Heavy Construction

598.

a. In any phrase the determining and most significant word comes first: -

1. Adjective and Noun: -

• 

• omnís hominés decet, EVERY man ought (opposed to some who do not).

  

• Lúcius Catilína nóbilí genere nátus fuit, mágná ví et animí et corporis, sed ingenió maló právóque (Sall. Cat. 5), Lucius Catiline was born of a NOBLE family, with GREAT force of mind and body, but with a NATURE that was evil and depraved. [Here the adjectives in the first part are the emphatic and important words, no antithesis between the nouns being as yet thought of; but in the second branch the noun is meant to be opposed to those before mentioned, and immediately takes the prominent place, as is seen by the natural English emphasis, thus making a chiasmus.[1][So called from the Greek letter X (chi), on account of the criss-cross arrangement of the words. Thus, *beginarray*1l a b *endarray*beginarray*1l b a *endarray (see f below)]]

  

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• 2. Word with modifying case: -

  

• • 

  • quid magis Epamínóndam, Thébánórum imperátórem, quam victóriae Thébánórum cónsulere decuit (Inv. i. 69), what should Epaminondas, commander of the THEBANS, have aimed at more than the VICTORY of the Thebans?

    

  • lacrimá nihil citius áréscit (id. i. 109), nothing dries quicker than a TEAR.

    

  • némó feré laudis cupidus (De Or. i. 14), hardly any one desirous of GLORY (cf. Manil. 7, avidí laudis, EAGER for glory).

    

  b. Numeral adjectives, adjectives of quantity, demonstrative, relative, and interrogative pronouns and adverbs, tend to precede the word or words to which they belong: -

  • 

  • cum aliquá perturbátióne (Off. i. 137), with SOME disturbance.

    

  • hóc únó praestámus (De Or. i. 32), in THIS one thing we excel.

    

  • céterae feré artés, the OTHER arts.

    

  • 

  • NOTE: This happens because such words are usually emphatic; but often the words connected with them are more so, and in such cases the pronouns etc. yield the emphatic place: -

    

  • • 

    • causa aliqua
    (De Or. i. 250), some CASE.

    stilus ille tuus (id. i. 257), that well-known STYLE of yours (in an antithesis; see passage). [Ille is idiomatic in this sense and position.]

    Rómam quae apportáta sunt (Verr. iv. 121), what were carried to ROME (in contrast to what remained at Syracuse).

  c. When sum is used as the Substantive verb (§ 284. b), it regularly stands first, or at any rate before its subject: -

  • 

  • est virí mágní púníre sontis (Off. i. 82), it is the duty of a great man to punish the guilty.

    

  d. The verb may come first, or have a prominent position, either (1) because the idea in it is emphatic; or (2) because the predication of the whole statement is emphatic ; or (3) the tense only may be emphatic: -

  • 

  • (1) dícébat idem Cotta (Off. ii. 59), Cotta used to SAY the same thing (opposed to others' boasting).

    

  • idem fécit aduléscéns M. Antónius (id. ii. 49), the same thing was DONE by Mark Antony in his youth. [Opposed to díxí just before.]

    

  • facis amícé (Lael. 9), you ACT kindly. [Cf. amícé facis, you are very KIND (you act KINDLY).]

    

  • (2) própénsior benígnitás esse débébit in calamitósós nisi forte erunt d=ign=i calamit=ate (Off. ii. 62), liberality ought to be readier toward the unfortunate unless perchance they REALLY DESERVE their misfortune.

    

  • praesertim cum scríbat (Panaetius) (id. iii. 8), especially when he DOES SAY (in his books). [Opposed to something omitted by him.]

    

  • (3) fuimus Tr=oes, fuit =ilium (Aen. ii. 325), we have CEASED to be Trojans, Troy is now no MORE.

    

  • loquor autem dé commúnibus amícitiís (Off. iii. 45), but I am SPEAKING NOW of common friendships.

