§7.9.1amphiboliae species sunt innumerabiles, adeo ut philosophorum quibusdam nullum videatur esse verbum quod non plura significet; genera admodum pauca; aut enim vocibus accidit singulis aut coniunctis.
The species of ambiguity (amphibolia) are innumerable, so much so that to some of the philosophers there seems to be no word that does not signify more than one thing; the genera, however, are very few; for it occurs either in single words or in combined words.
§7.9.2singula adferunt errorem, cum pluribus rebus aut hominibus eadem appellatio est (ὁμωνυμία dicitur), ut gallus, avem an gentem an nomen an fortunam corporis significet, incertum est; et Aiax, Telamonius an Oilei filius.
Single words bring error when the same name belongs to several things or persons (it is called homonymy), so that it is uncertain whether "gallus" signifies a cock, a Gaul, a proper name, or a condition of the body; and "Aiax", whether the son of Telamon or of Oileus.
verba quoque quaedam diversos intellectus habent, ut cerno.
Certain verbs also have different meanings, such as "cerno".
§7.9.3quae ambiguitas plurimis modis accidit.
Which ambiguity occurs in very many ways.
unde fere lites, praecipue ex testamentis, cum de libertate aut etiam de hereditate contendunt ii quibus idem nomen est, aut quid sit legatum quaeritur.
From this arise almost all lawsuits, especially from wills, when those who have the same name contend about freedom or even about an inheritance, or when it is asked what has been bequeathed.
§7.9.4alterum est, in quo alia integro verbo significatio est, alia diviso, ut ingenua et armamentum et Corvinum, ineptae sane cavillationis, ex qua tamen Graeci controversias ducunt: inde enim αὐλητρίς illa vulgata, cum quaeritur, utrum aula, quae ter ceciderit, an tibicina, si ceciderit, debeat publicari.
Another is that in which one meaning belongs to the word as a whole, and another to it when divided, such as "ingenua", "armamentum", and "Corvinum"—of indeed silly sophistry, from which however the Greeks derive controversies: for instance, that well-known common case of "auletrix" (the flute-girl), when it is asked whether the courtyard which fell three times ("aule tris") or the flute-girl ("auletrix") if she fell ought to be confiscated.
§7.9.5tertia est ex compositis, ut si quis corpus suum in culto loco poni iubeat, circaque monumentum multum agri ab heredibus in tutelam cinerum, ut solent, leget, sit litis occasio cultum locum dixerit an incultum.
The third is from compound words (or combinations), as if someone should order his body to be placed in a "cultus locus" (cultivated place), and should bequeath, as is customary, much land from his heirs around his monument for the protection of his ashes, it might give occasion for a lawsuit whether he meant a cultivated place ("cultum locum") or an uncultivated one ("incultum locum").
§7.9.6sic apud Graecos contendunt Λέων et Πανταλέων, cum scriptura dubia est, bona omnia Λέοντι an bona Πανταλέοντι relicta sint.
Likewise among the Greeks they contend about Leon (Λέων) and Pantaleon (Πανταλέων), when the writing is doubtful, whether all the property was left to Leon or to Pantaleon.
in coniunctis plus ambiguitatis est.
In combined words there is more ambiguity.
fit autem per casus, ut
"
aio te, Aeacida, Romanos sincere posse. "
It happens indeed through cases, as: "I say that you, descendant of Aeacus, the Romans can [do something] sincerely" (or "that you can [do something to] the Romans sincerely").
§7.9.7Per collocationem, ubi dubium est, quid quo referri oporteat, ac frequentissime, cum quidem medium est, cum utrinque possit trahi, ut de Troilo Vergilius, lora tenens tamen.
By collocation (word order), where it is doubtful what ought to be referred to what, and most frequently when a word is in the middle and can be drawn to both sides, as Virgil says of Troilus, "holding the reins, however" (*lora tenens tamen*).
hic, utrum teneat tamen lora an, quamvis teneat, tamen trahatur, quaeri potest. unde controversia illa, §7.9.8testamento quidam iussit poni statuam auream hastam tenentem.
Here, it can be asked whether he "holding the reins, however" or, "although holding them, is however dragged." From this arises that controversy: a certain man ordered in his will that "a golden statue holding a spear" (*statuam auream hastam tenentem*) be erected.
quaeritur, statua hastam tenens aurea esse debeat an hasta esse aurea in statua alterius materiae? fit per flexum idem magis: quinquaginta ubi erant centum inde occidit Achilles.
It is asked whether the statue holding the spear should be golden, or whether the spear should be golden on a statue of another material.
saepe,
The same occurs even more through the inflection of tone: "Achilles killed fifty of the hundred that were there" (or "Achilles killed a hundred where there were fifty").
§7.9.9utri duorum antecedentium sermo subiunctus sit, in dubio est: unde et controversia, heres meus uxori meae dare damnas esto argenti quod elegerit pondo centum. uter eligat, quaeritur.
