415. Ubi cibus abundat et jūcunda āeris temperiēs facilī operā corpus fovet, ibi (opīnor) animī ad līberālitātem, apud nōs ad avāritiam, sunt prōpēnsiōrēs. Itaque colōnī illī sunt haud rārō sēgnēs, negligentēs, prōdigī; profectō nōn sunt illīberālēs. Quārē, quae in medium prōferēbat, cōmiter excutiēbam; neque abhorrēbam ā virō, vultū mōribusque jūxtā benignō. 416. Illud quoque cōnsīderābam; Lūsitāniam Angliae artiōre quōdam vinculō astringī, ex quō tempore formīdanda illa, ingēns potentiae Hispānia, nostra dīrissima atque implācābilis hostis, ē possessiōne Lūsitāniae est exturbāta: quō tūtiōrēs mihi fore pecūniās, apud cīvem Lūsitānum collocātās. 417. Dēnique cōnsēnsī; scrīptīsque litterīs, quās mercēs ille dēsīderābat potissimum, hās ego Olisīpōne reportandās ad mē rogāvī. Pecūniās propter praesentēs ūsūs illicō poteram ex arcā meā cōnferre. Pacīscitur porrō, ut ego operās agrestēs cūrem regamque, ille praestet mihi ex ipsō fundō cibum, servōs, equōs, cūncta quae maximī sunt: cētera ex praesentī pecūniā atque ex annuō fēnore facile solvō. 418. Mīranda sānē est illā in regiōne arborum atque fruticum tum cōpia, tum prōcēritās. Plūrimārum nōmina arduum est dīcere: immō, prōrsus populīs Eurōpaeīs sunt incognita. Celebris est ibi mandioca ēsculenta, item milium atque zēa Indica, item banāna, et orȳza satīva. Atquī ego, quī plūrima terrā nāscentiā apud Maurōs didiceram, tamen longē plūra hīc prīmō ignōta invēnī. 419. Noster quidem fundus saccharum praecipuē et tabācum gignēbat. Rādīcēs ēsculentās, olera, cereālia, ipsī in suīs agellīs servī ēducant, erōque praestant ūnus quisque aliquantum. Ille sēmina quaedam, īnstrūmenta, vestīmenta, tēcta domōrum cōnfert; cūncta administrat, dēfendit, rēgia vectīgālia persolvit. 420. Per biennium plūrima circā fundum erant novanda. Plūs aliquandō excolēbantur agrī. Saepēs, viae, portulae erant cōnficiendae: tum casulae novae, pluteī. Distribuendum īnstrūmentum, cultūra regenda, multa novē docenda. Irrigātiōne nōn opus erat; dumtaxat propter orȳzam quibusdam in agellīs cohibēbantur rīvulī dēcurrentēs. Tertiō itidem annō multā opus erat alacritāte et perpēnsātiōne dīligentissimā, ut ad amussim jūdicārem quid sapienter, quid stultē impēnsum; quae retinendae ratiōnēs, quae mūtandae forent. Necnōn, ipsōrum servōrum ingeniīs jam melius perspectīs, ad suās quemque cūrās frūctuōsius poteram dispōnere. Tantummodo nōn satis habēbāmus virōrum in operīs, quamquam vernulae quotannīs nāscēbantur, et post aliquot annōs vidēbantur suffectūrī. 421. Attamen quārtō jam annō affluēbant opēs, servulī continuam officiōrum rotam persequēbantur. Socius (sīve collēga) ille meus Araūjō, vetus negōtiandī, externās fundī nostrī rēs dīligenter administrābat. Ego vērō quasi bracchiīs replicātīs poteram dītēscere, nisi quod propter novam hanc sēgnitiam tum maximē fundī, regiōnis, hominum, meīque ipsīus taedēbat mē.
422. Dēbēbam fortasse uxōrem dūcere, sed religiō locī impediēbat: nōn quod ego Anglicī cultūs tenāx fuerim atque ostentātor; nam extrā, vix dīversus ā cēterīs vidēbar. Sciēbam autem, ut prīmum mātrimōnium contemplārer, extemplō sacerdōtēs dē meā religiōne fore cūriōsissimōs; dein artās connūbiī lēgēs postulātūrōs, quibus neque uxor sit mea ipsīus, neque līberī neque domus neque servī; sed sacerdōs suā sponte intret, cognōscat, ōrdinet, imperitet; cūnctōs, sī libitum fuerit, contrā mē cohortētur. Id vērō nōn erat ferendum. Itaque sōlus manēbam, sōlum mē fovēbam, oblectābam: mox, mē ipsum perōsus, inquiētō agitābar animō.
