Goal (quick):
Do a four-level (MCT) analysis of the two manuscript sentences, compare them, and show one proficient model and one exemplary model that a student could write.
First — short plain-English translation (one-sentence idea):
Simple meaning: Since I must now discuss the proper limits of both cities — the earthly and the heavenly — first I must set out the arguments of mortals (how far a plan lets the work be finished), explain how they tried to make happiness for themselves in this unhappy life, show how our hope differs from what God has given, show the thing itself (true beatitude) which God will give, and make clear not only by divine authority but also by applied reason what we, because of unbelievers, are able to apply.
Why there are two forms
The 11th-century manuscript is written without modern punctuation and with old spellings; the 14th-century version is a later, clearer copy with commas and line breaks that split the long sentence into parts. The grammar (words and forms) is basically the same, but the later version is easier to read and to analyze.
Helpful Latin → English notes (short):
- Quoniam
- prius exponenda sunt
- argumenta mortalium
- quibus ... moliti sunt
- res ipsa, hoc est vera beatitudo, quam dabit
- adhibita etiam ratione
- clarescat
MCT Four Levels — step-by-step scaffold
Level 1: Parts of Speech (what each important word is)
Checklist for the student: Find and label the main nouns, verbs, adjectives, prepositions, pronouns, conjunctions, and participles/gerundives.
Proficient model (short labels):
Key words labeled:
- Quoniam — subordinating conjunction (since)
- civitatis utriusque — noun phrase (genitive: of both cities)
- terrenae et caelestis — adjectives describing the two kinds (earthly and heavenly)
- deb(i)tis finibus — noun phrase (proper/owed limits)
- deinceps — adverb (henceforth)
- uideo — verb (I see / I judge)
- disputandum — verbal noun / gerund (to be argued / discussion needed)
- prius exponenda sunt — phrase with gerundive + sum (must first be explained)
- argumenta mortalium — noun phrase (arguments of mortals)
- quantum ... patitur — relative extent phrase + verb (how much the plan permits)
- moliti sunt — deponent verb (they strove)
- res ipsa / vera beatitudo — noun + appositive (the thing itself = true beatitude)
- dab(it) — verb (he will give)
- auctoritate divina / ratione — nouns in ablative (by divine authority / by reason)
- clarescat — verb (let it become clear)
Short gloss: lots of nouns + verbs; also the text uses gerundives (exponenda) and relative pronouns (quibus) and an ablative absolute (adhibita ratione).
Exemplary model (labels + short grammar notes):
Same items but with extra grammatical names and why they matter:
- Quoniam
- civitatis utriusque
- prius exponenda sunt
- quantum operis huius terminandi
- quibus
- moliti sunt
- res ipsa, hoc est vera beatitudo
- adhibita etiam racione
- clarescat
Level 2: Parts of the Sentence (subjects, predicates, direct objects, complements)
Checklist: find the main subject(s) and verb(s); note passive forms and what they mean; find subordinate clauses and their functions.
Proficient model:
- Main idea: 'I see that I must argue/discuss further' — subject = (implicit) 'I' with verb uideo + verbal 'disputandum' (I judge discussion is necessary).
- First full independent idea: 'prius exponenda sunt argumenta mortalium' — subject = argumenta mortalium (nominative plural); predicate = exponenda sunt (must be explained).
- Relative clause modifying 'argumenta': 'quibus ... moliti sunt' — explains what mortals tried to do.
- Another clause describing the goal/result: 'ut ... clarescat' (so that it may become clear) — purpose/result clause ending the sentence.
Exemplary model:
Write the sentence as a chain of clauses with function labels:
- [D - reason clause] Quoniam ... deinceps mihi uideo disputandum — dependent causal clause that frames the whole passage: 'Since ... I see I must discuss.'
- [I - main statement] Pri(us) exponenda sunt argumenta mortalium — independent clause stating the first requirement: 'first the arguments of mortals must be explained' (exponenda sunt = necessity).
- [D - relative clause] quibus ... moliti sunt — dependent relative clause describing the arguments (ablative 'by which').
- [D - purpose/result] ut ... clarescat — final clause of result/purpose that ties the discourse together: 'so that it may be made clear (not only by divine authority but also by reason) what we can apply.'
Level 3: Phrases (prepositional, appositive, verbal phrases)
Checklist: circle multi-word chunks that act as one unit (e.g., de civitatis utriusque, res ipsa, hoc est vera beatitudo, adhibita etiam ratione).
Proficient model (identify 3–5 phrases):
- Prepositional phrase: ab eorum rebus vanis — 'from their vain things' (modifies 'spes nostra quid differat').
- Appositive phrase: hoc est vera beatitudo — gives a definition of res ipsa.
- Verbal phrase (gerundive): operis huius terminandi — 'of finishing this work' (shows purpose/extent).
- Ablative absolute / participial phrase: adhibita etiam ratione — 'with reason also applied'.
Exemplary model (explain role of each phrase):
- de civitatis utriusque, terrenae et caelestis — a noun phrase that names the topic; terr(e)nae et cael(e)stis are adjectives specifying the two cities.
- prius exponenda sunt — gerundive phrase marking obligation; here the verbal idea is packaged as a unit meaning 'things that must be explained first'.
- quantum operis huius terminandi — a measure phrase using quantum + genitive + gerundive to say 'to what extent the finishing of this work permits'.
- res ipsa, hoc est vera beatitudo — noun + appositive: the appositive clarifies the abstract noun and prepares the relative clause quam dabit.
