite a lot of progress language-wise though no logs to post here for it (they're in my journal). I have had a new idea for language posts, which is to post a "language spotlight" once a week or so on a different language that I want to learn (roughly 17) by writing up a short survey outlining the general characteristics of whatever language I am learning about.

Look forward to the spotlight on Latin later today or tomorrow. Seeing how it was the first language I learned to any advanced level, I feel it fitting to honor it with the first post.

Progress in Summer

Today I have been working on composition (in Latin of course) to better my skills. I am hoping to start posting bilingual posts in conjunction with this endeavor and welcome any and all corrections. The Wikilang for Latin is coming along nice and soon I will work on finishing the verb page. It's hard to find time between learning Greek and Latin and working on active use. I have also found myself enraptured with a number of other languages which I hope to learn in the future.

Hodie compositionem Latinam scribebam ut peritus fierem. Spero nuntia in linguis duobus scribere cum hoc commisso ac correctiones de compositionibus meis sunt boni. "Wikilang" Latina est bona moxque paginam verborum finire temptabo. Difficile est finire cum Graecum et Latinum discam usumque activum laborem. Inveni multas linguas alias, quas spero discere quoque.

Latin and Feminism

I recently came across an interesting article written by Alice Garrett, an high school Latin teacher, dealing with the growing relationship between the the field of Classics and Feminist studies. Last semester I happened across a collection of Feminist essays dealing with gender and sexuality in Antiquity, to which I was surprised to find a great amount of scholarship. Mind you, these articles were not written by leading Classical scholars nor were the authors Classics-focused scholars. Giving leniency to the fact that: a) I, as a reader and undergrad, am not as well-versed as I should be concerning Antiquity and b) these were not Classically raised writers who spent far too much time working with dead languages, I was surprised at how well most of them were written. There were a couple of articles which I felt had no solid basis (if only I had the collection in front of me!), but for the most part each added something new to something familiar (especially seeing Ovid from a Feminist point of view).

It was this surprise at such a combination that garnered my attention to read Garrett's article. To my surprise on the very first page she brought up a personal experience of which I too have gone through, and perhaps, as she says, most students of Classics have:

My teachers presented me with an intellectual, historical, cultural, and literary world which was exciting and lived in by men only. There were female characters, women created in the imaginations of men, but real women were conspicuously absent. No one seemed to think that this was astounding, so neither did I.

I always assumed that the lack of female voice in Antiquity came form the general lack of female authors during the time period. What I failed to see, was that the reason there is such a lack of female authorship, is that the history-makers--the scribes and officials who kept records of events--either deliberately or unconsciously kept female voice out of the annals of history. As Garrett aptly puts it:

[T]he problem is not the past itself, but what we decide has been important about the past, since history-making is an act of selection, an act of deciding what is important. The past itself is not male-centered. Women have never been excluded from life. They have been involved in every human venture. What they have been kept from is the writing of history, the act of deciding what is important and what is not.

She proposes looking at the contributions of women in the society of the time based on archaeological evidence, and the evidence we see in the masculine authorship, with writers such as Ovid and Pliny. This is a topic I have only lightly touched, and thankfully so, due to my interest in the voices of the everyday people of Roman and Greek society. For I found myself confronted with the writing of the intellegentia yet not the writings of the vulgus.

Garrett identifies the lack of little more than cursory notation of women in some of the more popular textbooks in use today, and discusses the weaknesses realized therein due to the inability of the student to empathize or identify with a female character. She does however like the amount of feminine perspective used in the more obscure Ecce Romani series of books, with which I was taught Latin in high school.

I recommend giving it a read. Here you can see the article for yourself.

Wikilang

Over on the forums at Unilang I found a link to a wonderful new wiki project called Wikilang. It is still in the early stages, but whatever help can be found is beneficial. I am personally working on expanding the Latin section and maybe moving on to the Ancient Greek section if time permits.

Today, I also finished my letter to Father Reggie Foster. For those who do not know, he is the Pope's Latinist and one of the very few people in the world fluent in Latin. I hope to send it out today or tomorrow and will anxiously await the arrival of his response.

Letter 9B: Epistulae VI.7 Pliny

This is a short letter from Pliny to his wife discussing his absence from her and the ways both of them deal with the distance. His wife's personal interest in his literary works is also identified and discussed.

Gaius Plinius to his dear Calpurnia, Greetings:

(I) You write that you are affected not slightly by my absence and that you have solace alone in the fact that you hold for me my speeches [libellos] which often lay in my place (at your bedside).

(II) It is pleasing that you miss me, and also that you find pleasure in these alleviations; in turn, I read your letters over and over again, and again and again I take them up in my hands as if they were new.

(III) But all the more I am kindled by desire for you: for whose letters have so much sweetness, how much charm is present within our conversations! Nevertheless write as frequently as you can, even if this pleases me as (much as) it also pains me. Farewell.

Letter 5: Ad Quintum Fratrem II.10

This is Cicero's reply to a short, hasty letter written to him on a tablet (codicillus) by his brother Quintus. Instead of a short, hasty response, Cicero takes this time to send some news to his brother.


Written in the month of February AUC 700 (54 B.C.E.)

