Between Classical and Medieval Latin: The «inexplete … voces» of Massinissa in Petrarch, Africa V 449

This paper analyses a verse of Petrarch’s Africa, V 448-449 […] Singultibus istas / liquit inexpletas rauco sub murmure voces: the use of inexpletus in the meaning of «unfinished» and the iunctura inexplete … voces, referred to Massinissa, are not attested in classical authors. This use of inexpletus is attested only in the late and medieval Latin, namely in Hegesippus’ translation of Bellum Iudaicum by Flavius Josephus for the first time. The iunctura seems to be created by Petrarch instead, however it is possible that he found it in a passage of the Ylias by Joseph of Exter, V 147-149. So, as it was posited by some previous studies, the Ylias could very well be considered one of the medieval sources of Petrarch’s Africa. In the case at hand, it appears likely that the Italian poet borrowed the iunctura from one of the great poets of XIIth century in order to give him a “lesson” in poetry.