Friday, October 22, 2021
A Curse
A curse tablet found in the temple of Mercury, Uley, Gloucestershire in 1978, published by M.W.C. Hassall and R.S.O Tomlin, Britannia 19 (1988) 485–487, with translation (p. 486, sic in original):
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Biccus gives Mercury whatever he has lost (that the thief), whether man or male (sic), may not urinate nor defecate nor speak nor sleep nor stay awake nor (have) well-being or health, unless he bring (it) in the temple of Mercury; nor gain consciousness (sic) of (it) unless with my intervention.Latin (p. 487, simplified):
Biccus dat Mercurio quidquid pe(r)d(id)it si vir si mascel ne meiat ne cacet ne loquatur ne dormiat n[e] vigilet nec s[al]utem nec sanitatem ness[i] in templo Mercurii pertulerit ne co(n)scientiam de perferat ness[i] me intercedenteThe curse tablet is now in the British Museum (number 1978,0102.80). See also Sara Paulin, "'Ne meiat, ne cacet, ne loquatur, ne dormiat, ne vigilet.' La sujeción del cuerpo en las tablillas de maldición latinas," in Alicia Schniebs, ed., Discursos del cuerpo en Roma (Buenos Aires: Editorial de la Facultad de Filosofía y Letras Universidad de Buenos Aires, 2011), pp. 185-208.
