translation help and correction

Latin Learning Latin
1

I would be really grateful if somebody correct the translation of small latin texts which I have done.
With best regards

Erasmus of Rotterdam- Diogenes

44. Diogenes videns a magistratibus duci quendam, qui phialam ex aerario furatus erat, „Magni“, inquit„fures parvum ducunt.“ Utinam hoc non possit vere dici in magistratus aliquot Christianos, a quibus ad laqueum ducitur interdum, qui decem drachmas sustulit, cum ipsi impune magnis furtis vel potius peculatu ditescant

  1. When (= Once) Diogenes saw that someone (= a person) who had stolen a bowl belonging to the treasures was being led away by the officers (= the temple officials= sacred officials) , he said, ”The great thieves are leading away a little (one) . Oh that! It could not really be said about several Chistians at the magistral offfices that when the great thieves themselves are growing rich with peculation or rather (vel potius= or I may better say) without punishment, a person who has stolen ten drachmas would be led now and then into the trap.

46 Erat Diogeni servus nomine Manes. Is cum effugisset a domino, admonuerunt
amici, ut fugitivum quaereret. „At ridiculum“, inquit Diogenes, „si Manes sine
Diogene vivat, et Diogenes absque Mane vivere non possit.“

  1. There was a slave of Diogenes, named Manes (= Diogenes had a slave, named Manes). Once he had escaped from (his) master, The friends (of Diogenes) suggested (him) to search for the fugitive (= for the fleeing away). Diogenes said, “ But it (would be) funny (or odd, absurd) if Manes is living (=lives, or better: if Manes can live) without Diogenes and Diogenes cannot live without Manes. [if Manes can live without Diogenes, cannot Diogenes live without Manes?]

47 Cum Diogenes adesset convivio, ii, qui accumbebant, appellantes eum
„canem“ ossa ei proiciebant, quod id canibus fieri consuevit. At ille discedens a
tergo commingebat accumbentes significans et hoc esse canum

  1. Once Diogenes was present at a companion guest (= at a feast, at a dinner feast, at a banquet) those (ii=they) who lied beside threw the bones (= threw some bones) to him while calling him “dog”(= referring to him as a dog) because he was accustomed to imitate dogs. But as that (man, ille= Diogenes) was going apart from the back, he polluted (those) sitting beside and pretending to be that of dogs.
    (he pissed on them as though he were a dog)

48 Cum Diogenes in publica via pranderet multique eum circumstarent ob
spectaculi novitatem ac saepius clamarent „canis, canis!“, „Immo“, inquit, „vos
estis canes, qui prandentem circumstatis.“
48. Once Diogenes was taking breakfast (= was breakfasting) on the public road (=way) and many (people) circled (= gathered round) him on account of newness of the show and shouted frequently “ dog! dog! . He said, on the contrary you are dogs who are circling while (I) am eating.

(III Diogenes 20) Cum captus venderetur in Creta, Diogenes praeconi roganti,
quid sciret et quo titulo eum commendaret emptoribus, „Dic“, inquit, „te vendere
hominem, qui sciat imperare liberis!“

(III-20). Once captured, he was about to be sold in Crete, Diogenes asked a herald what he knew and which title he would give to the buyers, he said, say you sell a human-being who knew to rule the freedmen.

(III Diogenes 48) Plato offendens Diogenem lavantem olera dixit illi ad aurem:
„Si Dionysio obsecutus esses, profecto non lavares olera!“ Tum Diogenes
vicissim Platoni ad aurem dixit: „Si tu lavares olera, Dionysio non servires.“
(III-48). Plato encountering Diogenes while he was washing vegetables (= cabbage) told that (man, told him) to the ear (= told him quietly) “If I was obliged by Denis I would not wash the vegetable, then Diogenes told (= answered) him in return to the ear (=quietly=, “if you wash the vegetable, you will not serve Denis”


(III Diogenes 197) Interrogatus, num quid mali esset mors, Diogenes „Quo“,
inquit, „pacto malum, cum praesentem non sentiamus. Quod autem abest, nulli
malum est. Dum sensit homo, vivit: nondum igitur adest mors. Quae si adsit,
abest sensus. Malum autem non est, quod non sentitur.“

(III-197). Diagnoses was asked if the death was surely not bad (=wether death was an evil thing), he said,” why agreed evil (= how can it be evil), when we don´t feel (it) when being present. However nothing is evil because it is absent. While the human (= a man) felt to be alive : it is here therefore death. That if he is present, he feels be absent. But however it is not bad because he will not feel.

2

I’ve only looked at the first sentence.

Oh if that could not truly be said against some Christian magistrates, by whom now and then one is lead to the gallows, who has stolen ten drachmas, while they themselves without punishment are growing rich with great thefts or rather with peculation.

Do you see what you got wrong?

3

You’d probably get a more enthusiastic response if you posted only one or two sentences at a time or asked specific questions. This caught my attention:

(III Diogenes 20) Cum captus venderetur in Creta, Diogenes praeconi roganti,
quid sciret et quo titulo eum commendaret emptoribus, „Dic“, inquit, „te vendere
hominem, qui sciat imperare liberis!“

(III-20). Once captured, he was about to be sold in Crete, Diogenes asked a herald what he knew and which title he would give to the buyers, he said, say you sell a human-being who knew to rule the freedmen.

My rendering, kept somewhat “literal” to show the force of the Latin:

When having been captured he was being sold in Crete, Diogenes said to the auctioneer asking what he knew and by what title he should recommend him to his buyers, “Say that you are selling a man who knows how to command free people.”

Any questions? Your main problem was taking roganti as a main verb with Diogenes as the subject, rather than as a participle modifying praeconti.

4

Thanks alot dear bedwere and dear Barry Hofstetter. :slight_smile:

5

(III-197). Diogenes was asked what sort of evil death was. He said,” how can it be evil, when we don´t feel it when present. But what is absent, is an evil for none. While a man feels, he is alive : therefore death is not present yet. Should it (death) be present, sensation would be absent. But it is not an evil what is not felt."