Cassiodorus, Variae book 1, letter 10, from Theodoric to Boethius.
Commentary by Jacques Bailly

Note that the section divisions used here are ad hoc, not a standard way of dividing the letter.

LIBER I EPISTOLA X. BOETIO VIRO ILLUSTRI ATQUE PATRICIO THEODORICUS REX. Scribit domesticos protectores equitum et peditum, qui aulae regiae jugiter excubant, conquestos esse ab arcario praefectorum se pro emolumentis solemnibus integri ponderis solidos non percipere, et in numero gravia dispendia sustinere. Ubi tractat de arithmetica, de denario numero, de solido, de senario, uncia et libra, quae prohibet quominus ullatenus imminuantur.

This letter reads like an editorial: it urges sound monetary policy. The immediate reason for the letter is that people have been complaining that they have not been paid all they are owed by the treasury. The letter, however, urges that currency should not be debased or in any way compromised. The reason is metaphysical and number-mystical, although practical and ethical considerations are alluded to.

[1] A generic principle of justice is that it applies to all equally. Those who are of high standing take it for granted, however, and it comes to them without asking, while others who are not of high standing are given it when owed if they are properly fulfilling their role.

Licet universis populis generalis sit impendenda justitia, quae sic nominis sui obtinet dignitatem, si aequabili moderatione per potiores currat et humiles, confidentius tamen illam expetunt, qui a palatii militia non recedunt. Otioso enim gratuite praestatur aliquid munificentia principali; consuetudo autem quodam debito redditur fideliter obsequenti. 



Sentence Structure:
 licet ... sit: licet "although" takes subjunctive. | aequabili moderatione: abl. of manner. | currat: present subj.: future-less-vivid protasis. | gratuite ... obsequenti: there is an antithesis here (hence autem) between what is freely given to someone of the leisure class (otioso) out of imperial generosity (munificentia principali) and what is given to one who is of a lower class or outside the power structure of the court, when owed (quodam debito), if they are fulfilling their duty properly (fideliter obsequenti). Note, however, that fideliter just might modify redditur instead of obsequenti, if emphasis is placed on the giver of justice (the unexpressed agent of redditur). The Latin is ambiguous. | consuetudo ... redditur: consuetudo = "the custom of giving justice": saying "the custom is granted" (consuetudo redditur) is a figurative way of speaking: a less flowery speaker might say "usually we return what is owed" or the like: Cassiodorus' habit is to write this way.

[2] People have been complaining that they were not paid all they were owed. Money ought not to be debased.

 Domestici partis equitum et peditum, qui nostrae aulae videntur jugiter excubare, quod ex magnis fieri doloribus solet, adunata nobis supplicatione conquesti sunt ab illo arcario praefectorum pro emolumentis solemnibus nec integri ponderis solidos percipere et in numero gravia se dispendia sustinere. Quapropter prudentia vestra lectionibus erudita dogmaticis scelestam falsitatem a consortio veritatis ejiciat, ne cui sit appetibile aliquid de illa integritate subducere.

Domestici partis equitum et peditum: These are perhaps officials, perhaps businesspeople. equites pedites is used to refer to the people as a whole in Classical Latin: perhaps here as well. There were comitiva domesticorum and magistri peditum and magistri equitum (military officers) as well as comes domesticorum peditum (an office in the ranks of the imperial foot guard) and comes domesticorum equitum (an office in the ranks of the imperial mounted guard). | quod: "which," refers to the whole situation presented in the previous relative clause rather than a particular word. | in numero: modifies gravia. | prudentia vestra ... ejiciat: more figurative language, referring to a person as prudentia. A straightforward way to say this might be prudenter ejicere debes. | scelestam falsitatem a consortio veritatis: more figurative language. Cassiodorus is speaking of whether the money supply is kept pure or adulterated with cheaper metals or by skimping on the weight, but he couches it in high philosophical language of truth and falsity: here, 'truth' = the state in which a coin meets the standard for that coin, and 'false' = the state in which it fails to do so. | ne cui sit: cui = alicui. Negative purpose clause. | integritate: the soundness of the money supply, the "wholeness" of the coin of the realm, which was the solidum.

