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I try to translate the following text: 1524, "Acta Tomiciana: epistole, legationes, responsa, actiones, res geste Sigismundi I Regis Poloniae", Volume 7

"Sed cum preterita magis reprehendi possint quam corrigi, non video, quid de hoc dicam, nisi ut cogitemus, quibus modis regnum ab interitu jam impendente servari possit. Mtas. regia Sandomirie agens colligit exercitum, proficiscitur nobilitas harum terrarum ad bellum, facto plebis delectu, ut quolibet ex loco decimus quisque sumptis armis suam Mtem. sequatur. Ferunt hunc Turcum, qui et nunc et anno superiori Russiam vastavit, ex hac parte Danubii se continere, ut iterum conflato alio novo exercitu Russiam ipsam invadere et debellare possit. Posthac quidquid erit, per alios nuncios faciam, ut Mgcia. vra. sciat. Ex hoc autem incluso exemplo responsionis moldavice, quam dedit domino capitaneo exercitus cum aliis dominis, qui cum eo erant, vra. Mgcia. facile cognoscet, quo in pretio apud ipsum Moldavum simus, ob ignaviam nostram, que modum et facultatem defensionis nobis ademit. Opto vram. Mgciam. bene et feliciter valere, cui me commendo. Datum Cracovie d. XXII Augusti "

especially this

Posthac quidquid erit, per alios nuncios faciam, ut Mgcia. vra. sciat. Ex hoc autem incluso exemplo responsionis moldavice, quam dedit domino capitaneo exercitus cum aliis dominis, qui cum eo erant, vra. Mgcia. facile cognoscet, quo in pretio apud ipsum Moldavum simus, ob ignaviam nostram, que modum et facultatem defensionis nobis ademit.

"responsionis moldavice" does it mean the "answer in moldovan [language]", or "answer from Moldova"? And what is the exact translation, because Google translates something incomprehensible :)

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I'm afraid it just says "Moldovan answer"; just as in English, this could mean "an answer written in Moldovan", or "an answer given by Moldovans", or similar, depending on context.

But the letter does say the recipient will easily understand from the Moldovan answer that "the Moldovan himself" thinks little of our bravery (I think this is the generic use of "the x" for the people as a whole). How likely is it that the recipient could read the Moldovan language? Was the language even written at all in the early fifteenth century? These things I know not.

Whatever shall happen in future, I will ensure though other messengers that Your Magnificence knows it. However, from this included example of the/a Moldovan answer, which the army gave to the Lord/Master/Gentleman Captain(?) along with other Lords/Masters/Gentlemen [or : which he gave to the Lord Captain of the army along with other Lords], who were with him, Your Magnificence will easily recognise, in what esteem were are held by the Moldovan, because of our cowardice, which has deprived us of the means and capability of defence.

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  • I thought Moldavice could only be the adverb, since the ablative with exemplō would be Moldavicō and the genitive with responsionis would be Moldavicae?
    – Draconis
    Commented Jul 19, 2020 at 4:02
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    @Draconis: In this text, ae is generally written as e. In addition, there is no real praedicate to which an adverbial form could belong here?
    – Cerberus
    Commented Jul 19, 2020 at 4:15
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    @Serge: The esteem in which we are held by the Moldovan(s) is based on our cowardice, so he or they have a very low esteem of us. Conversely, the letter says nothing about our esteem of the Moldovan(s). // I do see a slightly different reading of the army is possible: "...which he/she/it gave to the Lord Captain of the army along with other Lords, who were with him, ...". I can't tell from context which it should be, nor do I know who this he/she/it would be: there is too little information about the situation.
    – Cerberus
    Commented Jul 19, 2020 at 13:56
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    @Serge: No, it must be to the captain. I think my translation makes that clear? Or is there something unclear about the translation?
    – Cerberus
    Commented Jul 20, 2020 at 14:28
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    @Serge: Ah, OK! Either the army gave the Moldovan answer to the captain, or someone (he/she/it) gave the Moldovan answer to the captain of the army.
    – Cerberus
    Commented Jul 20, 2020 at 21:09

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