LLPSI - Familia Romana CAP XXII - Cave Canem
Stumped once again. Can’t work out the grammar of the first part, i.e. is the postie looking at the ground, the threshold or even the image?
Tabellarius solum intra limen aspicit, ubi Cave Canem scriptum est infra imaginem canis ferocis
Tabellarius (N), solum (Acc) intra (adv/preposition?) limen (Acc)
My rather free translation: Once across the threshold, the postie looks at the floor, where there is an image of a ferocious dog below the inscription “Beware of the dog”.
Solum is the object of aspicit. It is where the “imago Canis ferocis” is located. Where is the “Solum” it is “intra limen”. Tabellarius doesnt move until the next sentence. “…et proprius ad canem accedit.”
I know that you are translating freely but “ubi …scriptum est” belongs together. So not “where there is an inscription …” but “where there is written”. (It is a perfect with a present sense). As you can see from the picture in the book the inscription is actually " infra imaginem canis ferocis". Not the other way round as you have it.
Thanks, seneca. - Got it - the postie is still outside and hasn’t crossed the threshold.
There is this on Logeion: id. Men. 2, 3, 63: intra limen cohibere se, to keep within doors,
Tabellarius solum intra limen aspicit = The postie looks at the floor indoors/indoor floor
So the whole sentence might be: The postie looks at the floor indoors where there is written Beware of the Dog underneath the image of a ferocious dog. But please feel free to correct.
Shouldn’t have mixed up the position of image and inscription, and could have come up with a more precise translation of ubi scriptum est. Got a bit impatient, having spent what seemed like hours on that one sentence. 