[3] Cassiodorus (and Boethius) uses 'arithmetic' to refer to the fundamentals of all mathematics, not the elementary 'arithmetic' that the word refers to in English today.
Cassiodorus' claim that there is nothing that is not quantifiable is interesting, and perhaps applies only to earthly things (terrena), but the reasoning behind it (which would be more interesting) is evidently not important in this context, which calls for the trappings of sophistication: it is important to convey to Boethius, who is a pre-eminent intellect, that the 'author' of this letter can communicate intellectually, but it is not important to present a fully developed philosophy, or even to really be coherent: the appearance of coherence suffices. Boethius' own prose is nowhere near as convoluted and figurative as Cassiodorus'.

Haec enim quae appellatur arithmetica inter ambigua mundi certissima ratione consistit, quam cum coelestibus aequaliter novimus: evidens ordo, pulchra dispositio, cognitio simplex, immobilis scientia, quae et superna continet, et terrena custodit. Quid est enim quod aut mensuram non habeat, aut pondus excedat? Omnia complectitur, cuncta moderatur et universa hinc pulchritudinem capiunt, quia sub modo ipsius esse noscuntur.

ambigua mundi: down here in the temporal world, things are uncertain. | certissima ratione: ablative of manner. | cum coelestibus aequaliter novimus: 'we' refers to humans (as opposed to coelestes), and 'know' (novimus) may mean not only 'know' but also 'experience.' Arithmetic applies in both the divine and the human realm. | evidens ordo, pulchra ... scientia : these 4 phrases are all meant either to be in apposition to arithmetica or there is an understood arithmetica est (or the like) here, depending on how one punctuates. The colon indicates that this is an independent clause and so arithmetica est (or the like) is understood: a comma would indicate apposition. | quod ... habeat, ... excedat: relative clause of characteristic. To "go beyond weight" (pondus excedat) must mean something like "not have weight." One might object that all sorts of mundane things don't have weight (the color of these words, the twoness of two apples, the ugliness of sin), but perhaps those 'things' are not complete things, just aspects of complete things, all of which have weight.

[4] In Boethius de Arithmetica, II.41 (aka de Institutione Arithmetica), Boethius cites the Pythagorean, Platonic, Aristotelian, and Archytan pedigree of the perfection of 10 but does not explain it thoroughly. One can gather from various sources that, because 4+3+2+1 = 10, and 1, 2, 3, 4 (often represented by a triangle-shaped dot diagram) is the "tetraktys" by which Pythagoreans supposedly swore an oath, 10 is somehow important and called "perfect." 
This passage might, however, have more to do with the base-10 number system -- which is also known as the 'decimal' or 'denary' (from denarius) system -- the one we use today, because that makes adequate sense of this passage. The reference to fingers supports that: base-10 numbering works well with our 10 fingers, a fact noticed many times in many places.
Trying to explain base-ten numbers in words, however, is hard: as one adds to any number in the 1's column, if it exceeds 10, one starts again in the 1's column at 0 and adds that "10" as a "1" to the 10's column, whereupon if the 10's column exceeds 10, one takes that 10 away from it and puts it in the 100's column, etc. Thus 10 is never exceeded and always returns to itself. Another way to put it is that as one counts on one's fingers, one can get to 10, but then one must put that 10 aside (perhaps making a mark to represent 1 set of 10, or perhaps having another person use their fingers to keep track of 10's, or perhaps a system of flexing (inflexis ... erectis) can be used) and start again.
Note that Cassiodorus, in his Institutions book 2, treats of arithmetic, following Boethius in much of his material.