Marcus to his brother Quintus, Greetings:

(I) With an outcry your tablets demanded this letter; for certainly the matter itself and this day, on which you have set out, gave me no reason to write back; but, just as when we are in each other's presence speech is not absent for us, in the same way our letters ought to ramble from time to time.

(II) Therefore, [in other news,] the liberty of Tenedos was beheaded by its own political axe, since no one defended them besides Bibulus, Callidus, Favonius, and I; an honorable mention of you has been made by the Magnesians of Sipylus, when they said that you alone had resisted the demands of Lucius Sestius Pasa (an unknown person). On the remaining days [in the senate about this business], if there is anything which you may need to know, or also if there is nothing, I will write something everyday regardless; the day before the Ides (the 12th) I will not fail you nor Pompanius (Atticus of the first letter I posted).

(III) The poems of Lucretius are as you write: with many flashes of ingenuity, but also of great learning; but, when you come, I will think you a hero and not a [mere] man, if you read the Empedoclea of Sallustius.

Letter 5: Epistulae I.9

In this letter we have Pliny writing to his friend Minicius to whom Pliny had written many other letters. In this letter he shuns the city life and espouses the more leisurely relaxed pace of life in the country villa.  He even invokes this villa on the shore as a remote shrine to the Muses [secretum mouseion] and lauds its ability to inspire and form new ideas for his writings.

Gaius Plinius to his dear Minicius Fundanus, Greetings:

(I) It is amazing how, taken one day at a time, in the city everything balances out and how, taking many days together, it does not balance.

(II) For if you should ask a man, "What are you doing today?" he would respond, "I was at a coming of age ceremony [donning of the toga virilis], I visited some betrothals and marriages, that man over there asked me to sign a will, that one there consulted me, and that one met with me."

(III) You have made these things a necessity for yourself each day, if you should recall that you did the same thing every day, those things would seem inane, even more so when you are on vacation. For at that time comes to mind the recollection, "How many days did I waste on fruitless activities."

(IV) Because this happened to me, when afterwards in my Laurentine villa I either read something or wrote something or even freed up my body for leisure, whose poor soul had needed supports.

(V) I neither hear nor say anything I would regret to hear or say; no one slanders anything with perverse speech before me, I myself reprehend no one, unless my own self when I write very badly; I am bothered by no hope, by no fear, I am disturbed by no rumors: I speak only with myself and my dear books [libellis].

(VI) O righteous and sincere life, o sweet leisure--honest and nearly more beautiful than any job. O sea, o shore--truly remote shrine of the Muses--how much you devise, how much you dictate.

(VII) You too leave behind this same way as soon as the occasion arises, the noise and meaningless running about and the completely absurd labors, and trade your studies for leisure.

(VIII) For it is more than enough, as our friend Atilius says so learnedly and at the same time so wittily, to be at leisure than to do nothing. Farewell.

Two interesting anecdotes concerning the last section of this letter. Their mutual friend Atilius was apparently a man known for his zealous pursuit of learning and to whom Pliny makes himself an Achilles to Patroclus. The other thing of note is something that I am quite surprised I never noticed before, but thanks to the semi-helpful commentary of Cecilia A E Luschnig the relationship between otium [leisure] and negotium [work] is apparent. For negotium is NEGATIVE otium. The Romans' word for work was "lack of leisure"! I for one am humored greatly by this discovery. I guess from now on I should pay closer attention to contrasting pairs of words.

Pliny Letter 1, Book I.1

This is a short little introductory poem to Pliny's collected letters, which he wrote for the occasion. Pliny lies a little here, when he says that the order of time is not saved [non servato temporis ordine]. For the books that hold the letters are generally categorized to time periods, though they do cover a wide variety of subjects. It shall be interesting to see what other letters Pliny has written. I think the next one may be his account of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Videbimus.

Gaius Plinius to his dear Septicius, Greetings:

(I) You frequently ordered me to collect and publish letters, if I had written them somewhat more carefully. I collected them not with the order of time preserved (for I am not setting down a history), but as each came into my hand. It remains that neither you regret your council nor do I regret following it. For thus it shall happen that those which still lie neglected I shall search for, and if I am to add them, I will not withhold them. Farewell.

Epistulae Morales I

Seneca's letter writing differs dramatically both in structure and diction. Cicero's letters are known for being very colloquial and idiomatic with the structure being very loose and seemingly at his whim. Seneca's on the other hand mark the evolution of letter-writing as a genre and show a more formalized structure and read very clearly. Seneca does differ from the authors of this category in that he writes moralistic essays in the guise of letters similar in a sense to Socrates' moralistic dialogues (teaching in the guise of argument).

Without further ado:

Seneca to his dear Lucilius, Greetings:

(I) Do this my Lucilius; set yourself free for your own benefit, and time, which till now was either being carried off or stolen or slipping away, gather and protect it. Tell yourself that this is how it is, as I write: certain times are being snatched away from us, are being led off, are running out. Nevertheless it is the foulest loss, that happens through negligence. And if you shall have wanted to attend to those times, a great part of life slips from those who do bad things, the greatest part slips from those who do nothing, and all life slips from those who pay no attention.

