Homines sunt, ut dicit Iacobus, in quibusdam partibus orientis ab aliis mundi nationibus valde dissimiles. Sunt enim ibi Amazones, egregie in armis et preliis mulieres, iuxta montes Caspios in insula undique fluvio circumclusa commorantes. Sunt autem plus quam ducenta milia predictarum mulierum, absque virorum consortio seorsum habitantes in predicta insula, omnes autem tenentes gladios et ad bella doctissime. Quando enim hee Amazones victrices cum regina sua a preliis revertuntur, a viris suis, qui extra insulam per se commorantur, adorantur. Semel autem in anno ad maritos suos causa generande prolis exeunt. Postquam autem reverse fuerint, si masculum conceperint, ipsum per sex annos nutriunt et postea patri suo transmittunt. Si vero feminam pepererint, ipsam secum reservantes custodiunt. Sicut enim in quibusdam volucribus, femine fortiores sunt viris suis. Et quoniam ex frequenti usu libidinis multi spiritus consumuntur, quanto rarius coeunt, tanto prefate viragines fortiores sunt et magis ydonee ad pugnandum.
- Translation
- Vocabulary
- Notes
Concerning the Amazons. Of the fighting women that are called the Amazons. They are people, as Jacob says, in a certain part of the East greatly different from other worldly nations. There are these the Amazons, women exceptional in arms and battles, they remain near the Caspian mountains on an island surrounded on all sides by a river. There are however more than 200,000 of the aforementioned women without partnership of men living separately on the aforementioned island, however all possessing swords and they are most trained at war. Indeed when these victorious Amazons with their queen return from battles then they are adored by their men, who reside back off the island. However on one occasion a year they come to their husbands for the cause of children being produced. Afterwords however they will have gone back, and if they have conceived a male, they themselves bring him up for six years and after they send him to the fathers. If they have conceived a female, keeping her to themselves they guard over her. In the same way indeed of a certain bird, the women are stronger than their men. And because many lives are destroyed from frequent enjoyment of passion and the aforementioned warlike women are so much stronger and more suitable for fighting, they have sex more rarely.
oriens, orientis m: Orient/East
valde (adv): greatly
egregie (adv): exceptionally, excellently
armum, armi n: weapons, arms
iuxta (adv): nearly, next to
undique (adv): from every side
commoro, commorare (1): stop, remain
predictus, -a, -um (adj): preceding
absque (prep): without, apart from
consortio, consortionis f: partnership
doctus, -a, -um (adj): skilled, experianced
adoro, adorare (1): honor, adore
martitus, -i m: husband
genero (1): beget, produce
proles, -is f: offspring, descendant
revertor, reverti, reversus sum (deponent): turn back, return
concipio (3-io): take in, conceive
nutrio (4): raise, nourish
pario (3-io): give birth to, bear
custodio (4): guard, keep safe
sicut (conj): as, just as
volucer, -cris m: bird
quoniam (conj): because
frequens, -entis (adj): crowded, full
libido, -inis f: desire, longing
consumo (3): destroy
rarus, -a, -um (adj): infrequent
coeo, coire, coivi, coitus (irregular): have sexual intercourse
preliis: a shortened form of proelium meaning “battle.”
doctissime: superlative. “The most learned/skilled.”
Semel: a number word meaning “on one occasion” or “one time.”
exeunt: intransitive verb, does not allow an object.
reverse: really reversae, which is nominative plural. The “a” was omitted from the ending.
fortiores: comparative. “Stronger.”
quanto…tanto: Each add an emphasis of amount. “They have sex more rarely… they are so much stronger…”
ydonee: from idoneus (suitable). Occasionally the initial “i” was replaced with a “y.”
pugnandum: future passgive participle of pugno (to fight). Literally translates to “more suitable to be fought,” but the above translation offers smoother wording.