Juvat inspicere quemadmodum denarius numerus more coeli et in se revolvitur et numquam deficiens invenitur. Crescit nova conditione per se redeundo addita sibi semper ipsa calculatio et, cum denarius non videatur excedi, ex modicis praevalet majora complecti. Hoc saepe repetitum inflexis manualibus digitis et erectis redditur semper extensum, et quanto ad principium suum supputatio reducitur, tanto amplius indubitanter augetur.
 
more coeli: more is an ablative of manner modifying revolvitur and invenitur. coeli is a possessive genitive. | in se revolvitur: a "middle": both revolvitur and invenitur are indicative, which makes quemadmodum a simple relative, not an interrogative (which would introduce a subjunctive indirect question). | Crescit nova conditione per se redeundo addita sibi semper ipsa calculatio: ipsa calculatio is subject of crescit semper. per se redeundo is an ablative gerund, ablative of means. addita sibi is a circumstantial participle modifying calculatio.  | cum ... non videatur: causal cum takes subjunctive.

[5] Following Boethius, Cassiodorus defined arithmetica as disciplina quantitatis numerabilis secundum se at Institutes 2.3.21. Whatever comes to be as a quantifiable thing is always quantifiable.
Quantitate numerabili harena maris, guttae pluviarum, stellae lucidae concluduntur. Auctori quippe suo omnis creatura sub numero est et quidquid ad existentiam pervenit, a tali non potest conditione dimoveri.

Auctori quippe suo omnis creatura sub numero est: quippe indicates that this clause should give the reason for what precedes. sub numero est is likely synonymous with in numero (esse) "(to be) among," "to be reckoned among," or "to be in the set of," and dative auctori suo depends on numero as a dative of possession.

[6] Although worldly and common, money should share important traits with arithmetica: it should be reliable, pure, true, and constant. The names of monetary units themselves (solidum, denarius, libra, senarius, and uncia) indicate that. Cassiodorus uses "etymology" as if words reflect essential knowledge because chosen or formed in a time when humans knew more. While this has been called the "etymological fallacy," it makes good sense when one sees it as similar to a metaphor or other figure of speech rather than a scientific claim. Before ca. 1800, when comparative linguistics got its systematic start, etymology was non-scientific and relied more on creative imagination than rule-and-evidence-based reasoning. The connection between 6000 denarii and one solidus and the age of the world is fantasy by presentist standards, but by the standards of the time part and parcel of the intellectual landscape.
It must be noted that Cassiodorus' figures do not seem to make sense for any particular coinage of any particular time.

 Et quoniam delectat nos secretiora hujus disciplinae cum scientibus loqui, pecuniae ipsae, quamvis usu celeberrimo viles esse videantur, animadvertendum est quanta tamen a veteribus ratione collectae sunt. Sex milia denariorum solidum esse voluerunt, scilicet ut radiantis metalli formata rotunditas aetatem mundi, quasi sol aureus, convenienter includeret.

Sentence structure:
 quamvis ... videantur: concessive quamvis "although," "however much you want" takes subjunctive usually. | quanta ... collectae sunt: the indicative verb indicates that quanta is a relative here. collectae sunt means something like "they have been put together." | sex milia: mille in singular is an adjective, while plural milia, -arum is a noun and takes the genitive (hence denariorum). | solidum: the solidus nummus was also called an aureus. When first introduced it was worth "about 25 denarii" (Lewis & Short), but its value changed many times, and drastically, over the centuries until Cassiodorus' time. | voluerunt: subject is veteres from previous sentence. | ut ... includeret: secondary sequence purpose clause. | distingueret and contineret: subjunctive because in a relative clause of characteristic.

[7] The basic thrust of the next sentence is to connect coinage to more exalted things, namely mathematical and celestial things.
The main clause is somewhat illogical at first sight: "Antiquity designated the hexad by the name 'twelfth' (aka 'ounce')." A senarius or 'hexad' is a unit of 6, but it is a 'twelfth' relative to the libra. Cassiodorus symbolically connects 12 ouces to the celestial model of 12 months to a year. As for the senarius, the hexad, it is 'perfect' because it, like 1, is the sum of its own whole-number factors (1+2+3=6). Cassiodorus says nothing about why he is talking about the hexad here: Barnish suggests in a footnote that a coin that is worth 6 solidi might be called a senarius, and would be struck from 1/12 of a pound of gold, but it is hard to find a coin called a 'senarius.' This is a highly mystical, symbolic, and poetic approach to mundane practical matters.
 