Often, it is in doubt to which of two antecedents the subsequent speech is joined: whence also the controversy, "My heir shall be bound to give my wife a hundred pounds of silver which he/she shall have chosen." It is asked which of them should choose (the heir or the wife).
verum id, quod ex his primum est, mutatione casuum, sequens divisione verborum aut translatione emendatur, tertium adiectione.
But the first of these (by cases) is corrected by a change of cases; the second (by word order) by a division of words or by transposition (*translatio*); the third by addition (of words).
§7.9.10accusativi geminatione facta amphibolia solvitur ablativo, ut illud, Lachetem audivi percussisse Demean. fiat a Lachete percussum Demean. sed ablativo ipsi, ut in primo diximus, inest naturalis amphibolia. caelo decurrit aperto: utrum per apertum caelum, an cum apertum esset.
An ambiguity caused by the doubling of the accusative is resolved by the ablative, as in that case: "I heard that Laches struck Demea." Let it be made "that Demea was struck by Laches." But in the ablative itself, as we said in the first book, there is a natural ambiguity: "he runs down from the open sky" (*caelo decurrit aperto*), whether through the open sky (path) or when the sky was open (ablative absolute).
§7.9.11divisio respiratione et mora constat: statuam, deinde auream hastam; vel statuam auream, deinde hastam. adiectio talis est, argentum, quod elegerit ipse, ut heres intelligatur, vel ipsa, ut uxor.
Division consists of breathing and pause: "the statue, [pause] then the golden spear"; or "the golden statue, [pause] then the spear." Addition is of this kind: "the silver which he himself (*ipse*) chose," so that the heir is understood, or "she herself (*ipsa*)," so that the wife is understood.
adiectione facta amphibolia, qualis sit, Nos flentes illos deprehendimus, detractione solvetur.
An ambiguity caused by addition, such as "We found them weeping" (*Nos flentes illos deprehendimus*), will be resolved by subtraction (*detractio*).
§7.9.12pluribus verbis emendandum, ubi est id, quod quo referatur dubium est, et ipsum est ambiguum. heres meus dare illi damnas esto omnia sua. in quod genus incidit Cicero loquens de C. Fannio;
Correction must be made with more words when that which is referred to is doubtful, and is itself ambiguous: "My heir shall be bound to give him all his things." Into which kind Cicero falls when speaking of C.
is soceri instituto, quem, quia cooptatus in augurum collegium non erat, non admodum diligebat, praesertim cum ille Q. Scaevolam sibi minorem natu generum praetulisset.
Fannius: "he [followed the inclination] of his father-in-law, whom, because he had not been co-opted into the college of augurs, he did not particularly like, especially since he (the father-in-law) had preferred Q.
nam sibi et ad socerum referri et ad Fannium potest.
Scaevola, a son-in-law younger than himself (*sibi*), to him." For "sibi" can be referred both to the father-in-law and to Fannius.
§7.9.13productio quoque in scripto et correptio in dubio relicta causa est ambiguitatis, ut in hoc, Cato. aliud enim ostendit brevis secunda syllaba casu nominativo, aliud eadem syllaba producta casu dativo aut ablativo.
Long pronunciation (*productio*) and short pronunciation (*correptio*) in writing left in doubt is also a cause of ambiguity, as in this word, "Cato." For a short second syllable (*Cătŏ*) shows one thing in the nominative case, and the same syllable made long (*Cătō*) shows another in the dative or ablative case.
Plurimae praeterea sunt aliae species, quas persequi nihil necesse est.
There are besides very many other species, which there is no necessity to pursue.
§7.9.14nec refert, quo modo sit facta amphibolia aut quo resolvatur.
Nor does it matter how the ambiguity was made or by what it is resolved.
duas enim res significari manifestum est et, quod ad scriptum vocemve pertinet, in utramque partem par est.
For it is manifest that two things are signified, and as far as it relates to writing or speech, it is equal on both sides.
ideoque frustra praecipitur, ut in hoc statu vocem ipsam ad nostram partem conemur vertere. nam, si id fieri potest, amphibolia non est.
And therefore it is taught in vain that in this status we should try to turn the word itself to our side; for if that can be done, there is no ambiguity.
amphiboliae autem omnis erit in his quaestio; §7.9.15aliquando, uter sit secundum naturam magis sermo, semper, utrum sit aequius, utrum is, qui scripsit ac dixit, voluerit.
But all inquiry concerning ambiguity will consist in these points: sometimes, which speech is more according to nature; always, which is more equitable, and what he who wrote and spoke intended.
quarum in utramque partem satis ex his, quae de coniectura et qualitate diximus, praeceptum est.
Concerning both of these sides, sufficient instruction has been given from what we have said about conjecture and quality.