again I am not sure how to render this passage
I get an impression that a small looking word in any language can mean more than how its look
this clause from orberg LLPSI cap.XII line 109
-Illī autem nec pīlla in castra iacere possunt,..-
suddenly the text gives you illī, that I think is the dative singular of the pronoun illic
It seems that I cannot put this little word into context
-but They also arent able to lie javelins againts the camp to him,..-
my question is, am I reading it wrong? and what does illī refer to? because at the whole paragraph there is no other dative and if illī refers to the castra, why illī is in the singular? because castra by default is plural doesnt it? should illīs be written instead? or do I miss a concept here?
thx in advance and sry if this question is too basic
Can’t tell without more context, but it looks like illi is nominative plural of ille (not illic, which is an adverb) and is the subject of possunt. iacere (the first e is short) is from iacio, “throw”, not iaceo, “lie”.
“They, however, are unable to throw the javelins into the camp . . .”
Ille/illi is often used when contrasting two parties (the other party being referred to by hic/hi). Here the contrast is apparently reinforced by autem.
