Dominus et Domina Dursley, qui vivebant in aedibus Gestationis Ligustrorum numero quattuor signatis, non sine superbia dicebant se ratione ordinaria vivendi uti neque se paenitere illius rationis.
The Master and the Mistress Dursley, who were living in the house designated by number four of the Drive of Privets (signatis numero quattuor Gestationis Ligustrorum), not without pride said that they conducted their life in an ordinary style and did not regret that style.
Needham’s translation has to be flexible with the address. There is no Roman equivalent for the modern system of numbers and street names. signatis could mean designated, or “marked by the sign of.” So the house is numero quattuor signatis, marked by the sign of the number four.
Gestatio originally meant being transported in a litter or a carriage, and later meant a place where you could saunter around on foot or horseback. That makes it a good translation for Drive. Ligustrum is a privet, a plant often used in hedges.
Gardening is one area where Latin is still useful, incidentally. Plant names in Latin tend to be specific and precise, and they don’t vary from country to country. We will look at the names of some Irish plants and animals in a future lesson.