Etymology
fides: /ˈfiːdes/: fides, trust, faith, confidence, reliance, credence, belief.
PIE *bʰeydʰ-: obligar, forzar; confiar. De donde *bʰeydʰ-os: πειθός, fidus: leal, fiel, aliado, fœdus; trato, pacto, alianza. *bʰéydʰeti (raíz temática): de donde fido: confiar, dar crédito a, poner confianza en. Related to: confido, diffido, fidelis, fiduciarius, fidus, foedifragus, perfidiosus, etc.
Catalogue
The latin term fides can be found with plenty of meanings from the III BC. As we can see in the next evidences, displaced in a chronological order, the same author can be using the word with multiple values in the same text. The first atestation we analyse isTitus Maccius Plautus’Amphitruo, where we appreciate a dialogue between Amphitruo and Sosia.
Am 555 {Sos.} Eccere, iam tuatim facis tu, ut tuis nulla apud te fides sit.
translation
{Sos.} Look at that; you are now acting according to your usual fashion, to be putting no trust in your servants.
On the dispute, Sosia accuses Amphitruo not to rely on his servants by using fides. Consequently, we understand it is being used as “trust” in its negative form, therefore, mistrust or no trust. Moving on to Plautus’ Mercator, we observe another conversation, this time between Pasicompsa and Lysimachus, where fides is translated for “good faith” and “faith” with no religious connotations in any case.
Mer 531 {Pas.} Dic igitur quaeso, quoia sum? {Lys.} Tuo ero redempta es rursum; ego te redemi, i/lle mecum oravit. {Pas.} Animus rediit, si mecum servatur fides. {Lys.} Bono animo es, liberabit ille te homo: ita edepol deperit, atque hodie primum vidit. {Pas.} Ecastor iam bienniumst, quom mecum rem coepit.
translation
{Pas.} My spirits have returned, if good faith is kept with me. {Lys.} Be of good courage; this person will give you your liberty. I’ troth, he did so dote upon you this day as soon as ever he had seen you. {Pas.} I’ faith, it’s now two years since he commenced his connection this me. Now, as I’m sure that you are a friend of his, I’ll disclose it.
As we appreciate, Plautus’ use of fides may vary depending on the sentence and context of what is being explained. The same happens with Marcus Tullius Cicero, which represents another important source for the topic going on. As we read in the next lines taken from Cicero’s Pro Quinctio, the author applies the term for “good faith” in a civil-political context next to “constancy”.
Quinct 5.11 reperire non poterit. Non eo dico, C. Aquili, quo mihi veniat in dubium tua fides et constantia, aut quo non in; his quos tibi advocavisti viris lectissimis civitatis spem summam habere P. Quinctius debeat.
translation
I do not say this, O Caius Aquillius, because I have any doubt of your own good faith and constancy, or because Publius Quinctius ought not to have the greatest hopes from those whom you have called in as your assessors, being, as they are, among the most imnent men in the state.
Also in Cicero’s Pro S. Roscio Amerino fides gets translated as “confidence” or “reliance”. Taking into account the topic of the converstation, the act of accusing someone, we understand the sense given is that one character trusts another one enough not to denounce him. Again, we see no religious specifications.
SRosc 83.1 est negare. Si quid est quod ad testis reservet, ibi quoque nos, ut in ipsa causa, paratiores reperiet quam putabat. Venio nunc eo quo me non cupiditas ducit sed fides. Nam si mihi liberet accusare, accusarem alios potius ex qui- bus possem crescere; quod certum est non facere,
translation
I come now to that point to which my desire does not lead me, but good faith towards my client. For if I wished to accuse men, I should accuse those men rather by accusing whom I might become more important, which I have determined not to do, as long as the alternatives of accusing and defending are both open to me.
Moving on to Gaius Iulius Caesar’s De bello civili, we see a slightly different value for fides. In this respect, the author uses the idiom in a warlike environment as “security” in means of certainty about the militar operation.
Civ 1.10.4.1 rum haec erat summa: Caesar in Galliam reverteretur, Arimino excederet, exercitus dimitteret; quae si fecisset, Pompeium in Hispanias iturum. interea quoad fides esset data Caesarem facturum, quae polliceretur, non intermissuros consules Pompeiumque dilectus.
translation
That Caesar should quit Rimini, return to Gaul, and disband his army; which conditions performed, Pompey would go into Spain. In the meantime, till Caesar gave security for the performance of what he had promised, neither Pompey nor the consuls would discontinue the levies.
The next samples, taken from Ad urbe condita by Titus Livius, show how interestingly the author implies multiple significances by using fides in one unique composition.
AUC 1.32.6.5 'audite, fines' cuiuscumque gentis sunt, nominat; 'audiat fas. ego sum publicus nuntius populi Romani; iuste pieque legatus uenio, uerbisque meis fides sit.’
translation
“Hear, 0 Justice! I am the public herald of the Roman People rightly and duly authorised do I Come; let confidence be placed in my words.”
While in the lines above fides is translated as “confidence”, in Ad urbe conditas we notice other significances such as “honour”, “promise” and “loyalty”. Indeed, the last one will be present in the examples taken from Cornelius Tacitus. Meanwhile, we continue with the paragraph from Lucius Annaeus Seneca’s Oedipus.
Oed 861 {Oe.} Quid quaeris ultra? fata iam accedunt prope. quis fuerit infans edoce. {Ph.} Prohibet fides. {Oe.} Huc aliquis ignem! flamma iam excutiet fidem. {Ph.} Per tam cruentas uera quaerentur uias?
translation
[Oe] Why seekest further? Now doth fate draw near. Who was the babe? Speak out. [Ph] My loyalty forbids. [Oe] Hither with fire, someone! Now shall flames banish loyalty. [Ph] Is truth to be sought along such cruel ways?
There we warn one of the most common translation made of fides: ”truth”.
Bibliography
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