Yet more Pliny!

[Einhard]

Salvete,

I've a few questions about some translations of Pliny that I've done. First off, there's this:

Sub dio rursus quamquam levium exesorumque pumicum casus metuebatur 6.16

I've gone for: And yet back under the open sky, the fall of the light and corrosive pumice was feared.

Then we have the following line, quam tamen faces multae variaque lumina solabantur, which is relatively straightforward except that "lumen" is masculine and yet has a neuter ending, which "varia" presumably agrees with. Can "lumen" be of two genders?

Moving along, Deinde flammae flammarumque praenuntius, odor sulpuris, alios in fugam vertunt, excitant illum, is again relatively simple except that plural verbs are in agreement with a singular noun. I presume though that they are agreeing with the sense of "fires and flame", rather than with "odor sulpuris" in a strict sense.

I'll finish with a question on translation:

Unum adiciam, omnia me, quibus interfueram, quaeque statim, cum maxime vera memorantur, audieram, persecutum

One thing I shall add, that I have set forth all things which I was present at/privy to, immediately, when recollections are spoken with greatest clarity, I had listened.

And now my temporary obsession with Pliny is at an end! Anyone have any idea how difficult Pliny is considered to be relative to other Classical Latin writers?

[rkday]

On lumen - all three sources I've checked (Wheelock, Whitaker's Words, L&S) give it as neuter, following the pattern for 3rd decl nouns ending in -men (c.f carmen and nomen), so there's no issue there, surely.

[Imber Ranae]

Salvete,

I've a few questions about some translations of Pliny that I've done. First off, there's this:

Sub dio rursus quamquam levium exesorumque pumicum casus metuebatur 6.16

I've gone for: And yet back under the open sky, the fall of the light and corrosive pumice was feared.

One correction: exesorum is a perfect passive participle, so it literally means "eaten through" rather than "corrosive". He's referring to the porousness of pumice stones.

I think quamquam modifies the two adjectives it precedes, rather than the whole clause, i.e. "Back under the open sky, the falling of pumice stones, though light and porous, was [still] feared." It's usually only at the beginning of sentences that quamquam means "and yet".

Then we have the following line, quam tamen faces multae variaque lumina solabantur, which is relatively straightforward except that "lumen" is masculine and yet has a neuter ending, which "varia" presumably agrees with. Can "lumen" be of two genders?

Lumen is always neuter.

Moving along, Deinde flammae flammarumque praenuntius, odor sulpuris, alios in fugam vertunt, excitant illum, is again relatively simple except that plural verbs are in agreement with a singular noun. I presume though that they are agreeing with the sense of "fires and flame", rather than with "odor sulpuris" in a strict sense.

The two subjects are "flames" and "the precursor of flames". Odor sulpuris is in apposition to the latter.

I'll finish with a question on translation:

Unum adiciam, omnia me, quibus interfueram, quaeque statim, cum maxime vera memorantur, audieram, persecutum

One thing I shall add, that I have set forth all things which I was present at/privy to, immediately, when recollections are spoken with greatest clarity, I had listened.

...quaeque statim, cum maxime vera memorantur, audieram... = "and which I had heard immediately, when things are recounted most truly (lit. when the truest things are recounted)."

And now my temporary obsession with Pliny is at an end! Anyone have any idea how difficult Pliny is considered to be relative to other Classical Latin writers?

Some are easier, some a lot harder.

[adrianus]

cum maxime vera memorantur = when the facts are best remembered
...that I set forth/took down everything I had been in the midst of, whatever I had heard, immediately, when the facts are best remembered.