May 17, 2007 11:05
16 yrs ago
Latin term
adversus sontis et novissima exempla meritos miseratio
Latin to English
Art/Literary
Poetry & Literature
Tacitus
Greetings,
I'm afraid I can't make anything out of the above – please give a detailed explanation. For example, I can't see where “meritos” hooks on to the sense at all. Here’s the rest of the quote:
Unde quamquam adversus sontis et novissima exempla meritos miseratio oriebatur, tamquam non utilitate publica, sed in saevitiam unius absumerentur.
All the best,
Simon
I'm afraid I can't make anything out of the above – please give a detailed explanation. For example, I can't see where “meritos” hooks on to the sense at all. Here’s the rest of the quote:
Unde quamquam adversus sontis et novissima exempla meritos miseratio oriebatur, tamquam non utilitate publica, sed in saevitiam unius absumerentur.
All the best,
Simon
Proposed translations
(English)
| 5 +2 | toward the guilty, and (toward) those deserving the most outlandish punishments |
Jim Tucker (X)
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| 2 +1 | extreme and exemplary punishment, there arose a feeling of compassion |
Kirill Semenov
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Change log
May 17, 2007 11:21: Kirill Semenov changed "Field" from "Other" to "Art/Literary"
Proposed translations
+2
42 mins
Selected
toward the guilty, and (toward) those deserving the most outlandish punishments
my guess as to what is giving you trouble is that you are not taking adversus as a preposition + accusative ("towards", "with respect to")
adversus sontis (acc pl)
et
adversus novissima exempla meritos (homines)
note the almost-always negative meaning that novus / novissimus has in Latin. The newest = the most extreme, the most outlandish.
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Note added at 46 mins (2007-05-17 11:51:55 GMT)
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also, the way you cut the sentence suggests that the syntax is not clear to you - "miseratio oriebatur" are subject and verb - but "miseratio" by itself cannot be understood in the quote you paste - easy to get derailed like that
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Note added at 1 hr (2007-05-17 13:00:12 GMT)
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meritus is from mereor, a deponent verb - hence with accusative
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Note added at 1 hr (2007-05-17 13:02:05 GMT)
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(you see mereri laudem, mereri amorem, etc. a lot)
adversus sontis (acc pl)
et
adversus novissima exempla meritos (homines)
note the almost-always negative meaning that novus / novissimus has in Latin. The newest = the most extreme, the most outlandish.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 46 mins (2007-05-17 11:51:55 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
also, the way you cut the sentence suggests that the syntax is not clear to you - "miseratio oriebatur" are subject and verb - but "miseratio" by itself cannot be understood in the quote you paste - easy to get derailed like that
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2007-05-17 13:00:12 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
meritus is from mereor, a deponent verb - hence with accusative
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2007-05-17 13:02:05 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
(you see mereri laudem, mereri amorem, etc. a lot)
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "many thanks, excellent"
+1
10 mins
Kirill Semenov
Ukraine
Ukraine
Specializes in field
Ukraine
60+ books translated and published
Native in: Russian 
Works in: English to Russian, Russian
Related KudoZ points
:
36
extreme and exemplary punishment, there arose a feeling of compassion
http://khazarzar.skeptik.net/books/mart_lat.htm
Cornelius Tacitus
Annales
LIBER XV
XLIV. Hortos suos ei spectaculo Nero obtulerat et circense ludicrum edebat, habitu aurigae permixtus plebi vel curriculo insistens. unde quamquam adversus sontis et novissima exempla meritos miseratio oriebatur, tamquam non utilitate publica sed in saevitiam unius absumerentur.
http://classics.mit.edu/Tacitus/annals.11.xv.html
Nero offered his gardens for the spectacle, and was exhibiting a show in the circus, while he mingled with the people in the dress of a charioteer or stood aloft on a car. Hence, even for criminals who deserved *****extreme and exemplary punishment, there arose a feeling of compassion*****; for it was not, as it seemed, for the public good, but to glut one man's cruelty, that they were being destroyed.
Cornelius Tacitus
Annales
LIBER XV
XLIV. Hortos suos ei spectaculo Nero obtulerat et circense ludicrum edebat, habitu aurigae permixtus plebi vel curriculo insistens. unde quamquam adversus sontis et novissima exempla meritos miseratio oriebatur, tamquam non utilitate publica sed in saevitiam unius absumerentur.
http://classics.mit.edu/Tacitus/annals.11.xv.html
Nero offered his gardens for the spectacle, and was exhibiting a show in the circus, while he mingled with the people in the dress of a charioteer or stood aloft on a car. Hence, even for criminals who deserved *****extreme and exemplary punishment, there arose a feeling of compassion*****; for it was not, as it seemed, for the public good, but to glut one man's cruelty, that they were being destroyed.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Vicky Papaprodromou
: Hi, Kirill. Indeed, but there is so much work to do. Is everything ok?
2 mins
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hi Vicky, so long time no see :) + Thank you, everything is fine, a lot of work, too. I suppose it's a good sign for both of us! ;-)
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| neutral |
Jim Tucker (X)
: well see, there's the problem, because in this case it's more like the *opposite* of contra: :"on behalf of"; presumably the deponent was also catching asker up, we'll find out
32 mins
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If you check the body of the Asker's question, you'll see the entire sentence, so nothing is missed. It may be cultaral dependent, but I haven't noticed any possible problem with "adversus" at all, close to "contra
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