423. Ita affectō subita supervenit vītae conversiō, quam satis mīrārī nōn possum. Collēga ille sīve magister meus sēdulō mē ad sē vocat; ait, gravī dē rē velle sē colloquī; aurēs benignās et patientēs sē ōrāre. Ego, mīrābundus quid sit, respondeō, esse mihi ōtiī satis superque, et perlibenter mē auscultātūrum. 424. Tum īnfit: Opulentiōrem sē per mē in diēs fierī. Quidquid dīcat, nē sē putem ingrātum, nēve velle ab sē mē āmōtum. Multa mē fundō suō optimē fēcisse, ūnum nōn potuisse facere, ut plūrēs essent servulī. Id sī fieret, multō etiam perfectius lātiusque excolī posse agrōs. Operam meam per triennium ūtilem fuisse, immō necessāriam; jam ipsam per sē quasi cōnfectam: sīc enim mē rēs administrāsse, ut nōn jam indigērent meī. Nunc sī sibi suīsque familiāribus cōnsultum velim, in eō rēs esse ut valdē possim adjuvāre. 425. Hic pausam fēcit: ego autem exspectāns etiam tacuī. Tum dē novō incipit: Audīsse sē ex mē, nāvigāsse mē ad Guineam commerciī caussā. Sī iterum vellem eōdem proficīscī, sibi amīcīsque grātum fore, mihi ipsī fortasse nōn malum. Etenim plūrēs notāsse, mē, quī anteā hilaris strēnuusque fuissem, nūper taciturnum ēvāsisse, maestum, languidum. Fortasse propter valētūdinem mūtandum āera. Excursiōnem maritimam corporī mentīque fore salūbrem. 426. Interrogantī mihi, Quid autem ego tibi tuīsque circā Guineam sum prōfutūrus? respondet: Imprīmīs tū ratiōnem hujus commerciī atque idōneās mercēs intellegis, quās hinc oporteat exportāre: tum, (quod est māxumum) servōs nigrītās, quōs volumus coemere, tū clēmenter regēs, sānōs dēportābis. Līberē tēcum dē tē loquar. Difficile est virum bonā familiā, hūmānē īnstitūtum, benevolum, veterem reī maritimae, strēnuum negotiandō, regendī capācem reperīre, quī servitia vēnālia conquīrat. Atquī vel maximē tālī virō hīc est opus. 427. Tū hominēs barbarōs benignē excipiēs, dēmulcēbis, ad obsequium dūcēs lēniter: aliī efferōs, contumācēs, trīstēs, vel languidōs, morbōsōs, sēmimortuōs important. Nōs tē volumus sine tuō impendiō īre. Manicipiā dē nostrō coemēs: dēportāta inter nōs dīvidēmus; tū parem nōbīs habēbis sortem. Porrō, quod nunc tibi propter operam tuam agrestem attribuō, id omne, pecūniā aestimātum, quamdiū in nāve sīs, solvam. 428. Nesciō an laus meī mē nōnnihil oblectāverit: cēterum respondeō, admīrāns sī per rēgium praefectum tālis expedītiō licēret: nam rēx jūs servitiōrum vēnditandōrum paucīs quibusdam propter magnam pecūniam concēdit. At ille: “Nihil nōs contrā rēgis ēdicta sumus factūrī. Palam nōn licet vēnditāre, at nōs prōrsus nōn vēndēmus. Et vērō, quō certius rēs sē habeat, mūneribus quibusdam sagāciter distribūtīs efficiāmus ut nē nimia dē nāvis onere sit investīgātiō. 429. Accēdit quod sacerdōtēs tāle inceptum vehementer comprobant. Barbarōs hominēs, quōrum vīta (lībera sit, an servīlis) saeva est, impia, foeda,—hōs in mānsuētum servitium sub benignitāte Chrīstiānā trādere, vērae ajunt esse pietātis. Jam nāvis parāta est; merx, quālem tū jubēbis, cito parābitur.”
430. Neque valdē placēbat mihi neque displicēbat haec expedītiō. Haud amplius juvenālī ārdōre in maria irruēbam, et tamen amābam mare atque ipsam operum commūtātiōnem. Condiciōnēs vīdī aequās esse, rem lucrōsam, neque amīcōs hominēs rejicere facile fuit. Rē ponderātā, dēmum cōnsēnsī. Tum quasi intermortuus, sōlemnī testāmentō omnia conclūdō. Benignum illum nāvis magistrum, quī mē ex marī servāverat, hēredem īnstituō ex sēmisse. Alterum sēmissem reī meae ad Angliam remittendum dēstinō, cōnscrībōque singillātim, quid opus factō sit. Sānē, sī, ut in testāmentō fuī prōvidus, sīc in vītā dīrigendā fuissem sagāx, numquam tantās aerumnās exsul ab hominis genere forem perpessus.
