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Welcome to Lesson 209 of the Latinum Institute Classical Latin Reading Course. Today's word is vultus, vultūs, masculine: "face, expression, countenance." It stands at frequency rank 209 in the Dickinson College Core Latin Vocabulary. Vultus is the face as other people read it: the look that shows joy, fear, anger or a calm the speaker may not feel. Roman writers watch faces closely, and the word is common in history, oratory and poetry alike.
What does vultus mean in Latin?
Vultus is a fourth-declension masculine noun meaning "face," and especially "the expression of the face," "the look," "the countenance." Lewis and Short give as its first sense the face with attention to its features and expression, and as further senses the face itself, a stern or angry look, a portrait, and, by transfer, the appearance of things that are not human. Vultus laetus est means "the face is happy," or more naturally "he looks happy."
Latin has three common words where English says "face," and a reader should keep them apart. Faciēs is the face as a shape, its form and build: what a sculptor or a stranger sees. Ōs, ōris (neuter) is the mouth, and by extension the face as the front of the head. Vultus is the face as it moves and speaks: the expression. Cicero says that what is called vultus can exist in no living creature except man, and that it shows a person's character (209.14). Sallust puts two of the words side by side when he describes Catiline: madness was "in his face and his expression," in faciē vultūque (209.13). English often translates vultus simply as "face"; where the context allows, "look" or "expression" is closer.
Second, vultus is fourth declension, like manus and exercitus. Its forms in -ūs and -ū have long vowels: vultus (nominative singular) and vultūs (genitive singular, and nominative and accusative plural) differ only in the length of the u. Third, the plural vultūs is often used by poets for a single person's face, as in Ovid's erectōs ad sīdera tollere vultūs, "to raise his face upright to the stars."
Etymology: the origin of vultus is uncertain. Lewis and Short compare it, with hesitation, to the Gothic wulþus, "glory." Older texts and many editions of the poets spell it voltus, the older spelling, used until about the end of the Republic: the Latin Library's Vergil and Horace print voltu and voltus. This lesson writes vultus throughout.
Key Takeaways - Vultus, vultūs (m., fourth declension) means "face," above all the face's expression, "look, countenance." - Faciēs is the face's shape, ōs the mouth or front of the face, vultus the face as it shows feeling and character. - Watch the long vowels: vultus (nom. sg.), but vultūs (gen. sg., nom./acc. pl.), vultū (abl. sg.). - The dative and ablative plural is vultibus, not vultubus. - Older texts spell the word voltus.
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vultus /ˈwʊl.tʊs/ — two syllables, VUL-tus. Both vowels are short. V is /w/, as in English "wall"; the u is like the vowel in English "put." The l before a consonant is a dark l, as in English "full."
vultūs /ˈwʊl.tuːs/ — the same stress, but the second vowel is long, like the vowel in English "fool." Hold it longer: this is what tells the genitive and the plural apart from the nominative singular.
vultū /ˈwʊl.tuː/ — ablative singular, long final ū.
vultuī /ˈwʊl.tʊ.iː/ — three syllables, VUL-tu-ī. The middle syllable is short and open, so the stress stays on the first.
vultuum /ˈwʊl.tʊ.ʊm/ — genitive plural, three syllables, VUL-tu-um. Pronounce both u's.
vultibus /ˈwʊl.tɪ.bʊs/ — VUL-ti-bus.
In every form the stress falls on the first syllable, vul-: the two-syllable forms are stressed on the first syllable, and in the three-syllable forms the middle syllable is always short.
A note on the IPA in this lesson: short vowels are written /a ɛ ɪ ɔ ʊ/ and long vowels /aː eː iː oː uː/; v is /w/, consonantal i is /j/, qu is /kʷ/, ch is /kʰ/, Greek y is /ʏ/, and ae and au are the diphthongs /ae̯/ and /au̯/. Final -m is written /m/ for clarity, although in Classical speech it mostly nasalised the vowel before it.
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209.1a Vultus the-face laetus happy est is.
209.1b Vultus /ˈwʊl.tʊs/ face.M.NOM.SG laetus /ˈlae̯.tʊs/ happy.M.NOM.SG est /ɛst/ be.3SG.PRES
209.2a Vultum the-face videō I-see.
209.2b Vultum /ˈwʊl.tʊm/ face.M.ACC.SG videō /ˈwɪ.dɛ.oː/ see.1SG.PRES
209.3a Mārcus Marcus vultum a-face tristem sad habet has.
209.3b Mārcus /ˈmaːr.kʊs/ Marcus.M.NOM.SG vultum /ˈwʊl.tʊm/ face.M.ACC.SG tristem /ˈtrɪs.tɛm/ sad.M.ACC.SG habet /ˈha.bɛt/ have.3SG.PRES
209.4a Vultus the-face mātris of-mother pulcher beautiful est is.
209.4b Vultus /ˈwʊl.tʊs/ face.M.NOM.SG mātris /ˈmaː.trɪs/ mother.F.GEN.SG pulcher /ˈpʊl.kʰɛr/ beautiful.M.NOM.SG est /ɛst/ be.3SG.PRES
209.5a Vultūs the-faces puerōrum of-the-boys sordidī dirty sunt are.
209.5b Vultūs /ˈwʊl.tuːs/ face.M.NOM.PL puerōrum /pʊ.ɛˈroː.rʊm/ boy.M.GEN.PL sordidī /ˈsɔr.dɪ.diː/ dirty.M.NOM.PL sunt /sʊnt/ be.3PL.PRES
209.6a Māter the-mother vultum the-face fīliī of-her-son aquā with-water frīgidā cold lavat washes.
