I am "reading" Cicero. This use of the verb is a little loose, since it consists of me looking up nearly every word, working out the case, person, voice etc, and writing it down in my notbook.
Something of a slow process, you may imagine.
To prove that I am doing it, I am putting my daily words up here. For those with such pretentions, a little quiz can be to figure out what speech of Tully's I am "reading".
iudices judex-icis, m. judge; juror 3rd declension, Nom. Pl. Ind.
quid sit quod why it is that...
tot adj. indec. so many
summi summas-summatis adj, noble/high born 3rd dec. abl.
sedeant 2nd conj., 3rd person, pl., active subjunctive - are sitting
potissimum adv., chiefly, eminently, especially
surrexerim surgo, surgere, surrexi, surrectum - to rise. 1st person sing. perfect subjunctive active - I have risen... only subjunctive, for which I am at a loss.
That's it so far.
Time: 1/2 hour.
2 comments:
Excellent.
Starting with Cicero. Mercy. We got a whole year of Cæsar before ever Cicero reared his incomprehensible head. Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres. Pili being hurled at Belgiæ, castræ being defended, and barbarii rising up on every hand.
Cicero was mostly the Catiline orations. Quousque tandem abutere, Catilina, patientia nostra? (I hope that's right; it's all I rememember.) I think Bro Claude brought in copies of De Amicitia and De Senectute for us to ponder also.
I doubt I could do anything with either of the two gentlemen now. Most of the second readings at Matins or Office of Readings or whatever they call it this season need a dictionary and a grammar. And Augustine. Væ! Augustine defeats me every time.
Cheers (and good luck),
-John-
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