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THE JOmTS HOPKI^TS TA3ELLAE DEFIXIONIM
DISSERTATION
Submitted to the Board of University Stud-
ies of the Johns Hopkins University in conformiti^
v/ith the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of
Philosophic
l3y
Williaja Sherv/ood Fox
June
1911
\ ri.oi'^
CHAPTER I .
THE TA3ELLAE DEPIXIOi^nrM OP THE
JOmTS HOPKINS ITITIVERSITY
■ ,. - • t1. History cind Description. . ,, . > :•-
In the yeai' 1908 the Department of Classical Archaeology
of the Johns Hopkins University acciuired several _tabellae
(1)
def ixionum, popularly known as ciur-se-tablets . The person
tiirough whom the acquisition v;as ifl5,de possil)le was xmable to
give a definite assurance as to their provenience, "but stated
his belief that they had been found at Pvome . Thorough study of
the tablets themselves has led to the conviction that tiiey did
actually originate in that city. This point will be fullv dis-
(2)
cussed at the proper time.
The tablets were in two distinct divisions. One of these
consistitf of a nail .127 metres in lengtli, tlie point of which was
cloven into tv/o long sharp splinters each }ialf as long as the
whole nail. A.bo\it the broad head were tightly bound by a thick
acciHHulation of rust ias,ny exceedingly tliin fragments of lead.
On one side twenty-five lavers could be counted, and on the oj^-
(3)
posite side twenty-eight. The greatest width of this mass of
(1) A preliminary report of these was published by the pres-
ent a,uthor in the Johns Hopkins University Circular, New^ Series,
1910, No, 6, pp, 7-10.
(2) Ch. Ill,, 5 3.
(3) See PI. I,
fragments "before it 7/as subjected to the chemical treatment to
be described shortly, vms .051 and the Siuallest .048 metres.
The other division of the tablets consisted of a promiscu-
ous heap of brittle chips of lead, no two being of the same
shape and size. In thiigkness the;^ varied from one to three mil-
limetres, and in area from one-quarter of a square centimetre to
thirty or forty square centimetres. Most of the fragments ap-
proxima.ted the smaller area Ju-St mentioned. On nearly every one
ivere visible early Roman ciu'sive characters that had been in-
cised with a stilus. The incisions varied considerably in depth
and distinctness, knotiier featiu'e in v/hich there was a verj'-
marked lack of uniformity was color. Some pieces were charac-
terized by the norms,! color of lead; some were reddish, some
bluish and others of a shade midway bet'ween pm'ple and brown, A
little handling and scrutiny of the ma-terial revealed the fact
that the variations in thickness and color bore a direct and
fairly constant relation to one another. This was invaluable in
the subsequent reconstr\iction of the tablets, as will be siiov^n
in a later paragraph. Besides the ground colors peculiar to the
several fragments there y/as a coating of v/hitish powder and crys
tals covering the surfaces unevenly and this in certain places
made the writing wholly illegible.
For the joint purpose of removing the coating and of ac-
counting for the brittle condition of the lead, the ma.ss on the
nail and selected loose fragments were submitted to the chem-
ists for exainination. Their report v/as that "the layers of the
tablets have been changed in large part from metallic lead to
compounds of lead by the action of soil or atmosphere or water.
The whitish outer coating consists of a basic carbonate of lead,
while underneath is another compound, probably litharge. In
some instances there is an exceedingly tliin layer of unciianged
met;illic lead." This whitish compound is evidently in pe.rt what
Wflnsch in his description of the Attic tablets poetically calls
"the dust of ages".
"r 2. Reconstruction, ■ „ .
The first step toward t}ie reconstruction of the tablets
was to select the loose fragments on which even a single stroke
of writing was visible, though not necessarily decipherable. The
result v/as two hundred and ten working fragments, one-third of
which were very s:iiall. Those set aside as useless number appar-
ently about three hundred. Each of the working fragments was
deposited in its own separate and muabered envelope. The larg-
est were then deciphered as far as the condition of their siu*-
faces permitted without cleaning by cliejaical means, .and in the
process exact facsimiles were drawn on individual cards niua-
(^) Professor S. F. Acree and llr . E. K. Marsliall, Jr., of
tlie Jolins HopJcins University,
(^ W^sch; Richard, Defixionum Tabellae Atticae, T,Q.
III. 3, Praef, I.
bered to correspond to tiie t^nvelopes just mentioned. This pro-
cess supplied an alphabet and a muuber of broken lines of text,
some of v/hich recurred several times in slightly varied form.
The alphabet served as a key to the obscujr-e letters in the smal-
ler fragments still to be deciphered, while the broken lines
gave a clue to the general sense and connection of the writing.
The recurrence of certain words and groups of words suggested
that the fragments represented not one tablet, but several,
originally pierced by one and the same nail. The decipherment
of the sioaller fragments v/as carried on in the same manner.
The first attempt to assemble the parts in their original
relation to one another was made only v/hen the above stage of
decipherment was completed. Several featm'es served as guides
in this restoration. These are the sense of tne text, the uni-
form relations between color and thickness of tne lead, the
presence of outer or top edges on a few fragments, and the ap-
pearance of vaulting on the reverse side of a relatively sms.ll
number. On the other hand, there were ins-ny obstacles in the way
of complete reconstruction, chief of vmich xfere the impossibility
of making use of the portion of lead still on the spike and the
similarity of outline in txie broken edges.
Obviously the latter difficulty cou.ld not be removed, but
the i^.^'.t'A'^- seemed not entirely insurmountable. In the hope that
a few fragments migiit be released from the nail, the chemists'
aid was again sought. By the use of a weak solution of sul -
phijiric acid they succeeded after several days in loosening nine-
teen fragments, v/hich, however, proved to be of little value
owing to their mutilated condition. As the acid was apparently
rendering the lead too "brittle to handle, it was thought wise
to proceed no further with the experiment; moreover, it seemed
i'jipro"bable that any fragments saved would make a sufficient con-
tribution to counterbalance the loss of so valuable a relic as
the nail and its holdings. But in spite of the difficulties
the sense of the text, interrupted though it v/as , soon revealed
the fact that we were dealing with five distinct tablets. With
this established, the significance of the uniform relation be-
tween the color and the thickness of the fragments became ob-
vious. It was found that those belonging to the tablet tsia.t
will henceforth be designated as Aquillia were very thin and
alarmingly fragile and of a piu'plish-brown hue; those of Plotius
\.'ere thin and bluish; those of Vesonia were thick and reddish,
while those of Avonia were of a similar tinge but somewhat thin-
ner; finally, the fragments of Secunda were thin and of that
dull gray shade characteristic of pure lead. The presence in
a fev/ instances, of riglit, left, or top edges ma-de it possible
to locate some fragments with absolute definiteness to the right
or to the left of tlie nail or at the beginning of the tablet
from which they had been broken. No lov/er edges were found.
Where writing could be read on 'both sides it was usually easy to
locate a fraginent, as the obverse and reverse contexts afforded
a sort of double check i'l their particular zones. After the
application of this test it soon became apparent that only three
of the tablets were opisthographic.
There now remained two or three dozen fragments too thickly
coated with the deposit of lead carbonate to be legible. These
the chemists treated v/ith dilute nitric acid which after a very
brief immersion readily dissolved the carbonate but did not ap-
preciably affect the body of the laj'-er. In this way the ma-
jority of these fragments were made decipjierable . The total
nvunber read was two hundred and twenty, and all but sixt^^-two
could be located in their proper places with almost a/osolute
certainly. Of this latter group thirty-nine could b^"- the indi-
cations of color and tiiickness of the lead and by the style of
handwriting be assigned v/ith some degree of accuracy to the sev-
eral tablets from which they came, but not to their original
contexts. ■'■- ■ • ■- ^ - - ' ■ - . . v.. .
3. Description of the Reconstructed Tablets.
The facsimiles in black and white which later accompany the
text of the ciu'se formulae were made only after reconstruction
liad been carried as far as conditions permitted. Photographic
reproductions would of course be preferable, but owing to the
fragmentary character of the material it was found absolutely
impossible to obtain them. The present re x^r eductions represent
the actual size of the original tablets. They enable one to es-
timate with fair exactness the dimensions of the laminae before
they were shattered. Were their edges v/it}iout irregularities
it would be possible to estijoate their several a.reas to within
a centimetre or tv/o of the correct figures, as the general out-
lines of the pairs of opposite edges are practically parallel.
In the case of Aquillia the fragments are too few to bear
out this statement; yet, if an attempt is xaade to reproduce in
cursiye virriting its formula as supplemented from the other tab-
lets, it will be found that most of the lines of the text are
virtually uniform in length. Tovrards tlie end of the tablet some
of the lines gradually become siiorter, but on reaching their
minimiun length they return just as gradually to their average di
mension. This points to a narrov/ing of tiie lamina at tiiis pa-rt.
In Secunda a fragment from the lower right hand corner siiows a
slight tapering towards the bottom of the lamina. The exper-
iment of reproducing the formula, however, in letters similar
in size and form to those of the original reveals the fact tliat
the left hand edge continues to the ver''^ bottom with no loarked
(6)
deviation from the straight line.
(fe) Very few tabellae def ixionum are of greater superficial
area than these. Cf. Audollent (Augustus), Defixionum Tabellae
Albert Pontemoing, Paris, 1904, Nos . 15 and 271.
To fit the present recoiiStruction to the broken layers on
the nail is quite impossible, nevertheless, one can determine
the original order by comparing the character of the lead on the
nail with t?ie well-established character of the lead in the re-
constructed tablets. The la^^ers nearest the head of the nail
if,
undoubtedly belong to Aqijlllia; Secunda caiae next, then Avonia,
then Vesonia, and lastly Plotius.
The fragments also tell us how tiie lajflinae were originally
folded. On onl;- one fold that is visible on the nail does v/rit-
ing appear on tlie outer, i.e., the convex side. Loose fragments
t'nat have been broken at the line of folding have edges that
turn slightly in towards the side bearing the text. Both of
these observations lead to the inference that in general the
tablets were rolled into cylindrical shape witii the writing on
the inside for protection against abrasion and for concealment
from prying eyes; for, should the writing be injured in an;^ way
the formula v/ould be of no effect, or, should human eyes read it
counter formulae might be composed or other means resorted to
that might bring the evil of the formula back like a boomerang
upon its author. The nail v/hen driven into such a yielding
mater ia,l as lead, packed tlie laminae together and created very
Cf) Thus designated for lack of a better name.
pronounced lines of folding. Estimating the coLibined length
of all the tablets at 148.3 cm. and allowing for twenty-seven
layers, the average width of the folds was 5.5 cm. The widest
fragment is one belonging to Vesonia ( #12) which measiires 8 cm.
some are no wider than 2 cm. Tliese figures seem to indicate
the two extremes of v/idth, \|, ,
r.' ''i^i.a J
^ ■' U ■fXA^MJ^y^.J^?^ -^hjL 4aaC^ y- CU-»/w.«v.i^,£^
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
(Onli'- the more important "books are hare liientioned. The
most extensive bioliography is contained in the work of
Audollent to "be found in the following list,),
• '• ■ GEITRRAL WORKS.
DaremlDerg et Saglio, Dictionnaire des Anticiuites grecques et
roBiaines, Paris, 1892-. (Darem.et Sag.).
De Ruggier©, E. Dizionario Epigrafico di Antichita Rome.ne,
Rome, 1908- . (Diz. Epig.),
KlelDS, E. Prosopographia Imperii Romani, Saec. I, II, III,
Partes tres, Berlin, 1897.
Pauly-Wissowa, Real-Enc^'-clopadift der Classischen Alter tiunswissen
schaft, Stuttgart, 1901-. (Paul2'--Wissowa) .
Smith's Dictionary of Greek and Roman Anti(iuities, 3rd, ed,,
London, 1890. ' -
TA3ELLAE DEPIXIOIIUM.
Audollent, Auguste. Defixionum Tabellae quotquot innotuerunt
tain in Graecis orientis qu&,m in totius occidentis partialis
riraeter Atticas in Corpus Inscriptionuia Atticarum editas,
Paris, 1904, (Aud.) .
Battle, W, I. I'lagical Curses written on Lead Tablets. Trans-
actions of the American Philological Association, XXVI ,
1895. Proceedings of Special Session, 1894, pp. liv-lviii.
Mttnsterberg, Rudolf. Zu den attischen Pluchtafeln, Oster-
,*S Arch.
reieches.Inso. inWien. 1904, pp. I4l f f .
IJiederiiiann, M. Remarques sur la langiie des tablettes d'execra-
tion (Melanges De Saussiu*e, Paris, 1908) pp. 71 ff.
Olivieri, A. Studi Italian! di Filologia Classica, vii, 1899,
pp. 195-3. (Olivieri).
Von Prexaerstein, Ein Pluchtafelchen rnit Lieberzauber aus Poetovio
Ost. Arch. Inat, in Wien, 1906, pp. 192 ff .
Wtlnsch, Richard. Corpus Inscriptiomua Atticarujfl. Appendix
continens Defixioniua Tabellae in Attica Regione repertas ^=
Inscriptionuin Graecariua III 3, Berlin, 1897. (Wttnsch DTA)
Wtlnsch, R. Antike Pli.ichtaf sin, Marcus und Weber, Bonn, 1907.
Wtlnsch, R. Sethianische Verfluchungstafeln aus Rom. Leipzig,
1398. (Wttnsch, Seth.).
Wtlnsch, R. ¥eue Fluchtafeln, Rheinisches Museum ftlr Philologie,
1900, pp. 62 ff.; 232 ff.
Wtlnsch, R. Reviev/ of Audollent*s Pefixionmi Tabellae in the
Berliner Philologische Wochenscjirif t , 1905, pp. 1071-32.
Wtlnsch, R. Review of V/alter Rabehl, De Seriuone defixioniua
Atticartim, Dissertation, Berlin, 1906, in Berliner Phil.
Wochenserift, 1907, 1574 ff .
Ziebarth, Erich. "Der Pluch im griechischen Recht, Heriues,
XXX, pp. 57 ff .
CUSTOMS AND RELIGION.
De-Marchi, Attilio. II Culto Private di Rome. Antica, Milan,
1896. (De-Marchi).
Frazer, J, G. The Golden Bough, A Study in Comparative Re-
ligion, 2 vols., London and New York, 1911.
Gruppe , 0. Griechische Mythologie und Religionsgeschichte ,
2 vols., Munich, 1906, in Mtlller»s Handbuch series.
(GruTjpe) .
Harriyon, Jane Ellen. ProlegOiQena to the Study of Greek Re-
ligion, CaiAhridge University .Press, 2nd ed., 1908.
Martjuardt-Mau. Das Privatleben der ROmer, Part I, 2nd. ed.,
Leipzig, 1386. (Hi[arquardt-M^^»««) .
Preller, L, Griechische Mythologie, Vierte Auflage bearbeitet
von Carl Robert, Berlin, 1394.
Reseller, W. H. Ausfttlirliches Lexikon der Sriechischen und
rOmischen Mythologie, Leipzig, 1902. ^Roscher, Lex.).
Supplements to the above: -
Epitheta Deorum quae apud Poetas Latinas leguntur.
Epitheta Deorim qwae apud Poetas Graecos leguntuir.
Rouse, W. H. D. Greek Votive Offerings, Cambridge University
Press, 1902.
Stengel, Paul, Die griechischen Kultiisaltertttiiier , Munich,
1898, in Mttller's Handbuch Series.
Stengel, Paul. Opferbrauclie d.er G^^iechen, Tenbner, Leipzig, 1
1910 (Stengel, Opf . )
Wessely, C. Griechische Zauberpapirrus von Paris uad London
(Denkscrirt der Kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenscliaf ten zu
Wien — Philosopisch-historische Classe, XXXVI, 1388, zxrelte
Al3theilung, pp. 27-206).
Wessely, C, Neue griechische ZauberpapiT?i (Denksch. d. K. Akad.
d. ¥iss. zu Wien-Phil.-hist. CI. XLII, 1893, 96).
Wissowa, Georg. Religion und Kultiis der ROmer, Munich, 1902,
in MQller's Handbuch Series. (Wissov/a) .
LATIN LA:TGUAGE.
Brock, Arth\ir. QuaestiomuA GraLnnaticoruiii, Capita duo, Dorpat,
1397.
Corssen, W. liber A\issprache, Vokalisiaus und Betonung der
Lateinischen Sprache, 2 vols,, 2nd, ed,, Leipzig, 1868.
Georges, K, E, Lexicon der lateinischen Wortforinen, Leipzig,
1890. (Georges) .
Gildersleeve (B. L. ) and Lodge (G) . Latin GrajniTia.r, 3rd, ed.^
University Publishing Co., 1398.
Krebs, J. P. Antibarbarus der Lateinischen Sprache, 5th. ed.,
Basel, 1386-8 (Krebs).
Lindsay, W. M. The Latin Langua,ge , An Historical Accoimt of
Latin Sounds, Stems, and Flexions. Oxford, Clarendon
Press, 1394, (Lindsay). '"
Lo£QLia.tzsch, E. Article on "Ei T^\r T auf lateinischen In-
scliriften der Kaiseriieit" , in Archiv . fttr Lateinische Lex-
ikographie und Graminatik, XV, 1908, pp. 129 ff.
(Lomifia-tzsch) .
Mohl, F. G. Introduction a la Chronologie du Latin Vulgaire,
Etude de Philologie Historique, Paris, 1899. (Moiil) .