(II) What time will you give me, you who are the sort who places some value on time, who values the day, who understands that he may die any day? For in this we are wrong, we look forward to death; whose great part already has passed by; whatever life we had before, death holds it now. Therefore do this, my Lucilius, because you will write that you do, embrace every hour. It will happen that you will be hung up less on what must be done tomorrow and throw your hands upon what must be done today. While these things are put off, life runs past.

(III) All things, Lucilius, belong to another, however time alone is ours. Nature sends us into the possession of this one fleeing slippery thing, from which she expels whomever she wants. And there is so much stupidity in mortal beings, as those who are least in life and cheapest, certainly recoverable, are charged against themselves, when they suffer to gain only for themselves, let no one judge whether he owes anything, who receives time, when meanwhile it is this alone, which cannot return favor.

(IV) Perhaps you will ask, what do I do, who advise you thus. I confess openly: it comes with luxuriousness but diligence also, my expense balances it out. I cannot say that I lose nothing, but what I lose and why and how, let me say; let me relate the causes of my poverty. But it comes to me, that mostly you do not return to poverty by your own vice; everyone forgives but no one helps.

(V) What then is it? I do no think poverty, to whom however little remains, is enough. Nevertheless I prefer that you guard your time, and may you begin in good time. For as it seemed to our ancestors, "It is too late to be thrifty at rock bottom." For not only will it remain at the lowest point but it will remain the worst. Farewell.

Epistulae ad Atticum I.2

Written in Rome in the month Quintilis (July) in the year 689 (65 BCE)

Cicero to Atticus, Greetings:

The first part of the letter starts with a traditional opening with the sender in the nominative and receiver in dative along with some form of greeting. Cicero's announcement of the consuls serve the dual purpose of identifying the time when he composed the letter as well as letting Atticus know the results of the recent consular election. I am not entirely sure what all the nos's are referring to, I take some of them to simply mean Cicero himself and the others to him and his associates.

The prosecutor of Catiline was a good friend of his so Cicero is happy that he managed to get some of his men in on the jury whom the prosecutor approved of.

(I) With Lucius Julius Caesar and Gaius Marcus Figulus as consuls know that my little boy has been born [filiolo me auctum] and that Terentia is in good health. For so long there have been no letters from you! I wrote diligently to you before concerning my affairs. At this time I [nos] think that I should defend my [nos] competitor for office Catiline. We have the judges whom we wanted, with great approval of the prosecutor. I hope, if it will be absolved, that that conspirator of ours will be included in the reckoning of the petition; if it does not happen otherwise, we shall bear ourselves with equanimity.

This section was a bit troublesome in the wording: summa hominum est opinio tuos familiaris nobilis homines adversarios honori nostro fore. I took summa as agreeing with opinio and hominum as the plural genitive of them both. tuos familiaris nobilis homines came together as a chunk meaning Atticus' friends who came from senatorial families and adversaries as being what they WOULD be concerning Cicero's election.

(II) There is need for your speedy arrival to me [nos]; for certainly it is the greatest opinion of man that your noble men of Rome [famliaris] will be adversaries to my election. I see that you will be the greatest use to me at winning over their desire for me. Therefore in January, as you desired, take care that you are in Rome.

Apocolocyntosis Sect. 15

For as often as he was about to send them from the resounding dice-box,
either dice was fleeing from the empty bottom.
And when he dared to send forth the recollected dice,
similar to someone always about to play and always seeking dice,
they deceived his faith: the deceitful dice fled and slipped through
his fingers themselves in continuous slyness.
Thus when now the peaks of the highest mountain are touched,
the weights turn from Sysyphian neck in vain.

Suddenly Gaius Caesar appeared and began to seek Claudius for his servant; he brought forth witnesses, who had seen him being flogged by: whips, canes, and fisticuffs. It was adjudged to Gaius Caesar; Aeacus gave Claudius to him. He gave him over to his freedman Mnander, so that he could be a secretary for hearings.

Apocolocyntosis Sect. 14

He lead Claudius to the tribunal of Aeacus: he was questioning with the lex Cornelia which was brought about concerning murderers. He sought that his name be received; he gave forth in a subscript: 35 senators killed, 221 Roman knights, as many others as sand and dust. Claudius found no advocate. At last Publius Petronius came forth, an old friend of his, a man learned in Claudian tongue, and sought an advocate. It was not given. Pedo Pompeius accused him with great shouting. Claudius' guardian began to want to respond. Aeacus, a most just man, opposed, and condemned him with the other side having been heard and said:“Right will be done him if he be treated as he treated others.” [trans. by Allan Perley Ball] A great silence was made. All were stupefied having been stunned at this new occurrence, they denied that this had ever been done. It seem to Claudius more unfair than new. It was disputed for a long time concerning the type of punishment, what he ought to suffer. There were those who were saying that Sisyphus had done his portage long enough, that Tantalus would perish of thirst unless they helped him, sometime the miserable wheel of Ixion ought to have the brake put on. It was pleasing to none that remission be given from old punishments, lest Claudius ever hope for the same. It pleased them to decide a new punishment, thinking out a pointless labor for him and appearance of some hope without effect. Then Aeacus ordered him to play dice with a bored-through dicebox. And already he had begone to seek the always fleeing dice and to accomplish nothing.