431. Jamque parātīs rēbus omnibus, solvimus ā portū ipsīs Nōnīs, Augustō mēnse. Prīmō ad septemtriōnēs nāvigāvimus, paene lītus Americae nostrae legentēs, tempestāte bonā, dumtaxat vehementer calidā, dōnec ad prōmontorium Augustīniānum dēvēnimus. Inde ad Aquilōnēs versus, tamquam ad īnsulam Ferdinandī Nerōniānī dīrēximus cursum, citoque terram condidimus. Duodecimō diē turbō ventōrum ex Austrō conversus dētorquētur in Eurum, inde in Aquilōnem, violentiā semper augēscēns. 432. Nōs, multum contrā luctātī, necessāriō tempestāte dēferimur. Ē sodāliciō ūnus vir febre victus dēcessit: mox nauta ac puer, superscandente flūctū, asportantur. Ut potuit magister, paulum dēcrēscente ventō, caelum observāre, crēdidit nōs prope Septentriōnāle continentis lītus, circā Orinocōnis ōstia, dēvectōs. Nāvem negat Atlanticum mare trājiciendī jam esse compotem: igitur mē in cōnsilium adhibitō, rēctā domum redeundum cēnset. Id vērō vehementer nōlō; īnspectōque marī in chartīs dēscrīptō, suādeō ut Barbādam petat, vītātō aestūs dēcursū, quī sinum Mēxicānum invehitur. 433. Ille cōnsēnsit nē redeat, clāvumque ita flectit, ut quī in aliquō Anglārum Antillium portū cupiat nāvem reficere. Hāc spē adductus, iterum nōs in altum committit: attamen novae procellae īnfortūnātam nāvem excipiunt. Dēnique, nē longus sim, multum reluctātī, in hās ipsās arēnās dēpellimur, ubi vestra nāvis afflīcta est. Sed nōs, scaphā cōnantēs effugere, salō maris obrutī sumus, unde ego sōlus ēvāsī vīvus. Cēterum nāvis ad plēnilūnium dūrāvit incolumis, et praebuit mihi, nōn vīctum modo, sed paene īnsulae hujus imperium.
434. Tālia ubi dīxeram, multa inter sē colloquuntur, atque alia interrogant, quibus Gelavium respondēre jubeō: sīc variō sermōne fīnītus est diēs. Nocte mūtātur ventus. Prīmā lūce magister mihi aperit, rēmigēs nunc posse multum adjuvāre; dē quō prōtinus nūntium mīsī. Hōrā ante merīdiem decem cum ipsō Cortope vēnēre. Meī quoque omnēs congregābantur, inter quōs (ignōscat lēctor!) canem paene lacrimāns aspiciō. Hunc, illīs tam ūtilem, asportāre nōluī: illud dolēbam, quod fēminam canem nōn potuī simul dare, nē ipsum genus perīret. 435. Mox solvunt ancoram. Movētur nāvis cum aestū, remulcī applicantur, flūmen dēscendimus. Vōcibus, vultū, gestū, plēnīs cāritāte, plēnīs item magnō maerōre, discēdimus. Ad caelum surgit cor meum, quaeritantis ecquandō eccubi hōsce tam fidēlēs, tam bonōs iterum conveniam. Gelavium oculī meī anquīrunt frūstrā: fortasse propter dolōrem sē occultābat. Ā terrā jam recēdēns, ēgregiam īnsulae pulchritūdinem admīror. Numquam sānē algae, fruticēta, praegrandēs arborēs, palmēta, collēs, aqua purpurea, caelum clārissimum, tam digna mihi anteā vīsa sunt Paradīsō. Sīc rēmigēs nōs trahunt, quamdiū magistrō id tūtius vidērētur. 436. Ut prīmum in altō sumus et rīte concinnantur vēla, magister mihi significat ut dīmittam lintrēs. Tum videō Gelavium, locō Cortopis, iīs esse praefectum. Is properē nāvem scandit, genua mea complectitur; et anteā quam verba possim illō mōmentō digna fingere, recesserat, ēvāserat. Extemplō inter lintrēs ac nāvem magnum exstitit intervāllum. Dēscendō in cellam meam, animum variīs mōtibus distractum, pietāte, sī possim recollēctūrus.