?Jeue, Friedrich, Foruienlehre der :lateinischen Sprache, 4 vols.^
3rd. ed., Leipzig, 1902-5. (]Jeue).
Reisig, C. K. Lateinische Syntax neu arbeitet von J. H,
;\.': -, Sclunalz und Dr. G. Landgraf, Berlin, .1888.
Schneider, E. Dialecti Latinae Priscae et Paliscae: Ejceiapla
Selecta. Part I, of Dialectoruin Italicariua Aeui Vetus-
tioris Exeiapla Selecta, Vol. I, Leipzig, 1886.
(Schneider) .
Schuchardt, H. Der Vokalisiaus des Vulgar late ins, 3 vols.
Leipzig, 1866.
Schulze, Wilhelia. Zvur Geschichte lateinischer Eigennaaen,
Berlin, 1904. (Schulze).
Stolz (P) and Schios-lz (J. H. ). Lateinische Grauirnatik, Laut —
und Pormenlehre, Syntax und Stilistik, 4th. ed . , in
Muller's Handbuch series, Munich, 1910. (Stolz-Sclimalz) .
iiiia^au
Thesaiu'us Linguae Latinae, Leipzig, (Thes. Ling, Lat,).
'"ii WOlfflin, Tiber die a-llitterlrenden Verbindungen der latein-
ischen Sirache, in Sitzungsberichte d. K, bay. Akad. 1881,
II, pp. 1 ff.
ERCRAPPIY AilD PALAEOGRAPHY.
Cagnat, R. Coiirs d'Epigraphie Latine, Paris, 1898.
L » Anne e Et i £;;r aph i que , Pa.r i s .
Carnoy, A. Le Latin d'Espagne d'apres les Inscriptions, 2nd.
ed., Misch and Tliron, Bru_x:elles, 1906.
Corpus Inscriptionum Latinaruw, Vols. I-XV, Berlin, (CIL) .
Diehl, Ernst. Vulgar lateinischen Insclorif ten, llarcus und
Weber, Bonn, 1910.
Diehl, E. Pompeiaaische Wand ins chr if ten und Verwandtes,
Marcus und Weber, Bonn, 1910,
Diehl, E. Altlateinische Inschriften, Marcus und Weber, Bonn,
1909.
' E<|,>j i^i^ftls 'Aa;;^x.oKcY,l^>j ^ ^^q?, col. 19ff.
HtJbner, E. Exeiapla Scripturae Epigraphicae Latinae,
Berlin, 1885.
Pirson, Jules. La Langue des Inscriptions latines de la
Gaul a , Bruxelles, 1901.
Ritschl, p. Opuscnla Philologica, 5 vols,, Leipzig, 1878,
(Hitschl, Opus.) .
■R.'t5cM. f-
PL.MR)
^Priscae Latinitatis Moniuaenta Epigraphicvo, (Ritaohl,
7/essely, C. Sciirifttafeln zxir Alteren Lateinischen Palaeographie,
Leipzig, 1898.
[J
EXPLAKATIOH 07 SIGNS
EICPLOVED IN THE TEXT
IncliTdes letters lost through fracture
of the lead .
(^ ) Includes letters omitted through the
erroi- of the scrite.
i/b
CHAPTER II .
TEXT KM) ANNOTATION.
(1)
^ /. Plotixxs.
Lead tablet 31.6 X 11.3 cm. without writing on the reverse
A preliminary transcription with restoration p\iblished in The
Johns Hopkins Circular, New Series, 1910, No. 6, pp. 8-9,
■bona'pulCiira proser^jina . lut . nis'uxsor
seiue»ine» saluiain deicere' oportet*
eripias«3aluteia*c lorein'uires' uirtutes*
ploti* tradas* uiro* tuo* ni'possit'cogitationibno
5" sueis* hoc* vita illunc* ^
febri* quartan.e* t nae" cottidia ,ae
quas* uct
eu. .cant usq
■ . .s« eripia nc* uictiiaam
/ 0 tibi* trad rpi e*me
proserpin u.e^m eruosisiat dicere
oportet^rne rcessitiiii'canen
tricepitem*viui cor^eripiat* polliciarss
illi* te»datiu'\im t .es'uictimas
/5' palraa. , . .rica.* por .um»nigriua*
hoc« s-ei* pe . . .cerit
m r
(1) Although Aquillia by virtue of its occupancy of the first
position on the nail shoiild be considered first, we are forced
ciim» compote'fe . . .is*do tibi*cap.,
ploti'auon. .... ,oserpina*s
20 do tibi'fron ti* proserpina*sa,luia
dCttb. sii ploti*proserpin.
salvia do s "plo , .
proserpina* sa .
ploti* pr oser s
25 la"bra» or m lin.t^aiia*
dentes p...,.ni dicere*po;33it*
ploti\i3*q.uid at* colluui'iiiiieros :, v..'
"bracchia'd.git ssit* aliquit* t ■• ' k,:' '"
se»adintare . . ,c cinera* cor*
30 pulinones'n. sentique* quit*
sibi* doleat .tina* venter* urn. lieu.
latera .i p . . .it'dormi re« scapulas
ni»poss. . s.nus'doruiire* uisciiiJi*
sacriJin* ne i» possit* urina:a»f acere»
35 natis^anxun ...ina* genua
......tibias pe
...... s« ungis* ni» po tare* ...
. .rt .te» seiue , , . ,3* seiue* paruiua
scrip quoiuodo* quicqu. .
40 legitim mandau.it* seic
ego ploti* ti .... .ado*inando
to consider it last owing to its fragmentary condition,
ut* tradas nse* februarlo
.cillunc*inal e'exset
. . .e^disperd das'ni' possit
45 ..... .s ulliua ere*
Text supplemented from the other tablets.
Bona pulchra Proserpina, ^HLutOnis vx:sor,
seine me RaliiiaiQ deicere oportet,
eriidas salutem, corpus, collorem, ui^es, viirtutes
Ploti. Tradas Tpiutoni uiro ti'o, ITi possit cogitati
5 sueis hoc uitare. Tradas illunc ^
febri (lUivrtariaJe, ttertialnae, cottidiah!ae ,
quas cuna illo luctent, deluctent; illimc.
euincant, 'uincant', uscvue diiai ariiniam
eiijs eripiapt. Q-iare hanc uictiioain
10 tibi trado, Proserpina, seiiie me,
Proserpina, seinie inle Aclleruos dicere
r 1
oportet. He mittas arcessitum canem
tricepitem, qui Plot ij cor eripiat. Polliciar
illi te datiirvim tres u.ictimas ^
15 palmals, caricab|, jiorlctxua nigruia
f -I r 1
hoc sei petrfecerit ante mensem'
r "^ r 1
IJtartium. Haec, Proserpina Saluia, tibi dabo'
ciun compote feceris. Do tioi capiUt
r -j r -T
Ploti Auoniae, Prpseriuna Saluiaj,
20 do tioi rroniteii Pldti , Proserpina Saluia,
do rti|b|i| siJ^ercilie] Ploti. ProEerrin,ia|
Saluia, do 'titi palpetra'S PlofeiJ.
Proseri'ina Saluia, do titi iiupillasi
Ploti. Proserpina Saluia, do tibi nare's,
?.5 labra, oriculas, nasuin, linkliam,
dentes Ploti, ni dicere i-ossit
Plotius quid sibi doleat; colli'jr», i^uieros,
I. --
bracchia. , dajgitps, ni p^ssit alitiuit
se adiutare: ^.elcfeus, iocinera, cor,
30 pulmones, ni possit senti^r'e) quit
sibi doleat; 'intesitina, uenter, iu£p]Lici3)s|,
latera, fnji ppsskt dormire: scapulas,
Mi possp-tj s^nus doriuire : uiscum
sacriun, nei posait urinajn f a^cere :
35 natis, aniufl, feifiina, genua,
[crura], tibias, pejdes, talos, plantas,
digitcjs, ungis, ni polssit stare [siia
uilrt|.i]te. Seiue (i^luls, seiue paruuia
scripftum fiieritj, quomodo quicqulid'
40 legitimfe scripsit, niandauit, seic
ego Ploti tipi trjado, mando.
vt tradas , fme.ndes ine'nse PebrDari/o
e/cillimc. Male perdat, mal'e exset,
iniale disperdat, Mandes, tradas, ni possit
45 ;ampli\.is ulliim kaensem aspidere,
uidere, contemplare
^ %, Avonia.
Letid tablet 29 X 11,3 cm., vath writing across the back
about midway between the iipj'er and lower edges,
. . ■ ■..,,.. -A^ . .. . ,. ,' „
•■ '■ .ona'pu roserT'.iria* pl\Jtoni , x ■.
.xsor*£eii)e « deicere* oportet*
eripias* Sciln . . , .corp. . colorei!i*\:ires*
xar til tes at?, .ia.adas'plutoni*
5 uiro tuo onibus's ........
quicqui , xdt
febri qiiart . .ae*t
qn&s cruii*illa .\icten
euincant •uinca
10 eius*eripiant« . .are Iianc* luctiirian
.... trado .a» seix.ie* me
. . . .erriina»se eruosiam dicere
. . .rtet* Lie 'in cessitiun'cane ,
te s cor eripiat
15 urxun* tres« r;ictim. .
palioB-s'carica .grum»lioc« sei»
perfecerit* an marti\.iiii*haec
....ia tibi'dabo ci; . •compoteui'feceris
do tibi caput a,uon...s pr . . .rpina'saluie.* d.
20 tibi«frontem auonla oserpina»saluia
do tibi* £T;percilia . . . . .aes« proserpina
.Ixiia* do* tibi 'palije . . ,s aiJonia.es* proserpi . .
alu.a'do , .bi» jiupillas ..onia. .s
. ,uia*do» t . . . oric\;la. . . .bra . . . . . .nasun
25 . .ntes*liguaM«auon e« possit
. .nia*ciT3id« s .bi ...eat s
.acchia* digito possit* ali. .. .
se adivitare»i)ec nera»cor
puliAones'ni* quit' sentire*
30 quit'sibi'dolea ina^uenter*
luablicus* f;cap\'.l . . latera'ni* po . . . .
dorm.re»iuscuia sac.iun'ni possi,
urinajri»f . . .re . . . .s* f eiriina •
anT3in»gen a»tibias*pedes
35 tctlos .la tos« ungis* ni*
..ssit su te seiue
plus* . . . .e p..u\un ....ptiun
fuerit*quomodo«ciuicqii.i me *
Kcripsit«iiiandau . . . .eic'ego* . . .niam
40 tibi* trade man.. ut*tradas
.erisi f ebrxiario . , xs . .
The remainder of the formula is continued on the back of
the tablet, the vvriting running in the opposite direction to
that on tlie face.
male* disperd. . . . .nd adas
nei'po.s.t. ampl i , , ull . .
men. em aspicere»\a . . , .
45 contemplare .
■■ . ; ^ . ■ . . r • -
Text siJppleinented from the other ta^blets.
A.
r T ^ '' ^ • . ■ ■ ■ '
Bona inilchra Proserpina Plutonis
ijxsor, seiue me Saluig.in deicere oportet,
eripias salntem, corpus, colorem, vires,
idrtxites Aiionlicve', Tradas Pliitoni
{el
r 71 r 1
5 uiro tiio, Ivi possit cogitationibus Stieis hod
qiiicquM vitare. Protinvs tradas illanc!
felDri cii3artlar]ae, tertianae, cottidianaej,
quas cum ilia 3juc tent, deluctent; illanc]
euincant, uincant, usque dum animejaj
10 eius eripiant. JQuare lianc uictima-ia
[tibii trado, iProserpina, seiije me,
Proserpina, seiue me Acheriiosiam dicere
r T r: 1 r
ioportet. Me mittas arcessatum canem
tricipltein, qui Auoniaeis cor eripiat .
15 jPollicearis illi te datx^rum t.res uictiinasj
r T
palmas , crtricaB, porcum nigrum hoc sei
perfecerit ante laensem] Martivna. Haec,
|Salii!ia, tibi dabo, ctanl compotein feceris .
Do titi caput Auonia.e's. Proserpina Salxiia, doj
20 tibi frontem Auoniaes . Proserpina Saluia,
do tibi supercilia Auoni,aes . Proserpina
jSaJluia, do tibi palpebras Auoniaes. Proserpina
1 ri T' "! r 1 r- '"
Saluife, do tibi pupillas 'AvioniaeiS , Proserpina
Saluia, do tibi oriculas, laWa, nares, nasui/i,
25 identes, liguain Auoniaes, ni dicere possit
Auonia quid, sjibi doleat; colluin, tuner os ,
[bracchia, digitols, ni possit aliuuid'
se adiutare : pectus iocinerB., cor,
pulmones, ni possit quit sentire
30 quit sibi doleat: intestina, uenter,
r r ]
umblicus, scapulas, l£itera, ni possitj
dornire: t(isciyn. sacriuo, ni possit
urinam facere; natis, femina,
anuia, genua, cr\ira, tibias, pedes,
35 talos, plantae , digitos, ungis , ni
jossit stare sua uirt\<te. Seiue
plus, seiuie pMuum ^crijiittun
fuerit, quomodo quicquld legitime
scripsit, mandauit, seic ego Auoniajn
r ^1
40 tibi trado ras,n^o, ut tradas illanc
mensi Pebruario . Male perdat, male exs'eatf,
(On t}ie reverse)
B.
male disr^erdJat . I\iland^s, tr'adas •
nei pos'si't ainpli[isl ull^un]
r -,
iiiensem aspicere, vudere,
45 contemplare.
li ct
^ 3. Vesonia.,
Lead tablet 50.3 J 11.5 cm, v/ith v/riting on the reverse
midway between tlie ends.
A.
bona'pulch a»plutoniE» nxsor
seine* rae« s . .uia e» oportet* eripit^s*
.sali?tem*c , rp\is coloreia»uires«iiirtiites
rnaxiins,e« uesoniae* tra. . . .pint on,
5 uiro ... ni' poss . . . . .gitationibus" s\A. . . . . . .
quicq tinu . . tra
f ebri* cixi anae
quas»ciim illa*luc
eu.ncant»uincan, . ,sque»d\).m«aniDQa. .
10 e... eripiant* q. . .e«hanc»uictiina. ,
tibi* trad.*p ue«me»pros ..■...,
sei\je*iae dicere'oporte ....
mitta m'canem tr . .ep. . . .
qui e cor'er . ,iat
15 polli turum'tres iiictiKia.s
palm \im* nigrum
hoc'sei ,erf te'iriense'i/iartiiun*
ha.c ti cum» compote ,
fece . ,s»do tibi* ca . . . ,max,m,e*uesoniae
20 p pina s.lui. do'tibi frontem
ina.imae ae» j.roserpina s
do titi* sijper esoniBes'i'.roserpina
saluia* do tibi* palpetras'iiaxiioa.e'ijesoni . ,
proserpina saluia'do'tibi'pupillas'uesoniae
25 jiroserpina* saluia* do tibi* eric las* Ic.bras"
nares* nasiam*lingua*dentes»inaxiina.e
iiesoniae* nei* dicere* pes sit* maxima/
uesonia,* ciiiid* sibi' doleat* colliim*
timeros bra. .... .digitos* ni* possit*aliq
viit
30 se....utar inera* cor
piiliAone t* sentire'ciuit
doleat» i . . .St . . . .uenter'unb. ....
scapulae ni
uiscu n .rina.
35 face
genua... bie. a pedes
talos s*\ingis« ni*
possit* sta tute* seiue»plus»
seiue*par m fuerit*
40 quomod scripsit
man ax . .am
ueso
The remainder of the formula is continued on the reverse of
the tablet, the v.-riting rimning in tlie same direction as that
on the face ,
B.
trado m nc*
jiiensi fehrxiar male*
45 male* per da t. x.et*
male'disp.rdat* tr .da.8
ni« rossit , .mpliu, ullmn*
.ensei'i»aspi.ere uid.re*
contemplar.
Text supplemented from the other tablets.
A.
Bona pulci^ra Proserpina Plntonis \ucsor,
seine ne ^^iiiam dicere oportet, eripias
salutem qojrpus, colorem, uires, uirtutes
f 1 r 1
Msjcimae Vesoniae. Tradasi Plutonil
5 uiro jtuol. lii possit coigitationihxjs siieis hocj
quicrmid iiitare, ProitinuBj traidas ill8.nc|
febri quiartanae, tertilanae , ^cottidianae,
quas cxnn. ilia liictent, eluctent; illanc^,
exij^ncant, uincanit, i5Bq\;e dvm. animajm]
10 elus! eripiant, Qxiar^e hanc uictimajaj
tibi tradOj, Proserrdna, seine me, Prosjerpinal
seine me /AcherusiaiQ] dicere oportejt. MeJ
Kiittals arcessiti;!m canem trici e pa tern},
qui jMaxima.e Vesonia'e cor eriWiat ,
r 1
15 Poll i'c ear is illi te datiiri^m tres r.ictinjas---
palma s , c ar i c a s , p or cxna n i gr nm
hoc sei 'jierfecerit an'te mense L/lartXT^in,
Hae|c, Saliiija, tilbi dabo' cum corripoteinj
feceris. Do tibi ca|p\it I^feixlikns.e Vesonia.e,
20 Proserpina SaliiiW, do tibi frontein
Maixlmae iVesoniae, Proserpina Ss.liiiaJ,
do tibi supericilia wesoniaes, Proserpina
Saluia, do tibi palpetras Ms.ximB.e Vesoniaej.
