Veni  Vidi   Vici

Three years of high school Lingua Latina and two more years of the same in college and this like is abut all I can translate. One of my favorite movies that is aired once a month or so on the old movie network is Goodby Mr. Chips.  I am referring to the '30's classic starring Robert Donat. In this classic bit of cinema grace, there is a bit of history dropped in as an aside that has long been forgotten.

In 1903, some linguist permanently damaged Lingua Latina forever.  This student of poetry figured out that the proper pronunciation of Caesar's greatest line should be as follows:

Waynee    Weedee  Weekee

Siwwee Wabbit

Criminal is it not? You see I was introduced to Lingua Latina as an altar boy and in the Latin of the Middle Ages, that same line would sound more like this:

VAYNEE      VEEDEE     VEECHEEE

I CAME        I SAW        I CONQUERED

Now I ask you, which pronunciation best demonstrates the sentiments here?  See, I am glad we had this little tete a tete.  I feel much better and I am sure you feel much better also.

But going back to our expert real pronunciation of Jesus Christ would be Yesu Christy.

While I am at it when you say Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc, the correct pronunciation is:

Post Hoke Ergo Propter Hoke, not Post Hawk Ergo Propter Hawk. Gees I am glad I got that off of my chest.

Julius Caesar should be pronounced Yoolioos Kisar or Hulius Kisar depending upon your source.

No great historical figure is born in a vaccuum--except of course, Hoover and probablyh a few physicists. Julio was born during a civil war that erupted throughout ancient Europe. One of the main figures was a Greek by the name of Mithradates. But when you stand back and take a panoramic view of Rome from the 8th century BC through its 'demise' in the fifth century AD, you will find that like US, Rome was continually at war.

Between 90 BC and 81BC, the main factions in Rome were headed by Marius and Sulla (Sylla).  In 81 BC Marius was driven out of Rome on a rail, so to speak and Sulla assumed power as dictator.

Just a thought here; when Sulla took over as dictator, he changed his name to Felix. Mighty felicitous of him, huh?  Which demonstgrates that good old propaganda existed for two thousand years before the Patriot Act and the Clean Air Act of w.

Caesar was an extremely important historical figure. He accomplished much more than the invention of the Kaiser Roll or Caesar's Salad; or becoming the model for the movie character Kaiser Sousa.

Now a decent context must be constructed to examine the character and soul of Julio.  Of what greatness he would one day achieve. At a very young age he would become Aedile, then Praetor, then Pontifex Maximus, Governor of Spain, Conqueror of Gaul, part of the most famous of the Triumvirates with Crassus and Pompei, Consul and finally dictator.

One more aside here. We call El Papa, the Pontiff.  That is because he is really Pontifex Maximus. In other words, the pagan Caesar was Pope of Rome for the last twenty years of his life.

Our teen aged Julio ended up on the wrong side of all this through inter familial marriages and was not looked upon fondly by Sulla. So Julio was sent into a sort of 'forced leave' or exile in 81 BC.  And it was an immediate concern for him and his family.

The exile of our teenage hero intersected with a century old problem involving piracy on the high seas. Now, the Roman Fleet was nothing to sneeze at. Rome controlled the Mediterranean for a long time from the East and West and from the North and South. The pirates would never have survived without some help from Rome.

The help was primarily supplied by the Roman Senate.  And what pray tell did the Roman Senate get in return?  The pirates made their money primarily from slaving and ransoms.  The Senate benefited much from slaving and so a kind of blind eye was given to the activities of these pirates.  There were clear rules of course.  You would not attack a Roman freighter or some senator's business venture. Whenever you see a successful pirate enterprize, governmental forces are at work somewhere whether we are speaking of two thousand years ago or last week. 

Back to our hero.  Julio was a mama's boy. Just like his hero Alexander and like more modern day ubermench like Churchill, MacArthur or Roosevelt.  Julio received most of his family honor matrilineally. It was the Julians who claimed the most ancient and honorable ancestry, not the Caesars.

Unlike Alexander, Churchill, or MacArthur, Caesar never really worried about following in the footsteps of his father. 

Julio, like Alexander and a lot of repubs, was bisexual. Unlike the repubs, Julio and Alexander did not really care if their desires were published or not.  Now this does not mean that as a politician, Julio did not practice hypocrisy. Caesar's wife must be beyond reproach as they say.

With that, my time is up and tomorrow we begin:

THE PENANCE OF PIRATES