Translation
Mar. 16th, 2005 10:00 amI was rereading Lewis Thorpe's translation of "The History of the Kings of Britain" (Geoffrey of Monmouth) last night, and noticed this footnote (written by the translator):
On 4 August 1960 I visited Camelford and walked along the River Camel as far as Slaughter Bridge. According to local legend the battle between Arthur and Mordred took place in the near-by water-meadow. On the bank of the Camel, where the stream had cut for itself a steep bluff overhung with hazel bushes, in a spot most difficult of access, I found an ancient stone, 2' 1.5'' X 9'5'', with some partly-defaced lettering in mixed classical and rustic capitals. The stone was uneven and broken, and the letters were straggling and irregular, but the following fragment of an inscription was clearly to be deciphered:LATIN...IIC IACIT FILIVS M...AR...=possibly 'Latinus hic iacet filius Merlini Arturus.'...
(text taken from pages 259-60 of the Penguin Classics edition)
My knowledge of Latin is nonexistent: would any of you be capable of providing a translation?
On 4 August 1960 I visited Camelford and walked along the River Camel as far as Slaughter Bridge. According to local legend the battle between Arthur and Mordred took place in the near-by water-meadow. On the bank of the Camel, where the stream had cut for itself a steep bluff overhung with hazel bushes, in a spot most difficult of access, I found an ancient stone, 2' 1.5'' X 9'5'', with some partly-defaced lettering in mixed classical and rustic capitals. The stone was uneven and broken, and the letters were straggling and irregular, but the following fragment of an inscription was clearly to be deciphered:LATIN...IIC IACIT FILIVS M...AR...=possibly 'Latinus hic iacet filius Merlini Arturus.'...
(text taken from pages 259-60 of the Penguin Classics edition)
My knowledge of Latin is nonexistent: would any of you be capable of providing a translation?