- adhibita etiam ratione — ablative absolute: it supplies the circumstance under which the final verb clarescat holds (with reason applied).
Level 4: Clauses (independent and dependent; how they connect)
Checklist: number the clauses; mark each as independent (I) or dependent (D) and state how they join (subordinating conjunction, relative pronoun, ablative absolute, coordinating).
Proficient mapping (simple clause list):
- [D] Quoniam ... deinceps mihi uideo disputandum — clause introduced by quoniam (reason).
- [I] Prius exponenda sunt argumenta mortalium — main clause: 'first the arguments of mortals must be explained'.
- [D] quibus ... moliti sunt — relative clause describing the arguments (ablative-of-means).
- [D] ut ... clarescat — final purpose/result clause headed by ut (so that it may be clear), itself contains relative clauses like quam dabit.
Exemplary mapping (labels and relationships):
- D (cause): Quoniam de civitatis utriusque ... deinceps mihi uideo disputandum — frames the whole paragraph with the reason for speaking.
- I (principal): Prius exponenda sunt argumenta mortalium — core assertion (necessity expressed by gerundive).
- D (relative / descriptive): quibus sibi ipsi beatitudinem facere ... moliti sunt — describes HOW mortals acted (modifies argumenta).
- D (subordinate purpose/result): ut ab eorum rebus vanis ... qualem ... possumus adhibere, clarescat — final clause stating the desired clarity; includes embedded relative clauses (quam deus nobis dedit, quam dabit) and an ablative absolute (adhibita etiam ratione) that supply circumstances.
Compare the 11th-century and 14th-century forms — what changed and why it matters
Short comparison points a 13‑year‑old can use in writing:
- Punctuation and line breaks: The 11th-century writing runs together; the 14th-century copy adds commas and breaks into numbered lines. That makes clauses and phrase boundaries much easier to spot.
- Spelling and standardisation: Old spellings (e.g., ciuitatis vtriusque) are regularized to civitatis utriusque. Old forms can hide familiar words but they do not usually change the grammar.
- Word order and clarity: The later copy rearranges a little to make the main subject/predicate clearer (e.g., moving argumenta mortalium next to prius exponenda sunt). Medieval Latin often uses flexible word order; punctuation in the later copy helps show which words belong together.
- Restorations and corrections: The 11th-century line contains scribal mistakes or abbreviations (for example a missing or miscopied word). The 14th-century scribe fixed some phrases (like changing unclear facio reading to ratio / reordering), which makes the grammar read sensibly (e.g., quantum operis huius terminandi ratio patitur = 'how much the plan allows').
- Why this matters for analysis: The clearer the punctuation and spacing, the easier it is to assign clauses and to spot gerundives/ablatives and relative clauses. The 14th-century version is therefore easier to analyze using the four-level method.
Student scaffolds you can copy
Use these templates to write your own answer.
Proficient student answer (short):
Level 1 (Parts of Speech): main verbs: uideo, exponenda sunt (gerundive), moliti sunt, dabit, clarescat. Main nouns: civitatis, finibus, argumenta, res, beatitudo, ratio. Phrases: de civitatis utriusque (topic), res ipsa, hoc est vera beatitudo (apposition), ab eorum rebus vanis (prepositional). Clauses: a reason clause (Quoniam ... uideo disputandum), the main clause (prius exponenda sunt ...), relative clauses (quibus ...), and a purpose/result clause (ut ... clarescat).
Exemplary student answer (clear structure + labels):
1) Translation: "Since I must now discuss the proper limits of both cities (earthly and heavenly), first the arguments of mortal men must be set out — to the extent that the plan permits — namely the arguments by which they tried to make happiness for themselves in the miseries of this life; then to show how our hope differs from what God gave us, to state the thing itself, that is true beatitude which he will give, and to make clear, not only by divine authority but by applied reason, what we can apply because of unbelievers."
2) Clause map (labels):
- [D - causal] Quoniam ... deinceps mihi uideo disputandum — frames the whole statement.
- [I - principal] Pri(us) exponenda sunt argumenta mortalium — main assertion (necessity: gerundive).
- [D - relative] quibus ... moliti sunt — modifies 'argumenta' (ablative of means).
- [D - purpose/result with embedded clauses] ut ... clarescat — purpose clause containing apposition (res ipsa, hoc est vera beatitudo) and relative clauses (quam dabit, quam deus nobis dedit), plus an ablative absolute (adhibita etiam ratione).
3) Important grammar points to note: gerundive exponenda sunt expresses obligation; the relative pronoun quibus links methods to the arguments; adhibita ratione is an ablative absolute giving circumstance; ut ... clarescat gives purpose/result in subjunctive.
Quick tips for doing this on your own
- Read slowly and find the main verbs first — every clause has a verb.
- Circle noun phrases and see which verb they go with (subject or object).
- Find relative pronouns (qui, quae, quod, quibus) — they introduce dependent clauses that describe nouns.
- Spot gerundives (–nd– forms like exponenda, terminandi) — they usually show obligation or purpose.
- Look for ablative absolutes (a noun + participle in the ablative) — they give background circumstance and do not change the main subject.
- Finally, rewrite the sentence in short lines (one clause per line) — it becomes easier to label parts and clauses.
If you want, I can:
- show a t-model circle diagram for the main independent clause, or
- mark every word in the 14th-century line with its part of speech and a one-word gloss.