209.6b Māter /ˈmaː.tɛr/ mother.F.NOM.SG vultum /ˈwʊl.tʊm/ face.M.ACC.SG fīliī /ˈfiː.lɪ.iː/ son.M.GEN.SG aquā /ˈa.kʷaː/ water.F.ABL.SG frīgidā /ˈfriː.ɡɪ.daː/ cold.F.ABL.SG lavat /ˈla.wat/ wash.3SG.PRES
209.7a In in vultū the-face patris of-father īram anger vīdī I-saw.
209.7b In /ɪn/ in(+ABL) vultū /ˈwʊl.tuː/ face.M.ABL.SG patris /ˈpa.trɪs/ father.M.GEN.SG īram /ˈiː.ram/ anger.F.ACC.SG vīdī /ˈwiː.diː/ see.1SG.PERF
209.8a Mīlitēs the-soldiers vultibus with-faces sevērīs stern ad towards hostēs the-enemy prōcessērunt advanced.
209.8b Mīlitēs /ˈmiː.lɪ.teːs/ soldier.M.NOM.PL vultibus /ˈwʊl.tɪ.bʊs/ face.M.ABL.PL sevērīs /sɛˈweː.riːs/ stern.M.ABL.PL ad /ad/ towards(+ACC) hostēs /ˈhɔs.teːs/ enemy.M.ACC.PL prōcessērunt /proː.kɛsˈseː.rʊnt/ advance.3PL.PERF
209.9a Ancilla the-maid vultum the-face dominae of-her-mistress timidē timidly spectābat was-watching.
209.9b Ancilla /aŋˈkɪl.la/ maid.F.NOM.SG vultum /ˈwʊl.tʊm/ face.M.ACC.SG dominae /ˈdɔ.mɪ.nae̯/ mistress.F.GEN.SG timidē /ˈtɪ.mɪ.deː/ timidly.ADV spectābat /spɛkˈtaː.bat/ watch.3SG.IMPERF
209.10a Nōn not vultuī the-face eius of-him sed but verbīs the-words crēdidī I-believed.
209.10b Nōn /noːn/ not vultuī /ˈwʊl.tʊ.iː/ face.M.DAT.SG eius /ˈɛj.jʊs/ he.M.GEN.SG sed /sɛd/ but verbīs /ˈwɛr.biːs/ word.N.DAT.PL crēdidī /ˈkreː.dɪ.diː/ believe.1SG.PERF(+DAT)
209.11a Hī these-men neque neither vultum their-face fingere to-compose neque nor interdum at-times lacrimās tears tenēre to-hold-back poterant were-able.
209.11b Hī /hiː/ this.M.NOM.PL neque /ˈnɛ.kʷɛ/ neither vultum /ˈwʊl.tʊm/ face.M.ACC.SG fingere /ˈfɪŋ.ɡɛ.rɛ/ shape.PRES.INF neque /ˈnɛ.kʷɛ/ nor interdum /ˈɪn.tɛr.dʊm/ sometimes.ADV lacrimās /ˈla.krɪ.maːs/ tear.F.ACC.PL tenēre /tɛˈneː.rɛ/ hold.PRES.INF poterant /ˈpɔ.tɛ.rant/ be-able.3PL.IMPERF
209.12a Spem hope vultū with-his-face simulat he-feigns, premit he-presses-down altum deep corde in-his-heart dolōrem grief.
209.12b Spem /spɛm/ hope.F.ACC.SG vultū /ˈwʊl.tuː/ face.M.ABL.SG simulat /ˈsɪ.mʊ.lat/ feign.3SG.PRES premit /ˈprɛ.mɪt/ press.3SG.PRES altum /ˈal.tʊm/ deep.M.ACC.SG corde /ˈkɔr.dɛ/ heart.N.ABL.SG dolōrem /dɔˈloː.rɛm/ grief.M.ACC.SG
209.13a Prōrsus utterly in in faciē his-face vultūque and-his-expression vēcordia madness inerat was-present.
209.13b Prōrsus /ˈproːr.sʊs/ utterly.ADV in /ɪn/ in(+ABL) faciē /ˈfa.kɪ.eː/ face.F.ABL.SG vultūque /wʊlˈtuː.kʷɛ/ face.M.ABL.SG-and vēcordia /weːˈkɔr.dɪ.a/ madness.F.NOM.SG inerat /ˈɪ.nɛ.rat/ be-in.3SG.IMPERF
209.14a Et and is that quī which appellātur is-called vultus countenance, quī which nūllō no in in animante living-creature esse to-be praeter except hominem man potest can, indicat shows mōrēs character.
209.14b Et /ɛt/ and is /ɪs/ that.M.NOM.SG quī /kʷiː/ who.M.NOM.SG appellātur /ap.pɛlˈlaː.tʊr/ call.3SG.PRES.PASS vultus /ˈwʊl.tʊs/ face.M.NOM.SG quī /kʷiː/ who.M.NOM.SG nūllō /ˈnuːl.loː/ no.ABL.SG in /ɪn/ in(+ABL) animante /a.nɪˈman.tɛ/ living-being.ABL.SG esse /ˈɛs.sɛ/ be.PRES.INF praeter /ˈprae̯.tɛr/ except(+ACC) hominem /ˈhɔ.mɪ.nɛm/ human.M.ACC.SG potest /ˈpɔ.tɛst/ be-able.3SG.PRES indicat /ˈɪn.dɪ.kat/ show.3SG.PRES mōrēs /ˈmoː.reːs/ character.M.ACC.PL
209.15a Ūnus one erat there-was tōtō in-the-whole nātūrae of-nature vultus face in in orbe world, quem which dīxēre they-called chaos Chaos.
