Here are the extra comments on the first excerpt from Augustine's Confessions in R.M.L.(p. 46). A copy of the assignment is available here.
Line 1. … traxit et congessit: a nice chiastic structure: prepositional
phrase + subject (for both verbs) + verb + verb + object (for both verbs) + prepositional phrase.
2. oborta est: finite verb (compound of orior).
3. ut: to determine what type of clause
this introduces, you need to look to secessi
(ut totum effunderem cum uocibus suis
…. secessi remotius…). Then put in surrexi
ab Alypio and the parenthetical phrase within dashes.
4. ad negotium flendi: keep together as
prepositional phrase. You’ll need to be careful with your translation of negotium.
5. quam: after comparative remotius (, s.v. 3b in Cassell’s). I
would omit the “that” suggested in Sidwell’s note (“further away than … his”).
6. nescio quid … dixeram: for nescio, s.v. I. in Cassell’s. It is sometimes even written as one word.
quo: antecedent is last stated masculine or neuter noun or
pronoun.
7. grauidus: given its form, what noun must
it modify?
8. nimie: cf. longe, alte, etc. (see A&G 214).
sub: starts a prepositional phrase that ends with a noun—keep it
together.
nescio: see on l. 6, i.e., keep “nescio
quo modo” together.
9. dimisi: di + misi. What verb does misi
come from? You’ll probably need to look it up in the dictionary to get a good
translation, and also consider carefully the definition of habena. As so often, you cannot really settle on a translation for
a verb until you’ve considered its object or associated adverbial or
prepositional phrase.
proruperunt: note the –erunt: this is, therefore, what tense? And so what do you need to
pay proper attention to in order to look it up in your dictionary?
10: sententia: as opposed to the uerbis.
11. Et tu … usquequo: no verb, but you don’t
need one to translate it acceptably. Otherwise, look ahead to find the verb you
need to understand.
Vsquequo, Domine, irasceris …: You can either take as “Vsquequo, Domine, irasceris? In finem?” or “Vsquequo, Domine? Irasceris in finem?”
12. ne
… fueris: a regular form of negative command or prohibition—A&G 450.
iniquitatum: see Sidwell’s vocabulary.
13. eis: refers to the last plural noun
Iactabam: an appropriate definition is in your
Casell’s.
Quandiu: “m” (voiced) is often changed to “n”
(unvoiced) before another unvoiced consonant.
14. modo: in Cassell’s, s.v. 2.
Quare … meae?: the sentence lacks a verb, so understand
an appropriate form of esse.