Proserpina Sa.luia, do tibi pDjullas Vesoniae
25 Proserpina Saluia, do tibi oriclas, labras ,
nares, nasuin, lingua, dentes Ijlaxiin&.e
Vesoniae, nei dicere possit lulaxiine,
Vesonia (i^jid sibi doleat: colliua,
uineros, bracchia', digitos, ni possit aliquit
30 se ladiiutai'e: pectus, ioclinera, cor,
pulnones, ni possit sentire qxiit sibi
doleat: i'ntestina], uenter, i;aablicus|,
scapulae , I latera', ni possit dorrairej:
uisctija sacriufi , ni possit ijrinain
35 facere: natis, anuti, feminaj.
genua, ■ ti'bia^'s, cri.ira, pedes,
" J L -•
r- 1
talos , 'r^Ei-ri'tc-s , digitos, ungis, ni
possit sttlre sua uirtute. Seiiie plvis
r 1
seine parinma scriptiim fxierit,
40 quomodo citiicciiiid legitime scripsit,
ma-ndauit, seic ego Ma.ximB.ia
Vesonia.m, Proserpina, titi
(On the reverse) .
B.
trade, iTiando, ut tradas illainc
inensi Pebriiar'io. Male], male,
45 h^ale perdat, ^a,le §xi^^e*5
male disperdat. Tradas,
ni possit ampli\/s iilliun
iiiensem aspicere, uidere,
J ^J
r 1
contemplare.
4 4 Secunda.
Lead tablet 30.4 X 16,5 cm. witli writing on the reverse
beginning at the lower end, ITo thing of this tablet is preserved
to the left of tlie longitudinal axis,
A.
, seine* lae"
0 .rpus
ir t i ti'a .as •
us* Bu. .s'hoC
5 tan.e
s c\i uctent*
uin nt* usque*
s . . .ipia re'hanc •
tra seiue*ue*
10 dicere*
nem»
pia. . . .lliciarus
liioas*
fecerit
15 iricf tibi*
is* do» t i c i*
a* do* tibi
luia do titi"
liiicJ? do tioi*
20 do tibi' jiupillas*
.ares* la bra
ystjm*
quid ....
acch. , .dig possit*
25 ect nera.*
sit* sen quit*
nter .... .iimblicus*
cap .las* ni
m* sacriim
30 f num
u as* pedes .., . .
(On tlie reverse ) .
B.
,q. . t* legitime
'3 70 tl
,a^;>4.*i
seic ego
titii trado
= .llun. .m.nsi . ,
........0 inal . . .erd.t* male
40 ..,.,...,.. rd . r m. das
nf m. . . .m aspicere
"ftxt suppleiaented froai the other tahlets.
A.
j3ona pulchra Proserfjina Plutonis ijxsor, seine me
[Sa-luiat'i dicere oportet, eripias salutemj, c'dlrpus ,
[colorem, uires, ijjir twites ji , TraJdjas
jPlutoni uiro tuo . lU possit cogitationimis sileils he
5 Iquicciuid -uitare. Tradas illunc feori qiiai^tarQe ,
jtertianae, cottidianae, quas cum illo ijuctent,
eluctent; illunc euinjcant, uincalnt, usque
\dma anijoam eiiis ler^ipiant, Qu&lre ha,nc
luictimam tibi traldo, Proserpina, seiue me,
10 iProserpina, seiue me Acherusiajnj dicere
[oportet. Me mittas arcessitu-'u caiaem
|tricipite:a, ajjii i cor erijpiajt. Pop-liciarus
lilli -tQ daturiun tres uictijna,s- - -palmas ,
Icaricas, porciun nigrum lioc sei perfecerit
15 fante mensem liar tiitin. Haec, Proserpjina, tibi
^dabo, CiJin compotem f eceris . Do tibi
caput i. Proserpina SaliiJIa, do tibi
'frontem i. Proserpina Saluia, do tibi
jSupercilia .i. Proserpina Saluia, do tibi
20 fpalpebras .i. Proserpina Saluia], do tibi pitpillas
u _l
r i. Proserpina Saluia, do tibi n'ares , labra,
joric\ilas, linguaxn, dentes, nasiua
r. ... = ,i, ni dicere possit ....i\i^ quid Isibi doLLeat;
jcollijim, u^-neros, bracohia,' diglitos, ni^ possit
25 aliquid se adiutare: plectkis, iociteiera,
[cor, pulmones, ni possit senrtirej quit
[sibi doleat: intestina, uenter, uinblicus,
latera, ni possit dor mire: f acapu^Jas , ni
[possit sa-nus dormire : uiscitm sacrujn,
30 jni possit urinaia fg-cere : natis, anvim,
ifeniina, genua, crura, tibjuas, pedes,
(On the reverse),
3,
't8-los, plantas, digitos, ungis, ni
'possit stare sua uir|tu|te. Sei'ue
[plus,: seiue pa-rum scrip^i.ua
35 fuerit, quoinodo quicquit legitime
jscripsit, inandauitj, seic ego
r. rj tibi trado ,
flaando, ut tradas jjlluiJcI iijefrisi
pebruario. Male derc^t, ina.le
40 jexseat, male disperdjdt. Mandes, traldas,
fni possit amplius lilliya inensam aspicere,
[uidere, contemplarej.
^ 5, Aquillia.
Lead tablet 27 X 15.4 cm. v/ithout writing on the reverse
.proser . . .a' pi xsor ae . , .
. , , . .ere ias* s . .utem
ae' aqu
pos .ationibus ....
5 11a . , . .elari qua . .ana .
\ictent
.ncant* u ..... ,
re hanc
, tra s e iue me
10 , m'dic
15
, trice
ciarus
.pi'os 0 t . .1 . . .
. . . .serpin d . . . .bi su
20 ; ros .pilla
o t
2 b
30
40
es
nt
f . . .
• >•>••• t • 1 • B* Cyii .
tos*
• %BX'& SUci . .
. .psi.
seixje par\i.
. . . .riptiun. ......
lee
• das 11. , , ,
. . . .erd. . . .
Text supplemented from the other tablets.
P "7 r 1 ^ ''■ r.
•|Bona piilchra', Proserpina ?l\itonis lucsor, se[iue
me Saluiam dicere oportet, eripias ^llutem,
corpiis, colorem, uires, uirtutes , . . . jae Aqulllii
Tradas Plutoni uiro tuo . ITi' posisit cogitationibus [sueis
5 hoc Liuicquid uitare. Trada.i^ uLlanc febri cii;a5rtkna[e ,
tertianae, cottidianae, quas ciun ilia luctent,
eluctent; illanc euincant, uincant,
usque dum animaia eius eripiant. Quaire hanc
uictimam tib^ trado, Proserpinaj, seiue me,
10
fo..
Proseri:)ina, seiue me Acherusiajm dioere oportet,
Ate Mittas arcessituiQ caneioj tricejpitem,
qui ae Aquilliae cor eripia.t. Polli^ciarus
te datiwum tres uictixns,s---palincJs , carica.s,
porcuia nigrum hoc sei perfecerit ante xnensex/i
15 Martiiua. Haec, Proserpina Pal^iia, tibi dabo, cum
compotem feceris. Do tibi caput . . , , .ae
Aquilliael. Proser2)ina Saluici, do tabji prontem ae
Aquilliae. Pro'serpink Saluif2, djo tijbi siijiercilia
. . . . .ae Aquilliae. Proserpina Saluia, do tibi palpebras
20 ae AquilD.iae. Proserpimi Saliiia, do tibi piljiillals
ae Aquilliae. Proserpina Saluia, do tabi nares,
labra, oriculas, nasxun, linguam, dentes ae
Aquilliae, ni dicere possit a Aquillia quid
sibi doleat: collum, luaeros, brtt,cchia, digitos,
25 ni possit aliquid se ddiiitaf-e: pectiis,
cor, iocinera, pulmones,ini possit sentire
quid sibi doleat: intiestina, uenter, \unblic\is.
latera, ni possit dorjuire : scapulas, ni
possit Sana doraiire: uisjciiia IsadrvLm,
30 'ni -nossit lurinaia facere: fiemina. ,
natis, aniu/i, genua, tibials, crura, pedes,
talos, plantas, digiltos, [ungis, ni possit
stare sua'uirtute, Seiue plus.',
seiue I'^ariixun s<Sriptiun fuerit,
35 quoiaodo quicquid legitime scripsi't,
inandauit, seic ego Aquilliain tibi trade,
mando, ut trsildas , inp,ndes illanc mensi
Pebruario . Ifele perdat, ma.le exseat, male
disperdjat. Ifendes, tradas , ni possit amplius
40 ullum mensem aspicere, uidere, contemplare.
Transcription of fragments which ca.nnot b(
assigned to their original places.
(a) Probably belonging to Plotius
120 129
1 a ri
2 a
(Id) Prolaably belonging to Avonia.
208
1 se
2 ra
(c) Probably belonging to Secunda.
52 (Obv.) 52 (Rev.) 87 128 131
1 o ti V. . .ru r . .a
possit
193
n
(d) Probably belonging to Aquillia
54c 56 58 95
In .. [Pro^erpfnaj ep.,.ii.
2
t
dicere
e
148
157 (Obv.)
157(Rev.;
1 170
1 ..s(?)
.\i
m
ic
2
in
.ua
3
•
114
125
135
1
o(?)ra
au
....q
2
.
r
153
156
163
169
172
1
p.
Prcijsei'pina
[se^ue
•
2
••
g
■.-..•
177
179
133
185
188
1
,
,
m (?)
la
c .
175
ui
190
2 r, e s
3 r
195 196 199 201 293 204
1 r ia ti m rpo|ss&.tj m
(e) Fragments which cannot be assigned to any t-^Meir,
59 89 98 112 127
1
•
11
j_Prose^ina
•
a
2
•
ta
.posTsitl
p
...
134
141
145
147
1/8
162
1
•
pa
•
in
••
ae
2
as
ds
..
3
••
1^
166
168
171
189
194
1
a
.m
p^ssit
a. . .
^ u
or
198
200
211
213
214
1
P
.a
po
ui
il
Commentary on Plotius #1 .
■ 1. Bona IOCS or . ■ The manner of addressing
tiie doity in a def ixio v/as deemed of the iitiuost importance.
Care was taken to specify beyond all doubt the exact deit^^ in-
voked, 30 that the petition laight not fail to reach its des-
tination; and to use suitable lang\iage ao as to avoid giving
offence. Ordinarily, tiie laost familiar xveuae of the deity was
thought sufficient; biit often the composers of the formulae in
tlieir desire to be more explicit were led to employ many ex-
clusive and flattering epitliets. A.s a rule, 8,mong both Greeks
and Romans the invocation of Proserpina ( 1^0041) /^^TttoiVik ^
was veT-j simple (Cf. V/tlnsch DTA 101; 102 a, b; 103 a). The
Romans, preferring other deities, Yevj seldom appealed to her.
The formula Dea Ataecina Turibrig Proserpina per tuam lAaJes -
tatem (Aud. 1?.?,) and that of the Johns Hopkins tablets are un-
usual for their length. This conception of the power of Pro-
serpina is qiute Homeric, for H^omer rejjresents her as the con-
sort of Kades who along with her luj.sband puts into effect the
cuj'ses of men upon tiie souls of the dead (Cf. Jl. IX, 457, 569
Od. X, 494; XI, ?.?.6\ 385-6; 634-5). The epithets bona pul-
chra suggest Greek and Roman poetry rather tiian magic; e.g.,
pulclira (Virg. Aen. VI, 142 ) ; T^t o/ M.otW'nS (Horn. H. II,
493); casta (m» VI, 402; Sil. Ttal. XIII, 546); ^icocima. (Ovid.
t /
Met. V, 507};o^y^y^ (Hora. Od. XI, 386); coniumc ?lutonia
(Prudent, con. Sym. I, 367); dominam Pit is (Virg, Aen, VI,
397) ; vi^(J>'.j 'A(i>o^/ (Eurip, Ale. 746). Bona is found only in
our tablets. Otlier deities coia;uonly invoked are Pluto, Dis
Pater, Mercurius, Terra Mater, Ceres and Hecate, Praxidicae
and Ge . In late times we actually find the God of tiie Jews
regarded as an infernal deity and addressed as XkoO (Aud. 241,
23-27). Often, on the other liand, no deity at all v/as ad-
dressed (uf. Wttnsoh, DTA 67; 77).
uxsor. cf. exset ^3. . The use of xs for simple
X is no evidence of date. It is a phenomenon that appears in
all classes of composition and ranges from the S.C. de Bacch.
of 136 B.C. at least to tJ-ie second century' of the Empire.
Alongside this spelling is read Maxima with simple x in every
instance in Vesonia. This lack of uniformity is very common
and mB,y be observed even in such carefully prepa-red documents
as the Moni;uaent\im Ancyramua; e.g., sexsiens (III, 24); ex-
stinxeram ( VI , 13 ) .
2. deicere . oo Avonia 2; elsewhere dicere . Simila.rly
seiue 10-11; 38 (bis); sei 16 ; w»-w^U^v-a, ^ ''c\^il^ W^fi^^.iP'^r^^p^f^
^^'^' seic - . 40; sue is . . 5; nei . 34; but _ni elsewhere in
this liand (. . 4, 26, 20, 30, 27, 44, 46); and die ere - 26.
See the other four tablets. These forms are archaic (Lindsay,
p. 243; Loiiim. pp. 129 ff.j Stolz-Schinalz, p. 31; Georges s.
verba) and h£„ve therefore a very decided bearing on the date
of oiir tablets; see Ch, III, <^ ^' ^°^" seiue see And, 196,
3 * GIL X 1604; GIL I 197,3 ; 200, 31; 203, 3. Simple
sei appears jauch laore cojjunonly tlian seine ; see note on 16.
Deicere and inflections are not rare; e.g., Plant. Poen, 474;
GIL I 1007; 198, 32; 205, col. 2, 28.
Seiue., .oportet . Cf, 10-11. Similarly seiue qt:io
alio noraine uoltis adpellare (And. 129 .)) ; Pis pater Veiouis
Manes, sine quo alio nomine f as es t _n^inare (ivIacrobius^III ,
9, 10). In this manner of address the magus is seeking for :,
the name that will bind the deity to perform his reai^est to
the last word {cf. Gruppe, pp. 883 ff.; Frazer, Golden Bough,
ed. 1911; p. 225; Wtinych, Rhein. Mus . LV, 81). In tlie spliere
of religion a similar manner of address is employed, but its
purpose is to propitiate, not to bind (cf. Prazer, i.e. and
Hor. Sat, II, 6, 20; To. Carm. Saec. 14-15; Aesch. Agam. 160 f f ^
Shorey on Hor, Carxu. Sa.ec. 15; Milton, P. L, III, 7).
Selue. S_iue or seu {■=uel si) is rare and old-fashioned
(cf. Reisig ^ 256), See Pers . I, 67; Prop. IV, 6, 81; Tit.
1,6, 21. ^<^ ^^r^pi^pH . , .„
, Like siue . . . .siue , seu seu it generally follows
the logical const •■•uct ion.
me. Here and in 10, 11, 12 we read the only reference
to the person in whose interest tlie cijrse has been written.
In trado (10, 41), laando (41) and in the frequently repeated
formula do tihi (17-24) the reference is implied. But nowhere
is the person mentioned hy najae for fear of xnagic vengeance
and of the penalties ii.aposed by law on tliose detected in re-
sorting to def ixionea against tlieir fellows (cf. Aud , p.xliv.
ff.). Ilames are found as a riile only in amp-tor;^ tablets (cf.
lb. p. xlv. note 1) ,
Paluiain. An epithet of Proserpina hitherto unattested.
It seems to be connected in thougiit with the petition eripias
salutem, v/hich iimaediately follows, There is one instance
where Salvia is used in the religious sphere as here, viz.,
nauia Saluia employed in the cult of the Magna Itater (CIL VI,
494). In tv/'o other instances religious associations are im-
plied: aquae SaJuiae, the name of the Roman fountain, a.nd Urbs
Saluia in Picenum whose patron divinity was Sal\is (CIL IX
5530 T=. 6078 ). Por the etymology of Saluia consult Schulze,
p. 471. Saluis, is apparently a transla.tion of Su^rt, j«< a
common Greek epithet of Proserpina; e.g., V^o% CS.o„ij«, S.<w/c/yoo<5
(Paus. Ill 15, 2); ^■*l i^ X»3»]/ ^C 2:<^rtf3^»r A<:<<X<='y(rii/' ol */y/cl(^$
(lb. VIII, 31, 1); Vi?7rw5 a^otTs "^V ^i^Ttiiv./ yi/i^flt/ws T^ (pa^v^ /«,oV7r*^6
Ar.st. ,
^ogs 378-0). On coins of Cyzikus is read Koavt .^cxjTti^f^
(Cf. Ivlacdonald, Greek Coins in the Hunterian Collection, II,
pp. 265-266, Glasgow, /?o / ).
3. erinias . ITot found elsev/here in the def ixiones in
this connection; cf., however, auferas (Aud. 250 a 4; 288 b 5;
289 b 6;. 16) a.nd apsxima.tis , desiuoatis, consumatis (250 a 23-24).