Summer Plans

I have been trying to construct a summer plan of attack/intensive language review to: 1) cement my groundedness in both Latin (composition and translation) and Ancient Greek (in preparation for tackling some of The Odyssey in the fall); and 2) build vocabulary and cultural understanding of the languages. I feel that if I don't keep up with some intensive study, my progress in the languages will fall back on itself and I'll be sad come school time again when I have to spend too much time puzzling out translations. My Latin has grown a lot this year (to the point where I can sight-read 90% of anything classical), and my Greek has only just begun.

So here it is in all its grandness:

June 1st - July 31st [61 days]

Translation of my reader on Latin Letters: MWFS 30-45 min
North and Hillard's Latin Composition: ALL 30 min
Thrasymachus Greek Textbook: SunTRS 30 min
Hansen and Quinn Intensive Greek Course: ALL 1 hour

I have decided to give myself two hours pretty much everyday to solely work on languages. On top of that however is keeping up with my growing list of flashcards to cement my vocabulary in both languages. I use Anki for my Latin vocab, but had a little trouble with polytonic Greek characters being read, so I'm going the good ol' fashioned route and using paper cards. The plus side to this is that I can sneak these into work and review during the slow times (which is all the time excepting weekends).

I feel a busy summer coming up. Stay tuned for the rest of Seneca's Apocolocyntosis. Sorry for the lack of commentary but I left my Yellow and Green Apocolocyntosis on campus and have resorted to using thelatinlibrary.com's version.

Apocolocyntosis Sect. 13

Claudius was delighting in his praises, and was wanting to watch for a while longer. Talthybius of the gods placed his hand upon him and drug him away through the Campus Martius with his head muffled up, lest anyone could recognize him, and between the Tiber and the Via Tecta he descended to the dead. His freedman Narcissus had come before on a shortcut to receive his patron, and glistening as he was from the bath, he met them coming and said: "What brings gods to men?" Mercury said, "Quickly, announce that we come." Faster than the spoken word Narcissus flew away. Everything was sloping, he descended easily. And so, although he was gouty, in a moment of time he came to the door of Dis, where Cerberus--or a Horace says "the hundred-headed beast"--was laying. He was a little bothered--he was accustomed to have a white dog among his pets--as he saw that black, hairy dog, surely not the sort you would want to meet in the shadows, and said in a loud voice, "Claudius has come." With applause they came forth singing: we have found him, let us rejoice. This was Gaius Silius the designated consul, Iuncus the praetor, Sextus Traulus, Marcus Helvius, Trogus, Cotta, Vettius Valens, Fabius, and Roman knights whom Narcissus had ordered to be led off to punishment. There was in the middle of this crowd of singers the pantomime Mnester, whom Claudius had made lesser as a cause of glory. They came to Messalina--a swift rumor crept forth that Claudius had come*: the first of all his freedmen Polybius, Myron, Arpocras, Amphaeus, Pheronactus, all whom Claudius has sent forth, so that nowhere would he be unprepared. Then two prefects Iustus Catonius and Rufrius Pollo. Then his associates Saturninus Lusius and Pedo Pompeius, and Lupus and Celer Asinius the consuls. Lastly the daughter of his brother, the daughter of his sister, sons-in-law, fathers-in-law, mothers-in-law, all clearly of the same blood. And with a line having been formed they met Claudius. When Claudius had seen them, he exclaimed: everywhere is full of friends! He said, "How did you come here?" Then Pedo Pompeius: "What did you say, most cruel man? You ask how? For who sent us here other than you, murderer of all your firends? Let us go to court, I will show you the judges' seats here.

*This entire section is of a very fragmentary quality. The manuscripts are lacking and in the particular version I am using most interpolations are spared for fear of casting a wrong light on anything. So apologies if this section is hard to read.

Apocolocyntosis Sect. 12

While they descended along the sacred way, Mercury asked him, what that gathering of men signified, surely it was the funeral of Claudius. And it was of the greatest beauty and with all care expended, that you clearly would know a god was being buried: such a gathering of trumpeters, horn-blowers, such a crowd of every kind of brass-player, that even Claudius could hear. All were happy, laughing: the Roman people walked as if they were free, Agatho and a few pleaders were weeping, but clearly from the heart. The consults of the law came forth from the shadows, pale, slender, scarcely having their minds, just as those who so recently came back from the dead. From these one came forth, when he had seen the pleaders placing their heads together and bewailing their fortunes, and said: "I was telling you: it will not always be Saturnalia." As Claudius saw his funeral, understood that he was dead. For a funeral dirge was sung with a great large chorus:

"Pour forth weeping, give forth your lamentation,
let the Forum resound with sorrowful wailing:
a beautifully witted man died
than whom no other was braver
in all the world.
That man could conquer the swift
in a swifter course, That man could
rout the Parthian rebels, and follow the
Persians with light weapons, and bend the
string with determined hand, he who could pierce
headlong enemies with a small wound, and the
painted backs of the fleeing Mede.
That man ordered the Britains beyond
the known shores of the sea
and the Brigantae with sky-blue shields
to give their necks to Romulus' chains
and he ordered Oceanus himself to tremble
at the new justice of the Roman axes.
Bewail the man, than whom no one
could more quickly judge a case,
with only one part heard,
often even neither. What judge now
will listen to misfortunes all year?
He now gives way to you with his seat left behind,
you who gave justice to the silent people,
holding a hundred Cretan towns.
Gore your chests with sorrowful hands,
O Case-pleaders, you cheap race.
And you new poets mourn,
and you who gathered a great profit
in the beginning with the dice-box shaken."

