Prosa 6

1.

Q. Is the world governed by chance or reason?

A. By the rational power of God (secs. 3-4).
[Boethius is correct, and this is maximum tuae fomitem salutis (sec. 20)]

2.

Q. By what instruments is the world governed?

A. B. barely understands the question, cannot answer (secs. 7-8).

3.

Q. What is the goal or purpose of all things?

A. B. has heard the answer but forgotten it (sec. 10).

4.

Q. What is a human being?

A. Rationale animal atque mortale (sec. 15).
[This is an answer, but an unsatisfactory one. B. does not in fact know what he himself is. Specifically, he has forgotten the immortality of the soul.]

section 1

paterisne: future, "will you allow?"
pauculis: diminutives and superlatives are so common in later Latin that they lose much of their force.
attingere: "touch," a verb used elsewhere of a physician feeling for a pulse.
qui modus sit: indirect question.

section 2

ut responsurum: sc. me, "as one who will answer."
rogato: future imperative < rogo.

section 3

Huncine: see on 1P4.3.
ei: dative.

section 4

ut: ut . . . moveantur: indirect statement; see 1P4.17.
certa: nominative plural neuter.
moueantur: ut . . . moveantur: indirect statement; see 1P4.17.
uerum: "but."
operi suo: dative with the compound verb praesidere ("to preside over").
fuerit: future perfect, "nor will there ever have been a day."
depellat: subjunctive of characteristic.

section 5

paulo ante: "a little earlier [in this work]," cf. 1M5.25f; used often to refer to earlier parts of the dialogue.
cecinisti: < cano, "sing."
tantum: adverb, "only."
ceteris: sc. rebus, i.e., other than homines.
quin: quin . . . regerentur: quin introduces the subjunctive after a negative with a verb of doubting, which is the force here of nihil mouebare , but the subject of regerentur is supplied from ceteris. Translate, "You are not at all troubled about the others, but that they should be ruled by reason," i.e., you have no trouble believing that non-human affairs are ruled by reason.
regerentur: quin . . . regerentur: quin introduces the subjunctive after a negative with a verb of doubting, which is the force here of nihil mouebare , but the subject of regerentur is supplied from ceteris. Translate, "You are not at all troubled about the others, but that they should be ruled by reason," i.e., you have no trouble believing that non-human affairs are ruled by reason.
mouebare: = mouebaris.

section 6

Papae: exclamation of surprise or wonder.
aegrotes: "be ill."
nescio quid: "something"; literally, "I know not what."
coniecto: first person singular, "infer, guess."

section 7

deo: dative of reference (with a passive verb, indicating agent).
gubernaculis: "rudders," often metaphorical.

section 8

sententiam: here, "meaning."
nedum: "much less."

section 9

fefellit: < fallo, "deceive," but in the impersonal as here, "I am mistaken, I am deceived."
hianti ualli robore: (< hio, "gape, yawn") ablative absolute; for the idea, cf. 1P3.13-14.

section 10

quoue: "or whither?"

section 11

Noui: "I know"; see on 1P3.9.

section 12

qui: adv., "how."
principio cognito: ablative absolute.

section 13

ualentia: "strength."
quidem: quidem . . . autem: "on one hand . . . on the other."
autem: quidem . . . autem: "on one hand . . . on the other."
sibique totum exstirpare: "to uproot [him] entirely from himself."

section 15

Quidni: "why not?"
Hocine: "Is it this?"
an: an . . . sciam: "whether I know"; indirect question.
sciam: an . . . sciam: "whether I know"; indirect question.
rationale animal atque mortale: a commonplace philosophical definition in late antiquity; e.g., Epictetus, 2.9.2; Augustine, De Ordine 2.11.31, etc.

section 17

uel maximam: "the very greatest."
quid ipse sis nosse desisti: (nosse = nouisse < nosco) cf. 1P2.6, sui paulisper oblitus est; obliuione tui (sec. 18 here).

section 18

18: lines 18-19: note three quoniam sentences, each corresponding to one of the ill-answered questions above.

section 19

19: lines 18-19: note three quoniam sentences, each corresponding to one of the ill-answered questions above.
nequam: indeclinable adjective, "wicked."
potentes felicesque: predicative, sc. esse.
non: non . . . modo, uerum . . . quoque: "not only, but also."
modo, uerum: non . . . modo, uerum . . . quoque: "not only, but also."
quoque: non . . . modo, uerum . . . quoque: "not only, but also."
causae: sc. sunt.
grates: feminine plural nominative, "thanks," sc. sint, with dative, auctori.

section 20

fomitem: < fomes, literally, "tinder, kindling," in a world where fire meant light: enlightenment is P.'s gift.
ueram: ueram . . . sententiam: i.e., sec. 4 above.
sententiam: ueram . . . sententiam: i.e., sec. 4 above.
eam: antecedent is gubernationem.
iam: "soon."
illuxerit: < illucesco, "blaze."

section 21

ueras: sc. opiniones.
ex quibus: i.e., opinionibus.
hanc: sc. caliginem.
fomentis: "poultices."
dimotis: dimotis . . . tenebris: ablative absolute.
tenebris: dimotis . . . tenebris: ablative absolute.