Salutem. Cf . ualetudines (Aud. 135 a 9 j cf . 195
3-7); b'yU^i^ (sic) (41, 19).
corpus . Also Olivieri I. These are the only cases
vdiere the body is specified in the Latin tablets; but (T^^Mot
appeyjr's often in the Greek, e.g., Aud. 41 a 9 and b 16 j Wttnsch
74, 3.
t colorem, Cf. Aud. 190, 5, ££2:iP>'S , colorein — an al-
literation found only here.
uires . Cf . note on eripias 3. '
uirtutes. Cf . 38. This is v/ithout parallel in
other Latin tablets. But the Greek afford uiany similar ex-
pressions; e.g., ^<^i\z^^t ^^^•'" ''■^^ cus/a^^,^ Ki 7^y ^\k^^..
(Aud. 22, 7); 'Tuvt.){tri u,oi r i>jV /VJ^i/.^ r>jV iio^KU-i*^
(38, 19-21). Mai^i. Tvo ^'i'paMA^
Contrast uirtus . . . .nee er ipi , nee surripi potest unquam (Cic.
Parad. VI sub fin.). For the a,lliteration cf. uirtutem
uiriuaa (Q,. Curt. IX 7,29); uirtutem uiresque (Tac. Hist. III.
13); also Apul . Met. IV 8; Plaut . Amph. 191.
The condemnation of the victim in this line is plainly
general and anticipates the detailed specifications to follow.
The writer is fearful of omitting some item that would Ciiuse
the curse to fail in its all-eiiibracing effects. Salutem re-
fers in general to the condition of the victim, corpus to the
entire material f ra^ne , _colorei:a to its appearance, and uires
and uirtutes together its faculties.
The absence of the conjunction e_t will be noticed; in
fact, no examile of either e_t or que is foimd in any of our
tablets. Asyndeton is an occa,sional characteristic of the
curse formulae in general. In the Greek formulae it is much
more frequent than in the Latin. In the earlier tablets from
Latium (Aud. 13?;-1:^9) e_t is more rarely found than it is later.
Asyndeton is archaic and is characteristic of religious formu-
lae; :aagic follows religion. (Cf. Stol/.-Sclimal/. , p. f^85).
4. Ploti . Prom .. . 19 we learn that this Plotius was the
slave of Avonia, one of the victims involved in these tablets.
The gens Plautia or Plotia was a vell-knovm plebeian gens few
of whose laeabers ever attained to distinction. 0 for au was <a
feature of ru.stic Latin and of the vulgar Latin of the streets
of Rome. That the demagogue Clodius changed his name to this
form from Olaudius to win public favor is notorious. TTnder
plebian influence Plautius became Plotius . In oriculas . .
25 v/e have a change froM auriculas due to the Serine general
causes (cf. Lindsais pP • 40-41; Stolz-Sclii-ialz , pp. 79-30).
This manner of spelling is one anong ms.ny indications that in
these tablets we have to do with the lowest classes of the pop
ulation. In Aud., 215, 10 appears tlie name Plotius Kerines .
,.. The najne of the victim (cf . note on 1) was regarded as
the most important part of the formula, for among tjie ancients
tJie name was looked on as the person himself. To inF.ke the
curse fully effective the name hs.d to be written vfith the ut-
most clearness; hut compare Wttn^h DTA 55; 77; 88; 95 and
praef , 17. Sometimes the na.me was itself defixed, as 'nve^bcn
^J-oO ro iVo/^x (Aud. 22, 40; and cf.2^23; 26, 28; 3^, 26;
Wttnsch DTA 57, 20). To jjrevent the goddess mistaking an-
other Plotius for the intended victim his social status is
mentioned in 1. 19 -Ploti Auoniae . In ancient medicine the
patient's ne.ros was occasionally regarded as a value.hle adjunct
in effecting a cure; e.g., de sanguine ipso ljuj fl^it nomen
eius in fronte scribe, c\ti medendum est (li/larc. X 33 ; cf. XIV
68). ^.. .
Usually the dat. is used with eripere; the gen. is em-
phatic: e.g., non pecuniam modo, uerim^etiam hominis Pr°PA^'i^^
sangxunem uitamci\ie eripere^ cona.tur (Cic. Pro. Q,uin. 11).
Cf . Ploti 13 where the gen. preceding is even more empliatic
Tradas Plutonl . There are many different f orimaae
deuotoriae emplo3''ed and these vary according to whether a de-
ity is asked to consign tjie victims to the lower regions or
wliether the ai'.thor of t}ie c\?rse does so di-r^ectly without such
an appeal. The verlo trado is used, as it happens, in both
cases; e.g., trade Plutoni (Aud. 140, 7) with an appeal to
tiie god, and _trad_o (. . 2) v/here tiie curser performs the action
himself symholically . In the former class are o"bligare (247;
251; 253; 268); deligar;e 217 "b6); alligare (217 Td 6; 277;
279); and many others. In Greek are '^t'^•, ItKr^oCTr, TT^ jo^O /<^/^'<^/
and many others. For complete lists cf. Aud, Tnd, pp,474 ff.
and Wtlnsch DTA Ind, pp. 48-49.
4-5, ^Ti . , , , . ,sueis . Ni and nei are .Jjyforms of ne
(cf. under nei 34). ITi possit follov/ed by an infinitive oc-
curs very frequently (26, 28, 30, 32, 33, 34, 37, 44) in a
great variety of connections. Both ne , non and ut non are
comi-rion in other Latin tahellae (cf. Aud. Ind. p. 480), Thus
we read ne uiribus suis possint (Aud. 251, 14-15), The
Greek equivalent constantly recurring is /a-vj or <• ^x u*^ with
a subjunctive Of <) c/»^aito<K/ in a final clause, as in Aud, 234,
1;. 19, 45, 60-61; and 38, 23-:M, T.he imperative of the 3rd
person Vv-ith U-vi , the neeirest equivalent cf the Latin subjimc-
tive v/ith n£. arrears but rarely; as /a.-^ "b u ^ oi<r & uJQ^^/ (349
a 12-13).
cogitationibus . Not "thoughts" but "devices", For
this msxiner' of completing a word at the end of a line see fac-
similes of Plotius 13 and Vesonia 29; cf. Aud. 190, 9. 11.
5.. sue
is. For spelling see note on 2 and Ch. Ill, p 4
Cf. natels sueis (CIL VI, 15676); uoteis sue is (X 3757); in-
fereis (Aud, 199, 6). • -. '
hoc uitare. That tiie victim ma.y not escape tlie doom
prepared is the v/ish implied in everi^ Gurs6-f ormula ; here only,,
apparently, is it explicitly expressed. Koc sumiJiarizes ; cf.
hoc op to : mor iare jna.1 i s exempl i s cr uc ia tus etipse nee te mmc
liceat qxxo me priua.sti lumen uidere et tu des poenas . . .
{]:Tot, degli Scavi 1900, p, 578, no, 35).
jLllunc . To read e_(c)cillimc as in . . 43 , would over-
crowd the space (cf, ITeue II, 429). Illiinc belongs exclu-
sively to the vu^-gar sphere and among the authors is confined
v/it/i rare exceptions to Plautus and Terence; e.g., Plaut . Cvir-
cul. 590; Trin. 520; Persa 738; I,lerc. 272. Belonging as it
undoubtedly does to the sphere of conversation it is but rare-
ly foiind in in.scriptions : illunc (OIL IV, 1691); illuc =i
illud (2013) .
6. febri .cottidianae . Of tertianae only the initial
letter and the last tiiree letters are legible; the jresence of
quartanae and cottidianae makes it eas;- to complete the word.
Of cottidianae the second _t is out faintly written.
To consign an enemy to the various inanif estations of ma-
laria wa.s coioinon to Greek and Roms.n alike, e.g., patiatur__fe-
bris frigus tortionis pallor is sudores _obr i p i la.tionis meridi-
anas serutinas noctiirnais (Aud. 140, 8-11 =Wttnsch, Seth. 1);
tercianas guar tana (Olivieri IV ); K<\( S^^k^ k^t K^^'
-fjU-iiKfT /coidjj;(ct^4/KWc TuatJCj (Aud. 74, 6; 75, 10-12); cf .
51 1-2, -'^lA-'i.x-'iv.A.i '^-'..'it-A^i^i j\-^-^rp^''r'n,-^ l\
in
no other Latin tablet is fe^bris cottidiana mentioned.
Cf,, however, Terence, Hec. 357. J'or the prevalence of ma-
laria in ancient Greece, see Jones, W, H. S,, llalaria and
Greek History, pp. 41, 63; and in a,ncient Italy see Jones,
Ross, Elliott, Malaria, chapter entitled "In Ancient Italy",
Of the ancient nedical aiithorities on the disee.se, see Hip-
pocrates, Epid. I. 24-25 (pp. 200, 201 Kflhlev/ein) ; Celsu£
III 3, 13, 14, 15; and cf. elato, Tiinaeua 06 A. ?or tiie
picriodic fevers as demons, see Kyiims of the Atharva-Veda
Be.
(Blooiiifield) I 25; V 22; 711 116; and cf. Cic. ::.I^. Ill,
A.
25; r^e Leg. II 11.
cottidianae . Correctly spelled thus: cf . Burger
under cottidie in Thes. Ling. Lat., and Buechler, Carm. Epig,
231, 3 note.
c ^ a
"^ • quas . The accusative for the nomina,tive; of. oV = os
(Aud. 159 a 53); interjiiuibiis as inter quos (106, 6).
illo. After illunc 5 one would expect illoc, and sim-
ilarly iliac in Avonia 8 and Vesonia 8; b\jt in these two in-
stances v/e actually find ilia. B^^ analog^'- we tjierefore res-d
illo in this line.
luctent. ThiB vvord is restored b;- a coinparison of all
tlie tablets. The active lucto ie found almost entirely among
the old v/riters according to Priscian VII J 5, 25 p. 797. X.
Luctant is read in ITon. p. 472 from Ennius IX 339; l\>ctauimv-S
and luctat in lb. p. 468 from Plaut. Vid. Fr . IX and Terence,
Heci. :. G29; deluctauit (or according to isola.ted LISS . deluctaiii)
from Plaut. Trin. 839;: luctare in Varro Deldng. Lat. V |,e, 61.
Only three instance?^ appear later tlian the Rep\?blic and those
are all compoirnds Vvith re-; reluctabat (Apul. I.Tet. IV 20 p.
281); ^eljJctabant (lb. VII 5 p. 455); a passive re luctat is
rebus (Claudian, De Raptu Pros. I 42). It will be observed
that these post-Rej.ublicEfn examples belong to an £(,uthor or to
a department vdiere one is not surprised to find arc}iaic dic-
tion. Luctent vvould seem to be zin evidence of the date of the
tablets (cf. ch. Ill, <^ 4).
deliictent. At this point occi^.rH the onlj- e>;tensive
lac\ma coiaiaon to all the tablets; hence, conjecture is the
only means ava^ilable for t}ie restoration of the original text.
On the analogy of the grouping of cognates or synonyms, as in
6, 8, 41, 42, 43-44, 45-46; in Aiid . 250 a and h ( quoted in
note on eripias 3); also in Aud, 16 X 4, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13;
deluctent would "be very apt in this connection, For tlie use
of delucto cf. the the i)revious note, reluctent reserrrdes the
English idiom "to fight it out vritli a person," It v;ould ii£,ve
"been hard for t/.e author of the tti-hlets to clioose other verbs
that Vvould as vividly descrilie t}ie shivers and deliriuJn of
malarial fever as do l\JCten_t and de^luctent, Cf . Osier, The
Principles and the Practice of Medicine, pp, 16, 17,
illunc. As cum illo could not accompany euincant
uincant, the direct o"bject must he assuiaed. The omission of
et is in ha,rwony v/itli the prevailing asyndeton, Piirther, tlie
nujriDer of letters in the conjectured words would give the en-
tire line an average length.
8, ]iS(.iue dum. Cf, usque d'ui'i per me tihi licuerit, (Cic
in Verr. Ill, 5); Plaut, Men. 728,
animajm, Cf , pertransBeas lip.niinain et ispirl txua (And,
250 a 17-18); also "b 13 and Olivieri III. In the Greek tab-
letfi ^^){n is frequently used in such a connection and oc-
casionally along v,it}i it are other words connoting the im-
material part of man, as TTi^tOu-x V«/)(ijk dfo(K»(M^ paov ^ri*^
aii*rQy^riv $ot^s/ (Aud, 41, 9-10). The expression deriando
ut facici,s illujn MorUium (300 b 3-6) embodies the same senti-
ment in other words.
9. uictiioam. ITsii.ally the word refers to an animal a.s in
14 and Ovid, Am. Ill 13, 16 (see Wissowa, H..-. d. 'PX..., p.
347), but here it refers to a lauos.n being. Similarly Hqstia.
in Aud. 138 v/here a v/ome.n is the victim. Cf . uictima, (Aud.
243, 28). Both words are rare in defixiones.
11. Achernoaiam. Ach- rat}ier than ac-: cf. pulc^jr'a 1 and
bracchia 28. The syllable i^ not jireserved in any of the
tablets. The -_uo- neems to be an inadvertent metatliesis of
the vowels of the diphthong in 'A)^c o <acro-/os . por inser-
ticn of -iaui of. And, 49, 3, 4; li> and 50, 5, 8 and see note
on cogitct-tlonilius 4,
Just as Salvlam 2 anticipates eripias sali'.tem 3, so
Acheruosiaic anticipates the smmnons of Cer'oerus 12-13. This
is a nev/ epitliet of Proserpina; cf, Ptygia (Stat., Theb . IV
526-527); infer na (Verg. Aen. VI 138 and CIL X 7576/; oj^ viArific
^toS (Sopjx. Oed. Col. 1548). Cerheriis eenerally appears
as the watch-dog of the house of Pluto and Proserpina, as in
Apul. Met. VI 19; Verg. Aen. VI 400; Hes. Theog. 76 7 ff.
Sometimes he is definitely located in the region of Acheron ,
as in Stat. Theh. VIII 513 ff.; Ovid. Met. VII 409 ff; Sil.
Ital, III 35; Pomp, Mela I 19 , 7 ; and Acheron often stands
for t}ie entire region of Hades as pars pro toto; e.g., Plaut.
Most. 499. 509; Poen. 344: see Preller, Gr. Myth, I p. 8l7.
Acheron is mentioned only once elsev/here in the defixiones,
Aud. 250 a 11.
12 mi_t_tas . ITo trace of a letter after -a- is found in
any of tlie liands, yet it is natiur'al to suppose tliat the vei-b
v/e require liere is coordinate vvitli eripias 3; the only pos-
sible alternative is to assume mittam, hut this, of course.
would not suit the context,
^^ * Me pro Liihi clicebaiit_^ antiquj. (Pestus, j ,1(=;1) ;
cf, templa tescaque me Ita sun to (Varro De Ling. Lat. VII 2,
8); ITd, De R. p.. Ill 16, 2; ccciperes tute / eam^ ama^re
et :ae_ires consi;lt\ufi iixale (Plaut. Baccli. 565); 113, 684;
si quid lae fuerit hiunanitus (Ennius 125) v/ith v/idch compare
si quid miVi^ ]fUme,nitus accidisset (Cic. Phil, I 4^10). See
Stolz-Schjji£.lz p. 216; ITeue II 352; Lindsay, 422; Reicl-ir.rdt,
N. Jahrh. ftVi^ cl Phil. 139, 110 ff.
12-13. canem tricipiteio. Certerxis if. often referred,
to vitlio\it explicit mention of his name: e.g., forma, que tri-
fauci lersonat inaoinnis leicrimosae ianitor t^J^f.e (Sil, Ital,II
551); tricipitem ediucit, H^'-dra generatum, canem. (_Cic. Tusc.
Disp, II 9j, Otlier descriptive compo\mds of a similar Ciia,r-
acter occur: tergeminr.s (Prop* .• f,:!- ^^^ , IV 7, 52; Ovid Tr . IV 7,
16); tr if or mis (Statius Theh . II 53-54). Among the Latin
taoellae defixionum t}iere is discovered no other reference of
any sort to Cer oer\is ; Tout in tlie Greek (Aud. 74, a 5; 75 a 0-
10) the epitliet d>u\x^ is apjlied to liim twice. Tha,t Cer-
beriis does not figm^e more frequently in the tacellaie is
strange, in vievi of ias importance in i'i£,gic&l operations in
general (cf . P.osciier, Lex. under Ker"beros p. 1134) . Siiidas
cites Tot k.^P'r\yoS as an epithet do\'btless iJiea.nt to axi-ly
to Cer-oeriis . Under -Kof^M the same ciutliOr v.rites: c/ /^i "tt^o
. . IS, Triceat'tfem rxtn'e. ipitcw . The mistake of vv-riting e_
for i, is a very coimrion phenomenon in the inscriptions; but
exact jiarallels to the present case are very rare : conieciant
(CIL I 198, 50); accepient (V f^731, ?1) ; arceptorem (in Greek
script) != accipj. trem (Aud. 270, 3). Without doubt the pop-
ular pronunciation sometimes retained tlie £ of the nom. triceps
tiii'ou.ghout tlie oblicue cases; hence the error in ortliography .
In the popular sjelling of many words there v/as a confvision of
e and i (cf. Lindsay, p. P,?-9).