    

  e. Often the connection of two emphatic phrases is brought about by giving the precedence to the most prominent part of each and leaving the less prominent parts to follow in inconspicuous places: -

  • 

  • plúrés solent esse causae (Off. i. 28), there are USUALLY SEVERAL reasons.

    

  • quós ámísimus cívís, eós Mártis vís perculit (Marc. 17), WHAT fellow-citizens we have LOST, have been stricken down by the violence of war.

    

  • maximás tibi omnés grátiás agimus (id. 33), we ALL render you the WARMEST thanks.

    

  • haec rés úníus est propria Caesaris (id. 11), THIS exploit belongs to Caesar ALONE.

    

  • obiúrgátiónés etiam nón numquam incidunt necessáriae (Off. i. 136), OCCASIONS FOR REBUKE also SOMETIMES occur which are unavoidable.

    

  f. Antithesis between two pairs of ideas is indicated by placing the pairs either (1) in the same order (anaphora) or (2) in exactly the opposite order (chiasmus): -

  • 

  • (1) rérum cópia verbórum cópiam gignit (De Or. iii. 125), ABUNDANCE of MATTER produces COPIOUSNESS of EXPRESSION.

    

  • (2) légés supplició improbós afficiunt, défendunt ac tuentur bonós (Legg. ii. 13), the laws VISIT PUNISHMENTS upon the WICKED, but the GOOD they DEFEND and PROTECT.

    

  NOTE: Chiasmus is very common in Latin, and often seems in fact the more inartificial construction. In an artless narrative one might hear, ``The women were all drowned, they saved the men.''

  • 

  • nón igitur útilitátem amícitia sed útilitás amícitiam cónsecúta est (Lael. 51), it is not then that friendship has followed upon advantage, but advantage upon friendship. [Here the chiasmus is only grammatical, the ideas being in the parallel order.] (See also p. 395: longissimé, minimé, proximí.)

    

  g. A modifier of a phrase or some part of it is often embodied within the phrase (cf. a): -

  • 

  • dé commúní hominum memoriá (Tusc. i. 59), in regard to the UNIVERSAL memory of man.

    

  h. A favorite order with the poets is the interlocked, by which the attribute of one pair comes between the parts of the other (synchysis): -

  • 

  • et superiectó pavidae natárunt aequore dammae (Hor. Od. i. 2. 11).

    

  NOTE: This is often joined with chiasmus: as, - arma n=ondum expi=at=is =uncta cru=oribus (id. ii. 1. 5).

  i. Frequently unimportant words follow in the train of more emphatic ones with which they are grammatically connected, and so acquire a prominence out of proportion to their importance: -

  • 

  • dictitábat sé hortulós aliquós emere velle (Off. iii. 58), he gave out that he wanted to buy some gardens. [Here aliquós is less emphatic than emere, but precedes it on account of the emphasis on hortulós.]

    

  j. The copula is generally felt to be of so little importance that it may come in anywhere where it sounds well; but usually under cover of more emphatic words: -

  • 

  • cónsul ego quaesíví, cum vós mihi essétis in cónsilió (Rep. iii. 28), as consul I held an investigation in which you attended me in council.

    

  • falsum est id tótum (id. ii. 28), that is all false.

    

  k. Many expressions have acquired an invariable order: -

  • 

  • rés pública; populus Rómánus ; honóris causá; páce tantí virí.

    

  • 

  • NOTE: These had, no doubt, originally an emphasis which required such an arrangement, but in the course of time have changed their shade of meaning. Thus, senátus populusque Rómánus originally stated with emphasis the official bodies, but became fixed so as to be the only permissible form of expression.

    

  • 1. The Romans had a fondness for emphasizing persons, so that a name or a pronoun often stands in an emphatic place: -

    

  • • 

    • [d=ixit] v=en=al=is quidem sé hort=os n=on hab=ere
    (Off. iii. 58), [said] that he didn't have any gardens for sale, to be sure.

  m. Kindred words often come together (fig=ura etymologica): -

  • 

  • ita sénsim sine sénsú aetás senéscit (Cat. M. 38), thus gradually, without being perceived, man's life grows old.