Nec vero talia passus est Ulixes

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pmda
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Nec vero talia passus est Ulixes

Post by pmda »

Take a look at the underlined text:

Hoc audiens ipse pater Anchises iuveni supplici dextram dedit eumque interrogavit ‘quis esset?' et ‘unde veniret?' Ille, victo tandem terrore, haec tespondit: “Ex patria Ithaca Troiam profectus sum comes infelicis Ulixis. Hic me socii, dum trepidi fugiunt, in vasto Cyclopis antro deseruerunt. Monstrum infandum est Cyclops ille nomine Polyphemus, qui carne et sanguine hominum miserorum vescitur! Egomet vidi eum in medio antro iacentem duos de nostro numero manu prehensos ad saxum frangere ac membra eorum cruenta devorare! Nec vero talia passus est Ulixes, nam cum Polyphemus carne vinoque impletus per antrum iaceret, nos longam hastam acutam in oculo eius, quem solum in media fronte habebat, defiximus: ita tandem socios necatos ulti sumus.

I can't figure out what 'Nec vero talia passus est Ulixes...' means. Orberg says passus is : patior, pati, passus sum (III) (Dep) meaning, amongst other things: to allow or permit.

Now the Cyclops is devouring some of Ulysses friends and in juxtaposition Orberg says 'Nec vero talia passus est Ulixes'...? Ulysses wasn't allowed to do this?? do what? Devour his friends? I must confess I often find Latin negatives confusing and paradoxically unintuitive.... He definitely says it means something was not permitted to Ulysses....but I can't figure out what.

Alatius
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Re: Nec vero talia passus est Ulixes

Post by Alatius »

It is a deponent verb, so the sense is active even if the form is passive. Thus, "passus est" means "he allowed" (not "he was allowed"), just as "locutus est" means "he said" (not "he was said"). Clearly, Ulysses was not going to stand idly by watching his crew being masacred.

pmda
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Re: Nec vero talia passus est Ulixes

Post by pmda »

Doh! Of course...I don't know it must be a form of dyslexia on my part. Many thanks.

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