But one could also see ruina as ablative of means, and litora obstantia in the nominative plural: ‘and due to the collapse of the mountain, the shoreline blocking ’.

(The Latin is tricky: ruina may be nominative–in parallel with cinis, pumices, lapides, and vadum–, agreeing with a rare form of obstantia as a substantive perhaps preserving some participial force from its verbal origin ( obsto) that acts upon litora as an object. It is a play-by-play that increases the danger with each phrase (this is called tricolon crescens): first ash (even that gets more hazardous the closer they get) then light and relatively harmless pumice then proper stone that is itself three times transformed (blackened, burnt, broken) then the fall of the mountain and perhaps the subsidence of the sea that has turned navigable sea into impassable shallows. Younger Pliny builds a sense of immediate adventure with repetition of a key word three times: iam, (basic meaning: “now”).

Having hesitated a bit about whether he should turn back, he soon said to the helmsman, who was advising that he do just that: “Fortune favors the brave: head for Pomponianus.” Cunctatus paulum an retro flecteret, mox gubernatori ut ita faceret monenti ‘Fortes’ inquit ‘fortuna iuvat: Pomponianum pete.’ġ1 Now ash was falling on the ships, hotter and heavier the nearer they approached then pumice-stones, and even stones, blackened, burnt, and broken by fire then unexpected shallows, and the collapse of the mountain as a blockage upon the shoreline. It is likely late afternoon as the ships approach shore.ġ1 Iam navibus cinis incidebat, quo propius accederent, calidior et densior iam pumices etiam nigrique et ambusti et fracti igne lapides iam vadum subitum ruinaque montis litora obstantia. He is commanding several warships, and noting down his observations of the eruption as it develops. This is the fourth installment for letter 6.16.Īt this point in the story, the Elder Pliny has set off to rescue citizens trapped in their villas below Vesuvius on the east edge of the Bay of Naples. This post belongs to a serialized translation and commentary of Pliny the Younger’s letters ( 6.16 and 6.20) to the historian Tacitus about the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. A Roman seaside villa on a sunnier day (fresco from the Villa San Marco, Stabiae)

Fortune favors the brave vs bold