image of St. Francis

Week 9: Legenda Aurea: Franciscus.

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| Reading Quiz: Latin
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Reading #1: "Golden Legend" (Latin text with notes)

Source: Historia de Sancto Francisco by Iacobus de Voragine (Ad Fontes Library).

Go to Reading #2 ->

Franciscus
servus et amicus altissimi
in civitate Assisii ortus
et negotiator effectus

ortus = natus

ortus (est) et negotiator effectus (est)

Assisi is a town in Umbria, Italy

  where was Francis born? what was his profession?
fere usque ad vicesimum aetatis suae annum
tempus suum vane vivendo consumpsit.
aetatis, s.v. aetas
vane = adverb
  how did Francis spend his youth?
Quem dominus
infirmitatis flagello
corripuit
et in virum alterum
subito transformavit,
ita quod
iam spiritu prophetico
pollere coepit.

quem = Franciscum

infirmitatis, s.v. infirmitas

(dominus) subito transformavit (Franciscum) in virum alterum

pollere, s.v. polleo

  what led Francis to change his way of life? what kind of person did he become?
Nam cum quadam vice
ipse cum plurimis
a Perusinis captus
diro fuisset carceri mancipatus,
dolentibus aliis
hic solus exsultat

ipse (Franciscus)
a Perusinis: by men from Perugia (a rival city to Assisi)

diro carceri: dative
aliis dolentibus: ablative absolute
hic solus (Franciscus)

  how did Francis react when he was captured by the men of Perugia and imprisoned?
et redargutus super hoc a concaptivis
respondit:
"ideo me exultare noveritis,
quia
adhuc sanctus
per totum saeculum adorabor."

redargutus = re + argutus

noveritis: perfect subjunctive for present (polite imperative)

adorabor: 1st singular future passive

  how did Francis explain his behavior to his fellow captives? why is this an example of "spiritus propheticus"?
Quadam vice Romam
causa devotionis proficiscens
vestimenta sua deposuit
et pauperis cuiusdam vestimenta induens
ante ecclesiam sancti Petri
inter pauperes sedit

(ad) Romam proficiscens
causa: ablative (takes genitive)

pauperis cuiusdam: genitive singular

what did Francis do with his own clothes? what was he wearing when he arrived at St. Peter's Church in Rome?
et cum iis
velut unus ex illis
avide mendicavit
et saepius simile fecisset,
nisi notorum verecundia impedivisset.

avide: adverb
fecisset: pluperfect subjunctive (he would have done...)
saepius: comparative

notorum: homines a quibus notus est

what kept Francis from continually living the life of a beggar?
Quadam die
dum audiret ea,
quae dominus discipulis suis
ad praedicandum missis
locutus est,

dum audiret ea (verba)

quae (verba) dominus (Ihesus) locutus est discipulis suis (qui missi sunt) ad praedicandum

 

the reference is to a passage in the Gospel:

you can read Matthew 10 in English or Latin here -- the key passage would be:

nolite possidere aurum neque argentum neque pecuniam in zonis vestris, non peram in via neque duas tunicas neque calciamenta neque virgam

"Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, or a bag for your journey, or even two coats, or sandals, or a staff"

statim ad universa servanda
tota virtute consurgit,
solvit calceamenta de pedibus,
tunica una, sed vili
induitur
et pro corrigia
mutavit funiculum.

servanda: s.v. servo, -are

calceamenta: neuter accusative plural
tunica una... vili: ablative

corrigia: here meaning "belt"
funiculum: diminutive of "funis"

how did Francis dress when he went out to preach?
Multi nobiles et ignobiles,
clerici et laici
spreta saeculari pompa
eius vestigiis adhaeserunt,

spreta, s.v. sperno
spreta pompa: ablative absolute

eius = Francisci

  what kind of people followed Francis?
quos pater sanctus docuit
evangelicam perfectionem implere,
paupertatem apprehendere
et per viam sanctae simplicitatis
incedere.

pater sanctus = Franciscus

quos = illos nobiles, ignobiles, clericos, etc.

docuit: takes infinitives (implere ... apprehendere ... incedere)

  what did Francis teach his followers?
Scripsit praeterea evangelicam regulam
sibi et suis fratribus
habitis et habendis,
quam dominus papa Innocentius confirmavit.

praeterea = praeter ea (beyond these things; moreover)

you can read this regula online

habitis et habendis: dative plural, with "sibi et fratribus suis"

who approved the Rule of Francis and his monks?
Coepit extunc ferventius
verbi Dei semina spargere
et civitates et castella
fervore mirabili circuire.

ferventius: comparative

fervore mirabili: ablative

  what did Francis do after his Rule was approved?
In visione
servus Dei
supra se
Seraphim crucifixum adspexit,

servus Dei = Franciscus

Seraphim: the "im" ending is Hebrew; it agrees with the accusative participle crucifixum (object of adspexit)

what did Francis see in his vision?
qui crucifixionis suae signa
sic ei evidenter impressit,
ut crucifixus videretur et ipse.

qui = Seraphim crucifixus
ei = Francisco
ut et ipse (Franciscus) videretur crucifixus

how was Francis marked?
Consignantur
manus et pedes et latus
crucis charactere,
crucis charactere: ablative
where was Francis marked?
sed diligenti studio
ab omnium oculis
ipsa stigmata abscondebat.

stigmata, s.v. stigma

(Franciscus) abscondebat stigmata

did Francis show these signs to everybody?
Quidam tamen haec in vita
viderunt,
sed in morte
plurimi conspexerunt.

haec = haec stigmata

in morte: quando Franciscus mortuus est

  did anybody see these signs when Francis was alive?
Quod autem
haec stigmata
per omnia vera
exstiterint,
multis miraculis
ostensum est.

quod: "the fact that"

quod...ostensum est multis miraculis

  how was the existence of the stigmata manifest, even when Francis kept them hidden?
Beatus Franciscus
columbina simplicitate plenus
omnes creaturas
ad creatoris hortatur amorem,

columbina simplicitate: ablative
hortatur: deponent (transitive)
(Franciscus) hortatur omnes creaturas ad creatoris amorem

  what did Francis encourage the animals to do?
praedicat avibus,
auditur ab iis,
tanguntur ab ipso
nec nisi licentiatae recedunt;
avibus, s.v. avis (dative plural)
(Franciscus) auditur ab iis (avibus)
(aves) tanguntur ab ipso (Francisco) et non recedunt, nisi licentiatae (ab Francisco)
how did the birds react when Francis preached to them?

hirundines,
dum eo praedicante garrirent,
ipso imperante
protinus conticescunt.

hirundines, s.v. hirundo
eo (Francisco) praedicante: ablative absolute
ipso imperante: ablative absolute
protinus: adverb
  what did the swallows do when Francis preached to them?

Go to Reading #2 ->


Modern Languages 4970 / MRS 4903: Medieval Latin. Spring 2003 Online Course at the University of Oklahoma. Visit http://www.ou.edu/online/ for more info.
Laura Gibbs, University of Oklahoma - Information Technology © 2003.  laura-gibbs@ou.edu. Last updated: December 29, 2002 7:12 PM