Senarium vero, quem non immerito perfectum antiquitas docta definit, unciae, qui mensurae primus gradus est, appellatione signavit, quam duodecies similitudine mensium computatam in librae plenitudinem ad anni curricula collegerunt.

Sentence Analysis:

[8] Cassiodorus reaches the by now ponderously obvious punchline of the poetic, mystical symbolism preceding: coinage is a utilitarian phenomenon that the ancients created based upon wise and exalted principles of nature.

O inventa prudentium! O provisa majorum! Exquisita res est, quae et usui humano necessaria distingueret, et tot arcana naturae figuraliter contineret. Merito ergo dicitur libra, quae tanta rerum est consideratione trutinata.

quae ... distingueret ... contineret: secondary sequence relative clauses of purpose.

[9] Debasing the currency is a form of fraud, a desecration of truth. Let the economy function as usual, but let standards of coinage and measure be maintainted.

Talia igitur secreta violare, sic certissima velle confundere, nonne veritatis ipsius videtur crudelis ac foeda laceratio? Exerceantur negotiatones in mercibus; emantur late, quae vendantur angustius; constet populis pondus ac mensura probabilis, quia cuncta turbantur, si integritas cum fraudibus misceatur. Mutilari certe non debet, quod laborantibus datur: sed a quo fidelis actus exigitur, compensatio imminuta praestetur. Da certe solidum et aufer inde, si praevales: trade libram, et aliquid, si potes, imminue.

violare and velle confundere: these infinitives, with their accompanying objects, are the subject of videtur. | talia secreta ... sic certissima: talia modifies secreta, but sic must modify velle confundere. | veritatis ipsius: objective genitive dependent on laceratio. | exerceantur, emantur, and constet: jussive subjunctives. | emantur late: perhaps referring to 'wholesale' purchasing. | vendantur: subjunctive in a relative clause of characteristic, here expressing purpose. | constet pondus ac mensura: pondus ac mensura must be thought of as one phenomenon: hence the singular verb. | misceatur: protasis with present subjunctive = future less vivid: the apodosis is indicative turbantur, which makes this a mixed condition. | a quo: the antecedent is an omitted dative that would depend on praestetur. | praestetur: jussive subjunctive. | aufer: fero and its compounds have irregular imperatives. | praevales: in Cassiodorus' Latin, praevaleo = possum, as the parallelism with potes here shows.

[10] If payment is made with currency that is compromised, the agreed-upon sum has not really been paid: ensure that payments are fair and in full measure. The claim that you cannot use honest names for dishonest items is, of course, a moral claim demanding that people's actions conform to morality.

Contra ista nominibus ipsis constat esse provisum: aut integra tribuis, aut non ipsa quae dicuntur exsolvis. Non potestis omnimodo, non potestis nomina integritatum dare et scelestas imminutiones efficere. Providete itaque, ut et arbiter arcae habeat justas consuetudines suas, et quod bene meritis impendimus, incorrupto munere consequantur.

constat: a one-word main clause: the rest is indirect speech dependent on constat. | provisum esse: impersonal. | nomina integritatum: nomina refers to the names of currency denominations (denarius, etc.), while the unusual plural genitive integritatum, which is hard to translate literally, refers to the soundness and wholeness that the names symbolize, as has been explained in what precedes. | ut ... habeat ... et ... consequantur: indirect command. | quod bene meritis impendimus: quod relative pronoun: antecedent is the omitted direct object of consequantur. The subject of consequantur is whoever is owed money, the same people as bene meritis refers to.

