Translation Aid – Cena Trimalchionis 62.7

ut mentiar, nullius patrimonium tanti facio

The purpose of this exaggerated statement of Niceros is to convince his fellow diners that he could not possibly be lying.

patrimonium: A patrimonium is property, including possessions, estates and money, which belongs to the paterfamilias. By extension it also means inheritance. The point of using this noun here is to refer to a large quantity of wealth.

Petronius has already used this noun with a similar sense in section 44:
plus in die nummorum accipit, quam alter patrimonium habet
(he receives more money in a day than another man has in inherited property)

facio: The verb facio can have the sense of to regard/consider/treat something (as). [OLD 18b] When used in conjunction with the genitive case it can mean to esteem or value (at). [OLD 18c]

nullius tanti: Genitives of quality which denote indefinite value.

ut mentiar: A result clause, indicated by tanti.

In English one might say the similar sentiment of, “I wouldn’t lie for all the money in the world.”

 

One Comment

  1. Really nice post – very helpful.

    patrimonium has an added nasty touch for the wealthy freeborn who might read these – the very thought of people like these claiming a patrimonium was absurd to them because as ex-slaves they could have no fathers… (Plus the Romans were obsessed with inheritances as a marker of external respect and social standing – and full of fear of so-called legacy hunters.

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