Phaedrus 1.14

The cobbler turned doctor

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Phaedr. 1.14.1Malus cum sūtor inopiā dēperditus
medicīnam ignōtō facere coepisset locō
et venditāret falsō antidotum nōmine,
verbōsīs acquīsīvit sibi fāmam strophīs.A bad cobbler, ruined by poverty, had begun to practise medicine in a place where he was unknown, and was selling an antidote under a false name; with wordy tricks he won himself a reputation.Note. sūtor: a cobbler. inopiā dēperditus: 'ruined by poverty'. ignōtō … locō: 'in a place where he was unknown'. falsō … nōmine: 'under a false name'. verbōsīs … strophīs: 'with wordy tricks'. Phaedr. 1.14.5Hic cum iacēret morbō cōnfectus gravī
rēx urbis, eius experiendī grātiā
scyphum poposcit: fūsā dein simulāns aquā
miscēre illīus antidotō sē toxicum,
ēbibere iussit ipsum positō praemiō.When the king of the city was lying here, worn out by a serious illness, he asked for a cup to test him; then, pouring in water and pretending that he was mixing poison with the man's antidote, he ordered him to drink it off himself, offering a reward.Note. Hīc … Rēx urbis: 'the king of the city'. eius experiendī grātiā: 'for the sake of testing him'. fūsā … aquā: ablative absolute. simulāns … miscēre … sē toxicum: 'pretending that he was mixing poison'. positō praemiō: 'a reward having been offered'. Phaedr. 1.14.10Timōre mortis ille tum cōnfessus est
nōn artis ūllā medicum sē prūdentiā,
vērum stupōre vulgī factum nōbilem.Then in fear of death the man confessed that he had become a famous doctor not through any skill in the art, but through the stupidity of the crowd.Note. nōn artis ūllā … prūdentiā … vērum stupōre vulgī: 'not by any skill in his art but by the stupidity of the crowd'. factum nōbilem: '(that he had) become famous'.

Phaedr. 1.14.13Rēx advocātā cōntiōne haec addidit:
quantae putātis esse vōs dēmentiae,
15quī capita vestra nōn dubitātis crēdere,
cui calceandōs nēmō commīsit pedēs?The king called an assembly and added these words: 'How mad do you think you are, when you do not hesitate to trust your heads to a man to whom nobody has trusted his feet to be shod?'Note. advocātā cōntiōne: ablative absolute, 'having called an assembly'. quantae … dēmentiae: genitive of description, 'of how great madness'. cui calceandōs … pedēs: gerundive, 'to whom no one has trusted his feet for shoeing'. Phaedr. 1.14.17Hoc pertinēre vērē ad illōs dīxerim,
quōrum stultitia quaestus impudentiae est.I would truly say that this applies to those whose foolishness is a source of profit for impudence.Note. dīxerim: polite perfect subjunctive, 'I would say'. quaestus impudentiae: 'a source of profit for impudence'.

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Grammar in this passage: cum clauses ×2, gerunds and gerundives ×2, ablative absolute ×3, indirect statement ×1

Latin vocabulary for this passage (81 words)

malus, -a, -um	bad
cum, conj.	when, while, after; since; although
sūtor, -ōris m.	shoemaker, cobbler
inopia, -ae f.	lack, want, scarcity
dēperdō, -ere, dēperdidī, dēperditum	lose
medicīna, -ae, f.	art of healing, medicine
ignōtus, -a, -um	unknown
faciō, facere, fēcī, factus	make, do; iter facere, see iter
coepī, coepisse, coeptus (used in tenses of completed action)	have begun, began
locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n.	place, situation
et, conj.	and; et ... et, both ... and
venditō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	offer for sale, peddle; cry up
falsus, -a, -um	feigned, pretended, false
antidotum, -ī n.	antidote, remedy against poison
nōmen, -minis, n.	name (that by which one is known)
verbōsus, -a, -um	wordy, full of talk
adquīrō, -quīrere, -quīsīvī, -quīsītus	acquire, gain in addition
suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron.	himself, herself, itself, themselves
fāma, -ae, f.	report, rumor
stropha, -ae f.	trick, dodge
hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron.	this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter
iaceō, -ēre, -uī	lie, be prostrate
morbus, -ī m.	sickness, disease
cōnficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectus	make or do completely, complete, finish, accomplish, make; wear out
gravis, -e	heavy; severe, grievous, serious
rēx, rēgis, m.	king
urbs, urbis, f.	city
is, ea, id, dem. pron.	this, that; he, she, it, they
experior, -īrī, expertus sum	try, test, experience
grātia, -ae, f.	favor; gratitude, thanks; plur., thanks; grātiās agere, to give thanks, thank; grātiam referre, to return a favor, show gratitude, requite
scyphus, -ī m.	cup, goblet
poscō, poscere, poposcī	ask, demand
fundō, -ere, fūdī, fūsum	pour; rout, scatter (an enemy)
deinde, adv.	then, next
simulō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum	pretend
aqua, -ae, f.	water
misceō, miscēre, miscuī, mīxtus	mix, mingle
ille, illa, illud, dem. pron.	that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc
toxicum, -ī n.	poison
ēbibō, -bibere, -bibī	drink up, drain
iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussus	bid, order, command
ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron.	self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very
pōnō, pōnere, posuī, positus	place, put; pōnī with in and abl., to be placed in, rest or depend on
praemium, -ī, n.	reward
timor, -ōris, m.	fear
mors, mortīs, f.	death
tum, adv.	then, at that time
cōnfiteor, -ērī, -fessus sum	admit, confess
sum, esse, fuī, futūrus	be
nōn, adv.	not
ars, artis, f.	art
ūllus, -a, -um	any
medicus, -ī m.	doctor
prūdentia, -ae, f.	prudence
vērum (conj.)	but, but in fact; nōn modo ... vērum etiam: not only ... but also
stupor, -ōris m.	astonishment, amazement
vulgus, -ī n.	the common people, the crowd
nōbilis, -e	well-known, noble
advocō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	call, summon (contiōnem advocāre: call an assembly)
cōntiō, -ōnis f.	assembly, meeting; speech to an assembly
addō, -ere, -didī, -ditus	add, put to
quantus, -a, -um	how great or much?
putō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	think
vōs	plur. of tū
dēmentia, -ae f.	madness, folly
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.	who, which
caput, capitis, n.	head
vester, -tra, -trum	your
dubitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	doubt, hesitate
crēdō, -dere, -didī, -ditus	believe
calceō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	put shoes on, shoe
nēmō, nēminis, m. and f.	no one, nobody
committō, -mittere, -mīsī, -missus	send together; commit, intrust; expose; proelium committere, to join battle
pēs, pedis, m.	foot
pertineō, -ēre, -uī	extend, reach; tend toward, concern
vērē (adv.)	truly, really
ad, prep. with acc.	to, toward; at, near; for
dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus	say, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day
stultitia, -ae f.	folly, foolishness
quaestus, -ūs m.	gain, profit
impudentia, -ae f.	shamelessness, effrontery

Phaedrus, Fabulae I. Latin text: L. Mueller (Teubner, 1876), public domain; digital text from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA. Word analysis: LatinCy, then every word checked and corrected by hand. Vocabulary: F. Ritchie (1903, public domain) and entries written for this app. English translation, notes and grammar hints: written for this app.