Ploti This is conjectured on the analogy of
JAuonia^s in Avonia 14. In this and the corresponding pas-
sages in the otlier tablets one would expect eit}ier eius or the
name of the victim in the genitive. The vs,rying length of the
lacunae corresponds with the varying length of the respective
names .
cof. Cf. ?.9 , Ceroerus v/as regarded as a devoiu.-'er of
huoB.n flesh; cf. qui lascera saeuo spargis nostra ( hiunana)
? /
cani (Lucari, Phars. VI 702-3); ooju.ri(r irjV (Plesiod, Theog.
311)- £(r6>(tt ^^^ ^^ X'^'trjTl TTt/XluJK t/< TeO-^tl^ to«'r<K
(lb. 772); PhilochoruB, Fr. 46, Mttller.
pollicjgj'izs. g pollicearls . Vulgar confr-sion of £ and
i, especie^lly in unaccented syllanles, v/as very coL-mion. Simi-
larly (h)a'Dias (Aud. 228 a(^ ; b6): (h)£.biat (270, 8-9); ualiat
(223 al6); pariat (CIL I 197, 10). In all these instances J.
for e precedes a as in polliciarus ; but it is found before
other vowels as v/ell, e.g. abiegnieis (I 577, col. 2,1).
Likewise imaccented i and v. v/ere confused ov/ing to the
similarity of the sounds they represented (cf. Lindsay pp.
25 ff.; Stolz-Scluo&.lz, p. 67). The error is most frequentlj'-
fou.nd in superlative endings (cf. Q,\iiritil. Inst. I 4. 8 —
medius ^st^ciuidan u> et i littergue somzs, PPITt_ eni^i_i>Pt>»i^
diciaus aut optumtua; and Brock, Quaest. Gram., p. 72); b\?t it
is also fo\md in other parts of si:ieech tlian adjectives, as
utariits (CIL I 126 7 = IX 604); spatiariis (I 1220 - IX 1837);
figarus (IV 2082); Caesarus (I 685); Caesaru (696); Gas torus
(197, 17); hominus (200, . . 60, 63). According to Stolz-
Schmalz (p. 199) this is an early plienoi'ienon.
?or t}ie lOBTLuer of completing the word cf , the note on
cogitationl"bus 4.
14, tres uictimas. Here vActimB.s refers to other tlian
human heings (cf. note on ulctimam 9). Doubtless the tiiree
victims or offerings emiirierated in the next line are to "be
given one to each movth of the hell-hoimd, thus leaving no
part of hira unpropi tiated . Are-rt from the special reason for
tliree offerings in this case, the mi:aerical trinity is a prom-
inent feature of nearly all cha,rm-f ormulg.e e,nd incantations.
(Cf. Shakes], eare , i-Iacbetli I 3; IV, 1.)
15. palmas . ITeither dates nor tlie otlier tv/o offerings
are recorded as ever having been given to Cerberus. Nor is
there elsewhere any iaemtion of dates as gifts to Proserpina or
Demeter. Por association of figs, and dates cf. hie m;x, hie
mixta est rugosis_ Cc>^ica j^almis (Ovid, Met. VIII 674); quid
Ltolt palma. sib I rugosaque carica (lb. Fasti I 185).
caricas . Carlca -^s. ficTis Ce.rlca. iVuit -offerings wero
characteristic of tlie Demeter-Proaerpina worsidp (Stengel, Gr.
Kult., p. 91; It. qpf., p. 167; Pans. IX, 19, 4; VIJJ, 37, 4;
42,. 5). The fig v/as the special friiit of the chthonic cults
in general (Gnippe, p. 790) , A wilo fig jia.rked the ple.ce
\;here Plvto went down with Proserpina (Palis. I 38); cf. Pans,
I 37, 2.
porcvm nigruiQ, Por \iictiica ajidied to a pig as here
see Ovid. Am.,' Ill 15, 16. The sv/ine was characteristic of
t}ie chthonic worship in general and of that of Demeter - Pro-
serpina in particular (cf, Gruppe, p. 1178, note 2; p. 38;
Ovid. Pasti I 349, 466; SerV. ad Aen. Ill 118; Ifecr. Sat.
Ill 11, 10; Varro, Pe R.P.. IV, 9; Hyg. Pab, CCL XVII.
Altliough not always given, black victims were preferred by tlie
chthonic divinities (Stengel, Opf . p. 188; Dittenberger , Syll .
615, 25; Zosimus, Hist. Nou. II 1; CIL XI 1420; III 9, 11;
Val. Max. II 4,5); ^3^' '^^ Toc'r) vX^eoU^j )(o/.o,s .^5
iOiOc, fc >cc£.A°</^'« (Eph. Epig. 1891, 134, 11);
cf . also Wissovi/a, - . ■ P« 3478, The same is true of
male victims (Stengel, Opf. p. 192; Dittenberger , Syll . 615,
17); [IT j?fJ<r%.<f)oVo^ ){o>^tv c<J^rc«^« (Ziehe^i, Leg. Sacr.
51).
It will liave been observed that these offerings are of
t}"ie kind iisu.ally given to Deineter and Proserpina. For the
food of CerlDerx^s see note on 13; occasionally he \7as ple.cated
with a honey-cake, as in Verg. Aew. VI 417 ff.; Apul . Met.
VI. 19 passim; cf. Griippe , p. 407, notes 4,5.
16. hoc sei perfeceri_t: Sc_. CerTDerps . A siuula.r promise
of a sacrifice in the event of the petition "being granted "by
the divinity is found in Wttnsch LTA 109, 6-7: M<iCv7\JS Kotkwi
TT^^ke^vTos e^'xyycA/ac Ourui , p^j, ^y^g spelling of se_i, see note
on 2. It is read also in CIL I 33; 196) 28; 571; 603; IV, '
64; 1196; P.430; 4971; 4972; Plaut. Men. 239, 241, and else-
v/here . It is not found in any ot?ier Latin tabella.
16-17, ante mensem Ifertiiaia. Time limits for the inception
and the consv^mmation of the curse are often imposed. Cf . £i
possit amplius idling mensem aspicere (44-45); pridie idijs
ianuaria.s siaie idus (Atid. 248 h 5-7)^ i-o^^oUc^tM.^ (252, 44).
Par commoner tlian the reference to months are references to
moments, hours, days, nights, v/eeks, years ,^s a"b liac (h)ora, ah
hoc nocte (140, 11 =» V/ttnsch, Setli. 1); (.£ enk. '>f>j ok u.ou.iv'To
(231, PA); intra anrujmi itw-Sm :=;: istv-m {1?.9 "b 12-13); perd\TCas
_ad domus Tartareas intra, dies sept ejm) (250 X, 13-14);
ti<, i/ioa/ToV (189 b 7) ; r^ u,<./3o/ (174, 23). In one formula
tlie effect of tiie curse is expected to be valid for all time,
V - -
as ^-T] / //■ tot/cv/^ (V ou.(ri TiuTTc^s = detineatixr in omne tempus
(231, 11-12). ; • :'• ■-■-: ■/ /
17-18. haec . . . .feceris . Cf . note on }ioc sei perfecerit
16, K Roman prayer \7ar. frequently a ca\itious CjUid pre quo;
e.g., Bellona, si hodie nobis uictoriam duis, ast ego tibi
templrm aoueo (Livy X 19, 17); cf. lb. I 12, 4; XXII 10, 2 ff.
CIL III 1933; Laing (G. 5".), Cla.ssical Philology, VI 2, pp.
180 ff.
17, Pr OS erpina Saluia . Saluia onl;^ can be read in
Avonia 18 and Vesonia 18, but a very djfstinct r together with
the demands ma.de by the length of the line compel us to rec^d
here Proserpina as well as Saluia.
18. compote (m) . The v/eak pronunciation of m in Latin
is v/ell-knovm (cf. Lindsa.y pp. 60-62; Stolz-Scliina,!?, , p. 156).
In the tabellag m is often dropj/ed before vov-els and consonants
alike, as colore (m) f icnra.(m) caput (And. 190, 5); fronte(m)
super cil_i (135 a6); Sergia(in) Glj^cinna(m) (139, 18); ui ta ( m)
ualetudin(em) (195, 3). See Aud, Ind. 539 ff. In Avonia 18 xre
read coiapo tern f ecerig ; "but in Vesonia 17 laense L'lartiiun.
^'^J^P^??^ "? E"ie compoten i;oti, as in insequere, et uoti
postmodo compos erlsl (Ovid, Ars Azaa.t. I 486); Nunc me t\oti
compotem facis (Seneca, Hipp. 718),
do tibi. Do appears only here in the tabellae,
caput. Also in Aud. 134 a7 ; 135 a3 ; 190, 6. Cf .
r/»'^)(5S Kt^xA-f^K £V/<ty>^Aov imoruj-rrcv (419.. 16-17) ;-^"V fcc^xX^^'v
(Wttnsch DTA 89 a3). In all other than t}ie Johns Hop>:ins tab-
lets the ne,ti^ral order of the enumeration of the parts is fol-
lov/ed very imperfectly.
19, ?lo_t i_ Aux)niae . Sc. Seruj . It is quite possible that ilie
original was Auoniaes , as in Avonia 14, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23.
The word geruus in such a case as this might be v/ritten in
full or in abbreviated form, or it might be oi.iitted altogether
as here. In the x;asc.._ Ai-r e t_i na (CIL XI 6700-1) the usage
varies; "but in the tesserae c o n s \;l_a r e s (I 7l7-776h) seruus is
omitted, Cf . llarqiiardt - Mau, Privatleben d, Rfiin. I pp. 20-
21, and p.. 21, note 1, -^ •
20, frontem. collus os "bucas dentes laTpJas mentus oclos
fro n t e_ sn-per'c i 1 i (Aud, 135 a^^ ; cf, 134; cere"bru frute s\;pe^ei'|'i' ^
OS nasii me tu bucas (190, 7) , The nearest approach to this in
Greek is -rrpoT-toTrov' (V/tlnsch DTA 171, 3 and 4laL 16-17).
21. super cilia. For example, See previous note; a<^^\/s (A"-
41, 17; and Wttnsch, DTA 89a 10).
22-23. palpehras, pupill£i,s. ITov/here else tli;;,n in these
tablets, apparentl;^, are these parts of the eye enumerated.
The eye a,s a whole, however, is frequently mentioned, e,g,,
among the Latin tablets, 134 a8; 135 al . 6; b2 ; Olivieri I;
also see note on frontem 20. Among tlie Greek occur: o^O^cX/t^o'^^
(Aud. 49, =14. le);"^^ ou^LyT(x (241, 13-14; 242, 57-58).
Cf. ni posr.it aspicere, uidere,^ contemplare .(44-45).
24-26. nares dentes. The order of the parts dif^-
fers iroiii this in Avonia 24-25, Vesonia 25-26, Seciuida 21-22;
the order in Aquillia is conject\i_rHl. The sudden grouping of
the reiiiaining i^arts of the head after the extended and fjnelv
detailed enu^neration of the preceding parts is plainly re-
sorted to for the sake of brevity, in Aud. 135 a •■"■rv' b all
the parts of the body are grouped in the one appeal with lit-
tle regard for order.
24. nares. Pound only here in the Latin tablets; but
M'UKT'^ot^ (Aud. 41 a 17),
25, labra , Por example, see note on front era 20; cf ,
Aud, 190, 8 a,nd labra s in Vesonia 25,
o^riculas. The sense of hearing is referred to biit
rarely in the tabellae and t/ien by the verb I'atlier tha.n by the
noun, Cf . nee frenis audire possint (Aud. 275, 29-30); nee
frenis audiant (280, 15; 281, 15; 282 a25) ; also i^KoKS
(41, 17),
Por spelling of oric\ilas :=; auriculas cf , note on Plotl , 4
Vesonia 25 £^ives the syncopated form ^iclas . Auricula is a
popular diiainutive of auris. Cf . Orata genus piscis arPQA"
laUw a colore auri, ^uod rustic! oriun dice"bant , jit auriciilas,
oriculas (Pestus, p. 182, 13-15 under orata).
nasiufl. For exainple , see note on frontem 20; and cf.
caput olaus at olfactiis (134 a7). The nose and nostrils are
in no other tablets mentioned together.
linguam. The tongue is ^re-ry freuuently defixed; as
licua (Aud, 134 1d2) ; alligo deligo ling^ias (217 a4) ; adligate
linguas (218, 6-7); ^iriimicoruja meoru:n_ling\ias j^.duersus iiie
obmutescant (222 bS-S) ; ligo oligo (aiobligo) linguas illcfq
medias extremas noixissiaias ne quit possint respondere contra
(219 a 2-8) ; /< «-T'>t y o^^to y\^TiKv^ (Aud. 47, 7-9) ;
KocTa^O y\Z7rfK.y k<^) y/^^/^w (49^ o^ 4, 5^ 7^ o- n,
12, 15);'Si^ro(( /^lovucrfois, y\u^<rrkv (81 a ^-^) \ l<<x.7oS iZ
r^v y\>^~T^\y (Wttnsch, DTA 49; 50) ; f/' 7* i^tWt,
(96, 3-16). The faculty of speech is defixed in various other
ways also; e.g., os _bucas dentes lahias (Aud. 135 a5) ; crus
OS pedes (^4); os nasu metu "bucas labra uer'ou (190, 7-8);
o ^ ^ecX /U,oi/i A.«/ 0-/oA4«< (49, 16); .... (pi a^ujQ-o<^ (o^-
It T«. ^cf/jLtuy^ Wcivroui/^ (15, 24); Tre<,aot\^/ii,rL
r°<3 9!>u;K»ci (oo^ 37. 24, 21; 25, 6-7); 7ro< o«xKc<- it ^t
^...Tous \cy oi/S (32, 24-25); /CxT<x-au; k"^/ koyo^i Aj</ toy,
26. dentes . os Ijucas dentes labias (Aud . 135 a5)
manus detes oclos bracia Co 1-2); odio»^T«5 (41, 10)
26-27. ni dicere possit Plotius quid sibi doleat»
Pinal, not optative, expressing the purpose in defixing the
utterance of Plotius in 24-26. Similarly ligo oligo (^obligo)
linguas illoro medias extrenias nouissiins-s ne quit respondere
£ontr_a (Aud. 219 a 2-8) ; k<KT \ K o , i^ 1 (Tc^Ti. ^-^f y K^trr^c^
3'or construction of q-aid. sibi doleat see scio ego quid doleat
mihi (Plant. Mil, Glor. 1325). I find no other exaiaple of
the indirect question in the def ixiones •
27-23. collum, waeros , 'bracchia, digitos. Objects
of do tibi 24. In this group are deiixed the :neiabers on
which a :/ian depends .aost for assistance; hence, the pixrpose
of ni possit aliquit se ad iu tare , 20-29.
£ollTxn. Cf. collus (Aud. 135 a5); colu (190, 9);
iHneros, Cf, colli iocur jujnej-os cor (Aud, 190, 9);
sjcaplas TilneriiiQ neruias (135 a7) ; kct-T^y aoi d>oC
bracchia. In no other tablet is the v-'ord spelled thus;
cf,, hov/ever, manus dicitos bracias unci s ^ (Aud. 135 a2 ) ;
rnamis detes oclos Joracia^uenter (b 1-2); 190, 10; 3/>«.)^/c'v^£S
(74, 13; see previous note), Ilcinus is strangely ouittad from
tiie list in o\w tablets, though, it is found elsewhere, as
135 a2; "b 1; 190, 11; 247, 9. X^r^ei (or Xj.7o<xs ) frequent-
ly occxu's in Greek tablets; e.g., (234, 57; 240, 40; 47, 2;
4, 6. 3); (64, 8. 10). For bearing of the aspirate ch in
brae Cilia on the date of the tablets see ch. III. <^ 4.
digit OS. Cf, brace ia digitcs inam^s (And. 190, 10-11)
135 a2 . Por digiti (pedim) see Plotius 37,
aliquit. So quit 30, According to the inscriptions
_t for d v/ei,s very cojinuon in all parts of the Romy.n world and at
all periods. It belongs to the vulgar sphere, Cf. quit
(Aud. 219 a6; 303 I 3; II 4 . 6 ; IV . 1 . 2 ; VI 2; GIL V.
3415); aliquit (IX 5660; XII 915).
28-29. ru possit__se adiutare , Exact parallels are
not to be found; but cf. Ct i^<^ oj e) ty i^y^oc/j o(^^o-rj G^jTc J^s
■7ro/-«r->^T«. (Aud, 161, 28-31 = WtSnsch
Setii. 22; Aud. 159a 44-45; b27-29; 160, 15-16, 38-39; 88-39};
I^^ovIt^xJS v^'ov/3 TTofL (Wttnsch DTA 98, 5);
Aud. 164, 23; If'S, 22-23; 166, 12^ 32. The Latin defixiones
offer no parallel^
29-30. pectus 1 DC inera cof pulinone^s. Objects of do
tioi 24. Here are defixed the organs which were regarded as
the seat of the senses; hence the force of n i__p o s s it sen t jr e
quit sihi doleat 30-31.
pectus . Although only -_c- shoves liare, there is no
doubt about t} ^ reading, in view of Avonia 28 s.nd Secunda 25.