437. Ad Caurum, quantum sineret ventus, semper contendēbāmus. Postquam quadrāgintā ferē mīllia cursūs fēcimus, nāvis Eurōpaea appāret; mercātōria nāvis, ut crēdimus. Eam versus rēctā tendēns, magister cannōnēs opem precantēs personārī jubet. Mox per prōspeculā vēxillum vidēmus Anglicum. “Forsitan (inquit magister) illā citius in nāve quam in meā patriam attingās.” Id mē dubitātiōne conturbat. Posteā ajō, sī maximē illa nāvis rēctā ad Angliam properet, praestat praemonēre parentēs, vīvere mē ac venīre. Dein meminī, quoniam prō fabrō operam locāssem meam, aequius esse, ut nē, nisi coāctus, pactum abrumperem; et quidquid reī pecūniāriae inter mē et magistrum pendēret, id benignius ā sociīs ejus aestimātum īrī, sī tunc nāvī adhaerērem. 438. Igitur properē litterās cōnscrībō, quae ad patrem meum trāderentur, sī forte nāvis illa perferret. Quandō convenīmus, magister noster quaerit ab iīs, quānam in longitūdine terrestrī versēmur. Illī cōnfestim et longitūdinem et lātitūdinem nōbīs prōnūntiant; ajunt porrō Angliam sē dīrēctā petere. Magister meās aliāsque ā sē litterās iīs trādit; mox inter utrōsque discēditur. 439. Jamaicam sine noxā attigimus: hīc fīnis mihi erat vagandī. Dīvēnditā merce atque aliā merce assūmptā, iterum solvimus, et minus quīnquāgintā diēbus in Bristoliae portū recondimur. Inde epistolam ad patrem scrībō, et tenerrimō respōnsō exhilaror. 440. Trānsāctīs festīnanter negotiīs, aliās litterās ad Brazīliam compōnō. Quidquid dē meā rē ex meō testāmentō fēcisset optimus et amīcissimus meus hērēs, crēdēns mē mortuum, id omne cōnfirmō. Quidquid ex rē nāvis magistrī illīus, quī in naufragiō periit, apud mē teneō,—hōrologia, aurum Hispānum, aliaque,—haec et sī cujus alīus reī pretium excēperim, spondeō reparāre. Omnēs ibi amīcōs salvēre jubeō. 441. Tum properō ad parentēs, portāns mēcum documenta illa fidēlium ministrōrum, rēgiam tegetem dorsuālem, praecīnctōrium, calceāmenta, item clāvam bellicam virī occīsī. Nec diū est, quum Eborācī ad cārissimōrum ac diū neglēctōrum pertingō sinum, senectūtī patris mātrisque tenerā pietāte opitulātūrus.
GLOSSARY.
- Acus sarcināria, packing needle.
- Āmentum, a loop, thong with loop.
- Argilla vitreāria, glazier’s putty.
- †Artillātor, the gunner of a ship.
- Aurea māla, oranges.
- Batillum, coal shovel.
- Blatta, chafer or beetle.
- Capis, -idis, jug, mug, tankard.
- †Cannōn, -ōnis, a cannon.
- Cinchōna, Peruvian bark.
- Cochlear, -āre, a spoon.
- Cōnfībula, a clamp.
- Culter plicātilis, a clasp-knife.
- Cūpa natāns, a buoy.
- Cymba, a skiff.
- Dactylus, †Datta, a date (fruit).
- Diaeta, cabin of ship.
- †Dioscōrea, a yam.
- Forceps, pincers.
- Forfex, shears, scissors.
- Fruticōs, shrubs.
- Furcilla, table fork.
- †Grallātōres, wading birds.
- †Grossulārius, gooseberry.
- Hasta cunīculāria, miner’s pike.
- Helcia, traces.
- Hōrologium, clock or watch.
- †Ignipulta, a gun.
- Īnfula, turban.
- Rēs Jaculātōria, gunnery.
- Lōdīcəs, blankets.
- Lōrīca, (ship’s) parapet or bulwark.
- †Macacus, monkey.
- Magis, -idis, rolling pin.
- Ōtidēs, bustards.
- Pessulum, a bolt.
- Podium, outjutting ledge, balcony.
- Prōspeculum, small telescope.
- †Pistola, pistol.
- Pulvis nitrātus, gunpowder.
- Riscus, a rude box, a chest.
- Rubus, bramble, as blackberry bush.
- Rutābulum, coal rake.
- †Sagō, -ōnis, sago.
