[1] The Ass, 1. and the Mule, 2. carry burthens. │ Asinus, 1. & Mūlus, 2. gestant Onera.
[2] The Horse, 3. (which a Mane, 4. graceth) carryeth us. │ Equus, 3. (quem Juba, 4. ōrnat) gestat nōs ipsōs.
[3] The Camel, 5. carryeth the Merchant with his Ware(s). │ Camēlus, 5. gestat Mercātōrem cum mercibus suīs.
[4] The Elephant, 6. draweth his meat to him with his Trunk, 7. │ Elephās, (Barrus) 6. attrahit pābulum Proboscide, 7.
[5] He hath two Teeth, 8. standing out, and is able to carry full thirty men. │ Habet duōs dentēs, 8. prōminentēs, et potest portāre etiam trīgintā virōs.
Vocabulary
asinus, -ī [2/m]: donkey; Engl. deriv. asinine behaviour
camēlus, -ī [2/m]: camel < Anc. Gk. κᾰ́μηλος (kắmēlos); Arabic: jamal; Hebrew: gāmā́l
iuba, -ae [1/f]: mane (of a horse)
iūmentum, -ī [2/n]:[i] a general term referring to any large domestic animal which, for example, could pull a cart [ii] can refer to a carriage or a cart i.e.
a synonym for plaustrum, -ī [2/n] or carrus, -ī [2/m]: cart; carriage; wagon
mercātor, -ōris [3/m]: merchant; trader
< mercor, -ārī, mercātus sum [1/deponent]: deal; sell; trade
merx, mercis [3/f]: merchandise; wares
mūlus, -ī [2/m]: [i] mule; ass [ii] (term of abuse) idiot
onus, oneris [3/n]: load; burden (still in English: The onus is on you to get the job done.)
pabulum, -ī [2/n]: food; nourishment; (animals) food; fodder
proboscis, proboscidis [3/f]: [i] snout [ii] trunk of an elephant < Anc. G. προβοσκίς (proboskís); Engl. deriv. proboscis monkey
elephā(n)s, elephantis [3/m]; elephantus, -ī [2/m] < from Anc. Gk: ἐλέφᾱς (eléphās): apart from the animal itself, it could also have the transferred meaning of ‘ivory’; one dictionary entry suggests that the word is possibly derived from Anc. Egyptian ꜣbw (abu); given that Latin ebur, eboris [3/n] means ‘ivory’, it would be a reasonable assumption.
barrus, -ī [2/m]: elephant; origin unclear – possibly from Iranian and cognate with Sanskrit vāru
Notes
asinus et mūlus gestant onera │ the donkey and mule carry loads
Equus … gestat nōs ipsōs │ the horse carries us
gestō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus [1]: carry; look out for verbs that end in –(i)tō or -sō because they often imply a frequentative action i.e. an action that is repeated or continues for a long period:
dīcō, -ere [3]: say
> dīctō, -āre [1]: repeat; say often > Engl. deriv: dictate
> dictitō, -āre [1]: repeat; maintain (e.g. keep saying, stick to your point of view)
clāmō, -āre [1]: shout > clāmitō [1]: yell (i.e. not just give a single ‘shout’ but to keep doing it)
currō, -ere [3]: run > cursō, -āre [1]: run around; run here and there
Many of these do not necessarily convey that specific idea in translation e.g. spectō, -āre [1]: watch (i.e. keep looking at something), nor, depending on context, does it always have to be expressed. Some have lost that frequentative idea completely or it is not obvious e.g. habitō, -āre [1]: live; reside
gestō, -āre [1] is the frequentative form of gerō, -ere [3]: carry; Comenius uses it to describe an action which donkeys and mules regularly do
That frequentative idea is still in the English derivative: gestation period < La: gestātiō, -iōnis [3/f]: bearing; carrying < gestō, -āre i.e. referring to the period of time during which an animal or human child is carried within the mother; equally, it can refer to the way in which an idea or plan develops over time
Taking a look at some of the ancient depictions of elephants, it’s clear that they knew what they looked like! The hieroglyph is spot on! However, a few examples of Mediaeval images suggest that they had heard about them, but had never seen one …
[i] An elephant, owned by Henry III, was on show in the Tower of London in 1255; Matthew Paris drew it, and, yes, it’s an elephant (10/10 from the art teacher)! Similarly [ii] is from almost the same time; however [iii] to [iv] would suggest that, although there were lifelike illustrations, few artists had ‘googled’ an elephant in the 13th century! There is evidence of this type of work in the Renaissance period where artists depicted particular “beasts” based on vague and inconsistent descriptions of them. What is interesting is that many Mediaeval depictions of elephants feature a “trumpet” like trunk e.g. [iii] and [iv], no doubt influenced by the sound that elephants make. I feel a bit sorry for number [v]; I’m not surprised he looks so miserable having been painted in that way!