VOCABULARY

ac, (= atque), and
actus, -us, m., judgement; action, deed
addo, addere, addidi, additus, add, augment, increase
aduno (1), unite (most common in Christian Fathers)
aequabilis, e, equitable, fair
aequaliter, equally
aetas, -atis, f., age, era, lifespan
ambiguus, -a, -um, uncertain, doubtful, unreliable
amplius, adv., more
angustius, narrowly, within narrow limits
animadverto, animadvertere, animadverti, animadversus, notice, observe, pay attention to
annus, -i, m., year
antiquitas, -atis, f., antiquity, the ancients
appellatio, -onis, f., name
appello (1), call, name
appetibilis, -e, desirable
arbiter, arbitri, m., judge, umpire; ruler, master
arca, -ae, f., coffer, strongbox
arcanus, -a, -um, secret
arcarius, -i, m., controller of revenues, treasurer
arena, -ae, sand
arithmeticus, -a, -um, mathematical
auctor, -oris, m., maker, author
aufero, auferre, abstuli, ablatum, carry away, take away
augeo, augere, auxi, auctum, increase
aula, -ae, f., court
aureus, -a, -um, golden
bene, well
benemeritus (see bene and meritus)
calculatio, -onis, f., computation, reckoning
capio, caperem cepi, captus, take
celeber, celebris, frequent
certus, -a, -um, certain, sure
coelestis, -e, (also caelestis, -e), heavenly; divine
coelum, -e, heaven (also caelum, -i)
cognitio, -onis, f., knowledge
colligo, colligere, collegi, collectus, gather, collect, bring together; put together, reckon up, amount to
compensatio, -onis, f., pay, requital
complector, complecti, complexus, embrace, contain, encompass
computo (1), reckon, sum up, compute
concludo, concludere, conclusi, conclusum, comprise, include
conditio, -onis, f., a making, building
conditio, -onis, f., situation, circumstance, condition, nature, mode, manner
confido, confidere, confisus sum, trust, rely on, trust confidently
confundo, confundere, confudi, confusum, mix together, jumble, confuse, confound
conqueror, conqueri, conquestus, lament, complain,
consequor, consequi, consecutus sum, get, receive
consideratio, -onis, f., contemplation, consideration, reflection
consisto, consistere, constiti, constitutum, stand firm, halt, stop
consortio, -onis, f., fellowship, association
constat, it is clear, it is certain
consto, constare, constiti, constatum, be consistent, be in accord, remain fixed
consuetudo, -inis, f., habit, custom
contineo, continere, continui, contentum,
convenienter, appropriately, fittingly
creatura, -ae, f., thing created, creation
cresco, crescere, crevi, cretum, grow, increase
crudelis, -e, cruel
cunctus, -a, -um, whole, entire
curriculum, -i, n., course, circuit
curro, currere, cucurri, cursum, run, go
custodio, custodire, custodivi, custoditum, watch, protect, defend
debeo, debere, debui, debitum, owe
deficio, deficere, defeci, defectus, fall short, be wanting
definio, definire, definivi, definitum, limit, define, determine
delecto (1), delight, cause joy
denarius, -a, -um, containing 10; (of a coin) containing ten asses (monetary units)
dico, dicere, dixi, dictus, say; call, name
digitum, -i, n., finger
dignitas, -atis, f., worth, dignity
dimoveo, dimovere, dimovi, dimotus, drive away, divide, separate
disciplina, -ae, f.,
dispendium, -i, n., cost, expense
dispositio, -onis, f., arrangement
distinguo, distinguere, distinxi, distinctus, distinguish, discriminate
doctus, -a, -um, learned
dogmaticus, -a, -um, doctrinal, dogmatic
dolor, -is, m., pain
domesticus, -a, -um, internal to an organization, domestic
duodecies, twelve-fold, the number 12
efficio, efficere, effeci, effectum, bring about
ejicio, ejicere, ejeci, ejectum, throw out, eject
emo, emere, empsi, emptus, buy, purchase
