Pro Roscio 19

No proof of intent to disinherit

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Rosc. Am. 19.1Vērum haec tū quoque intellegis esse nūgātōria;But you too understand that these points are trifling; Rosc. Am. 19.1illud quod coepimus videāmus, quō certius argūmentum odī reperīrī nūllō modō potest.let us look at the point we began with, than which no surer proof of hatred can possibly be found. Rosc. Am. 19.1"Exhērēdāre pater fīlium cōgitābat."'The father was thinking of disinheriting his son.' Rosc. Am. 19.1Mittō quaerere quā dē causā;I do not ask for what reason; Rosc. Am. 19.1quaerō quī sciās;I ask how you know; Rosc. Am. 19.1tametsī tē dīcere atque ēnumerāre causās omnīs oportēbat, et id erat certī accūsātōris officium quī tantī sceleris argueret explicāre omnia vitia ac peccāta fīlī quibus incēnsus parēns potuerit animum indūcere ut nātūram ipsam vinceret, ut amōrem illum penitus īnsitum ēiceret ex animō, ut dēnique patrem esse.and yet you ought to have stated and listed all the reasons, and it was the duty of a conscientious accuser, charging so great a crime, to set out all the son's vices and faults that could have so inflamed the father as to bring him to overcome nature itself, to cast out of his heart that love planted deep within it, and lastly that he was a father Rosc. Am. 19.1sēsē oblīvīscerētur;to make him forget; Rosc. Am. 19.1quae sine magnīs huiusce peccātīs accidere potuisse nōn arbitror.and these things, I believe, could not have happened without great faults on this man's part.

Rosc. Am. 19.54Vērum concēdō tibi ut ea praetereās quae, cum tacēs, nūlla esse concēdis;But I grant you leave to pass over those things which, by keeping silent, you concede do not exist; Rosc. Am. 19.54illud quidem, voluisse exhērēdāre, certē tū plānum facere dēbēs.this at least, that he wished to disinherit him, you certainly ought to make plain. Rosc. Am. 19.54Quid ergō adfers quā rē id factum putēmus?What, then, do you bring forward to make us think that this was so? Rosc. Am. 19.54Vērē nihil potes dīcere;Truthfully you can say nothing; Rosc. Am. 19.54finge aliquid saltem commodē ut nē plānē videāris id facere quod apertē facis, huius miserī fortūnīs et hōrum virōrum tālium dignitātī inlūdere.at least invent something plausible, so that you may not plainly seem to be doing what you are openly doing: making sport of this poor man's fortunes and of the standing of these distinguished men. Rosc. Am. 19.54Exhērēdāre fīlium voluit.He wanted to disinherit his son. Rosc. Am. 19.54Quam ob causam?For what reason? Rosc. Am. 19.54"Nesciō."'I don't know.' Rosc. Am. 19.54Exhērēdāvitne?Did he disinherit? Rosc. Am. 19.54"Nōn." Quis prohibuit?'No.' Who prevented him? Rosc. Am. 19.54"Cōgitābat."'He intended to.' Rosc. Am. 19.54Cōgitābat ?He intended to?

Rosc. Am. 19.54cui dīxit?whom did he tell? Rosc. Am. 19.54"Nēminī."'No one.' Rosc. Am. 19.54Quid est aliud iūdiciō ac lēgibus ac maiestāte vestrā abūtī ad quaestum atque ad libīdinem nisi hōc modō accūsāre atque id obicere quod plānum facere nōn modo nōn possīs vērum nē cōnēris quidem?What is this but to abuse the court, the laws and your majesty for gain and for caprice: to accuse in this way, and to allege what you not only cannot make plain but do not even try to? Rosc. Am. 19.55Nēmō nostrum est, Erucī, quīn sciat tibi inimīcitiās cum Sex. Rosciō nūllās esse;There is not one of us, Erucius, who does not know that you have no quarrel with Sextus Roscius; Rosc. Am. 19.55vident omnēs quā dē causā huic inimīcus veniās;everyone sees for what reason you come here as his enemy; Rosc. Am. 19.55sciunt huiusce pecūniā tē adductum esse Quid ergō est?they know that you were brought here by this man's money. What of it, then? Rosc. Am. 19.55Ita tamen quaestūs tē cupidum esse oportēbat ut hōrum exīstimātiōnem et lēgem Remmiam putārēs aliquid valēre oportēre.Even so, your greed for gain ought to have been such that you thought the good opinion of these men and the Remmian law ought to count for something.

