Metamorphoses 6.23

Sic fatus iubet Mercurium deos omnes ad contionem protinus convocare ac si qui coetu caelestium defuisset, in poenam decem milium nummum conventum iri pronuntiare. Quo metu statim completo caelesti theatro, pro sede sublimi sedens procerus Iuppiter sic enuntiat: ‘Dei conscripti Musarum albo, adulescentem istum quod manibus meis alumnatus sim, profecto scitis omnes, cuius primae iuventutis caloratos impetus freno quodam coercendos existimavi. Sat est cotidianis eum fabulis ob adulteria cunctasque corruptelas infamatum: tollenda est omnis occasio et luxuria puerilis nuptialibus pedicis alliganda. Puellam elegit et virginitate privavit: teneat, possideat, amplexus Psychen semper suis amoribus perfruatur’: et ad Venerem collata facie, ‘Nec tu,’ inquit ‘Filia, quicquam contristere nec prosapiae tantae tuae statuque de matrimonio mortali metuas. Iam faxo nuptias non impares sed legitimas et iure civili congruas,’ en illico per Mercurium arripi Psychen et in caelum perduci iubet. Porrecto ambrosiae poculo, ‘ Sume,’ inquit ‘ Psyche, et immortalis esto; nec unquam digredietur a tuo nexu Cupido sed istae vobis erunt perpetuae nuptiae.’

VOCABULARY

• contio: a meeting, assembly, convocation, gathering, audience
• protinus: right onward, forward, farther on, here: immediately
• coetu: sexual union, a coming, here: a meeting
• procerus: high, tall, long, outstretched, raised
• albus: white, matte white (dead white), here: register
• alumno: nourish, raise, educate
• caloratus: hot, heated, incited, furious
• pedica: a shackle, fetter, or chain for the feet, snare
• alligo: to bind, to hold fast, to hinder; in moral sense: oblige
• eligo: to pluck out, root out, choose (correctly), select
• perfruor: to enjoy fully, be delighted
• contristo: to sadden, make gloomy, cloud, dim, darken
• prosapia: a stock, race, family (Archaic, see note 9, pg. 4, Ruebel)
• arripio: to seize, snatch, lay hold of, draw a person or thing to one’s self (esp. with haste)

NOTES ON MORPHOLOGY

• iubet…Mercurium…convocare…deos omnes
• si…defuisset…pronuntiare…decem milium nummum conventum iri: Past Contrary-to-Fact Conditional in an Indirect Statement; Treat conventum iri as if standing in for passive periphrastic (see: Lewis & Short 2.B.5)
• Quo theatro…completo: Connecting relative modifying thesubject of the Ablative Absolute
• caloratos impetus: acc. subj. of the indirect statement
• coercendos (esse): Passive periphrastic denoting future obligation.
• omnis occasio: sc. adulteria cunctasque corruptelas
• est…infamatum: take together
• prosapiae tantae tuae statuque: either variatio or read: statuique
• faxo (ut)…congruas: Present subjunctive in a substantive ut clause (object)
• esto: 2nd pers. fut. imper.