Cf. natis UDi-Licus pectus laaLiilas (Aud. 135 a4) ; uenter
mamila pectus osu (b2-3); pectoris ....cor .... (l4Zb9);
/54,x)(io/o^S r-l^^.s o-ly^^X^^ (74, 13-14);
tcc<<'^6oi/S -.- Tly^Qos (75, b 1-2), Por pectus as the
seat of perception-oculis pectoris a^liquid liaurire (Ovid, Met,
XV 63); also quint. X 7, 15. ' • •' ' -
Sj.o\ c inera. The first syllable is lacking in all our
tablets and must be supplied ^q^ conjectiu'e. The only exaitiple
in the defixiones is iociu' (Aud. 190, 9) and in this sphere
iocinera rather than iecinora is almost certainly required.
Por the great variety of orthography and inflection of this
word see ITeue I pp. 337-339. In the Greek defixiones o^rn^^ cce^n^
as in Aud. 42 b3 ; 156, A2; 252, 3-9; 253, 15. Por iociir
(or iecur) as seat of the affections and passions cf . non
ancilla tuiun iecur uloeret ulla pu-erue. (Hor. Epist. I 18,
72); also It. Odes I, 13, 4: Jiiv. T 45 .
cor . See note on cor 13. Cf. iocur vjneros . cor
fulmones itestinas vetre (Aud. 190, 9-10); 250 a24; 270, 11.
19; oc/Ve^o-,^ ^o^V /(cio^f^u' (41, 10 - 11);
42 h3; 51, 3; Wtlnsch ])TA 89 h7; 93 a4; b3 . Por cor as the
seat of understanding see quicquaia sapere corde (Plaut, llil,
Qlor. 336); Cic. Phil. Ill 6, 16.
pulmones . So fulmones - piilmones (Aud. 190, 9);
TT^'^t^A'OVXs /(H/«''/vv -TjTrtK/i (42 /)3);
(T-t^U-tK TTvt'^iK.si Ufv)(yty d/a<"»^e/a./ ^Jo^">7ff-/^' (41 a9 )
73, 5.
30 -31. ni possit sent ire quit sibi doleat . For
sentire the original has sentique . Of. A.vonia 29-30; Vesonia
31-32. For construction of quit s^ibi doleat see note on
26-27, Here qui t ^"but quid 27; see also under aliquit 28.
The saiae word even in the same co!aj)osition is soraetimes spelt
v/ith both d and t; e.g., apud (Arid. 139, 4) and aput (9).
2>\ - 3<L. intestina uenter umblicus latera. Objects
of do tibi 24. The parts here defixed represent the front
and sides of tiie body, and scapulars 32 the back. A rna.n
sleeps reclining on sides, front or back; hence the pertinency
of ni possit dorinire 32; and ni possit sanus dormire 33 (on
"vvhich see note), ' '•'
intestina. Cf. corjfulinones itestinas uetre (Aud. 190,
10); uiscera interania (250 a24) ; €^T(.c<k (75 b 2);
i/7roy«!r73/o«^ (74, 14 - 15).
iienter . Here v;e should expect uentrem, as in Aud .
190, 10, V;}i3re we read uetre. But the use of the word as a
un
neuter is not ^:)ci,ralleled; e.g., Aud. 135 a3 , 8; b2 , 3, 5.
There is no other authority for the neuter th£!,n this very lim-
ited vulgar usage. In Greek v/a find A'o/\/o(V (42 "'04);
crTou.xyfci/ (74, 14); TijV yxTTtao, (WtSnsch, DTA 89 a4) .
Proai the point of view of anatomy uente_r was a.s loosely used
as is oxn' English word belly, Cf . note on intestina.
umblicus. The reading of the final _s in Scciuida 27
establishes the original text v/itiiout a aoubt. As in the ca,se
of uenter a limir.ed vulgar usage i-s the sole authority for it^;
use as a neuter; e.g., lunl i cus (Aud. 135 a4) ; b6 ; cf .
ublicu ( [^Cj } 1) , By the ancients the navel was regarded as the
middle point of the bod;'-; e.g., corporis centrum medium
natm^aliter est umbilicus (Vitruv. Ill 1, 3); cf, hov/ever,
Varro, De Ling. Lat. VII 17. See Gruppe , pp. 723 ff.
la t era . So latus (Avid, 134 b6 ) ; laixis - lat us
(b 1), The plural is not found elsewhere in the tabellae.
The Greek equivsilent is found no\;liere in the Greek tabellae
3^' • ni possit dormire , Cf, ni possit sa.nu.s dorinire
33, Similarly cKft^ .77-orriVp/ ?eyaw.f(-/)^(Avid . 267, 19 - 20);
ot/6 Vo^ 6>o/]u,/a(^ ("bis) (270, 4-7); auferas soiimiua,
non doriaiat I^Iaurusaiis (250 a4-5); cf, 265 a8-9; 266, 7j
i/TT/os c/ ' o( TTttrTIc) ■y\uku Qyju.0% ou.iKot.~r u>\/ (Arist. C\^u.<i.^ yor-4)^
Shakespeare, lalacljeth, I 3, The sentiment is not expressed
an"^Avhere in tlie Greek tablets.
s capiilas . Cf. scapulae in Vesonie. 33. Elsewhere in
the tabellae only in Aud. 135 a7 ^jYi^^tb s capias is read.
Cf, a^7o^ot/o/ v'ZiTov u/roy<x(rro »<3v^ (74, I4-
15), Sca,piilae v/a,s sometimes used for tergum, as pa,rs pro
toto; e,g,, _s_capixlas prae'pere uerberious (Seneca, De Ira, III
12); cf. Plaut. Cas. 955-6; True. 793; Ter. Phor . 76.
33, ni possit sanus dormire. In ^amxs there is
spa.ce between z_ find n for one letter only which must be a in
this connection.. "Go that he nici,y not sleep a liea,ltjiy sleep".
This doubtless refers to the deliriiun of the fevers (cf ,
Celsus 1113.13, 14, 15) ,
33 -34. uisciun sacrum. Object of do tibi 24. The
connection with nei possit virinam facere is obvious. Usually
not uiscus -i (or per imps uisciim -i) , but uiscus -eris ; the
word is most corniaonly used in the plu_r'al. Visciis ra: uterus_
in ITeiiies. Cyyi. 124, 132; Quint. X 3, 4; U)p . Dig. XI. VIII
8, 8; ^ testes ^Petr. CXIX, 20; Plin. IT. H. XX 13, 51 ^142.
Referring to the epithet <-ex)«/ in a^ov oTttoi/"
(cf. OS sacrum) the Thes. Gr. Ling, offers this among other
suggestions a.s to its origin - "qjiod in ea aliquid sacri
arcanique insit". In uiscera interania (Aud. 250 a24) the
word is u.sed in a general sense only; onl:^ here and in our*
tablets is it found in the def ixiones . Cf . cunus (Aud, 135
b6); c^/^o7cv^ (42 b5); T^/^[ovJ (74^ 17);
Tx's yfui\ks . . • To^s Kir&o^/s (Wttnsch DTA 77
bl-2; 5-6).
34 . nei po s sit urinain facere . Cf . s_i in lee to
••• uJ-inam faciat; (UJp. Dig. XXI 1, 14); Coluja. VI 30,
3. 4; Pliny, IT. II. VIII, 68. The only parallel to this is
where the uisica « uesica is cursed in Aud. 190, 11 .
nei . Appears only here and Avonia 43 and Vesonia ?.l ,
This is an old form of the classical ne (Lindsay, p. 244).
For its hearing on the date of the tablets see ch. Ill, <^ 4,
See also notes on serve, deicere 2 , and ni 4.
35 - 37, natis ungis . Objects of do tibi 24.
gi pos si t stare 37 shows the irmnediate jnirpose in dftfixiag
the parts of tlie legs .
natls. Elsewhere among tlie tabellae only in Aud. 135
a4 — pedes femus uenter natis uinlicxjs ; for other e:xai-'iples set
Cat. XXXI J 3 7; Hor. Pip. VIII 5; Juvenal VI 612. Cf.
ungis 37. On the si-elling see Lindsay, p. 404 and Neue I,
p. 383 ff. In the Greek tablets we find TT 'i u) K, t c t/'
(Aud. 42 b5) ; TTJ-J/^Tx (75 b2 ) ; T^^ "^fe'v) *?j *^
(Wttnsch, DTA 89) .
anvun. Pound only here.
femina. Cf . femena cenua crura talos planta ticidos
9£(j nO
if I .r
xi ,:.o:.ui?tin
/
(Aud, 190, 11); femus (135 a3); jur\^o\/S (42 b5; 74,
16) . Only in these passages from tlie tabellae are the thighs
defixed. For tlie inflections of femus see Neue I, pp* 834ff,
genua. Only liere and Aud. 190, 12 where it is spelled
cenua.
>^v
36. cr\ya . -a (Aucnia 34; Vesonia 36); -u-
(Secunda 31); cru - (Aquillia 31). Simileirly cr^u^a (Aud,
190, 12; see note on femina.) ; crus only (135 e^8) ; £riii8 os
pedes (b4). In the Greek occur: A <*Toc^ >^ ^«Ti Tx '^KiKy
(241, 12); of, 239, 46-48; 240, 55-60. Only in the above
passages are tlie legs defined.
tibials . Only here and in kv-^A^^S (Aud, 42
b6) is this part of the leg mentioned in a curse.
.CJ:vroA>
las'
pedes. pedes femu^ (Aud. a3); cms os_ pedes frontes
uncis dicitos (b 4-5); 247, 12; 250 bl2 ; 252, 41 (Greek
script)3 TTo'^'^^ * (15, 19; 47, 2 . 6.8; 49, 3. 13.
16). The feet of both men and horses are very frequently
defixed in latin and Greek tabellae alike.
talcs. Occurs elsewhere only in Aud. 190, 12 (see
note on femina) », Tx Tcjiu^o^ (15, 20) is tlie only in-
stance in the Greek tablets.
plantas . In Avonia 35 after uaos is read - la-
The next i>art of the leg in order is plant a , &s in crura ta
planta. ticidos (Aud. 190, 12-13) the only other i^^ssage in
the de f i X i o n e s v/here fAie vvord is found. No ^P
\
The heel is defixed once onl;' in the Greek: ^y]/aoOS
T7^u«kro\/ Kv)y^o(S "TTT^^i^acs (Aud, 42. b6 ) .
37. d_igitos. The toes are rarely defixed; .ticid_o£
(Aud. 190, 13 on which see previous note) and ^^^^ ttoc^coi^
0 <x. f^ T>j\ o u 5 (42 b7) are the only ex-
amples .
It v^-- «'Vi.j
(*.<^. i^tnovi.
5t:
ungis. Uncls (pediun) occiirs in Aud, 135 b5 (see note
on pedes); in &?, uncis = ungues los.nuuin, as prolDably oi<t//^s
(42 bl5 and 75 bl ) . For ace. in -is see note on natis 35.
In pronunciation there wfis a tendency to laa^ke gu sourid like
simple g, as seen here and in ^^ntari^^ (CIL I, 1065};
ungentario (1268); exsenyiiua - exsajriguluic (Aud. '^51, col. 2,
13); see Lindsay, p. 301; Stolz-Schmal!'. , p. 109 .
37-38. ni possit stare sua j;irtute. The following
are the readings for uirtute; j:jrt-te (Plotius 3^; -• -— te
(Avonia 36); ---tute (Vesonia 38); ---tu-- (^Seounda 32). The
word is here the etiuivalent of uiribus , as in geiua uirtute
est te unde hospitio accipitja (Plaut. Mil. Glor. 676);
uir tus in inf irmi tate perf i£i tur (Vulg. II Cor. 12, 9) where
uirtus translates ^c/x.to/S ; cf. Vuxg. Ps . 85, 8.
There is no exact jiarallel of ni^ poss_it__s_tare elsewhere among
the defixiones, thou.gh we may regard as quasi-parallels the
oft-repeated wishes expressed by cadat or cadant resi-ecting
both horses and drivers i-ientioned in tablets 272-284 of
Audollent's collection.
3ni;t 0 9*1 a 9-^
38 - 43 . ^eiu^ plus ecilliinc . These lines
sliov* that this formula belongs to the very limited class of
counter-charms. In Audollent's collection there are only two;
39, scriptvm_fuerit , Sc, a Plotio; cf , s_cripsi_t
mands.TU t (sc. Plotius) 40, Scri'bo as used here is a literal
transl&,tion of \ ^<=<<i>uo -^^ }<<To^y o^ <i>tyO
which are freui-.ently employed as synonjTHS of TJu and
A^Ta'^«2 , as in Aud, 4 a7 ff. and 14 (see previous
note); A; a Tet y a? x ^ c*) eay« 'Tp'^ktv ^ . T, A .
(47,4); hL \TKy,'ficf><*J ^Jxyo^^«^ X^^"^^
rro^<<s k.-r.\. ( ^^.^^. also 67, 5; 74; 75; 76; 84, 5. 9;
87. Describe (or perhaps ascribo) is used in this sense in
134 aB, £cjribo is therefore in this passage a synonym of
defig^o, trado, do, c ommendo , l^igo and its compounds, ma,ndo,
or any other verbs of defixing.
39 - 40, qijioiaodo mandai; it ; £fic ma.ndo . "In
what manner he (Plotius) has according to the laws of irjagic
coaiiosed anv curse (against me) and entrusted it to v/riting;
in like nanner do I consign and entrust him to thee." Cf,
the previous note. There is a very close parallel structural-
ly in Aud. 139, 1-6: £uomodo mortuos q\u istic jsepultus est
nee loqui nee sermonare potest, seic Rhodine . . . .mor tua. s it
nee loqui nee sermonare_ possit . Cf. 98, 2; 111-112, 5-19.
The same construction is found in Greek: e.g., Aud. 241, 15-lC
WOnsch, DTA 107, contains two clauses guarding against ti^e
roachinations of the victims hostile to the writer or inspirer
of the tablet.
39. quicquid =:: aliquid; cf. tu , si quid eri^. de
c^eteris, (sc. scribe) de_ Bruto_ utique quidquid^ See Stolj;-
Schmali:, p. 626; Wolff lin Sitzb. E. Acad. 1882, p. 446 ff.
The word is used similc.rl;'' in Avonia 6 and Vesonia 6.
40, ^ legitime . That the ri'les of def ixiones v/ere
known as leges is shown by uti vos eas deuotas
LD'^JiU'^
^^.•t r-fv." '. 1,
consecrfitasciije habeat_is ollis^^legiloijs qiabus Cjuand o qx-ie sunt
maxime hostes deuoti (Macr, Sat, III 9, 10). Nomen delatvim
(Aud, 196) is legal pliraseology.
mandaiiit, SimilEirly mado (Aud, 195, 7; 297, 4); .c
demand o (268, 2; 286 b2; 290 b2 ; 291 a"^; cocuaendo (190, 1.
139, 12).
seic . See under sei\je , del cere 1, 2. This rare spel-
ling of sic occurs also in Aud. 139, 3. 9 s=. GIL I 818.
41. Ploti . This must be for Plotium; cf. .Auoniaja in
Avonia 39 where the context is parallel. The Latin tabellae
contain Many instances of the omission of final -m after -u;
e.g., Crispu (Aud. 219 a 10); eximii- (Greek script) (241, 10);
ilu - illjum (219 al); lucru (135 a9) ; tauru (247, ;6.18);
but nowhere do I find an instance where tlie entire syllable
-■um is dropped.
trado niando, cf, tradas^ mandes 42; mandes tradas 44;
aspicere uidere contemplare 45-46. Only in ovr tablets are
these words found side "by side. This acciuaulation of syn-
cni'-ras is chfirexteristic of def ixi ones ; also of early prayer -
formulae (Stolz-Schroalz, p. 669). '■ - ■ '.■ • i ■
42. mense jFebruar io . But x^nsj. in Avonis, 41;
Vesonia 44; Secunda 38. Cf. 16-17; 45 and Ch. IIJ,'^ 4.
43 e^cillunc. _e— is conjectural. What is probably
the upper half of a £ appears irmaedici.tely before -i_llunc and
too close to it to belong to another word, Eetvreen the £ e,nd
the original left-hand edge there is room for one more letter
and one only. The word seems to be a hitherto ^mat tested
collateral form of eccilluxa wit?i one £ omitted. But this is
not surprising as the non-gemination of £ and other consona.nts
is very coLimon in the tabellae and in vulgar inscriptions in
general; e.g., b u c ( c ) a s (Aud. 135 a5) ; oc ( c ) idas (286 b6 . 0;
" (Ap«/. Met.
287); Suc(c)es(s)a (227, 3). We read eccille a y^LIII 513);
eccilli (lb. L7XIV 550); eccilliun (piaut. Merc. 435; Persa
09 £i^
It- e'to'
247. 59?. ( ec ilium P)j Pseud. 911; Trin. 622 (e_ciri.via P) ^
Curciil. 278/, Ecclllunc woi'.ld be a combination of ecce 4- ille +
ce (cf. _illunc 5); one or other of the demonstrative con-
stituents, therefore, is superfluous. Since redunde^nc;^ is
one of the coninonest characteristics of plebeian speech, we
shall have to account for e^c(.c) illunc on the ground of the
plebeian origin of the tablets. Cf. Krebs , I p|>. 441-2;
Neue II p.987.
43-44. male disperdat . Here is another ac-
ci^jiulation of synoninns as in 7^ 8, 40. 41. 4?. ^ 44. 45-46.
