… qui et homines silvestres dicuntur. Pilosus animal est, sicut Glosa dicit super Ysaiam, quod in figura hominis superius incipit, sed inferius in pedes bestie desinit. Hanc bestiam diffinit beatus Ieronimus in Vita beati Pauli primi heremite, quod superius sit homo frontem habens asperam cornibus et in caprarum pedes desinens, satyros vel faunos vel incubos vocari. Asserit idem, quod nulli dubium esset, istud monstrum captum fuisse in oriente et in Alexandriam visum et inde mortuum saleque infusum, ne a calore dissolveretur, deportatum fuisse in Constantinopolim, ut ab imperatore videretur.
Nostra etate delata fuit regi Francie bestia ad magnitudinem canis: caput quidem non multum distabat a capite canis, cetera corporis membra ut homo prorsus habebat, crura quidem nuda ut homo manusque vel brachia, collum album ac nudum. Habebat in dorso pilos. Vinum libentissime bibebat, carnibus vescebatur, et hoc coctis. Ita decenter ac modeste manibus capiebat cibum et ori suo inferebat, ut nullus dubitaret in hoc, quin humanum modum haberet in talibus. Erectus ut homo stabat, sedebat ut homo, puellis et feminis libentissime iungebatur et in sexu viri et femine discretionem habebat. Genitale membrum, ultra quam corporis quantitas exigebat, habebat magnum. Igitur furiis agitatum hoc animal crudelissime movebatur et in homines seviebat. Ceterum cum pacatum esset, instar hominis mitissime et decentissime se gerebat et mulcebatur alloquiis et colludentibus applaudebat.
- Translation
- Vocabulary
- Notes
Concerning the hairy people, who are also called woodsmen. The hairy person is a beast, just as the Glossary says concerning Isaiah, who begins larger than man in figure, but in which begins like a man, but the lower part falls into the feet of a beast. Blessed Jerome defines this beast in the life of the first Hermit Blessed Paul, that it is a taller man having a rough forehead with horns and descending into the hooves of goats, and have been called satyrs or fauns or demons. This same man asserts, which to no one is doubtful, that monster has been captured in daybreak, and has been seen in Alexandria and was thenceforth was dead and infused with salt, so that is it not dissolved by heat, to have been transported into Constantinople, so that it may seen by the Emperor.
During our lifetime, the beast was brought to the King of France and it was the same size as a dog: indeed the head was not that different from the head of a dog, it had other parts of the body by all means like a man, indeed the leg and the hands or arms lay bare like a man , it had a neck white and bare. It had hair on the back. It drank wine most freely, it fed on meat, and cooked things in this way. Thus it appropriately and modestly grasped food with its hands and brought it to it’s own mouth, so that no one doubted in this, so that he had a human way about him. It stood upright like a man, it sat like a man, it was joined by girls and women most pleasurably, it had separation in gender between men and women. It had a large genital member, beyond which the size of the body would dictate. Therefore, animated by anger, this animal was moved most cruelly and raged against humans. But, when being subdued, behaves most mildly and decently like a man and soothed by talking and praised his playmates.
agito, agitare, agitavi, agitatus 1 stir; drive; move
alloquium, i n. talking
applaudo, applaudere, applausi, applausus 3 praise; clap; strike together
asper, a, um adj. rough; hard
assero, asserere, asserui, assertus 3 assert; state
bestia, ae f. beast
bibo, bibere, bibi, bibitus 3 drink
brachium, -i n. arm; lower arm
calor, caloris m. heat
capra, ae f. she-goat
carno, is f. meat, flesh
coctum, cocti n. cooked food
colludo, colludere, collusi, collusus 3 play together; here colludentibus implies playmates
collum, i n. neck
cornu, us n. horn
crudelissime adv. most cruelly; most severely; most unmercifully
crus, crurus n. leg; shank; shin
decens, decentis adj. appropriate; decent
decenter adv. appropriately; decently
definio, definire, definivi, definitus 4 define
deporto, deportare, deportavi, deportatus 1 bring to; convey to
discretio, discretionis f. separation
dissolvo, dissolvere, dissolvi, dissolutus 3 dissolve
disto, distare, -, – 1 be different; stand apart
dorsum, i n. back
erectus, a, um adj. erect; upright; perpendicular
etas, etatis f. age; lifetime; period
faunus, i m. faun
figura, -ae f. figure; shape; form
furia, ae f. rage; fury
genital, genitalis n. genital
glosa, ae f. glossary
heremite m. hermit
instar n./undecl. image; likeness; appearance
incubus, incubi m. demon
inferius, a, um adj./compar. more low
infundo, infundere, infudi, infusus 3 pour into/on; infuse
mitis, e adj. mild; meek; gentle
modestus, a, um adj. restrained; modest; mild
monstrum, i n. monster
mulceo, mulcere, mulsi, mulsus 2 soothe; appease
nudo, nudare, nudavi, nudatus 1 lay bare
oriens, orientis m. sunrise; daybreak
paco, pacare, pacavi, pacatus 1 subdue; pacify
pilosus, a, um adj. hairy
pilus, i m. hair
prorsus adv. by all means
quantitas, quantitatis f. magnitude; multitude; quantity
saevio, saevire, saevivi, saevitus 4 rage; rave; be angry
sal, salis m. salt
satryus, i m. satyr
sexus, us n. sex; gender
silvestris, is, e adj. living in the woods
vescor, vesci, -, – 4 feed on, enjoy
Ysaiam: Isaiah
GRAMMATICAL CONSTRUCTIONS:
homines silvestres: literally translates to “men of the woods,” but more colloquially translates to “woodsmen”
desinens: present active participle, “descending into the hooves of goats”
saleque infusum: reference to the process of mummification, “and infused with salt”
ne a calore dissolveretur: negative purpose clause, “so that is it not dissolved by heat”
ut ab imperatore videretur: positive purpose clause, “so that it may be seen by the Emperor”
regi Francie: dative of possession, “the King of France”
manibus: ablative of means, “with its hands”
orio suo: ablative of manner, “to it’s own mouth”
ut nullus dubitaret in hoc: positive purpose clause, “so that no one doubted in this”
puellis et feminis libentissime iungebatur: ablative of accompaniment, “it was joined by girls and women most pleasurably”
furiis agitatum: ablative of manner, “animated by anger”
cum pacatum esset: temporal cum clause, “when being subdued”
alloquis: ablative of manner, “soothed by talking”
OTHER SPECIAL NOTES:
Ieronimus: reference to Saint Jerome, a Roman Catholic saint who was a translator of the Bible, who Pliny also mentions in his writings of The Natural History in chapter 12 (section 11), “The Coasts of Arabia, Situate on the Egyptian Sea.”
in Vita beati Pauli primi heremite: a reference to Paul of Thebes, more commonly known as Paul the First Hermit, who lived during the 4th century AD.
incubos: an imaginary demon who haunts women’s nightmares and has sex with them in their sleep, deriven from the late Latin form “incubo,” meaning “nightmare, one who lies down,” which comes from the Latin verb form, “incubare,” meaning “to lie upon.”
Alexandriam: a reference to Alexandria, a large Egyptian city founded by Alexander the Great in the 4th century AD.
Constantinople: the capital city of the Roman Empire from the 4th century onward. Pliny also references Constantinople in his description of Thrace, the Aegean Sea in chapter 18 of The Natural History.
REFERENCES:
Bostock, John. Pliny the Elder, The Natural History. Perseus Digital Library. Tufts University, March 7th, 2016.
Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary. Etymology Online, March 7th, 2016.