Testator non modo tacet, sed ne legatum quidem dat.

Testator means testator, maker of a will, or more naturally in English, the person making the will.

It is in the nominative singular, because it is the subject of both verbs:

• tacet = is silent
• dat = gives

So testator is the one who is doing both actions.

Latin has no articles, so it does not have separate words for the or a/an.

That means testator can mean:

• a testator
• the testator

You decide from the context which English wording is best.

Non modo ... sed ... is a common Latin pattern meaning:

• not only ... but also ...
• or not merely ... but ...

In this sentence:

• non modo tacet = he is not only silent
• sed ... dat = but ... he gives

So the structure sets up a contrast or escalation: the first statement is true, but the second is even stronger.

A very similar expression is non solum ... sed etiam ....

Because ne ... quidem is the standard Latin way to say not even.

So:

• ne legatum quidem = not even a legacy

This is stronger than a simple negative. It adds the idea that even the smallest or most expected thing is not given.

So the sentence is not just saying he does not give a legacy. It is saying something like:

• he does not even give a legacy

No. Here ne is part of the fixed expression ne ... quidem meaning not even.

So in this sentence, you should read ne and quidem together.

It is not:

• a negative command
• a purpose clause
• a fear clause marker

It is simply the idiom ne ... quidem.

Because in ne ... quidem, the word placed between them is usually the word being emphasized.

So:

• ne legatum quidem

means literally something like:

• not even a legacy

The emphasized word is legatum.

This is a very common Latin pattern:

• ne X quidem = not even X

So the word order is not random; it shows what even applies to.

Legatum means a legacy, a bequest, or something left in a will.

It is a legal term, so in context it fits very naturally with testator.

A looser English translation might use:

• bequest
• legacy
• gift left by will

Because it is the direct object of dat.

• dat = he gives
• what does he give? legatum

So legatum is accusative singular.

This is very normal with do, dare: the thing given is often in the accusative.

Both are present tense, third person singular.

• tacet = he/she is silent, keeps silent
• dat = he/she gives

Because the subject is testator, we translate them as he is silent and he gives.

In context, English may also prefer a more idiomatic present such as:

• the testator says nothing
• the testator gives nothing, not even a legacy

Because taceo means be silent, keep silent, or say nothing. It is a very natural Latin verb.

So testator tacet does not necessarily mean only literal silence; it can also suggest that the testator makes no statement or does not speak up.

English often uses a slightly freer translation here, depending on context.

Because the two verbs work differently.

• taceo is usually intransitive in this kind of use: to be silent
• do, dare is transitive: to give something

So:

• tacet does not need an object
• dat does need or at least allows an object, here legatum

Yes, but not in the same rigid way as in English.

Latin word order is flexible, and here it helps show the rhetorical structure:

• Testator sets the topic
• non modo tacet gives the first statement
• sed ne legatum quidem dat gives the stronger follow-up

The placement of legatum between ne and quidem is especially important, because it marks legacy as the thing emphasized by not even.

So the sentence is carefully arranged for contrast and emphasis, not just basic grammar.

Yes. A Latin author could use non solum ... sed etiam ... for a similar meaning:

• not only ... but also ...

But non modo ... sed ne ... quidem ... is stronger in effect here, because the second half does not just add another fact; it adds a more striking negative:

• he is not only silent
• he does not even give a legacy

So this version has a sharper rhetorical force than a simple but also construction.