emolumentum, -i, n., profit, benefit; effort, work
enim, for (conjunction)
eques, equitis, m., knight, equestrian
ergo, therefore
erigo, erigere, erexi, erectum, lift up, raise
eruditus, -a, -um, learned
evidens, -entis, plain, manifest, clear
excedo, excedere, excessi, excessum, go beyond, exceed
excubo (1), keep watch, guard
exerceo, exercere,
exigo, exigere, exegi, exactum, demand, claim
existentia, -ae, f., existence
expeto, expetere, expetivi, expetitum, seek for, seek out, seek after
exquiro, exquirere, exquisivi, exquisitus, seek out, ask, make inquiry
exquisitus, -a, -um, excellenct, choice, exquisite
exsolvo, exsolvere, exsolvi, exsolutum, pay off
extendo, extendere, extendi, extensum, stretch out, increase, extend
falsitas, -atis, f., falsity
fidelis, -e, faithful, in good faith
fideliter, faithfully
figuraliter, figuratively
fio, fieri, factus sum, become; happen
foedus, -a, -um, foul, repulsive
formo (1), form, shape, mold
fraus, fraudis, f., cheaing, fraud, deceit
generalis, -e, general, relating to all
gradus, -us, m., step, position
gratuite, freely, without profit, without reward
gravis, -e, serious, weighty
gutta, -ae, f., drop
hinc, from here
humilis, -e, lowly
igitur, therefore (usually second word in its clause)
immerito, undeservedly, without cause
imminuo, imminuere, imminui, imminutus, reduce, diminish
imminutio, -onis, f., impairing, injury, lessening
imminutus, -a, -um, undiminished
immobilis, -e, unchanging, unchangeable
impendo, impendere, imendi, impensus, weight out, pay, spend
impendo, impendere, impendi, impensum, weigh out, employ, apply
includo, includere, inclusi, inclusum, include, enclose
incorruptus, -a, -um, unspoiled, genuine, pure
inde, from there
indubitanter, no doubt, indubitably beyond all doubt
inflecto, inflectere, inflexi, inflexus, bend
inspicio, inspicere, inspexi, inspectum, examine, look into
integer, integra, integrum, whole
integritas, -atis, f., soundness, purity, integrity; wholeness
inter (+acc.), between
invenio, invenire, inveni, inventum, find, discover
itaque, thus
jugiter, continually
justitia, -ae, f., justice
justus, -a, -um, just, good, true
juvo (1), be pleasing, please
labor, -is, m., toil, labor
laceratio, -onis, f., mutilation, tearing, mangling
late, broadly, widely
lectio, -onis, f., reading
libra, -ae, f., pound (Roman weight)
licet, although
loquor, loqui, locutus, speak about
lucidus, -a, -um, bright, shining
major, majoris, ancestor, elder
major, majus, greater, larger
manualis, -e, manual, of the hand
mare, maris, n., sea
mensis, mensis, m., month
mensura, -ae, f., measure, measuring, measurement
meritus, -a, -um, deserved
merx, mercis, f., merchandise, commodities
metallum, -i, n., metal
militia, -ae, f., civil service, employment, office
mille, indeclinable in sg. (mil(l)ia, mil(l)ium in plural): thousand
misceo, miscere, miscui, mixtum, mix, mingle; confound, disturb
moderatio, -onis, f., measure
modero (1), keep within bounds, govern, regulate
modicum, -i, n., a little bit, a short bit, a little way (some small increment)
modus, -i, m., due measure, bound, limit, restriction
mos, moris, m., way, habit, usage, custom
mundus, -i, m., world
mundus, -i, m., world, earth
munificentia, -ae, f., bounty, generosity, liberality
munus, muneris, n., service, work, duty, obligation
mutilo (1), maim, mutilate
negotiatio, -onis, f., business, banking
negotiator, -oris, m., merchant, banker, businessperson
nomen, -inis, n., name
nonne, (expects "yes" as an answer)
nosco, noscere, novi, notum, get to know ("know" in perfect tenses)
novus, -a, -um, new, novel
numerabilis, -e,  able to be counted
numerus, -i, m., number, amount
