Brief Latin translation?

[Red Baron]

It's been many years since I studied Latin in university, so I'm wondering if there are any folks out there with a firmer grasp on the tongue than myself who might be willing to take a shot at translating a few sentences for me. (They're from Mandragola, a comic play by Niccolo Machiavelli.)

1. aut in semine, aut in matrice, aut in instrumentis seminaries, aut in virga, aut in causa extrinsica…

2. Huius autem, in caetera, causa est amplitude canalium, mixito eorum quae ex matrice exeunt cum urina.

Many thanks in advance!!

Scott

 

[RFisher]

Here's my attempt. It may not be very good though...

1. aut in semine, aut in matrice, aut in instrumentis seminaries, aut in virga, aut in causa extrinsica…

Either in the seed or in the parent tree or in the apparatus (of the seminary) or in the sprout or in extrinsic cause...

I'm not sure about "seminaries". The online dictionary guesses that it may be related to "seminarium": seminary.

2. Huius autem, in caetera, causa est amplitude canalium, mixito eorum quae ex matrice exeunt cum urina.

Of these things, in the rest, the cause is the width of the channel, (mixito) of those things which exit from the parent tree with urine.

"Amplitude" looks like it should be "amplitudo", at least if this were classical. "Mixito" is a bit more puzzelling. It's probably a form of "miscere" (to mix), but the form is unusual or unclassical. I vaguely recall some little used imperative forms that maybe looked like that, but I'm not sure.

Hope that helps.

The alt.language.latin newsgroup is a good place for help of this sort.

 

[Dogbrain]

It's crude and full of genital references, but I understand no more than that particular gist.

 

[Alcareru]

It's crude and full of genital references, but I understand no more than that particular gist.

Lol I looked at this puzzled, my latin italian is waaaaay to rusty. Im not familiar with the play-somethigns about making a potion for a lover to seduce a woman? but Im wondering if the text is meant as a double entrendre, talking about the mandrake plant and the anatomy of a female.

 

[evileeyore]

First remember that not all Italians/Latins spoke or wrote Latin the same way. Niccolo Machiavelli was form Florence and they spoke a little differently than those guys from say Rome.

That said here is what I got. It sounds a bit like household femine hygiene products to me... or something like that...

aut in semine, aut in matrice, aut in instrumentis seminaries, aut in virga, aut in causa extrinsica

Either in the seed/semen, or in the matrix(1), or in the tool of the seminary(2), or in the scepter/wand/twig(ehem 'shaft'), or in the intrinsic cause/symptom.

1-could also be dam (a female animal kept only for breeding), or parent-tree, also refers to femine parts.

2-Unknown abstract noun. Probably Seminarum/Seminari which is seminary...

Huius autem, in caetera, causa est amplitude canalium, mixito eorum quae ex matrice exeunt cum urina

On the other hand these, in remaining, also used to enlarge the hole, she mixes some/any/what discharges/emerges/sprouts from the matrix when/at the time of urine/urination.

*edit: I forgot to mention that causa can also mean origin, derivitive, or symptom


TTFN


EvilE

 

[Piratecat]

I'm a little unclear if this offends Eric's grandma, but I do know that we should be in the off topic forum. Grab your chariots, folks; off we go.

 

[BrooklynKnight]

I'm quite sure both lines talk about sex and or masterbation.

I doubt Erics Grandma knows latin tho.

 

[tarchon]

It's been many years since I studied Latin in university, so I'm wondering if there are any folks out there with a firmer grasp on the tongue than myself who might be willing to take a shot at translating a few sentences for me. (They're from Mandragola, a comic play by Niccolo Machiavelli.)

1. aut in semine, aut in matrice, aut in instrumentis seminaries, aut in virga, aut in causa extrinsica…

2. Huius autem, in caetera, causa est amplitude canalium, mixito eorum quae ex matrice exeunt cum urina.

Many thanks in advance!!

Scott

1. Either in the seed, or in the (female) body, or in the seed-bearing instruments, or in the shaft, or in some external cause.

2. Of this however, among other things, the cause is in the volume of the channels, the mixture of those things which exit from the (female) body with the urine.

It sounds like bits from a discussion of pre-modern theories of physiology. Those are all rather "polite" anatomical terms, nothing particularly off color (instrumenta seminaria is certainly the most innocent way I can think of to say "testicles"). It's certainly a quotation or intended to sound like a quotation. From the text, it looks like Callimaco is trying to sound clinical and authoritative. In fact, there's a joke right after the second pronouncement, where the other guy seems to be ironically making fun of Callimaco's puritanical language: "Oh! uh! potta di san Puccio!"

Several words are miscopied, e.g. mixtio, not mixito, inter cetera, not in cetera, and those make it a little unclear. 2 is also much clearer when you add in the sentence before it. "

 

[hong]

Good heavens.

 

[tarchon]

I'm quite sure both lines talk about sex and or masterbation.

I doubt Erics Grandma knows latin tho.

First one is about the causes of infertility and the second one is about a particular fascination of medieval medicine, the consistency of urine.