- †Sāpō, -ōnis, soap.
- †Saccharum, sugar.
- Scapha, ship’s boat.
- Scrīnium, dispatch box, desk.
- Sīnum, a bowl.
- Stelliō, small lizard.
- Sublica, pile, stake, support.
- Sūbula, bodkin.
- Succīdia, a slice.
- Succulae, a windlass?
- Sūdārium, pocket handkerchief.
- Sufferciō, I load (a gun).
- Supparum, topsail.
- Tībiālēs, stockings.
- Tollēnō, a crane for lifting.
- Traha, a sledge; dimin. †Trahula.
- Trochlea, a pulley; dimin. Trochleola.
- Tunica, a shirt.
- Vespertiliō, a (flying) bat.
- Zēa, maize.
Edition notes
This version of Rebilius Crūsō differs in a number of points from the version originally published and edited on the Project Gutenberg in its primary form. The work was published with the main goal of an easier learning of Latin, and in particular of vocabulary, at a time when the oral distinction of the length of vowels was not a major concern (neither were the phonemes themselves), because the language was mostly written. This means that the work was published indicating the vowel length only to distinguish ambiguous forms (even sometimes with anomalies), the reader having to rely on already knowing the word (which defeats the purpose of the book), look up a dictionary for every new word, or learn the word without worrying about vowel length. Nowadays, the teaching of Latin tends to focus more on pronunciation and vowel length, so that such older works lose much of their interest, and even display aberrant forms that shouldn’t be considered as a reference. The solution is to provide a revised version that allows an easy access to vowel length, while adding some other fixes, such as follows:
- First the correction of a number of printing errors
- Next, the systematic distinction of long vowels from short ones using macrons. Ambiguous forms were left as short. As for neologisms, some research was done in order to get the best approximation. Some guesswork was done on coined proper names, with sobriety. And some rare words of which the origin is unknown, were mostly left untouched.
- Finally, the way in which the words are written is characteristic of New Latin, initially aiming to restore the purity of the language compared to Medieval Latin, but itself suffering from a spelling influenced by folk etymology or bad litterary sources, thus disfiguring a certain number of words. Wherever such alterations have been spotted, they have been replaced in favor of the original most common spelling. Among all these changes, only a few have an effect on the grammar, or the very nature of the word.
Please also note that the original version noted adverbs with a grave accent on the last vowel of the word, as well as some other small aids for reading. This is a typical habit of New Latin, and isn't in use anymore in more modern books, especially when macrons are used, so they were not kept in this version.
Fixed printing errors: (this list may be useful even for the original version)
- 15 relliquias > reliquias
- 25 sustentata > sustentatam
- 33 quator > quatuor
- 51 consuctudine > consuetudine
- 74 tanquem > tanquam
- 118 arcorali > ancorali
- 126 cos > eos
- 130 totu > tota
- 164 annulo lori > annulo loreo
- 180 pictatis > pietatis
- The missing number of section 192 was added
- 203 plautandis > plantandis
- 229 exsecro > exsecror
- 230 persequunter > persequuntur
- 231 duo > duos
- 239 duo > duos
- 256 humeros > humeris
- 273 quodem > quodam
- 304 colloquinur > colloquimur
- 314 coxisso > coxisse
- 341 recensito > recenso
- 345 eredebat > credebat
- 347 forenus > foremus
- 368 dicitis > dicis
- 382 cannonas > cannones
- 397 mirantibua > mirantibus
- 404 gossipii > gossypii
- 407 otidas > otides
- 410 procedento > procedente
- 420 excolebatur > excolebantur
Examples of spelling changes.
- confusion between oe, ae and ē (folk etymology and broken pronunciation)
- seorsim > seorsum (folk etymology/corruption)
- -mt- > -mpt- (excessive purism leading to unconventional forms)
- -nq- > -mq- [when it applies] (mostly New Latin spelling)
- indies > in dies (non-standard contraction)
- intelligo > intellego (less-standard spelling)
- delĕgo > deligo (non-standard form that creates confusion)
- -mist- > -mixt- (rarer form)
- fasciculum > fasciculus (bad grammatical genre)
- cratibula > craticula (corruption)
- consĭdeo > consīdo (as “sit down”, “settle”, the form consĭdeo isn't standard)
- assis -is f (acc -im abl -i) > axis -is m (corrupt variant absent from most dictionaries)
- arctus > artus (folk etymology)
- nuncius > nuntius (corruption due to bad pronunciation)
- some changes from i to j
- and also double consonants changed to simple ones, and reciprocally