Prosa 11

section 1

nexa: < necto, "fasten, weave."

section 2

Quanti: genitive of value.
agnoueris: < agnosco, "recognize, understand"; future perfect.

section 3

Infinito: ablative of price.
pariter: pariter . . . quoque: emphatically repetitive.
quoque: pariter . . . quoque: emphatically repetitive.

section 4

modo: "provided that," with subjunctive (maneant).
paulo ante: 3P10.31ff.

section 5

ea: subject of four infinitives -- esse, posse, fieri, habere -- in indirect discourse after monstrauimus.
idcirco: explained by the quoniam clause.
inuicem: take with a se: "from one another."
cumque: introduces a causal clause depending on [ea] . . . non posse.
alteri: dative with abesset.
cum: cum . . . colliguntur: circumstantial clause, depending on [ea] . . . fieri.
efficientiam: "efficacy, capacity for acting."
colliguntur: cum . . . colliguntur: circumstantial clause, depending on [ea] . . . fieri.
ut: ut . . . iucunditas: result clause.
iucunditas: ut . . . iucunditas: result clause.
nisi: nisi . . . sint: protasis for a future-less-vivid condition, whose apodosis is furnished by [ea] . . . habere.
sint: nisi . . . sint: protasis for a future-less-vivid condition, whose apodosis is furnished by [ea] . . . habere.
quo: quo . . . numerentur: causal relative clause.
numerentur: quo . . . numerentur: causal relative clause.

section 6

Demonstratum: sc. est. Answers the question, nonne monstrauimus?

section 7

Quae: Quae . . . fiunt: compound relative clause defining haec later in the sentence.
fiunt: Quae . . . fiunt: compound relative clause defining haec later in the sentence.
haec ut bona sint: result clause after a verb of making (fieri ["to come to be, to be made"] . . . contingit).

section 8

an minime: "or not?"

section 9

unum atque bonum: "The One and the Good."

section 10

Nostine: = nouistine.
pariter atque: "as soon as, at the same time as."

section 11

in unum coeunt: "come together as a single entity or unit."
utriusque: "of each, of both (body and soul)."

section 12

humana: humana . . . species: "outward appearance of a human being."
uisitur: "is looked at, strikes the eye."
species: humana . . . species: "outward appearance of a human being."

section 13

percurrenti cetera: "to one going over the rest of the argument."
aliud: "anything else"; take closely with minime.

section 14

quod: "[anything] which ."
relicta: relicta . . . appetentia: ablative absolute.
appetentia: relicta . . . appetentia: ablative absolute.

section 15

considerem: subjunctive in protasis of mixed condition; cf. inuenio in the apodosis.
nihil: "no [animal]."
nullis: nullis . . . cogentibus: ablative absolute.
extra: "from without."
cogentibus: nullis . . . cogentibus: ablative absolute.
abiciant: abiciant . . . festinent: plural because of animalia (AG 317d).
festinent: abiciant . . . festinent: plural because of animalia (AG 317d).

section 18

non est: = nihil est.
quod: object of ambigere, antecedent assumed from non est.
primum: "first of all," in a sequence that continues through sec. 29.
innasci: "to be born in."
ubi: ubi . . . possint: purpose clause.
exarescere: "to dry up."
possint: ubi . . . possint: purpose clause.

section 19

aliae: sc. herbae atque arbores.
quas: relative (antecedent: aliarum) takes its case as object of transferre, but has also attracted the subject of arescant.

section 20

elaborat: "works for, takes pains"; governing the purpose clause, ne . . . intereant.

section 21

Quid quod: "What of the fact that . . ."
omnes: still of plants/trees.
ore demerso: ablative absolute.
alimenta: "nourishment."
per medullas: per medullas . . . corticemque: "through pith and bark."
robur: object of diffundunt.
corticemque: (< cortex) per medullas . . . corticemque: "through pith and bark."

section 22

22: Three layers are imagined: interiore . . . sede, extra ("outside [the inner layer]"), ultimus . . . cortex.
quadam ligni firmitate: sc. re conditur.
mali: objective genitive with defensor.

section 24

ad tempus manendi: "of lasting for a time"; manendi is genitive governed by machinas.
generatim: " after their kind."

section 25

25: Construe: nonne quaeque desiderant quod suum est? Quaeque echoes the demonstrative pronoun (ea) for emphasis.

section 26

nisi quod: "if not because."
singulis: "to each."

section 27

Porro autem: "but moreover"; introduces a further point.
consentaneum: "fitting, appropriate, suited."
sicuti: "in the same way."

section 28

28: Lines 28-29: each of the traditional four elements (earth, water, air, fire) resists disunifying division in a characteristic way, thus revealing the importance of unity in the natural order.

section 29

29: Lines 28-29: each of the traditional four elements (earth, water, air, fire) resists disunifying division in a characteristic way, thus revealing the importance of unity in the natural order.
liquentia: indicates transparency as well as fluidity and hence describes both air and water.

section 30

30: Conscious and unconscious volition are to be distinguished.
sicuti est quod: "such as [the fact] that."
acceptas: perfect passive participle, modifying escas.
transigimus: "we make to pass through."
spiritum ducimus: "we draw breath."

section 32

quam: sc. mortem.
contraque: "and on the contrary."
gignendi opus: "act of procreation."

section 33

sui caritas: "love of self." (This is the only occurrence of caritas in the Consolatio.)
animali: "of the animating spirit"; adjective.
quoad possunt: "insofar as they can."

section 35

indubitato: adverb.

section 36

hoc: i.e., unum esse. Without unum esse (hoc enim sublato: ablative absolute) there can be no esse at all.

section 37

unum: "The One, Oneness."
quod bonum: sc. sit.

section 38

ita describas licet: "you may describe thus"; with indirect statement.

section 39

nihil unum: "no Oneness."
uno ueluti uertice destituta: "devoid of Oneness as if [devoid] of its crowning point."

section 40

mediae ueritatis notam: the phrase resists translation, but clearly indicates that the truth grasped is at the center of all philosophy.