T‑model (circle) analysis of a complex Latin sentence: Quoniam ... clarescat — four‑level grammar breakdown

Overview (short translation)

Rough prose translation of the whole passage: "Since concerning the proper limits of both cities, namely the earthly and the heavenly, I see that from now on I must dispute; first the arguments of mortals must be set forth—how far reason allows the work of completing this to proceed—by which they have endeavored to make beatitude for themselves in the misery of this life, so that we can see how our hope differs from the vain things of theirs rather than what God has given us. Let the thing itself, that is true beatitude, which he will give, be made clear not only by divine authority but also by reason applied, such as we because of the unbelievers are able to apply."

Diagram (t‑model circles)

Four levels of analysis

1. Parts of speech (selected key words)
   • Quoniam — subordinating conjunction (causal: "since"/"because")
   • de (prep.) + civitatis (gen.) — prepositional phrase (about the city)
   • utriusque — genitive modifier (of both)
   • terrena, caelestis — adjectives modifying civitatis
   • debetis finibus — substantive phrase: debitis (abl. pl., adjective/participle sense) + finibus (noun)
   • deinceps — adverb (henceforth)
   • mihi — dative (indirect agent/ethical dative linked with impersonal gerundive construction)
   • uideo — verb (I see)
   • disputandum — gerund/gerundive (verbal noun/gerundive: "to be disputed")
   • prius — adverb (first)
   • exponenda sunt — periphrastic gerundive/passive future sense ("must be explained")
   • quantum — interrogative/indefinite adverb (how much; to the extent that)
   • operis (gen.), terminandi (gerundive) — noun + gerundive ("of finishing the work")
   • ratio (nom.) patitur (verb) — "reason allows"
   • argumenta mortalium — noun phrase (arguments of mortals)
   • quibus — relative pronoun (to/with/which) introducing relative clause modifying argumenta
   • moliti sunt — deponent verb (they have attempted/undertaken)
   • ut — subordinating conjunction introducing result/purpose clause
   • differat — verb (present subjunctive used in result/comparison clause: "differs")
   • res ipsa — demonstrative + noun (the thing itself)
   • hoc est — parenthetical explanatory phrase (that is)
   • quam dabit — relative clause (which he will give)
   • non tantum ... sed — correlative conjunctions (not only ... but also)
   • auctoritate divina — ablative of means/authority
   • adhibita ratione — ablative absolute ("reason having been applied" / "with reason being applied")
   • clarescat — verb (present subjunctive: "may be made clear")
2. Parts of sentence (who does what to whom? — t‑model roles)
   • Overall main predicate: clarescat (let it be made clear) — this is the central action the writer wishes to accomplish.
   • Main subject (what is to be made clear): res ipsa — restated and identified by apposition (hoc est vera beatitudo) and narrowed by relative clause quam dabit (which he will give).
   • Top/contextual clause (reason & order): Quoniam ... deinceps mihi uideo disputandum — causal context and speaker's intention ("since ... I see I must dispute from now on"). This orients the reader and explains why things must be shown.
   • Immediate preparatory predicate: prius exponenda sunt — "first must be exposed/set forth" (what must be done before the final clarification): governs argumenta mortalium (direct object of exposition).
   • argumenta mortalium is modified by the relative clause quibus ... moliti sunt (by which they attempted to make beatitude) — this is the content that must first be set out.
   • ut ... differat is a result/comparative clause that gives the goal or logical consequence of exposing those arguments: to show how our hope differs from their vain things and from what God has given.
   • Ablative absolute adhibita etiam ratione supplies the manner/means accompanying clarescat (how the clarity is to be achieved), coordinated with the ablative of authority auctoritate divina — "not only by divine authority but also by applied reason."
3. Phrases (groupings that function together)
   • Prepositional phrase: de civitatis utriusque (→ modifies the scope: "about both cities")
   • Appositive phrase: terrenae scilicet et caelestis (explains what the two cities are: earthly and heavenly)
   • Noun phrase / head: res ipsa, hoc est vera beatitudo (main NP—subject)
   • Relative phrase/clause: quam dabit (restricts res ipsa)
   • Gerundive periphrasis as necessity: exponenda sunt (+ prius) — a verbal phrase meaning "must be exposed first"
   • Purpose/result clause functioning as a phrase: ut ab eorum rebus vanis spes nostra quid differat quam deus nobis dedit (what the exposition aims to show)
   • Ablative absolute phrase: adhibita etiam ratione (circumstantial phrase: "with reason also applied")
4. Clauses (clause inventory & function)
   1. Causal / contextual clause (subordinate): Quoniam de civitatis utriusque, terrenae scilicet et caelestis, debitis finibus, deinceps mihi uideo disputandum
      • Function: gives the reason/motivation for the project ("since ... I see that I must discuss"). It frames the discursive intent of the rest of the sentence.
   2. Preparatory / obligational clause (subordinate to discourse): prius exponenda sunt quantum operis huius terminandi ratio patitur, argumenta mortalium
      • Function: asserts what must be done first — "first the arguments of mortals must be set out, to the extent that reason allows the finishing of this work." Contains the measure clause quantum ... patitur (how far reason permits).
   3. Relative clause modifying argumenta: quibus sibi ipsi beatitudinem facere in huius vitae infelicitate moliti sunt
      • Function: specifies the content of the mortal arguments (by which they sought to make themselves beatitude in the unhappiness of this life).
   4. Result / comparative clause (purpose/result tied to the exposition): ut ab eorum rebus vanis spes nostra quid differat quam deus nobis dedit
      • Function: the aim or result of setting out mortal arguments: to see how our hope differs from their vain things and from what God gave us.
   5. Main clause (summative wish/optative): res ipsa, hoc est vera beatitudo, quam dabit, ... clarescat
      • Function: the central clause that the whole preliminary material serves. The author asks that "the thing itself... be made clear."
   6. Modifying circumstance (ablative absolute and ablative of means): non tantum auctoritate divina, sed adhibita etiam ratione qualem propter infideles possumus adhibere
      • Function: qualifies clarescat by giving the means: not only by divine authority, but also by reason applied of the sort we can apply because of the unbelievers.

Notes on t‑model grouping and rhetorical shape

The t‑model emphasizes a binary logic: subject (what is under consideration) and predicate (what is claimed about it). The long top circle in the diagram groups the preparatory material — cause, speaker's intention, and the requirement to set forth mortal arguments — into a single context circle so the central sentence (res ipsa ... clarescat) stands out clearly. Relative clauses and ablative absolutes are placed as modifiers attached to the subject or predicate circles rather than as separate spiky limbs: this displays the sentence's condensed logical shape instead of focusing only on modifiers.

Caveat: Latin syntax can admit variant scoping and interpretation; the analysis above gives a standard classical reading and groups elements to show the sentence's logical architecture according to M. C. Thompson's t‑model principles.

If you want: I can (a) produce separate t‑model circle diagrams for each subordinate clause, (b) give a word‑by‑word literal gloss and morphosyntactic parsing, or (c) present a cleaned up English translation preserving the Latin clause order. Which would you like next?