Prosa 12

section 1

secundo: adverb, "a second time."
commemoras: "remind" someone (accusative) about something (genitive).
primum quod: "first because"; P. reminded B. of the doctrine first in his youth because, like all people, he had forgotten it when his soul entered the body (cf. 3M11); and second here in the Consolatio because he had lost sight of truth under a burden of sorrow.

section 2

priora: priora . . . concessa: "the principles agreed to earlier [in the Consolatio]."
concessa: priora . . . concessa: "the principles agreed to earlier [in the Consolatio]."
illud: anticipates the substance of the following quin-clause.

section 3

Quibus: Quibus . . . gubernaculis mundus regatur: 1P6.7.
gubernaculis mundus regatur: Quibus . . . gubernaculis mundus regatur: 1P6.7.
fuisse confessum: = confessum esse: < confiteor, "acknowledge, confess."

section 4

regi: passive infinitive < rego.
paulo ante: cf. 1P6.4-7.
quibusque: quibusque . . . accedam: "the arguments to which I accede in this [matter]"; indirect question.
accedam: quibusque . . . accedam: "the arguments to which I accede in this [matter]"; indirect question.

section 5

esset: the protasis is present contrary to fact (because this being continues to exist), even though the apodosis is past contrary to fact.

section 6

Coniuncta: accusative plural.
inuicem: "from one another."

section 7

tam dispositos motus: "such orderly movements."
locis: locis . . . qualitatibus: ablatives of respect with explicarent; these five terms are a virtual inventory of the ancient philosophical terms for all possible forms of motion; cf. Gruber.
qualitatibus: locis . . . qualitatibus: ablatives of respect with explicarent; these five terms are a virtual inventory of the ancient philosophical terms for all possible forms of motion; cf. Gruber.
explicarent: "deploy, arrange"; sc., e.g., diuersae partes.

section 8

usitato: "regularly used."

section 9

sospes: "safe and sound."

section 11

amminiculis: "means of support."

section 14

clauus atque gubernaculum: "rudder and helm."
mundana: "of the world."

section 15

te: te . . . dicturam: indirect statement with prospexi.
dicturam: te . . . dicturam: indirect statement with prospexi.

section 16

quod dicam: "what I am about to say"; the subject of patet.

section 17

bonitatis clauo: "with the rudder of [i.e., that is] goodness"; epexegetic genitive.
sicuti docui: 3P11.
uoluntaria: "beings possessed of conscious will."
rectori: dative of agent with passive participle.

section 18

detrectantium iugum: "a yoke [upon the neck] for people who shrank [from it]."
obtemperantium salus: "safety and well-being for those who obey."

section 19

deo contra ire: "to go against God"; treat contra ire as a compound verb taking the dative.

section 20

quicquam: subject of proficiet.
beatitudinis: objective genitive with potentissimum.

section 22

regit cuncta fortiter suauiterque disponit: these words are thought by some to be a clear echo of Wisdom 8.1, attingit [sapientia]. . . fortiter et disponit omnia suauiter, a contention perhaps fortified by B.'s ensuing statement that the choice of words delights him more than the principle expressed. This is the clearest echo of any Christian scripture to be found in the Consolatio.

section 23

Quam: Quam . . . delectant: "How much . . . [they] delight!"
uerum multo magis: "but much more [so]."
delectant: Quam . . . delectant: "How much . . . [they] delight!"
tandem aliquando: "at long last."
magna lacerantem: "tearing [down] great things"; the habitual action of stultitia. For stultitia, cf. 1P3.6ff.
sui: "of itself," genitive with pudeat.

section 24

lacessentes: "challenging, provoking."
Gigantas: The war of the giants against the gods (they were defeated with the aid of Hercules) made them proverbial figures for resistance to divine order.
uti condignum fuit: "as was most fitting."

section 25

uisne: uisne . . . collidamus: "do you wish that we should bring into conflict . . .?" (Literally, "strike together": P. takes her image from the practice of striking stones together to make sparks.)
collidamus: uisne . . . collidamus: "do you wish that we should bring into conflict . . .?" (Literally, "strike together": P. takes her image from the practice of striking stones together to make sparks.)
dissiliat: "fly out"; potential subjunctive after forsitan.

section 26

omnium potentem: = omnipotentem.
dubitauerit: past potential subjunctive.
mente consistat: "is unshaken in his mind."

section 27

Qui: antecedent is ille.

section 29

qui nihil non potest: "who is nable [to do] nothing," i.e., "who can do everything." P.'s argument is coy, but the principle that evil does not really exist and is only the absence of existence was common among Platonists and Christians in this period.

section 30

Ludisne: Ludisne . . . me: "Do you make fun of me?"
me: Ludisne . . . me: "Do you make fun of me?"
quae: sc. Philosophia (subject of introeas). quae . . . egrediare: causal relative clause.
qua: sc. uia.
egrediaris: egrediaris . . . egrediare: < egredior; both present subjunctive second person singular.
introieris: < introeo, "enter"; perfect subjunctive.
egrediare: quae . . . egrediare: causal relative clause. egrediaris . . . egrediare: < egredior; both present subjunctive second person singular.
simplicitatis: simplicitatis . . . complicas: the two words from the same root but with opposed meanings emphasize the paradox of divine order: innately simple but complex from the point of view of human understanding. B. will continue to play with words containing the root -plic- through the rest of the Consolatio.
complicas: simplicitatis . . . complicas: the two words from the same root but with opposed meanings emphasize the paradox of divine order: innately simple but complex from the point of view of human understanding. B. will continue to play with words containing the root -plic- through the rest of the Consolatio.

section 31

paulo ante: 3P10.17.
beatitudine: ablative of origin.

section 32

ex quo: "from which [argument] . . . you gave"; introduces indirect statement.
quasi munusculum: "as a sort of little gift"; cf. 3P10.22, ueluti corollarium.
dabas: "from which [argument] . . . you gave"; introduces indirect statement.

section 34

bonitatis gubernaculis: cf. 3P12.17, bonitatis clauo.

section 35

nullis extrinsecus sumptis: ablative absolute: "with no [premises] imported from outside"; taken by some to be a way of saying that no reference is made here to Christian revelation.
ex altero [altero] fidem trahente: "with the one taking its credibility from the other." The angle brackets indicate that the manuscript authority for the second altero is very weak, but editors agree that the word is necessary.

section 36

quem dudum deprecabamur: cf. 3P9.32-33 and 3M9.
exegimus: "accomplished."

section 37

dilabatur: "slips away, disperses."
Parmenides: cf. Diels, Fragmente der Vorsokratiker (28B 8, 43); the line is quoted by Plato (Sophist 244E) and many Neoplatonists. Here again is evidence of B.'s 'Eleatic' loyalty (cf. 1P1.10).
*PA/TOQEN EU)KU/KLOU SFAI/RHS: *PA/TOQEN EU)KU/KLOU SFAI/RHS E)NALI/GKION O)/GKW|: "like the body of a sphere, well rounded on all sides."

section 38

nihil est quod ammirere: "there is no reason that you should wonder."
Platone sanciente: ablative absolute; a reference to Timaeus 29B (the same part of the work which provided the content for 3M9).
didiceris: < disco; perfect subjunctive, governs oportere.
cognatos: cognatos . . . rebus . . . esse sermones: "for words to be related to the things . . ."
rebus: cognatos . . . rebus . . . esse sermones: "for words to be related to the things . . ."
esse sermones: cognatos . . . rebus . . . esse sermones: "for words to be related to the things . . ."