The effect is something like the English "Itay he most misers-
ably perish." Probably in populg-r speech these three verbs
were used intercliangeably to signify "to perish." Per da t and
disperdat seem to owe their intransitive use in this passage
to the analogy of per e o , as per d i amsper de am for i^eream in
Plaut. Poen, 684. The presence of exse(a) t in this sa,me
sentence would ias.ke the parallel between per do a,s e.n intrans-
itive and pereq very close.
exse(a)t. The omission of a is probably a lapsus
itili. Cf. exiat at exeat (Aud. 250 bi5) .
44. laandes. The readings for this are: --nd--(Avonia
42) J m----' (Secunda 40). Mande^ is the orilj- word tJia.t
satisfies all conditions. After me^de^s, tradas supply ^Ijamc
as in 4.
44 _ 46. ni possit contempaare . "So that he ma.:
not see another month more,"
46. uidere, contemplare . That only these two words
stand in the last line is evident from indications that the
tahlet tapers suddenly at the lower edge. In tixe facsimile it
can he noticed that the v,riting of the last tiiree or four -
lines is crowded.
CemH-ietttAcy en AvoniA
?,, deicere. Cf. Ploti\:.s ?, .
4, ■Auonlae . The lacuna is not le.rge enough to per-
mit reading ?t Greek genitive as in 14 » 19. 21, 22. 23, 25.
This v*oma,n is the owner of Plotius, the victim xaentioned
in the tablet Just annotated (cf. Plotius 19). More clcselv
than this we cannot identify her. She "belonged to the ple-
heian gens^ Auonia (or Aonia ) most of whose rej-resentatives
were located in Roiae, as the inscriptions show (see Thes .
Ling. Lat. under Auonius (Aonius) and Ch. Ill, ^ 3). Gen,
not tAjlt.: cf. Plotius 4,
5. hoc . In no s^urviving lortion of any of the tablets does
one read hoc and qui c quid together. In this passage, as in
Vesonia 5, there is c-jnple room both to complete sue is and to
read hoc in the same line. In Secunda 4 hoc is the final wore,
of the line and guicguid must be read in order to give the
next line an average length. That qj'i^.ci^'id is not found in
Plotius is probably d\ie to the error of the copyist.
6. q\il_cqul_[d] . Here ctn adverbial ace; Cf, Plotiiis
39 and note.
6. r£ot.iai!s. This is oonjectvred on the basis of ---tinr -,
tlie rei-vding in Vesonia 6; without it the line v/ould fall short
of average length. It does not ccciu- in the other tliree tab-
lets. Should vfe attempt to read it into Sectmda 5 and Aquil-
lia 6, it would be necessary to wait quiccitud, as these two
lines will not permit the ciddition of two words each.
j^llanc , Ace. feiti. reqiiired here, as in 8. 40 and
Vesonia 8. 43. Cf. illanc Aqxullia 5 and illunc Plotius 5.
14. Auoniaes. So ^uonia IP, 20, 21, ?,2 . 23. 25 and
Vesonia 22, Greek genitives, as might be expecteo. in a sphere
of conpiosition introduced into Rome t]riroi:gh the Greeks, are of
frequent occurrence in the Lectin tabellae : e.g., Plotiaes
(Aud, 134 ao); Teneries, Venerioses (129 8,6.-8); Aselles (140,
5, 14, 15, 18); SeTrT,^£s ^ Septimes (270, 13),
18. Sal Ilia . Here vje cannot read Pr o s e r p ina Sal w ia
in Plotius 17,
corapotem. Cf . compote in Plotius 18
1,25. liguam. Cf. liguas (And. 219 ai2-13); ligiia
(303 I 2, 4); II. 2. 5; V 6; VI 5. The omission of the n
is probable'- not a JiSj)_S3^s -^-^A j-j- * ^^'^ rather a faithful represen
tation of a vulgar pronunciation; for we know that before
guttuj:*al and dental mutes n was frequently dropped (cf . Lind-
say, p. 66), Even in the Monumentum Anc;.-raniuii apjiears pro
U.icias - prouincias in one passage (V 11 Monimsen) ,
31-32. Ni_ p o s s i t^ d or liiir e is not repeated in Plotius
and also lacks the adjective sana.
40. illanc. On the analogy of e(c)cillunc (Plotius
43) we sliould expect ecc illanc, but space forbids so long a
form.
41. mens 1 . But raense Plotiijs 42, See Lindsay, p,
390; Stolz-Schmalz, p. 210.
43. ^ei« Cf. Plotius 34.
4, Maximae Vesoniae. This name is not found once in
all the inscriptions containing the names of mexalDers of the
gens Vesonia. In all the Roiafm inscrirtions of this class
only fouj" women are mentioned: Vesonia L . 1 . Callutuche
(sic) (CIL VI 6136); Vesonia Proba (20638); Vesonia L.J..
Athenais (28623); Vesonia Cn. f. Procula (28624). The fact
that in Maxima Vesonia the individual name is written as a
praenomen is of prime importance in dating the tablets (cf.
Ch. Ill, <7> 4); for range of the gens Vesonia see ch. IT J <^3 -
6, protinus . Only tinu- can "be rejid; the reiixiin-
der of the v ord is conjectur'ed. If the victim v/ere to "be
handed over forth^¥ith to the fevers, the granting of the wish
by the end of February would practically be c.ssui'ed.
13. ifli.t.ta[s] . In Avonia 13 m- only. The second
person is siiggested "by tr a [dag] 4, and polligla^rxis] 15 (suj^'
plied from Plotivs 13). ,. '•■ . ,- '<■
13. Saluia. Not Proserpina Saluia, as in Plotius 17.
22. Vesoniaes. Onl;'' one Greek genitive in Vesonia;
cf., however, note on Avonia 14,
23, palpetras, ra palpebras , Fotmd only in this tab:
let; either a vulgar form or due to a lapsus stili.
25. oriclas. Vulgar form of auriculas; cf , note on
Plotius 25. Similarly cornicula oeccime cornicla (Mohl, p.
161); oculos , o^os (Aud. 135 a6 ; ^2); scapulas, scaplas (135
a7). See Lindsay, pp. 170 ff.; Stolz-Schmalz, pp, 170-171,
IKoM)
labras, ITowhere else than in this tatlet is the word
thus inflected. Labra iias here been vifrongly regc>.rded as a
noun of the first declension. We have other instances of co:;-
f us ion of gender and inflection: e.g., uenterszuentrem 32;
uiscuja=-ui3cus 34 ; iunblicus=um"bilicuBi 32 . Cf . notes on
Plotiiis.
26. lingixa. Per drojjping of final m cf, note on
compote, in Plotius 18. S imilarly 1 i cuasl ia^ua (134 b2 ) ;
flcura=figura (190, 6); filia (228 a4) .
27. nei, Cf. note on Plotius 34,
33. scapulae . The writer of the tablet probabl;/ for-
got tjiat the series of nouns in pectus ........ .umblicus 30-32
v/ere actually accusatives, tho\igh also nom. in form.
ni possit dormire, Cf . note on Avonia 31-32
42, Proserpina, tibi, Tibi alone is read in the oth-
er taolets, but here it will not suffice, as a nvuaber of il-
legible strokes show that much more than t^ibi was written.
Proserpina is conjectured. A.ltho\igh \mique in this context
of the formulae it suits perfectl2^ and fills the space avail-
able.
43. illanc. Cf. note on Avonia 40,
44. There is space between Februario and male for
another male. We read it against the single appearance of
male in the other tablets in this context, because it is con-
trary to the custom of these tablets to leave so large a space
absolutely blank, . . •- - ■:
(^f>niiMer\Zb^y\l o't becicnct*. .
3 i_. That triis is a genitive singular of a
man's nsjae we know for a certainty from illunc in 1, 38, It
is thus parallel witli Ploti in Plotius 4. The length of this
and other lines where the victim's naxae occurs regula-rly in
the formula indicates pretty clearly that as a rule onl;' the
gentiliciim is employed.
15, The length of the line does not allov; one to
read Saluia before Proserpina; .-aoreover, nov/here in all the
formulae is that order observed.
23, ....ius, Assimied on the basis of the gen, in i in 3.
28-29, ni possit dormire; scapiilas^. The mistake of
Plot ius is repeated iiere. Sanus must be read.
35. quici-iuit . Only here can the last letter be made
out. It may be that t was written si/allarly in all the othei
tablets; nevertheless, in them v/e have assiuaed the regular
ending in d.
37, The mere nomen is too short for the lacuna, Prob-
aJ^ly- the original ¥/as either a phrase like Ploti Auoniae in
Plotius 19 or consisted of praenoaien and nomen together.
,ae Aquilliae. That we are here dealing with
a woman's name consisting of an individual name and nomen is
certain from tJie letters visible and from the context. We as-
sixme the order just iaentioned on the analogy of Maxima, Vesonia,
yet v/e cf^nnot deny tiiat Aqu... may belong to an individual
name such as Aquila or Aquilina; of. CIL VI l2P,5o-4. The
nomen, Aqiiillia, is by far the coi.imonest of those beginning in
Aqu., and in the los.jority of instances where it is found in
inscriptions from the city of Rome (the place of origin of the
tablets) it is spelled v/itl-x two I's; see Thes, Ling, Lat.
under Aquillius (or Aquilius) , Nearly all of the women of
this gens mentioned in the Roman inscriptions are freedwomen,
5. q\acquid , Cf . note on Avonia 6j quia quid is bet-
ter attested than protinus
15, Proserpina. The line is too short unless the
reading of Plotius 17 be assiuned,
27, (Suit or quid must be read in this position loy rea-
son of the -nt- of intestina being ijnmediately beneatji pulmones
of the next line above; otherwise there will be a gap unac-
counted for.
36, Aquilliaja. The length of the line indicates tiiat
one part of the name' only is employed here as in Vesonia 22,24.
CHAPTER III.
' ,>^ 1 . Palaeography of the Tablets.
All five tablets represent a type of ciirsive script not far
removed from the early capital. When this type is coinpared v/ith
the handwritings of other periods tliat are broi'ght together in
Plate VIII, its primitive character becomes still raore evident,
even after due allowance is made for conspiciious differences
tiiat must result when v;ax or papyrus is substituted for lead.
Beneath all these variations due to liiaterial the typical hand
of a period is clearly visible.
Papyrus presented the easiest surface for writing, as the
freedom and frequency of long curved strokes testify; moreover,
it allowed the writing-point to turn at a sliarp angle from a
down-stroke to a,n up-stroke witnout being lifted; 3,s in S^ in
col. III. On lead, free cujr'ves are fev/ in mmber and up-strokes
are very v/eak. The sliglit angular up-tiirns to be noticed on
E, I, P, T, especially in the Johns Hop-kins tablets, are not,
strictly speaking, up-strokes, but &re s.ccidents due to careless
lifting of t}ie stilus for tlie next dovm-stroke. Writing on lead
of all periods sho\/s how difficult it was for the writer to con-
trol his stilus at a sharp tur*n, or in describing more tha.n a
very sma.ll arc of a circle. As a rule, v/hen the standard form
of letter called for a large arc the writer sketched it in a
broadly angular fashion b^^ lifting his stilus two or three times .
The number and form of the strokes varied with the relative
hardness of the lead. Kometiines wlxere one would expect a curved
stroke, the stilus has suddenly shot forv/ard over an unusually
hard or glazed spot in the jaetal and engraved £i long straight
stroke. At other times the point has met a Jiard granule of
stone v/ith the result that what was intended to be a straight
line lias become a cxur've . The style of v/riting on wax is about
midway between tha,t on papyrus and that on leud; that is to
say, it is marked b;' only an average nvjaber of curves and up-
strokes. The graffiti of Pompeii were written on the most un-
yielding of all the ina.terials chosen to receive v/riting. In
them up-strokes are almost wholly wanting anu it ir. evident
that ciirvea were impossible except on a very large scale, for
the granular surface of the vi/alls offered too great a resist-
ance to the metal point. The writing of the graffiti is even
more cramped and angular than any found on lead. But, beneath
all these differences due to the materials the typical iia.nds
of the various periods can be distinguished. Applying this
conclusion specifically to our tablets, we find tlia.t with all
th«ir peculiarities of handwriting tuey nevertjieless «hov/, even
wit/iou.t the detailed analysis wnich follows, tjieir close kin-
ship with all OMTHive v/riting of tlie first century B. C. on
lead , papyrus , wax or wall .
In o\Ar tablets A is the mo.st variable letter of the entire
alphaoet. Stripped of its eccentricities it reduces itself
to four tvpes /\ //s A /N • These are older forLns
than a very large niufilDei* of those found in the Pompeian wax-
tatlets and are apparantl;'- about contemporary with those in
colvjnns I, II, Hi, IV. But other letters are more conclusive
for date than this. (Cf. the tables in Cagnat, Cours d»Epi-
graphie Latine, 3rd, ed., p. 3).
S resolves itself into two types. One is iiia,nifestly a copy
of the capita.l, a.s in the first line of Plotius -dAid. Vesonia,
where for obvious reasons all the letters are written with much
more than ordinary care. The other type -- • p is shown
by a comparison v'ith the letter in other alphabets to be con-
fined to handwriting of the first century B. C. The concave
upper portion of the right -liand stroke differentiates it from
the later ciu'sive form cK which is easily mistaken for
a Jj . But the early form cannot be so mistaken. This let-
ter therefore points with considert/ule probability to the first
centi.u^y B. C. as the period to vdiich our tablets belong.
C varies Just as we should expect a ".urve to do on this ma-
terial. The form with two strokes seen in columns III--Z, does
not occiu' in our tiiblets, and, as it is found on lead onl;r in
tiie later period, it jaa;^ }ia,ve been developed on pa.pi'T'us .
D clings closely to the capital in form, 1 1 . Save
in one or tv/o instances, and tiiose accidental, tlie left-hand
stroke is i^eriiendicu.lar , v/hile tJie right-hand stroke extends
in a regular ciirve fron a joint to the left of and above the
other stroke to c^ point to the right of and helov/ it, thus de-
scribing a quadrant. The lainus^ule d is formed by converting
the left-hand stroke into a loop and tl.e right into a straight
line which gradually a.ssiiaied tlie perpendiciilar . This letter,
therefore, is a good indicator of jieriod. •, . „
.E and F are xmif ormly | j and I I , and are of no value in
dating, as consultation of the tables will .siiow.
G in almost uniformly C^^ , its variations being accidental.
This points to a date at least as early as the Pompeian wax-tab-
lets.
H exiiibits consistently the pure capital form. All of its
lines are practically straight, and siiov/ none of the minuscule
tendency seen even as early as the handwritings of columns III
and IV, This letter :(ia.i' be classed with B and D for purposes
of dating. " . .
I varies greatly in height, hvt tliere is no connection be-
tween this variation and the quantity of the vowel,
K appears nowhere in the tablets.
As a rule the lov/er stroke of L rises above the horizontal.
In late handwriting the tendency was for it. to drop. In col-
Uiwri I v/e must understand a faint up-stroke or an attempt at an
up-stroke baulked b^' tiie unyielding surface of tiie v/all, im-
mediately preceding the visilale dov/n-stroke . The process of
making this kind of L is seen v/ith great distinctness in inany
instances in all oiir talalets. ■ ^' ■ " ' . -u.
M generall;/- a.ppears in the capital form v;ith stich laodi-
fications as the material would cause. In three tablets a.n oc-
casional Mil is noted. ■■■'"''■ ' - '- ■■■■■ ■ ' '■'
]:T shows natiiral variations of the capital only. This
letter and M are of no service in determining date.
The two-stroked 0 - () , (^ — which is found in oTxr tab-
lets, is norjiia.l for all periods. The letter form itiay he at-
tributed to haste rather than to .'n3,terial.
The loop of F is never written; the letter is always ( .
This would point to a period prior to tlie second century A. D.
Of Q our tablets give only the cursive form, ''~X —
never the modified capital, C) . Both forms are early,
as Plate VIII shov/s .
R is as a rule a hastily written capital, but sometimes
shades off towards the p\irely cursive form without full;' at-
taining it,
S is uniformly my,de with only one stroke. It seems to be
a little earlier tiian the forms of S in coluinns III I'.nd IV.
T, V, and X fail to exhibit any notewortiiy peculiarities.
Y and X do not occiir.
In none of the five tablets is a ligatm^e employed. This
is cliari^cteristic of the defixiones and doubtless results from
the desire to make the v/ords complete. The Sethian tablets
are an exoerition to the rule (cf. Wttnsch, Seth. pp. 53, 55),
but even here the ligatures are fev/ and siiaj-.le.
In nearly every instance the v/ords are clearly divided
from one another oy points situated a little above the line.
Although unnecessary, this kind of punctuation is frequentlir
observed even at the end of a line. On the other liand, the
tv/o vvords of the oft-repeated phrase do tibi a,re seldom di-
vided. Wider spacing bet-./een words than between letters of
the same Vv^ord also helps to distinguish the different words.
Among the palaeographical peculiarities of the tablets
ma;' be classed the syllabic division of words at the end of a
line, as in Plotius 4, 13, and Vesonia 29. Very similar is
the method of correcting an omission, as in Plotius 11.
<^ 2 . dumber of ?Iands .
The handwriting of the several tablets is .almost our
sole criterion for determining the probable number of hands
employed in their production. Examination shows ti-iat the same
iiand wrote Avonia, Vesonia, Plotius and Aquillia, although the
script is not absolutely uniform. Avonia and Vesonia differ
very little from one another. They are ca.refiiily and evenly
written tiirougiiout . Piotxas and Aquillia, on the contrary,
manifest a great lack of care. The notable variation in size,
slant, and alignment of t}ie letters indicates a certain aifiount
of iiaste. The hand, however, is the same (cf , with Avonia and
Vesonia, e.g., Plotius 25-42, a passage written with more than
us\;al care; and with Aquillia, tlie most careless part of Plo-
tius, namely, 10-15).
