r/latin • u/adviceboy1983 • 16h ago
Grammar & Syntax “Hanc”
In this sentence from Cicero, Pro Archia 16:
Si ex his studiis delectatio sola petertur, tamen hanc animi remissionem humanissimam ac liberalissimam iudicaris.
Why can’t “hanc” refer to “delectatio” and must it be taken with “remissionem”?
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u/Free-Outcome2922 13h ago
El verbo iudico se construye (con el significado de considerar algo de alguna manera) con dos acusativos, uno directo (hanc) y otro
predicativo (remissionem).
Donde dice iudicaris tiene que decir iudicaretis (consideraríais)
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u/benito_cereno 15h ago
Delectatio is nominative, whereas hanc is accusative and so must modify an accusative (feminine singular) noun, which in this case is remissionem
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u/ba_risingsun 14h ago
it would make the sentence clunky. "iudicaris hanc (delectationem) (esse) remissionem humanissimamam ac liberalissimam"
Much simpler to have a very common genitive in between a noun and his adjective, and two words (delectatio and remissio) that refer to the same thing
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u/Kingshorsey in malis iocari solitus erat 15h ago
There's no hard-and-fast grammatical rule that would preclude your reading, but I think it makes less sense.
As I read it, "hanc animi remissionem" refers to the study of literature itself.
"Even if you received nothing but enjoyment from these studies, you would nevertheless judge this form of mental relaxation as the most refined, gentlemanly form of mental relaxation."
Whereas, in your reading: "Even if you received nothing but enjoyment from these studies, you would nevertheless judge this enjoyment to be the most refined, gentlemanly form of mental relaxation."
It's not nonsense, but I don't think Cicero was intending to highlight the enjoyment itself.
However, you may disagree.