209.15b Ūnus /ˈuː.nʊs/ one.M.NOM.SG erat /ˈɛ.rat/ be.3SG.IMPERF tōtō /ˈtoː.toː/ whole.M.ABL.SG nātūrae /naːˈtuː.rae̯/ nature.F.GEN.SG vultus /ˈwʊl.tʊs/ face.M.NOM.SG in /ɪn/ in(+ABL) orbe /ˈɔr.bɛ/ world.M.ABL.SG quem /kʷɛm/ which.M.ACC.SG dīxēre /diːkˈseː.rɛ/ call.3PL.PERF chaos /ˈkʰa.ɔs/ chaos.N.ACC.SG
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209.1 Vultus laetus est. → "The face is happy." / "He looks happy."
209.2 Vultum videō. → "I see the face."
209.3 Mārcus vultum tristem habet. → "Marcus has a sad face." / "Marcus looks sad."
209.4 Vultus mātris pulcher est. → "Mother's face is beautiful."
209.5 Vultūs puerōrum sordidī sunt. → "The boys' faces are dirty."
209.6 Māter vultum fīliī aquā frīgidā lavat. → "The mother washes her son's face with cold water."
209.7 In vultū patris īram vīdī. → "I saw anger in my father's face."
209.8 Mīlitēs vultibus sevērīs ad hostēs prōcessērunt. → "The soldiers advanced towards the enemy with stern faces."
209.9 Ancilla vultum dominae timidē spectābat. → "The maid was watching her mistress's face anxiously."
209.10 Nōn vultuī eius sed verbīs crēdidī. → "I trusted not his face but his words."
209.11 Hī neque vultum fingere neque interdum lacrimās tenēre poterant. → "These men could neither compose their faces nor, at times, hold back their tears." (Caesar, Dē Bellō Gallicō 1.39.4: the panic in Caesar's camp at Vesontio.)
209.12 Spem vultū simulat, premit altum corde dolōrem. → "He feigns hope in his face and presses his grief deep down in his heart." (Vergil, Aeneid 1.209: Aeneas after the shipwreck.)
209.13 Prōrsus in faciē vultūque vēcordia inerat. → "In short, madness was in his face and his expression." (Sallust, Bellum Catilīnae 15.5: the end of the sentence.)
209.14 Et is quī appellātur vultus, quī nūllō in animante esse praeter hominem potest, indicat mōrēs. → "And what is called the countenance, which can exist in no living creature except man, shows a person's character." (Cicero, Dē Lēgibus 1.27: part of a longer sentence.)
209.15 Ūnus erat tōtō nātūrae vultus in orbe, quem dīxēre chaos. → "In the whole world nature had one single face, which men called Chaos." (Ovid, Metamorphōsēs 1.6–7.)
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209.1 Vultus laetus est.
209.2 Vultum videō.
209.3 Mārcus vultum tristem habet.
209.4 Vultus mātris pulcher est.
209.5 Vultūs puerōrum sordidī sunt.
209.6 Māter vultum fīliī aquā frīgidā lavat.
209.7 In vultū patris īram vīdī.
209.8 Mīlitēs vultibus sevērīs ad hostēs prōcessērunt.
209.9 Ancilla vultum dominae timidē spectābat.
209.10 Nōn vultuī eius sed verbīs crēdidī.
209.11 Hī neque vultum fingere neque interdum lacrimās tenēre poterant.
209.12 Spem vultū simulat, premit altum corde dolōrem.
209.13 Prōrsus in faciē vultūque vēcordia inerat.
209.14 Et is quī appellātur vultus, quī nūllō in animante esse praeter hominem potest, indicat mōrēs.
209.15 Ūnus erat tōtō nātūrae vultus in orbe, quem dīxēre chaos.
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These are the grammar rules for vultus in Classical Latin:
The declension. Vultus is a masculine noun of the fourth declension, like exercitus, frūctus and senātus. Its stem ends in -u-, and that u is long in several endings. Learn the forms with their vowel lengths:
Singular: nominative vultus, genitive vultūs, dative vultuī, accusative vultum, ablative vultū Plural: nominative vultūs, genitive vultuum, dative vultibus, accusative vultūs, ablative vultibus
Four of the ten forms are written vultūs or vultus. In a text without macrons the reader decides from the context. In 209.1 and 209.4 vultus is the subject with a singular verb (est). In 209.5 vultūs is the subject with a plural verb (sunt) and a plural adjective (sordidī). In 209.15 vultus is nominative singular, the subject of erat, agreeing with ūnus.
The dative and ablative plural end in -ibus: vultibus (209.8), as with most fourth-declension nouns. A few nouns such as artus, lacus, tribus and arcus have -ubus; vultus is not one of them. The dative singular is usually vultuī (209.10); the shorter form vultū is also found.
Agreement. Because vultus is masculine, its adjectives are masculine: vultus laetus (209.1), vultum tristem (209.3), vultus pulcher (209.4), vultibus sevērīs (209.8). Do not be misled by fourth-declension endings into choosing a feminine adjective; manus is feminine, but vultus is not.
Vultus with a genitive. The owner of the face stands in the genitive: vultus mātris, "mother's face" (209.4); vultum fīliī (209.6); in vultū patris (209.7). In 209.15 nātūrae vultus, "the face of nature," is Ovid's transferred use: the appearance of the whole world.
The ablative vultū and vultibus. The ablative is used for the face as the means by which something is shown: spem vultū simulat, "he feigns hope with his face" (209.12). With an adjective it gives the manner, without cum: vultibus sevērīs prōcessērunt, "they advanced with stern faces" (209.8). In + ablative gives the place where a feeling is seen: in vultū patris (209.7), in faciē vultūque (209.13).
Vultum fingere. Fingere means "to shape, to mould"; vultum fingere is "to compose one's face," "to put on an expression" (209.11). Caesar's men could not do it: their fear showed. Compare vultum compōnere, also "to compose the face."
