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The asker opted for community grading. The question was closed on 2010-07-21 00:54:09 based on peer agreement (or, if there were too few peer comments, asker preference.)
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Latin to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature | | Latin term or phrase: ad testimonia Græcorum Poëtarum stabit aut cadet! | "Ad testimonia" does not make sense to me in this context. My Oxford lexicon has 46 entries for it, and I'm not sure I understand the sentence correctly.
Any feedback is appreciated.
Source:
Sed progreditur ulterius Rudbeckius, & qvi nihil magis in tota operis sui mole propositum habuit, qvàm Historiam Danicum impetere, tandem Magnus Frothonem penitùs nobis auferre conatur ... O miseram Historiæ Septentrionalis conditionem si quidem ad testimonia Græcorum Poëtarum stabit aut cadet!
My rendition:
Yet Rudbeckius continiues further, and having no more purpose in sum of the heap of his work than to secure the History of the Danes, at last Magnus Frothonem deeply attempts to offer to us... Oh, wretched condition of the History of the Septentrionalis, if, indeed, upon the testimony of the Greek poets it shall stand or fall! |
|  Chris LovelaceKudoZ activityQuestions: 19 (none open) Answers: 17
Argentina
| | Local time: 02:31
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| | if it shall stand or fall upon the testimony of the Greek poets. | Explanation:
I think you are right with this phrase. Ad = "with respect to, regarding". My guess: Greek poets have little of substance to say about the Scandanavian peoples, and are not a worthy source of evidence (witness in this sense) for them.
Some other remarks: I think impetere means "attack", as it often does.
Historiam Danicum should be Historiam Danicam or Danicorum; it's just possible that Danicum is a contracted gen pl equivalent of Danicorum, used in poetry and rarely in prose. Auferre (ab + ferre) with penitus and nobis means "take off our hands altogether" i.e. do away with him. |
| Selected response from:
Stephen C. Farrand
United States
Local time: 01:31
| Grading comment Very helpful. Thank you!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer |
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| Discussion entries: 0 |
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Automatic update in 00:
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13 hrs confidence:  peer agreement (net): +3 if it shall stand or fall upon the testimony of the Greek poets.
Explanation:
I think you are right with this phrase. Ad = "with respect to, regarding". My guess: Greek poets have little of substance to say about the Scandanavian peoples, and are not a worthy source of evidence (witness in this sense) for them.
Some other remarks: I think impetere means "attack", as it often does.
Historiam Danicum should be Historiam Danicam or Danicorum; it's just possible that Danicum is a contracted gen pl equivalent of Danicorum, used in poetry and rarely in prose. Auferre (ab + ferre) with penitus and nobis means "take off our hands altogether" i.e. do away with him.
| Stephen C. Farrand
United States
Local time: 01:31
Meets criteria
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:  English
PRO pts in category: 20
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