Any Latinists out there?

[AlexBell]

I'm preparing an ebook edition of Erasmus Against War for the MobileRead library, and trying to provide translations for the Latin and French. There is a quote in the introduction which I can't make any sense of:

"bellum quo nullum," says the historian, "vel atrocius vel diutumius in Italia post exactos Gothos majores nostri meminerunt."

The pdf is poor quality, so it is possible that it's diuturnius rather than diutumius - or something else entirely. Can anyone translate this for me?

[Witty Username]

Originally Posted by AlexBell

I'm preparing an ebook edition of Erasmus Against War for the MobileRead library, and trying to provide translations for the Latin and French. There is a quote in the introduction which I can't make any sense of:

"bellum quo nullum," says the historian, "vel atrocius vel diutumius in Italia post exactos Gothos majores nostri meminerunt."

The pdf is poor quality, so it is possible that it's diuturnius rather than diutumius - or something else entirely. Can anyone translate this for me?

You may have already looked, but the Project Gutenberg ebook has 'diuturnius'.

Two years later the league of Cambray, a combination of folly, treachery and shame which filled even hardened politicians with horror, plunged half Europe into a war in which no one was a gainer and which finally ruined Italy: “bellum quo nullum,” says the historian, “vel atrocius vel diuturnius in Italia post exactos Gothos majores nostri meminerunt.”

Gutenberg ebook here.

[AlexBell]

Originally Posted by Witty Username

You may have already looked, but the Project Gutenberg ebook has 'diuturnius'.



Gutenberg ebook here.

Thanks.

Yes, I had checked the PG version. But I still can't translate the text. And neither word is recognised by and online Latin dictionary I tried.

[DiapDealer]

The translator I used gives the word "permanent" for diuturnius. That doesn't consider context obviously.

[DiapDealer]

My best guess (and clearly paraphrased):

"A war in which no one," says the historian, "remembers the long standing cruelty of our forefathers following the expulsion of the Goths in Italy."

But I am terribly, terribly rusty. Take that with several grains of salt.

[murg]

Google translate has it as:

"The war in which there is no," says the historian, "after the expulsion of the Goths in Italy, or of long standing by our forefathers, even a cruel and remember."

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

My best guess (and clearly paraphrased):

"A war in which no one," says the historian, "remembers the long standing cruelty of our forefathers following the expulsion of the Goths in Italy."

But I am terribly, terribly rusty. Take that with several grains of salt.

Seems like a reasonable translation to me.

[Marshal Kilgore]

The fun with Latin is that long sentences are tamed by grammar instead of word order.
My attempt at a translation is:

"No one remembers a crueler or longer war in Italy since our ancestors expelled the Goths."

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by Marshal Kilgore

"No one remembers a crueler or longer war in Italy since our ancestors expelled the Goths."

Oh, I think that's much better than mine. The war being cruel and long as opposed to the ancestors/forefathers.

Perhaps then:

"No one," says the historian, "remembers a crueler or longer war in Italy since our ancestors expelled the Goths."

[murg]

Originally Posted by Marshal Kilgore

The fun with Latin is that long sentences are tamed by grammar instead of word order.
My attempt at a translation is:

"No one remembers a crueler or longer war in Italy since our ancestors expelled the Goths."

This would depend on if the quote was about the war itself, or the effects of the war on the people.

[AlexBell]

Originally Posted by murg

Google translate has it as:

"The war in which there is no," says the historian, "after the expulsion of the Goths in Italy, or of long standing by our forefathers, even a cruel and remember."

Thanks. I had tried Google translate, but as often happens that doesn't make make much sense to me.

[Tenzin_la]

This is precisely how I would translate it.

(Please don't get me wrong when I say this. I never even use the title 'Dr.' unless I am actually teaching a University class in Ancient Languages. In fact, I work in Junior High and when I applied for my state licenses, I didn't even list my degrees outside of Education. My boss doesn't know I hold a Ph.D. I don't flaunt it around.)

That being said, I've studied Ancient Languages fairly extensively and worked assisting on translating many texts in Ancient Latin & Greek while I was a Teacher's Assistant for Master's level classes at a University in Southern England.

I'm sorry if I come off 'snobbish'. I am by far not the authoritative answer to this question. I just thought my input might be of interest.*

*Your mileage may very well vary. Do not fold, spindle, or mutilate. Under no circumstances are the tags to be removed except by the purchaser. Warning! Do not attempt to put small snakes in your nose. I think that bloody well covers it.

Originally Posted by Marshal Kilgore

The fun with Latin is that long sentences are tamed by grammar instead of word order.
My attempt at a translation is:

"No one remembers a crueler or longer war in Italy since our ancestors expelled the Goths."

[AlexBell]

Originally Posted by Tenzin_la

This is precisely how I would translate it.

(Please don't get me wrong when I say this. I never even use the title 'Dr.' unless I am actually teaching a University class in Ancient Languages. In fact, I work in Junior High and when I applied for my state licenses, I didn't even list my degrees outside of Education. My boss doesn't know I hold a Ph.D. I don't flaunt it around.)

That being said, I've studied Ancient Languages fairly extensively and worked assisting on translating many texts in Ancient Latin & Greek while I was a Teacher's Assistant for Master's level classes at a University in Southern England.

I'm sorry if I come off 'snobbish'. I am by far not the authoritative answer to this question. I just thought my input might be of interest.*

*Your mileage may very well vary. Do not fold, spindle, or mutilate. Under no circumstances are the tags to be removed except by the purchaser. Warning! Do not attempt to put small snakes in your nose. I think that bloody well covers it.

Thanks. That is the translation I/ve decided to use.

[PeterT]

I'm curious... wouldn't the term be Classicist as opposed to Latinist?

[HarryT]

Classicist can refer to either Latin or Greek scholars. "Latinist" refers specifically to someone learned in Latin (and "Hellenist" would be the equivalent for Greek).