From Cicero's Pro Milone 14:
divisa sententia est postulante nescio quo—nihil enim necesse est omnium me flagitia proferre—sic reliqua auctoritas senatus empta intercessione sublata est.
I get the general idea, but what is the exact sense of "empta?" The translation I have says "corrupt" but I'm not precisely sure how to derive that from "empta."
Empta intercessione
- Barry Hofstetter
- Textkit Zealot
- Posts: 1739
- Joined: Thu Aug 15, 2013 12:22 pm
Empta intercessione
N.E. Barry Hofstetter
Cuncta mortalia incerta...
Cuncta mortalia incerta...
-
- Textkit Zealot
- Posts: 4791
- Joined: Fri Oct 18, 2013 2:34 am
Re: Empta intercessione
He's claiming the intercession was “bought” i.e. procured by bribery. Vote buying is not a new practice.
- Barry Hofstetter
- Textkit Zealot
- Posts: 1739
- Joined: Thu Aug 15, 2013 12:22 pm
Re: Empta intercessione
That's how I originally took it, but the translation (and lack of note,) made me second guess. Thanks!
N.E. Barry Hofstetter
Cuncta mortalia incerta...
Cuncta mortalia incerta...
-
- Textkit Zealot
- Posts: 1076
- Joined: Tue Mar 02, 2010 12:38 am
- Location: Tampa, Florida, USA
Re: Empta intercessione
Because I had to work hard on this quotation, I present a trial translation for correction.Barry Hofstetter wrote: ↑Tue Apr 30, 2019 6:46 pm From Cicero's Pro Milone 14:
divisa sententia est postulante nescio quo—nihil enim necesse est omnium me flagitia proferre—sic reliqua auctoritas senatus empta intercessione sublata est.
At the demand of somebody [postulante nescio quo] the proposal [sententia] was divided into separate parts for decision[divisa est]--I needn't [nihil enim necesse est . . . me] detail shameful misconduct [ flagitia proferre] that involved everybody [omnium]--in this way the remaining authority of the senate[sic reliqua auctoritas senatus ] was thrown away[sublata est] by a purchased vote. [empta interecessione]
Hugh Lawson
- Barry Hofstetter
- Textkit Zealot
- Posts: 1739
- Joined: Thu Aug 15, 2013 12:22 pm
Re: Empta intercessione
Hlawson, that sounds good to me. It's not difficult from the syntax, which is actually quite straightforward, but because of the technical use of the vocabulary.
N.E. Barry Hofstetter
Cuncta mortalia incerta...
Cuncta mortalia incerta...
-
- Textkit Zealot
- Posts: 1076
- Joined: Tue Mar 02, 2010 12:38 am
- Location: Tampa, Florida, USA
Re: Empta intercessione
Many thanks Barry. For me, the technical meaning of divisa est was hard to find. In addition, I hesitated for a time over the antecedent of omnium. Finally it took me a while to work up a satisfactory reading of postulante ...quo.
Hugh Lawson