Other constructions in Section A: crēdidī + dative (209.10): crēdō takes the dative of the person or thing trusted, so vultuī and verbīs are both dative. neque… neque (209.11): "neither… nor." The verb poterant governs both infinitives, fingere and tenēre. premit altum corde dolōrem (209.12): corde is a locative ablative, "in his heart"; altum agrees with dolōrem and is used almost as an adverb, "deep down." vultūque (209.13): the enclitic -que, "and," joins vultū to faciē. Inerat is the imperfect of īnsum, "to be in." is quī appellātur vultus (209.14): "that which is called vultus." Is is masculine to agree with vultus. Nūllō in animante puts the preposition between the adjective and the noun, a common order in Cicero. dīxēre (209.15): an alternative form of dīxērunt, third person plural perfect, common in verse. Dīcere here means "to call, to name," with quem as its object.
Common mistakes: Using faciēs and vultus as if they were the same. A painted face, a person's build, or the form of a thing is faciēs; a look of anger or joy is vultus. Making the adjective feminine. Vultus is masculine: vultus tristis, vultum tristem, vultū laetō. Writing vultubus. The form is vultibus. Ignoring the long ū. Vultus (one face, subject) and vultūs (faces, or "of the face") are different words to the ear. Translating every plural vultūs as "faces." In poetry the plural often means one person's face (Ovid, Metamorphōsēs 1.86).
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The face and the character. Romans believed that the face showed what a person was. Cicero says it in Dē Lēgibus (209.14): the eyes declare how we feel, and what is called vultus, which no creature but man possesses, shows our character. He adds that the Greeks know its force but have no name for it at all. The orator therefore had to govern his face as carefully as his voice. A man who could not do so betrayed himself, like the officers in Caesar's camp at Vesontio who, terrified by reports of the Germans, could neither compose their faces nor hold back their tears (209.11).
The face that hides. For the same reason a strong character can use the face to hide. Vergil's Aeneas, after the storm that has scattered his fleet, encourages his men and then, sick with heavy cares, "feigns hope in his face and presses his grief deep in his heart" (209.12). The line has become the classic Latin picture of a leader who keeps his fear to himself.
The face that reveals. Sallust's Catiline is the opposite case. After his crimes, Sallust says, his colour was bloodless, his eyes foul, his walk now quick and now slow: "in short, madness was in his face and his expression" (209.13). Here faciēs and vultus stand side by side, the form of the face and its look.
The faces of the ancestors. In the atrium of a great Roman house hung the imāginēs, wax likenesses of the family's ancestors. Pliny the Elder describes the old custom: expressī cērā vultūs singulīs dispōnēbantur armāriīs, ut essent imāginēs quae comitārentur gentīlicia fūnera, "faces moulded in wax were set out each in its own cupboard, to be the likenesses that accompanied the funerals of the family" (Natural History 35.6). The Greek historian Polybius (6.53) explains that at a funeral these masks were worn by men chosen to resemble the dead in size and bearing, so that the ancestors seemed to walk again. Juvenal mocks the nobleman who has nothing to boast of but his pedigree: quid prōdest… pictōs ostendere vultūs maiōrum?, "what good is it… to show off the painted faces of one's ancestors?" (Satire 8.1–3). The Genre Section of this lesson is set in such an atrium.
The upright face. Ovid tells how the creator, while the other animals look down at the earth, gave man an upturned face and told him to look at the sky and to raise his face upright to the stars: ērēctōs ad sīdera tollere vultūs (Metamorphōsēs 1.86). At the very beginning of the poem he uses the word for the whole universe: before land, sea and sky, nature had one face, Chaos (209.15).
This is a lesson for English speakers learning Classical Latin.
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Source: Horace, Carmina (Odes) 3.3.1–8 (the opening stanzas of the third Roman Ode: the just man who cannot be shaken)
Part F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
F.1a Iūstum just et and tenācem steadfast prōpositī of-purpose virum the-man
F.1b Iūstum /ˈjuːs.tʊm/ just.M.ACC.SG et /ɛt/ and tenācem /tɛˈnaː.kɛm/ steadfast.M.ACC.SG prōpositī /proːˈpɔ.sɪ.tiː/ purpose.N.GEN.SG virum /ˈwɪ.rʊm/ man.M.ACC.SG
F.2a nōn not cīvium of-citizens ardor the-passion prāva wrong-things iubentium ordering
F.2b nōn /noːn/ not cīvium /ˈkiː.wɪ.ʊm/ citizen.M.GEN.PL ardor /ˈar.dɔr/ passion.M.NOM.SG prāva /ˈpraː.wa/ wrong.N.ACC.PL iubentium /jʊˈbɛn.tɪ.ʊm/ order.PRES.PTCP.M.GEN.PL
F.3a nōn not vultus the-face īnstantis of-a-threatening tyrannī tyrant
F.3b nōn /noːn/ not vultus /ˈwʊl.tʊs/ face.M.NOM.SG īnstantis /iːnˈstan.tɪs/ threaten.PRES.PTCP.M.GEN.SG tyrannī /tʏˈran.niː/ tyrant.M.GEN.SG
F.4a mente from-his-mind quatit shakes solidā firm neque nor Auster the-South-Wind
F.4b mente /ˈmɛn.tɛ/ mind.F.ABL.SG quatit /ˈkʷa.tɪt/ shake.3SG.PRES solidā /ˈsɔ.lɪ.daː/ firm.F.ABL.SG neque /ˈnɛ.kʷɛ/ nor Auster /ˈau̯s.tɛr/ south-wind.M.NOM.SG
F.5a dux the-lord inquiētī of-the-restless turbidus stormy Hadriae Adriatic
F.5b dux /dʊks/ leader.M.NOM.SG inquiētī /ɪn.kʷɪˈeː.tiː/ restless.M.GEN.SG turbidus /ˈtʊr.bɪ.dʊs/ stormy.M.NOM.SG Hadriae /ˈha.drɪ.ae̯/ Adriatic.M.GEN.SG
F.6a nec nor fulminantis of-the-thundering magna great manus hand Iovis of-Jupiter
F.6b nec /nɛk/ nor fulminantis /fʊl.mɪˈnan.tɪs/ hurl-lightning.PRES.PTCP.M.GEN.SG magna /ˈmaŋ.na/ great.F.NOM.SG manus /ˈma.nʊs/ hand.F.NOM.SG Iovis /ˈjɔ.wɪs/ Jupiter.M.GEN.SG
F.7a sī if frāctus broken illābātur should-fall-in orbis the-world
F.7b sī /siː/ if frāctus /ˈfraːk.tʊs/ break.PERF.PASS.PTCP.M.NOM.SG illābātur /ɪl.laːˈbaː.tʊr/ fall-in.3SG.PRES.SUBJ.DEP orbis /ˈɔr.bɪs/ world.M.NOM.SG
F.8a impavidum unafraid ferient will-strike ruīnae the-ruins
F.8b impavidum /ɪmˈpa.wɪ.dʊm/ fearless.M.ACC.SG ferient /ˈfɛ.rɪ.ɛnt/ strike.3PL.FUT ruīnae /rʊˈiː.nae̯/ ruin.F.NOM.PL
Part F-B: The Text from F-A with Translation
Iūstum et tenācem prōpositī virum nōn cīvium ardor prāva iubentium, nōn vultus īnstantis tyrannī mente quatit solidā neque Auster, dux inquiētī turbidus Hadriae, nec fulminantis magna manus Iovis: sī frāctus illābātur orbis, impavidum ferient ruīnae.
