Describing Gaius Marius, this is said:
Erat Marius dūrior ad hūmānitātis studia et ingenuārum artium contemptor. Cum aedem Honōris de manubiī hostium vōvisset, sprētā peregrīnōrum marmorum nōbilitāte artificumque Graecōrum arte eam vulgārī lapide per artificem Rōmānum cūrāvit aedificandam.
Marius was rather harsh towards liberal studies, and a contemner of fine arts. When he dedicated a temple of Honor from the money raised from selling of the enemies’ booty, (and this is where it all turns to custard) with the excellence of foreign statues and the skill of Greek craftsmen removed, he made sure cūrāvit that it (the temple) that had to be built eam aedificandam to be levelled flat by stone vulgārī lapide by a Roman builder per artificem Rōmānum.
Clearly I’m having problems. Does sprētā go with nōbilitāte and arte? ‘With the excellence of foreign statues’ is horrid, and ‘flattened by stone’ makes no sense, even to me. Can someone please help! Cheers, Phil.