Apocolocyntosis Sect. 11

Behold Jupiter, who rules for so many years, broke Vulcan's leg alone, whom

"seizing by the foot he tossed from the heavenly threshold"

and was angry at his wife and hung her up: surely he killed? You killed Messalina, whose great-great-uncle I was equally as yours. "I don't know," you say. May the gods do bad things to you: so much fouler this is that you do not know than that you killed. He did not cease to follow the dead Gaius Caesar. The former killed his father-in-law: the latter even his son-in-law. Gaius forbid the son of Crassus to be called Magnus. This man returned that name to him, and took his head. In one house he killed Crassus, Magnus, Scribonia, no race of Assaracus, nevertheless noble people, Crassus truly is so stupid, that he too can reign. Now you want this man to become a god? Behold his body body with the gods being angry. To sum, let him say three words quickly, and he may lead me as his servant. Who will care for this god? Who will believe in him? While you make such gods, no one believes you are gods. The some of thing, honorable fathers, if I have borne myself honestly among you, if I have responded to none too clearly, vindicate my injuries. I vote this as my wisdom:" (and so he recited from a tablet) "Since indeed the Divine Claudius killed his father-in-law Appius Silanus, his sons-in-law Magnus Pompeius and Lucius Silanus, the father-in-law of his sister Crassus Frugus, a man so similar to him as egg to egg, the mother-in-law of his sister Scirbonia, his wife Messalina and the rest of which the number cannot be brought forth, it is pleasing to turn my self against him severely, and not to give him exemption from the right of being judged, and to carry him out as soon as possible, and that he leave the sky within thirty days, Olympus within the third day." They went to their feet at this judgement. And with no delay, Cylennius drug that one with his neck bent to the dead,

"whence they say no one returns."

Percy Jackson and the Seeming-Rip-Off-Which-Became-Something-So-Much-Better

I just finished reading "The Last Olympian" today, having only purchased it yesterday. For the uneducated, it is the fifth (and final for now) book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians book series by Rick Riordan, and let me tell you what a wonderful adventure it holds. Upon my first venture into Percy Jackson's world, I was appalled by the seeming plot device for plot device and stock character for stock character copying from the famous Harry Potter book series. Seriously, the first book reads like an ad-lib of the "Sorcerer's Stone". But as I delved further into the series, I began to appreciate the books in a way that I never appreciated Harry Potter.

I began to see the important differences that convinced me this was not some cheap knock-off capitalizing on the success of the boy wizard, but a fitting homage to Greek and Roman literature. It acts as a vessel through which children can learn of all the famous character that we classicists have come to know and love. Riordan's imaginative casting of these mythological peoples is astounding in the sheer brilliance of it all. He managed to take 3000 year old tales and move them to a modern setting all the while making all of it make sense within the context of modern American society. From the waterbed salesmen Procrustes to the Bronx dialect of the pegasi, all the characters took on a very different personality from Harry and his adventures. I especially loved the depiction of the gods and the nod to lesser known and lesser recognized gods (namely Hestia). And the little bits of Latin and Ancient Greek spouted by the half-bloods add to the fine attention to detail and further cement their place in a modern context.

It is a series that is short enough to digest without investing a huge amount of time, yet also one that is completely worth all the time put into it. I can only hope that the popularity of the series leads to a revival of sorts in an interest in Classics which seems to have wained so much in recent times. I highly recommend reading the books to anyone who has the ability. I've tried not to spoil or say too much here, so forgive me if I have given away anything important.

Apocolocyntosis Sect. 10

Then the Divine Augustus rose up on his turn for speaking his opinion and spoke with the highest eloquence: "Honorable patrons," he said, "I have you as witnesses, from which time I was made a god, that I have given no word on my behalf: always I go on my own business. And I cannot disguise myself anymore and no longer can I contain my grief, which my shame makes heavier. Was it for this that I sought peace on earth and sea? Was it for this that I held the civil wars in check? For this did I found the city with laws, decorate it with works, so that--? What should I say, honorable patrons, I find nothing: All words are beneath my indignation. And so I must flee towards that wisdom of Messala Corvinus, a well-spoken man: "I am ashamed of the empire". This man, honorable patrons, who does not seem able to rouse a fly, killed people more easily than a dog squats. But why do I speak of so many such men? There is no vacancy for me examining domestic tragedy to weep over public misfortune. And so I will omit the latter and bear back the former: for if my ankle does not know, I know: the knee is nearer to the shin. That one whom you see, hiding for so many years under my name, brought me this grace, that he killed the two Julias my great-grandaughters, one with iron, the other with hunger; and he killed my own great-great-grandson Lucius Silanus: may you see, Jupiter, whether it was a bad cause, certainly it was yours, I you are going to be equal. Tell me, Divine Claudius: why did you condemn any of these people, whom you killed, before you knew their cases, before you heard their cases? Where is this accustomed to happen? It does not happen in the sky.