→ "The man who is just and holds fast to his purpose is not shaken from his firm mind by the fury of citizens demanding what is wrong, nor by the face of a threatening tyrant, nor by the South Wind, stormy lord of the restless Adriatic, nor by the great hand of Jupiter hurling his thunderbolts: if the world should break and fall in upon him, its ruins will strike him unafraid."
Part F-C: Original Latin Text Only
Iūstum et tenācem prōpositī virum nōn cīvium ardor prāva iubentium, nōn vultus īnstantis tyrannī mente quatit solidā neque Auster, dux inquiētī turbidus Hadriae, nec fulminantis magna manus Iovis: sī frāctus illābātur orbis, impavidum ferient ruīnae.
Part F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
These eight lines are two Alcaic stanzas and one long sentence. Its object comes first: iūstum et tenācem prōpositī virum, "the man just and tenacious of his purpose." Tenāx takes a genitive, "holding fast to." The verb does not arrive until the fourth line, quatit, "shakes," and it has four subjects, each introduced by a negative: nōn… ardor, nōn vultus, neque Auster, nec… manus. The verb is singular because each subject is taken separately. Mente solidā is an ablative of separation: the man is not shaken "from his firm mind."
Vultus īnstantis tyrannī is the headword's sense of the stern or threatening face, which Lewis and Short record in the poets. The tyrant does not need to act; his look is enough to frighten ordinary men. Horace sets this face beside the anger of the mob, the storm wind and the thunderbolt of Jupiter: political pressure from below and from above, then the forces of nature and the gods. The just man stands against them all.
The participles carry much of the meaning. Prāva iubentium, "of (citizens) ordering wrong things": prāva is a neuter plural adjective used as a noun, the object of iubentium. Īnstantis and fulminantis are present participles in the genitive, agreeing with tyrannī and Iovis.
The last two lines change construction. Sī… illābātur is a future-less-vivid condition in the present subjunctive, "if the world should break and fall in," but the main clause has the future indicative ferient, "will strike." The mixture makes the result certain even though the cause is only imagined. Impavidum, "unafraid," is accusative because it refers to the man, the object of ferient: the ruins will strike him, and he will still not fear. Frāctus orbis, "the world, broken," is a vivid way of saying "the sky falling," an image the Romans also used in the proverb quid sī caelum ruat?
Spelling. The Latin Library text prints voltus, inlabatur and inpavidum, the older spellings; this lesson gives vultus, illābātur and impavidum, the forms usual in school texts. Hadriae is the genitive of Hadria, which in this sense, "the Adriatic Sea," is masculine: hence inquiētī, not inquiētae.
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This is a short descriptive text composed for this lesson (it is not a quotation). A boy, Lucius, looks at the wax faces of his ancestors in the atrium of his family's house with his grandfather. The background is described in Section E. Almost every line uses vultus in a different case or number.
Part A: Interlinear Construed Text
209.16a In in ātriō the-atrium domūs of-the-house antīquae old sunt there-are armāria cupboards, et and in in armāriīs the-cupboards sunt are vultūs the-faces maiōrum of-the-ancestors.
209.16b In /ɪn/ in(+ABL) ātriō /ˈaː.trɪ.oː/ atrium.N.ABL.SG domūs /ˈdɔ.muːs/ house.F.GEN.SG antīquae /anˈtiː.kʷae̯/ old.F.GEN.SG sunt /sʊnt/ be.3PL.PRES armāria /arˈmaː.rɪ.a/ cupboard.N.NOM.PL et /ɛt/ and in /ɪn/ in(+ABL) armāriīs /arˈmaː.rɪ.iːs/ cupboard.N.ABL.PL sunt /sʊnt/ be.3PL.PRES vultūs /ˈwʊl.tuːs/ face.M.NOM.PL maiōrum /majˈjoː.rʊm/ ancestor.M.GEN.PL
209.17a Hī these vultūs faces ex from cērā wax factī made sunt have-been.
209.17b Hī /hiː/ this.M.NOM.PL vultūs /ˈwʊl.tuːs/ face.M.NOM.PL ex /ɛks/ from(+ABL) cērā /ˈkeː.raː/ wax.F.ABL.SG factī /ˈfak.tiː/ make.PERF.PASS.PTCP.M.NOM.PL sunt /sʊnt/ be.3PL.PRES
209.18a Lūcius Lucius puer the-boy cum with avō grandfather suō his-own vultūs the-faces spectat looks-at.
