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We continue! Thanks, gentle punter (I'm sorry, I didn't take a note of your name) who corrected my Latin in Ambrose's hymn at cockcrow. In the line 'mucro latronis conditur' condo means 'lay aside'. Not its most common meaning, but that is the meaning here. So 'The robber's sword is laid aside' - let us hope, not to be taken up again! Back to Venantius Fortunatus: Vagit infans inter arta conditus praesaepia, membra pannis involuta virgo mater adligat, et pedes manusque crura stricta pingit fascia. The infant cries (vagio, 'cry' - also used of young goats, 'to bleat', and even of young hares and pigs), laid in a narrow manger. That use of 'condo' again! 'inter' in Classical Latin regularly takes the accusative, and means 'between', but unless the Gentle Punter can correct me again I can only read this as with the ablative and meaning 'within'. The virgin mother binds his limbs, wrapped with cloths. Cf. Luke 2:7, . . . et pannis eum involvit, et reclinavit eum in praesepio. Or again Luke 2:12 . . . Invenietis infantem pannis involutum, et positum in praesepio. And adorns his feet and hands and legs with tight bands. 'Pingo' usually means 'paint', but is often used of embroidered garments. 'Picta toga' is the embroidered toga worn by a triumphing general. Oriens. %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%