As the young princes are larging it up over at Sextus Tarquin's place, the conversation turns to the merits of their respective wives...
The basic translation of this passage was fairly strightforward, but working out who was who was a bit tricky - indeed, ChatGPT failed miserably when I put it to the test!
We have to keep in mind that this is a story about two cousins, Sextus Tarquinius and Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus. (Sextus is the son of Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, the last king of Rome, while "Collatinus" is the son of Egerius.)
Today's Latin sentence:
forte potantibus his apud Sex. Tarquinium, ubi et Collatinus cenabat Tarquinius, Egeri filius, incidit de uxoribus mentio. suam quisque laudare miris modis
In this particular sentence, the inflection of the names shows us that "Tarquinium" (-um) is the object of the first clause while "Collatinus," "Tarquinius," and "Egeri filius" (-us) all belong together as the subject of the second clause, which you can see in my translation notes below:
ChatGPT Messes Up (Again)
However, when I challenged ChatGPT to translate that part, it assumed that it named THREE people:
It took two more attempts on my part to get ChatGPT on track (excuse the typing errors):
Here is my translation:
While they were drinking heavily at Sextus Tarquinius' place, where Tarquinus Collatinus, son of Egerius, was also dining, it happened that the conversation turned to their wives, each praising the wonderful attributes of his own.
It is this wife-boasting business that leads to disaster, as we shall see...
Resources:
Livy, Ab Urbe Condita Libri http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0160%3Abook%3D1%3Achapter%3D57
Translation Part 1: @hirohurl/translating-livy-s-account-of-the-rape-of-lucretia-part-1-ardeam-rutuli-habebant
Translation Part 2: @hirohurl/translating-livy-s-account-of-the-rape-of-lucretia-part-2-temptata-res-est
Translation Part 3: @hirohurl/translating-livy-s-account-of-the-rape-of-lucretia-part-3-in-his-stativus
Translation Part 4: @hirohurl/translating-livy-s-account-of-the-rape-of-lucretia-part-4-regii-quidem-iuvenes
Working with ChatGPT to translate Livy: @hirohurl/working-with-chatgpt-to-translate-livy-s-latin-into-english-the-interrogation-process
Picture source: commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wall_painting_-mistress_and_three_maids-Herculaneum(insula_orientalis_II_-palaestra-room_III)-_Napoli_MAN_9022.jpg
David Hurley