nunquam, never
obsequor, obsequi, obsecutus, comply, yield, submit
obtineo, obtinere, obtinui, obtentum, acquire, keep, have
omnino, in general, generally, at all
ordo, ordinis, m., order
otiosus, -a, -um, leisurely, at leisure
Palatium, -i, n., the Paltine hill (one of the seven hills of Rome); the imperial court
pater, patris, m., father; person in charge
pecunia, -ae, f., money
pedes, peditis, m., foot-soldier, infantry
per (+acc.), through
percipio, percipere, percepi, perceptum, take, take possession of
perficio, perficere, perfeci, perfectus, completed, finished, perfect
pervenio, prvenire, perveni, perventum, reach, attain, arrive
plenitudo, -inis, f., fulness, completion
pluvia, -ae, f., rain
pondus, -eris, n., weight
populus, -i, m., people
potior, potius, more powerful
praefectus, -i, m., prefect, chief, head
praesto, praestare, praestiti, offer, furnish
praevaleo, praevalere, praevalui, be able (= possum)
primus, -a, -um, first
principalis, -e, imperial
principium, -i, n., beginning
pro (+abl.), in exchange for; on behalf of
probabilis, -e, verifiable, provable
protector, -oris, m., guard
provideo, providere, providi, providum, foresee; take care of, pay attention to, provide for
prudens, -entis, wise, prudent
prudentia, -ae, f., practical wisdom, prudence
pulcher, pulchra, pulchrum, beautiful, pretty
pulchritudo, -inis, f., beauty
quamvis, although
quantitas, -atis, f., quantity, amount, sum, extent
quantus, -a, -um, (as much) as, (as many) as
quapropter, on account of which, for which reason (= quare)
quasi, as if, as it were
quemadmodum, how
quia, because
quippe, surely, namely; for, because
quoniam, since
radio (1), gleam, beam, shine
ratio, rationis, f., reason
recedo, recedere, recessi, recessum, depart, withdraw
reddo, reddere, reddidi, redditum, grant, bestow
reddo, reddere, reddidi, redditum, yield, render, give back
redeo, redire, redi(v)i, reditum, return, go back
reduco, reducere, reduxi, reductus,
repeto, repetere, repetivi, repetitum
revolvo, revolvere, revolvi, revolutum, go back, return (with in)
rotunditas, -atis, f., roundness
scelestus, -a, -um, criminal
sciens, -entis, expert, knowledgeable
scientia, -ae, f., knowledge
scilicet, namely, that is to say
secretus, -a, - um, hidden, secret
semper, always
senarius, -a, -um, consisting of 6 each, composed of 6 per group
sex, six
signo (1), indicate, show
similitudo, -inis, f., similarity
simplex, simplicis, unmixed, simple
sol, solis, m., sun
solemnis, -e, annual, yearly; stated, established; solemn, religious
soleo, solere, solui, solitus, be accustomed, be wont
solidus, -i, m., a gold coin, a solidus
solidus, -i, m., sound, solid, true, real
stella, -ae, f., star
subduco, subducere, subduxi, subductum, remove, withdraw
supernus, -a, -um, celestial, standing on high
supplicatio, -onis, f., appeal
supputatio, -onis, f., calculation
sustineo, sustinere, sustinui, sustentum, sustain, withstand, undergo
talis, -e, of such a sort, such
tamen, nevertheless
tantus, -a, -um, so much, so many; as much, as many (often followed by a form of quantus, -a, um)
terrenus, -a, -um, earthly
tot, so many, that many, as many
trado, tradere, tradidi, traditum, hand over
tribuo, tribuere, tribui, tributum, give, pay
trutino/trutinor, balance, weigh
turbo (1), disturb, agitate, confuse
uncia, -ae, ounce; one twelfth
universus, -a, -um, every (singular); all, altogether (plural)
usus, -us, m., use
vendo, vendere, vendidi, venditum, sell
veritas, -atis, f., truth; reality
vero, but, however
vetus, veteris, old, ancient
vilis, -e, cheap
violo (1), treat with violence, break, damage, injure
volo, velle, volui, want, desire