209.18b Lūcius /ˈluː.kɪ.ʊs/ Lucius.M.NOM.SG puer /ˈpʊ.ɛr/ boy.M.NOM.SG cum /kʊm/ with(+ABL) avō /ˈa.woː/ grandfather.M.ABL.SG suō /ˈsʊ.oː/ his-own.M.ABL.SG vultūs /ˈwʊl.tuːs/ face.M.ACC.PL spectat /ˈspɛk.tat/ look-at.3SG.PRES
209.19a Prīmus the-first vultus face est is senis of-an-old-man calvī bald et and sevērī stern.
209.19b Prīmus /ˈpriː.mʊs/ first.M.NOM.SG vultus /ˈwʊl.tʊs/ face.M.NOM.SG est /ɛst/ be.3SG.PRES senis /ˈsɛ.nɪs/ old-man.M.GEN.SG calvī /ˈkal.wiː/ bald.M.GEN.SG et /ɛt/ and sevērī /sɛˈweː.riː/ stern.M.GEN.SG
209.20a "Hic this est is proavus great-grandfather tuus," your inquit says avus grandfather; "vultum the-face eius of-him bene well nōvī." I-know
209.20b Hic /hɪk/ this.M.NOM.SG est /ɛst/ be.3SG.PRES proavus /ˈprɔ.a.wʊs/ great-grandfather.M.NOM.SG tuus /ˈtʊ.ʊs/ your.M.NOM.SG inquit /ˈɪŋ.kʷɪt/ say.3SG.PRES avus /ˈa.wʊs/ grandfather.M.NOM.SG vultum /ˈwʊl.tʊm/ face.M.ACC.SG eius /ˈɛj.jʊs/ he.M.GEN.SG bene /ˈbɛ.nɛ/ well.ADV nōvī /ˈnoː.wiː/ know.1SG.PERF
209.21a Alter the-second vultus face iuvenis of-a-young-man est is, et and ōs the-mouth eius of-him rīdēre to-smile vidētur seems.
209.21b Alter /ˈal.tɛr/ second.M.NOM.SG vultus /ˈwʊl.tʊs/ face.M.NOM.SG iuvenis /ˈjʊ.wɛ.nɪs/ young-man.M.GEN.SG est /ɛst/ be.3SG.PRES et /ɛt/ and ōs /oːs/ mouth.N.NOM.SG eius /ˈɛj.jʊs/ he.M.GEN.SG rīdēre /riːˈdeː.rɛ/ smile.PRES.INF vidētur /wɪˈdeː.tʊr/ seem.3SG.PRES.PASS
209.22a Sub under vultū the-face titulus a-label est is, in on quō which nōmen the-name eius of-him et and honōrēs offices leguntur are-read.
209.22b Sub /sʊb/ under(+ABL) vultū /ˈwʊl.tuː/ face.M.ABL.SG titulus /ˈtɪ.tʊ.lʊs/ label.M.NOM.SG est /ɛst/ be.3SG.PRES in /ɪn/ on(+ABL) quō /kʷoː/ which.M.ABL.SG nōmen /ˈnoː.mɛn/ name.N.NOM.SG eius /ˈɛj.jʊs/ he.M.GEN.SG et /ɛt/ and honōrēs /hɔˈnoː.reːs/ office.M.NOM.PL leguntur /lɛˈɡʊn.tʊr/ read.3PL.PRES.PASS
209.23a Vultuum of-the-faces numerus the-number magnus great est is; nam for familia the-family antīqua old est is.
209.23b Vultuum /ˈwʊl.tʊ.ʊm/ face.M.GEN.PL numerus /ˈnʊ.mɛ.rʊs/ number.M.NOM.SG magnus /ˈmaŋ.nʊs/ great.M.NOM.SG est /ɛst/ be.3SG.PRES nam /nam/ for familia /faˈmɪ.lɪ.a/ family.F.NOM.SG antīqua /anˈtiː.kʷa/ old.F.NOM.SG est /ɛst/ be.3SG.PRES
209.24a Lūcius Lucius vultuī to-a-face cuidam certain appropinquat goes-up et and oculōs the-eyes eius of-it īnspicit examines.
209.24b Lūcius /ˈluː.kɪ.ʊs/ Lucius.M.NOM.SG vultuī /ˈwʊl.tʊ.iː/ face.M.DAT.SG cuidam /ˈkʊj.dam/ a-certain.M.DAT.SG appropinquat /ap.prɔˈpɪŋ.kʷat/ approach.3SG.PRES(+DAT) et /ɛt/ and oculōs /ˈɔ.kʊ.loːs/ eye.M.ACC.PL eius /ˈɛj.jʊs/ it.M.GEN.SG īnspicit /ˈiːn.spɪ.kɪt/ examine.3SG.PRES
209.25a "Cūr why color the-colour huius of-this vultūs face tam so pallidus pale est?" is rogat he-asks.