Apocolocyntosis Sect. 9

At last it came into Jove's mind, that, with the private citizens delaying in the Curia, the senators not be allowed to give their opinion nor debate. "Honorable senators," he said, "I had given you permission to ask, you have made pure shambles of things. I want you to save the discipline of the Curia. This man, whatever sort he is, what has he reckoned about us?" With that man dismissed Father Janus was asked his opinion first. He had been designated afternoon consul on the Kalends of July, a man who, however far his own path goes, always sees both forwards and backwards at the same time. He spoke in such great discourse, because he lived in the Forum, that the secretary was not able to follow and therefore I cannot relate, lest I put down in other words what was said by him. He said many things about the greatness of the gods: that this honor ought not be given to the masses. "Once," he said, "it was a great thing to become a god: now you have made a Bean farce. And so, lest I should seem to speak against his person and not against this situation, I vote that no one after this day may be made a god from these people, who eat the fruit of the soil or from these, who nourish the grain-giving soil. Any who will have been made, depicted, or said to be a god contrary to this decree of the senate, may he be given to the hobgoblins and at the next show it is pleasing to flog him with canes among the new gladiators." Next Diespiter was asked his opinion, the son of Vica Pota, and himself a designated consul, a little money-changer. He sustained himself in this business: he was accustomed to sell little citizenship perks. Hercules came pretty close to him and touched his earlobe. and so in these words he elected: "Since Divine Claudius touches even the Divine Augustus in blood and no less his grandmother the Divine Augusta, whom he himself ordered to be deified, and since for a long time surpassed all mortals in wisdom and since it is the opinion of the Republic that there be someone who can 'devour burning radishes' with Romulus, I vote that Divine Claudius be thusly made a god from this day as any before him has been made on in better judgement, and that this matter be added to the Metamorphoses of Ovid." There were many opinions, and Claudius seemed to have won favor. For Hercules, who saw that his iron was in the fire, was running first here then there and was saying: "Don't grudge me, my cause is being driven; then if you want anything, I will do it in turn: hand washes hand."

Apocolocyntosis Sect. 8

...It is no wonder why you have made an attack into the Curia: nothing is closed to you. Only tell us what sort of god you want him to become. He cannot be an Epicurean god: he has no problems himself nor does he give some to others. A Stoic god? How can he be "round" as Varro says, "without a head, and without a foreskin?" There is something in him of a Stoic god, now I see it: he has neither heart nor head. If by Hercules, he has sought help from Saturn, whose month he celebrated all year as Saturnalian king, he would not have brought it. Is he to be led a god by Jupiter, whom, however much there was certainly in him, he condemned of incest! For he killed his son-in-law Silanus. "I ask, why?" Because he desired to call his sister, the most celebrated of all girls, whom everyone else called Venus, Juno. "For why, I ask," he said, "his own sister?" Study, stupid: it is allowed half-way at Athens and all the way at Alexandria. Because you say, "At Rome mice lick the millstones". Will he correct the crooked for us? What he did in his bedroom I do not know and: now "he scrutinizes the zones of the sky". He wants to become a god? Is it not enough that he has a temple in Britain, where now barbarians care for him and as he were a god they say to happen upon a merciful fool?"

Apocolocyntosis Sect. 7

Then Hercules said, "Hear me, stop being a fool. You have come here where the mice gnaw iron. Quickly tell me the truth, lest I shake the dumbness out of you." And with which he was more terrible, he donned the tragic mask and said:

"Set forth immediately by what abode you say your origin,
lest having been slain by this trunk you fall towards the earth:
this club has often murdered savage kings.
What now do you sound with the uncertain utterance of your voice?
What fatherland, what race brought up your mobile head?
Speak! Certainly seeking the far-off kingdom
of the triform king, whence I brought forth the noble herd
from the Western sea to the Inachian city,
I saw a ridge hanging over two rivers,
which Phoebus always sees with his opposing ascent,
where the vast Rhone flows in a rushing current
and the Arar, hesitating where it drives its course,
silent it washes upon the shores with quiet shallows.
Is that land the nurse of your spirit?"

This he said boldly and courageously enough, by no less he was not of his own mind and he feared the blow of a fool. Claudius, as he saw the strong man, forgetful of his trifles, knew that no one was equal to him in Rome, in that place he did not have the same grace: a rooster has the most power on his own dunghill. And thus as much as he could be understood, he seemed to say this: "I hope that you, Hercules the strongest of the gods, would be present for me before others, and if any had asked me for a noter, I would have nominated you, who have known me best. For, if you look back in memory, it was I who used to speak the law before your temple on all days in the months of July and August. You know how many miserable people I brought together there, when I heard pleaders day and night. If you had fallen into that, however strong you seem to be to yourself, you would have preferred to cleanse the sewers of Augeas: I drained out more shit by far. But since I want...