The relation of Secunda is loy no means as easy to deter-
mine. Only a small portion of the tablet has siir-vived. It
shows fewer free curves and tov-'ar-ds the end degenerates to a
mere scrawl. Nevertheless, taken as a whole, the hand is ev-
idently the sa,me as before. It is true that the writing is
very much larger, but it was quite possible for a man to s,dopt
a nev« size of iiandv/ritlng in beginning a new tablet or a r.ew
page^ as is shown by the enlarged hand uniformly maintained for
seven lines on tli.e reverse of Vesonia. A comparison of this
with t}ie best writing of Secunda ma.kes it plain that the two
handv.-ri tings are of equal proj crtions_^ and, moreover, exliibit
in aliaost every point the same c'liaracteristics . With tliis con-
clusion compare the remark of Wttnsch: "Lie Hand eines Zau-
berer ist auch tiberall da im Spiele, wo ein Fund melirere Tafeln
(1)
mit demselben ausffQir lichen magischen Apparat vereingt . . . ."
(1) Seth. p. 76, note 1.
There are, on ti.e other }ifc.nd, Bevere.l featvires of the
foriiuilae which tend to divide the tablets into gro\;ps in a
striking v/ay and v;hich laB.y }i&,ve some connection with the ques-
tion now under discussion. In Avonia and Vesonia we find
_scapulas (or scajulae) in its natural iiosition; Loth prota-oly
have protinus and neither repeats the expression nl possit d_or -
mire. On the other liand, Plotius, Aquillia and Secunda, show^
out of its logical position, omit protini;s , and repeat ni pos-
sit dormlre wit}; the addition of sanus or saria , as the case ujay
be.
These discrepancies find their most plausible explana-
tion in the assi52iption that the author first wrote Avonia and
Vesonia, when he w8.s freslt and unwearied, for they exjiibit the
best handv/riting and contain fewest errors; that he next wrote
PlotiTis and Aeiuillia (or in reverse order), omitting pr o t i nus ,
misplacing scapulas, repeating n i possit d ormi r e , and at the
same time allowing the writing to degenerate somev/mt; and th^t"
last of a,ll he wrote Secunda, where the mistakes of Plotius and
Aquiilig. are repeated a.nd the increasingly careless writing
manifests the writer's weariness in a long task and his grow-
ing impatience a.s he e.pproached the end.
A 3. Provenience.
Positive testimony is la.cking to sliow exactly wLere the
Johns Hopkins tablets were v/ritten, lovt the appeai-ance of the
noiaina gentilie., Vesoriia and Avonia , and the peculie.r cast of
the formulae . all jioint to Rome.
The gens Vesonia, as vfas pointed oi;t in the coiniiien tarp-
on Vesonic.. , v/as known over a wide i^egion of the Roma.n \7orld.
The name is found once in a Spanish inscription (CIL II 1509;
eleven times in Campania and vicinity (IV 273; 830; 3471;
(3)
(3477; 347B; 3480; 3481; 3482; 4512); 4012; 4678; 5918; X 170;
901; 3091 his); six times in Ap\ilia and Samniiim (IX 898 ;
2020; 2021 bis; 2421 bis); once in Worthern Italy (V 961);
twelve times in Rome (VI 6136; 10407; 20638 ter;^28622; 28623
bis; 28624; XV 3688); once in Gallia ITarbonensis (JII 5690-
128). In brief, the najae is foimd by far the most frequently
in Central Italy. . , ^
In the second place a jeculiar cast of the formulae
links them with formulae the jjrovenience of v/hich is certain,
Porxaulae written in one locality are, as a riue , very similar
in most i)articulars ; v/hile there uib^i' be ms.ny individual differ-
ences in spelling and in the order of the expressions employed ,
yet there still remain the ea.r-m&-rks of the local school of
magi, Por example; formulae from Cyi^rus have such strong mu-
tual resemblances that these, in the absence of other evidences,
(3) Numbers in brackets refer to one individual.
(5)
would "be sufficient to identify a tablet from that island;
(6) (7)
and the saine is true of tlie tablets froiii Carth&^ge, Pladri'xietvun,
(0)
and fourth century Rome , The lautual resemblsLnces a.iiiong formu-
lae iroifl other localities are less iJiarked, but are nevertheie-ss
(9) (10)
far from being ima.ginar'";^; e.g., the Cnidian a.nd the Attic
(11)
formulae. In addition to these there is a group of th-ree
(11a)
tablets from Latium whose formulae not only resemble one an-
other, but are very similar to the formulae of our tablets.
The feati^re cominon to all is the painfully detailed list of
bodily' iiiejabers of tlie several victims concerned. This is
found to some extent in other gro\ips, but in none but the
grou.p from Latiiun does it receive such careful attention. Au-
dollent assigns all three tablets to the second century of the
(12)
Cliristian era, a period at lea.st two centuries letter tiian
that in v/hich our tablets originated. But the chronology'- of
t}iese tablets has less bearing in the present connection tiis.n
the fact that all possess in coimnon a characteristic feature
which stamps them as a local grox-'p. It seems therefore likely
(5) Cf. Aud. 22-57.
(6) Cf. Aud. 234-242.
(7) Aud. 272-274; 275-284; 2B6-291; 292-294.
(8) Cf. Aud. 159-187.
(9) Aud. 1-13.
(10) Wttnsch DTA 64-73.
(11) Cf. Aud. p. xlv.
(11a) Aud. 134, 135, 190.
(12) Cf. Aud. Indices, p. 556; ■ Schneider, no. 389.
that our tablets represent an ea.rl'"' type of which the later
(13)
formr.lae a,re degenerate offsjiring.
Ktill cleo.rer and uiore definite indications are fur-
nished by the range of the gens Auonia which is known only
from epigraphical sci;rces. The naiae (including the form
Aonia) occurs in thirty-six inscriptions fron Rome, in tl"iree
from Old Lati\ufl,arid in onl;- five from all ether localities to-
gether. (Cf. Thes. Ling. lat. u.nder Auoniiis and Aonius) . Its
presence in our tablets points with strong probability to the
conclusion that they were v.T-itten in Rome.
The only evidence bearing on the date to which the tab-
lets should be assigned is that furnisiied by the text itself,
u.
especially the type of the alphabet, the jsise of the aspirate
ch, of ei for i, of lucto for the deponent luctor, and finally
the order of words in the name Maxima. Vesonia.
^ The alphabet has been so fully discussed in ^ / tliat
only a summary of its special features needs to be given here.
The letters may be divided into tiiree grades according to
their importance in this connection. First, there are those
letters that have practically no value - C, F,, P, I, M, N, 0,
Q,, T, V, X; second, those that indicate the time within cer-
(13) "Dissentire praecipue defixiones fateor quae locis
aetateque separatae a diuersissimis exaratae sunt hominibus,
duii contra arta quadam adfinitate ne dican cognations fere co-
niunguntur quae conscriptae simul fuerunt; diuisos nihilominus
regione quanouam re et tempore proximos titulos aut contra loco
uicinos aetate longinquos non miraberis oinnino non consonare."
tcvin 'broad limits - A, G, L, P, R; B.nd third, those thcit de-
termine the period within comparatively narrow limits -
B, D, H, S. . ^ ..... •
The letters of the second group a.lone v/arrant the asser-
tion that our tablets are earlier than the v/ax tablets of
Dacia; but tliose of tiie third group set the limit back fullj-
a century. In fact tliey probably anteda.te tlie hands represent"
ed in coliunns III and IV of Plate VIII and at the same time
ffill betv/een the j-eriods represented by the hands in columns
I and II. B and H are particule.rly decisive letters. Alpha-
betical peculiarities, therefore, not only fix the terminus ad
quern at 100 A, I),, but point to tiie period betvfeen 75 e.nd
25 B. C.
The use of tlie aspirate ch in pulchra and bracchia sets
the terminus a quo not earlier tlian 105, and, in all probabil-
(14)
ity not earlier t};an 75 B. C; for only one example of an as-
pirated consonant is noted j;rior to the jieriod 105-95. The
phenomenon flvictuates bet\7een 95 and 55, but after the latter
(15)
date is practically constant.
The phenomenon of £i for T appears in our tablets in
sei, seiue, seic, sue is , nei ,^deicere , The first foi;.r words
appear imiformly thus, but the le,st two appear generally as
(14) e.l.L. I 541; VI, 331.
(15) Ritschl, Opus. IV, p. 765; Schneider, p. 131.
ni and dicer e . The absence of ne is notev^orthy.
In the depa.rtment of def ixiones , ever;- tablet where thais
spelling is foimd is assigned to tlie first century, B. C,
The following v/ords occur: eimferis (Aud, 137, 1); infereis
(199, 6); nisei (197, 3; sei\;e (196, 3); g ue i (139, 11); seic
(139, 3; 9); tihei (139, 13). In his note on i.nfere^i£ Audol-
lent accounts the spelling as one of the reasons for assigning
the tablet in which it is found to the first century, B. C.
Beside this v/e place the testimony of the Poinpeian pri-
vate inscriptions v/hich likewise belong to the vulgar sphere,
(18)
Fere Loimnatzsch has collected the instances tliat manifestly
belong to the Empire and finds only eighteen, "This," he
says, "beside the great mass of extant inscriptions is s, van-
ishingly sma.ll number." His final conclusion (p. 137) em-
bracing official and private inscriptions together is,tlis-t the
use of _ei for _i in the inscriptions of the Empire is limited
to a few quite definite instances, especially the plural end-
ings of the second declenaionj and, though frecnient at the be-
ginning of the Empire, it soon declines to the extent of prac-
tically disappearing, except in a few fossilized words, as
he i c , sei, seiue, seic,
So far then as sueis, sei, seiue, seic and nei are con-
cerned t};ere is nothing to sijggest a period earlier timn the
(10) pp. 132-133.
reign of Augustus, "but de a cere and nei occiu'ring tliree times
each as against die ere six times and ni fourteen times point
iDack to a period of transition. In accuratelv dated inscrip-
(19)
tions deicere dies out with the Lex Ix'.lia Municii^alis of 45
3. C, where v;e find only deicet ( 8) and deicere ( ,110) as
compared witli many occurrences of the later form. In tliis in-
scription ni is found once {. ^l3b) and niue once ( ,131); nei
and neiue ten times all told, vmile exc^Biples of ne and neue
are too numerous to count. These facts, too, point to a peri-
od of transition fvnd to the decided predominance of ne and di-
~(20) ~"
cere over tlie earlier forms. In the Cenotaphia Pisana, of 13
A. D,, nei and neiue heA'e disappeared and only ne , neue , and
ni, niue_ remain, while the Momentum Anc;rramua of the next year
insfipt'roi-iS
shows only ne , Douotless had the Pisan^^heen luider Imperial
direction the forms ni and niiie would not ha.ve appee^red at al3 ^
(21)
Now Ritschl ha-s observed that _ni occupied a middle position in
time between nei and ne . In other words, ne was the form em-
ployed almcr>t exclusively in the fifth century of the city;
then nei appeared, foil owed closely by ni. In the seventh cen-
tury the tliree forms are used side by side; but in the eighth,
ni forms drop out, nei forms appear but seldom, and ne forms
become established as the standard. The almost exclvisive use
of ni_ in Our tablets is, therefore, clear warrant for assign-.
(19) CIL I, 206, ' (22) Cf. Lommatisch.
(20) CIL, XI, 1420-1,
(21) Opus. II, pp. 624 ff.
ing tliem to a period not ffir reiaoved fro;/i the Lex lulia, Mu-
nicipalis, sa.y, not later tlian 25 B.C.
The use of lucto in the active voice jioints v/ith consid-
erable proba,bility to the first century B.C. The latest ap-
pearance of lucto uncompo\mded is a passe.ge in the Be Lingua
(25) (24)
Latina of Varro which was v»-ritten before 43 B.C. Only tlie
compound re lucto appears after the end of the Republic and
that only tiiree times e^nd xmder circ^unstances where v/e should
expect to find archaic diction. The testimony of Priscian
relaitive to the antiquity of the active lucto is tJrjat it \7a,s
(25)
used only by the very eaxlj" authors. In ovr tablets, there-
fore, we have one of the latest recorded excuaples of this verb
(26)
v/hich disappears from extant literattire before 40 B.C.
Momiasen, in a note on CIL I, 1063, makes this reiiiark;
"Insunt in hoc cum quibusdam notis altioris a-ntiqui tatis ut
sunt noraen pi'-opriujn muliebre primo loco I'ositum (ilarta Postu-
mia, Saluia Seruia) et orthographica quaedfuu (liberteis, meeis
Antiocus)". 0^^r tablets exiiibit the first of these phenomena
(26a)
in the name Itojcima Vesonia, and possibly in Aquillia. It is
(23) V 10, 61.
(24) See Scha,nz, ROmische Litteratiirgesciiichte , 3rd. ed.,
VIII, 1, II, p. 441.
(25) "Prae terea pliu'ima i nueniuntvtr apud iietusti ssimos ,
quae c o n tr a _c o ns ue t u dinem uel acti uam_ pro passiua \xel passiuam
pro actiua habent terminationem, ut . . . .lucto pro luctoi-*. ..."
VIII" 5, 25. k.
(26) Cf. note on Plotius 7 .j and ITeue III 53.
(26a) See Aquillia 3.
, rT9sr">rcV
(27)
well known that in the earlier Reptiblic a daughter's name
was flicJ.de up of her father's gentiliciuja and an individual mime
used as a praenomen; e.g., Secunde, Valeria., Lfe.xsvaaa Sadria,
Prima Poinpeia. This praenomen was not ahlDreviated like the
masculine praenomen , but was written in full. Its use was,
however, optionctl and resembled in tliat respect the masculine
cognomen. In the later Republic it beccune customary to drop
the praenomen a,l together and employ simply the gentile name,
e.g., .Antonia, Caesonia, Calpurnia, Cornelia, lulia. About
the end of the Republic tlie cijstom changed again e.nd the indi-
n
vidual names \/ere once inore used, not as praenoml^, hov/ever,
but as cognomina; e.g. Vitellia Rufilla, Caecilia iletella.
~~ ~~ " 728") ""
This became the establis}ied custom for the Empire, How the
name Ifaxima Vesonia belongs to the older type while Auonis.
conforms either to the optional method of aropping the prae-
nomen in the earlier period or to iim customary usage of a
somewhat later period. The mixed usa.ge doubtless indicates a
period of transition, which must be placed several years es.r-
lier tiian 25 B.C. and probo/ol;'- even earlier tiian the year 40.
At all events our tablets are earlier than Aud . 130 ( CIL I
818) which is dated 50 - 10 B.C.; there we read Sergia Gly-
cinna.
(27) Of', Lto-rquardt-Maaiasee, p. 17, which we have substan-
tially translated.
(28) See also llau in Pauly-Wissowa under cognomen, IV,
p. 229.
cXt^e Bdi ni
In short, all the lines of evidence point clee-rl;'- to the
first centxrry B.C. as tlie period in v/hich the Johns Hopkins
ta'blets were v/ritten. The character of the alphabet employed
and the use of ei for i sliovv tiiat tl-iey are not later than 25
B.C., and the appearance of the aspirate ch indicates a time
not :auch ea.rlier than 75 B.C. The axtive lucto coiud scarce-
ly have appeared "orjfoFQ 40 B.C., nor is it likely that the
naiaes LTaxiLoa Vesonia and Avonia coxild have oeen used together
hat date. We are therefore Justified in concluding
that the ta'blets were written in the month of Pehruary (as the
formulae state) during a year of the period betv/een 75 and
40 B.C., the actual date probably being nearer to 40 tlian
to 75.
VITA.
William Sherwood Fox was born in Throopsville , N. Y., June
17, 1378. His elejientary and High School educittion was re-
ceived in Erie and Pittsburg, Pa,, and Toronto, Canada, In
1396 he entered McMaster Universitv of the last named citj'-,
where for four years he pursued the special coivrsea in the
classical languages. He there obtained the degree of Bachelor
of Arts in 1900 and five years later tha.t of Ms-ster of Arts
(extra-mural). In the autiunn of 1900 he was appointed Profes-
sor of Latin and Greek in Brandon College, Brandon, 3/Ianitoba,
which position he held until 1909. During this period he was
granted two years' leave of absence for tiie pxxrpose of further
study. The first year, 1902-03, was spent in the University
of Geneva, Switzerlaiid, and Athens, Greece; and the follov/ing
year in Johns Hopkins University, At the termination of his
residence in Brandon in 1909 he resuraed his studies in Johns
Hopkins, selecting as his subjects Classical Arcliaeology,
Greek and Latin, For the year 1909-10 he was Fellow by Coiuf-
tosy, and for 1910-11 University Fellow in the department of
Classical Arclxaeology .
Ackn0'»7led£^ients are due to Professor H, L. Wilson at whose
suggestion the j^resent subject was undertaken, ana to Professors
B.L .Gildersleeve, K.F, Smith, D.M.Robinson, C .W.E .Miller , W.P.
Mustard for their invaluable advice and assistance. Their un-
failing courtesy and joan;'' kind attentions will alv/a;^s be most
gratefully rej.iembered .
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