209.25b Cūr /kuːr/ why color /ˈkɔ.lɔr/ colour.M.NOM.SG huius /ˈhʊj.jʊs/ this.M.GEN.SG vultūs /ˈwʊl.tuːs/ face.M.GEN.SG tam /tam/ so.ADV pallidus /ˈpal.lɪ.dʊs/ pale.M.NOM.SG est /ɛst/ be.3SG.PRES rogat /ˈrɔ.ɡat/ ask.3SG.PRES
209.26a "Quia because cēra the-wax vetus old est," is respondet answers avus grandfather, "et and fūmus the-smoke focī of-the-hearth vultibus the-faces nocet." harms
209.26b Quia /ˈkʷɪ.a/ because cēra /ˈkeː.ra/ wax.F.NOM.SG vetus /ˈwɛ.tʊs/ old.F.NOM.SG est /ɛst/ be.3SG.PRES respondet /rɛsˈpɔn.dɛt/ answer.3SG.PRES avus /ˈa.wʊs/ grandfather.M.NOM.SG et /ɛt/ and fūmus /ˈfuː.mʊs/ smoke.M.NOM.SG focī /ˈfɔ.kiː/ hearth.M.GEN.SG vultibus /ˈwʊl.tɪ.bʊs/ face.M.DAT.PL nocet /ˈnɔ.kɛt/ harm.3SG.PRES(+DAT)
209.27a In at fūneribus funerals hominēs men hōs these vultūs faces gerunt wear, et and maiōrēs the-ancestors iterum again per through urbem the-city incēdere to-walk videntur seem.
209.27b In /ɪn/ at(+ABL) fūneribus /fuːˈnɛ.rɪ.bʊs/ funeral.N.ABL.PL hominēs /ˈhɔ.mɪ.neːs/ man.M.NOM.PL hōs /hoːs/ this.M.ACC.PL vultūs /ˈwʊl.tuːs/ face.M.ACC.PL gerunt /ˈɡɛ.rʊnt/ wear.3PL.PRES et /ɛt/ and maiōrēs /majˈjoː.reːs/ ancestor.M.NOM.PL iterum /ˈɪ.tɛ.rʊm/ again.ADV per /pɛr/ through(+ACC) urbem /ˈʊr.bɛm/ city.F.ACC.SG incēdere /ɪnˈkeː.dɛ.rɛ/ walk.PRES.INF videntur /wɪˈdɛn.tʊr/ seem.3PL.PRES.PASS
209.28a Lūcius Lucius diū for-a-long-time tacet is-silent; deinde then vultum the-face suum his-own in in aquā the-water impluviī of-the-pool cōnsīderat studies.
209.28b Lūcius /ˈluː.kɪ.ʊs/ Lucius.M.NOM.SG diū /ˈdɪ.uː/ long.ADV tacet /ˈta.kɛt/ be-silent.3SG.PRES deinde /ˈdɛjn.dɛ/ then.ADV vultum /ˈwʊl.tʊm/ face.M.ACC.SG suum /ˈsʊ.ʊm/ his-own.M.ACC.SG in /ɪn/ in(+ABL) aquā /ˈa.kʷaː/ water.F.ABL.SG impluviī /ɪmˈplʊ.wɪ.iː/ impluvium.N.GEN.SG cōnsīderat /koːnˈsiː.dɛ.rat/ examine.3SG.PRES
209.29a "Ōlim," one-day inquit he-says, "meus my quoque also vultus face in in hōc this armāriō cupboard erit." will-be
209.29b Ōlim /ˈoː.lɪm/ one-day.ADV inquit /ˈɪŋ.kʷɪt/ say.3SG.PRES meus /ˈmɛ.ʊs/ my.M.NOM.SG quoque /ˈkʷɔ.kʷɛ/ also vultus /ˈwʊl.tʊs/ face.M.NOM.SG in /ɪn/ in(+ABL) hōc /hoːk/ this.N.ABL.SG armāriō /arˈmaː.rɪ.oː/ cupboard.N.ABL.SG erit /ˈɛ.rɪt/ be.3SG.FUT
209.30a Avus grandfather rīdet smiles: "Sī if dē of rē the-state pūblicā public bene well meritus deserved eris you-will-have, vultum the-face tuum your nepōtēs grandsons tuī your spectābunt." will-look-at
209.30b Avus /ˈa.wʊs/ grandfather.M.NOM.SG rīdet /ˈriː.dɛt/ smile.3SG.PRES Sī /siː/ if dē /deː/ of(+ABL) rē /reː/ thing.F.ABL.SG pūblicā /ˈpuː.blɪ.kaː/ public.F.ABL.SG bene /ˈbɛ.nɛ/ well.ADV meritus /ˈmɛ.rɪ.tʊs/ deserve.PERF.PTCP.DEP.M.NOM.SG eris /ˈɛ.rɪs/ be.2SG.FUT vultum /ˈwʊl.tʊm/ face.M.ACC.SG tuum /ˈtʊ.ʊm/ your.M.ACC.SG nepōtēs /nɛˈpoː.teːs/ grandson.M.NOM.PL tuī /ˈtʊ.iː/ your.M.NOM.PL spectābunt /spɛkˈtaː.bʊnt/ look-at.3PL.FUT
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Part B: Natural Sentences
209.16 In ātriō domūs antīquae sunt armāria, et in armāriīs sunt vultūs maiōrum. → "In the atrium of an old house there are cupboards, and in the cupboards are the faces of the ancestors."
209.17 Hī vultūs ex cērā factī sunt. → "These faces are made of wax."
209.18 Lūcius puer cum avō suō vultūs spectat. → "The boy Lucius is looking at the faces with his grandfather."
209.19 Prīmus vultus est senis calvī et sevērī. → "The first face is that of a bald, stern old man."
209.20 "Hic est proavus tuus," inquit avus; "vultum eius bene nōvī." → "This is your great-grandfather," says the grandfather. "I know his face well."
209.21 Alter vultus iuvenis est, et ōs eius rīdēre vidētur. → "The second face is a young man's, and his mouth seems to be smiling."
209.22 Sub vultū titulus est, in quō nōmen eius et honōrēs leguntur. → "Under the face is a label, on which his name and the offices he held can be read."
209.23 Vultuum numerus magnus est; nam familia antīqua est. → "There are a great many faces, for the family is an old one."
209.24 Lūcius vultuī cuidam appropinquat et oculōs eius īnspicit. → "Lucius goes up to one of the faces and looks closely at its eyes."
209.25 "Cūr color huius vultūs tam pallidus est?" rogat. → "Why is the colour of this face so pale?" he asks.