Apocolocyntosis Sect. 6

And he would have imposed upon barely cunning Hercules, if Fever had not been there, who alone had come with him with her shrine left behind: she had left all the other gods at Rome. "That man," she said, "speaks pure lies. I, who have lived with him for so many years, say this to you: he was born at Lugudunum, you see a municipate of Munatius. That I say to you, he was born at the sixteenth milestone from Vienna, a full Gaul. And thus because a Gaul ought to do it, he seized Rome. I relate this to you that he was born at Lugudunum, where Licinus ruled for many years. However you, who have trampled on more places than any long-distance mule driver, ought to know that there are many miles between Xanthus and Rhodanus." At this point Claudius grew red and was angry with as much a murmur as he could muster. What he said no one understood. He however was ordering Fever to be lead away. With that gesture of his loose hand, with which he was accustomed to behead men, firm enough at this alone, he had ordered that her neck be cut off. You would think that all were his freedmen: so much did no one care about him.

Apocolocyntosis Sect. 5

It is superfluous to relate what happened on earth afterwards. For you know it well, and there is no danger that those things which imprinted on public joy will be forgotten: no one is oblivious to his own fortune. Hear what happened in the sky: faith will be in the power of the author. It was reported to Jove that a certain man of good stature, nicely grey-haired had come; that he was threatening I don't know what, for he continuously moved his head; and that he dragged his right foot. It was reported that the messenger had asked him of what nation he was: and that Claudius had responded I don't know what with a perturbed sound and confused voice; and that the messenger did not understand his tongue: for it was neither Greek nor Roman nor of any known race. Then Jupiter ordered Hercules, who had wandered through the whole globe of the world and seemed to know all the nations, to go and to explore of what kind of human he was. Then at first sight Hercules was wholly disturbed, as a man who fears not all monsters. When he sees the appearance of a new race, the unaccustomed gait, the voice of no earthly animal but the sort accustomed to be for sea beasts, hoarse and tangled, he thought that his thirteenth labor had come for him. Claudius seemed to him examining more diligently as if a human. And so he came up to him and because it was easiest for the little Greek man, he said:

"What sort of man are you and from whence do you come, what sort are your city and your parents?"

Claudius rejoiced that there were philological men there: he hoped that there would be some place for his histories. And so even in Homeric verse himself signifying that he was Caesar he said:

"A wind, carrying me from Ilium, brought me to the Cicones."

(However the following verse, equally Homeric, was truer:

"There I looted the city, and destroyed those people.)

Apocolocyntosis Sect. 4

She spoke and, turning thread on a foul spindle,

she broke off the regal thread of a lazy life.

But Lachesis, with hair tied and with hair adorned

crowning her hair and forehead with Pierian laurel,

took up bright yarn from snowy fleece

moderating with a happy hand, the string which having been led out

took up a new color. The sisters wondered at their allotments.

the cheap fleece changed into precious metal,

a golden age descended shapely string.

And there is no end to those: they led out happy wool

and rejoiced to fill their hands: the allotments were beautiful.

The work hastened on its own accord and with no labor

soft strings descended the bent spindle;

They conquered the years of Tithonus and of Nestor.

Phoebus is present and aids with song and delights for the future

and happy he moves his plectrum, now he administers the allotments:

He detains them, intent with his song, and deceives the labor.

And while they praise excessively the lyre and fraternal songs,

Their hands spun more than accustomed and their praiseworthy

work transcended human fates. "Don't take away anything, Fates,"

Phoebus said, "let that man conquer the times of mortal life

he who is similar in countenance and grace to me and

no lesser in song nor voice. He will set forth

a happy age for the tired and will break the silence of the laws.

As Lucifer scattering the fleeing stars or

as Hesperus rises with the stars returning,

as, when rosy Aurora first leads forth

the day with shadows released, the bright Sun

gazes at the world and shakes the first axles from the starting-gate:

such a Caesar is present, now Rome will see such a

Nero. His shining countenance burns with remiss splendor

and his shapely neck with hair flowing forth."

This said Apollo. But Lachesis, who even herself favored the shapeliest man, did this with a full hand and gave Nero many years from her own. They ordered everyone however concerning Claudius:

"to carry him out from the house rejoicing and speaking well."

And he certainly gurgled out his soul, and from that time to ceased to seem to live. He expired however while he heard comedians, as you should know that I am not without cause to fear them. This was heard among men as his final voice, when he emitted a greater sound from that part, from which he more easily spoke: "Dear me, I think I've thoroughly shat myself." Whether he did this, I do not know; he certainly thoroughly shat on everything.

Apocolocyntosis Sect. 3

Then Mercury, who always had been delighted by Claudius' nature, took aside one of the three Fates and said: "Why, oh cruelest woman, do you suffer this miserable man to be tortured? Will he never have rest having been tormented for so long? He is 64 years old, from which time he wrestles his soul. Why do you grudge him and the republic? Suffer astrologers to speak the truth sometimes, who have buried him every year and every month, from which time he was made emperor. And nevertheless it is no wonder if they are mistaken and no one knows his hour: for no one ever knew that he was born. Do what must be done:

"Give him to death, let a better man rule in the empty halls."

But Clotho said, "Mehercules! I was wanting to add a fraction of time to him, until he gives citizenship to those few who remain" (for he had decided to see all Greeks, Gauls, Spaniards, and Brits in a toga) "but since it is pleasing that some foreigners be left in seed and thus what you order to be done, let it be done." Then she opened up a capsule and bore forth three spindles: one was of Augurinus, another of Baba, the third of Claudius. "These three," she said, "I will order to die divided into small intervals of time in one year, and I will not send him away friendless. For he, who just now was seeing so many thousands of people following, so many preceding, so many pouring around, ought not be left alone suddenly. He will be content with these companions in the meantime.

Apocolocyntosis Sect. 2

Now Phoebus had bent his arch of light along the
shorter way and the time of Obscure Sleep was growing,
and now the conqueress Cynthia extended her reign,
and unsightly Winter snatched at those pleasing honors
of wealthy Autumn and with Bacchus ordered to grow old
the aged grape-harvester was plucking the sparse grapes.

I think more is understood if I should say: it was the month of October, three days before the Ides of October. I cannot tell you the exact hour (it will come easier among philosophers than among clocks) nevertheless it was between the sixth and seventh hour. "Excessive unsophistication! All poets, not content to describe the rising and setting of the sun, take pleasure so much in these things, that they also disturb the middle of the day: Will you thus pass by so great an hour?

Now Phoebus divided the globe down the middle in his chariot
and nearer to Night he was shaking the tired reins
leading out the bent light on a roundabout course:

Claudius began to gasp and could not find an exit.

FSI Language Courses

The famous US Foreign Service Institute has just recently released all their language learning materials for the general population's benefit. I highly advise that whoever comes across this go check it out as the materials are of fairly high quality and include a few lesser studied languages like Lao, Twi, etc.

Here's the link: http://fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php

Apocolocyntosis Sect. 1

What happened in the sky three days before the Ides of October in the new year, the beginning of a happiest age, I wish to hand over to memory. Nothing will not be given whether offensive or pleasing. Thus this is the truth. If anyone should have asked whence I know, first, if I shall not be willing, I will not respond. Who could compel me? I know that I have been made free, from the time that man met his final day, who made true the proverb: "You ought to be born either a king or a fool". If it will have pleased to respond, I will say what comes into my mouth. Who ever drove forth oaths from an historian? Nevertheless if it will have been necessary to produce the author, ask he who saw Drusilla going into the sky: he will say that he saw Claudius making the same journey "in not equal steps". Like it or not, it is necessary for that man to see everything which is driven into the sky: he is the caretaker of the Appian Way on which, you know, both the Divine Augustus and Tiberius Caesar went to the gods. If you will have asked this man, he will tell you alone: he will never make words in the presence of many. For from that time he swore in the senate that he had seen Drusilla ascending the sky and no one believed him what he saw in return for such good news, with conceived words he affirmed that he would not give indication even if he saw a man killed in the middle of the Forum. Those things which I heard from him then, I bring forth certainly and clearly, thus as I would have him safe and happy.

A Short Introduction to Seneca's Apocolocyntosis

Claudius Caesar was an enigmatic figure who was widely-known for his eccentricity, both mental and physical, and for being controlled by his wife, Agrippina, and by his freedmen. This semester in my Advanced Latin class we read the "Life of the Divine Claudius" by the historian Suetonius and are currently working our way through what is hesitantly called the "Apocolocyntosis" by Seneca. This work is satirical in nature and seems to be meant to praise Claudius' step-son Nero who succeeded the throne after Claudius died and his true son, Britannicus, was murdered.

Scholars have debated mainly about two major characteristics of the work: the title and the author. P. T. Eden who edited the Cambridge edition of the "Apocolocyntosis" [a play off the Greek word ἀποθέωσις (deification)] has dismissed the doubt of whether the work was composed by Seneca or not in a lengthy argument which I advise you to check out if you have the chance. Basically he says that through close analysis (and this guy is all about reading every word far too in-depth) the work must have been written by someone in the close circle of advisors of Nero and if not Seneca then someone else in the same circle. He says it doesn't really matter who wrote it but that recognizing that they were close to Nero is the important part. Concerning the title of the work, the "Pumpkinifciation" (to put it literally) scholars debate over the name since there is little if anything to do with pumpkins or gourds in the work at all, though several people have published articles analyzing certain words and scenes as being representative of a gourd-like Claudius.

The work itself is short being only divided into 15 sections of roughly 30 lines on average. The Latin itself is fairly easy though some colloquialisms creep in at points and the more "vulgar" vocabulary strays away from the more refined writings of other famous authors. There are many subjects parodied in this work from historians, to philosophers, and of course Claudius himself. I shall try and publish a fairly literal and as-accurate-as-possible translation of each section daily or biweekly at least. So hopefully someone will come by in time to see this.

As far as my plans for the future of this blog are concerned, I plan on publishing a translation (answer key) to the beginning Greek textbook I am using in my Elementary Greek class. It's an interesting book that has plenty of humour though I would not recommend it for self-study as the supplementary material is quite lacking. Aside from that, I may revise my Suetonius translation to complement the "Apocolocyntosis". And possibly something concerning Latin Composition, which I have been ardently struggling through this past semester to mixed results.