209.26 "Quia cēra vetus est," respondet avus, "et fūmus focī vultibus nocet." → "Because the wax is old," his grandfather answers, "and the smoke from the hearth does the faces harm."
209.27 In fūneribus hominēs hōs vultūs gerunt, et maiōrēs iterum per urbem incēdere videntur. → "At funerals men wear these faces, and the ancestors seem to walk through the city once more."
209.28 Lūcius diū tacet; deinde vultum suum in aquā impluviī cōnsīderat. → "Lucius is silent for a long time; then he studies his own face in the water of the pool."
209.29 "Ōlim," inquit, "meus quoque vultus in hōc armāriō erit." → "One day," he says, "my face will be in this cupboard too."
209.30 Avus rīdet: "Sī dē rē pūblicā bene meritus eris, vultum tuum nepōtēs tuī spectābunt." → His grandfather smiles: "If you serve the Republic well, your grandsons will look at your face."
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Part C: Latin Text Only
209.16 In ātriō domūs antīquae sunt armāria, et in armāriīs sunt vultūs maiōrum.
209.17 Hī vultūs ex cērā factī sunt.
209.18 Lūcius puer cum avō suō vultūs spectat.
209.19 Prīmus vultus est senis calvī et sevērī.
209.20 "Hic est proavus tuus," inquit avus; "vultum eius bene nōvī."
209.21 Alter vultus iuvenis est, et ōs eius rīdēre vidētur.
209.22 Sub vultū titulus est, in quō nōmen eius et honōrēs leguntur.
209.23 Vultuum numerus magnus est; nam familia antīqua est.
209.24 Lūcius vultuī cuidam appropinquat et oculōs eius īnspicit.
209.25 "Cūr color huius vultūs tam pallidus est?" rogat.
209.26 "Quia cēra vetus est," respondet avus, "et fūmus focī vultibus nocet."
209.27 In fūneribus hominēs hōs vultūs gerunt, et maiōrēs iterum per urbem incēdere videntur.
209.28 Lūcius diū tacet; deinde vultum suum in aquā impluviī cōnsīderat.
209.29 "Ōlim," inquit, "meus quoque vultus in hōc armāriō erit."
209.30 Avus rīdet: "Sī dē rē pūblicā bene meritus eris, vultum tuum nepōtēs tuī spectābunt."
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Part D: Grammar Notes for Genre Section
The text runs through every form of vultus except the ablative plural, vultibus, which is in 209.8. Nominative singular: vultus (209.19, 209.21, 209.29). Genitive singular: vultūs (209.25). Accusative singular: vultum (209.20, 209.28, 209.30). Dative singular: vultuī, after appropinquat (209.24). Ablative singular: vultū, after sub (209.22). Nominative plural: vultūs (209.16, 209.17). Accusative plural: vultūs (209.18, 209.27). Genitive plural: vultuum (209.23). Dative plural: vultibus, after nocet (209.26).
Verbs with the dative. Appropinquāre, "to approach," and nocēre, "to harm," take the dative: vultuī cuidam appropinquat (209.24), fūmus vultibus nocet (209.26). English uses a direct object; Latin does not.
The genitive of the owner after est. Prīmus vultus est senis, "the first face is (that) of an old man" (209.19); alter vultus iuvenis est (209.21). Latin needs no word for "that"; the genitive alone says whose it is.
Factī sunt (209.17) is the perfect passive of faciō, agreeing with vultūs in gender and number (masculine plural). Ex cērā gives the material: "made out of wax."
Vidērī + infinitive means "to seem": ōs rīdēre vidētur, "the mouth seems to smile" (209.21); maiōrēs incēdere videntur, "the ancestors seem to walk" (209.27).
Nōvī (209.20) is the perfect of nōscō, "to get to know," and means "I know": having got to know, I now know.
Hic, haec, hoc. Huius vultūs (209.25, genitive singular), hī vultūs (209.17), hōs vultūs (209.27), in hōc armāriō (209.29, ablative of the neuter armārium). The demonstrative agrees with its noun.
Dē rē pūblicā bene merērī (209.30), "to deserve well of the state," is the standard Latin phrase for public service. Meritus eris is the future perfect of the deponent mereor: "if you will have deserved well" is how Latin sees it; English says "if you serve well."
The atrium and the impluvium (209.16, 209.28). The ātrium was the main hall of a Roman house; the implūvium was the shallow basin in its floor that caught rainwater from the opening in the roof. Its u is short: im-PLU-vi-um.
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Vowel length. The macrons in this lesson mark long vowels. They are editorial aids: Romans did not write them. In vultus the first u is always short, and the second is long in vultūs and vultū. Readers of an unmarked text must tell vultus and vultūs apart by the grammar (Section D).
Voltus and vultus. Until the late Republic, Latin wrote o after v where later writers wrote u: voltus, volnus, volt. Many modern editions of Plautus, Vergil and Horace keep the older spelling; the Latin Library text of Aeneid 1.209 reads voltu, and of Odes 3.3 voltus. Both spellings are the same word.
Assimilation. Older texts often keep prefixes unassimilated: inlabatur and inpavidum in the Latin Library's Horace (F.7, F.8) are illābātur and impavidum in most school texts. In speech the n before l and p was assimilated.
Consonants. Ch in chaos (209.15) and pulcher (209.4) was an aspirated k, /kʰ/; you may simply say k. The y in tyrannus (F.3) is the Greek upsilon, a rounded i, /ʏ/, like German ü. Consonantal i between vowels, as in eius and maiōrum, is doubled in pronunciation: /ˈɛj.jʊs/, /majˈjoː.rʊm/.
Stress. Vultus and all its forms are stressed on the first syllable. Vultūque (209.13) moves the stress onto the syllable before -que: vul-TŪ-que.
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