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Grammar in this passage: indirect statement ×9, purpose clauses ×1

Latin vocabulary for this passage (127 words)

vērum (conj.)	but, but in fact; nōn modo ... vērum etiam: not only ... but also
hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron.	this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter
tū, tuī, pers. pron.	thou, you
quoque, adv.	also
intellegō, -legere, -lēxī, -lēctus	perceive, understand
sum, esse, fuī, futūrus	be
nūgātōrius, -a, -um	trifling, worthless, futile
ille, illa, illud, dem. pron.	that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.	who, which
coepī, coepisse, coeptus (used in tenses of completed action)	have begun, began
videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus	see; pass., seem
certus, -a, -um	determined, fixed, certain; certiōrem facere, to make more certain, inform
argūmentum, -ī n.	proof, evidence
odium, -ī, n.	hatred
reperiō, reperīre, repperī, repertus	find, discover
nūllus, -a, -um	not any, none, no
modus, -ī, m.	way, manner
possum, posse, potuī	be able, have power, can
exhērēdō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	disinherit
pater, patris, m.	father
fīlius, -ī, m.	son
cōgitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	consider, think over
mittō, mittere, mīsī, missus	send
quaerō, quaerere, quaesīvī, quaesītus	seek; ask, inquire
quī, quae, quod, interrog. pron. adj.	what?
dē, prep, with abl.	down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of
causa, -ae, f.	cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of
sciō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus	know
tametsī (conj.)	although
dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus	say, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day
atque, ac (conj.)	and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants)
ēnumerō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	count up; list, recount
omnis, -e	all, every
oportet, -ēre, oportuit (impersonal)	it is right, it is necessary
et, conj.	and; et ... et, both ... and
is, ea, id, dem. pron.	this, that; he, she, it, they
accūsātor, -ōris m.	accuser, prosecutor
officium, -ī, n.	service; duty
tantus, -a, -um	so great or much
scelus, sceleris, n.	wickedness, crime
arguō, -ere, -uī, -ūtus	show up, expose; accuse, convict
explicō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	unfold, spread out; set out, explain
vitium, -ī n.	fault, vice
peccātum, -ī n.	fault, sin
incendō, -ere, -cendī, -cēnsum	set on fire, burn
parēns, -entis m./f.	parent
animus, -ī, m.	mind; heart; spirit, courage
indūcō, -dūcere, dūxī, -ductus	lead in or on, move, excite
ut, conj.	as; when; that; ita ut, as
nātūra, -ae, f.	nature, character
ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron.	self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very
vincō, -ere, vīcī, victum	conquer, defeat
amor, -ōris, m.	love
penitus (adv.)	deep within, far inside
īnsitus, -a, -um	implanted, innate, natural
ēiciō, -ere, -iēcī, -iectus	throw out; sē ēicere: rush out
ex, ē (prep. + abl.)	out of, from; of (ē only before consonants)
dēnique, adv.	lastly, finally
suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron.	himself, herself, itself, themselves
oblīvīscor, -līvīscī, -lītus	forget
sine, prep. with abl.	without
magnus, -a, -um	large, big, great, mighty; loud
accidō, -cidere, -cidī	fall to or upon; befall, happen
nōn, adv.	not
arbitror, -ārī, -ātus	consider, think, judge
concēdō, -cēdere, -cessī, -cessus	grant, yield
praetereō, -īre, -iī, -itus	pass by
cum, conj.	when, while, after; since; although
taceō, -ēre, -uī, -itus	be silent
quidem, adv.	in fact, indeed, certainly; nē ... quidem, not ... even
volō, velle, voluī	wish
certē (adv.)	certainly, surely; at any rate
plānus, -a, -um	flat, level
faciō, facere, fēcī, factus	make, do; iter facere, see iter
dēbeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus	owe; with infin., ought
quis, quid, interrog. pron.	who? which? what?
ergō (adv.)	therefore, then; quid ergō? what then?
adferō, adferre, attulī, adlātus	bear to, bring
rēs, reī, f.	thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really
putō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus	think
vērē (adv.)	truly, really
nihil, n., indecl.	nothing
fingō, fingere, finxī, fictus	invent, make up
aliquis, -quid, indef. pron.	someone, any one, something, anything, some, any
saltem (adv.)	at least
commodē (adv.)	conveniently, easily, well
nē, adv.	not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest
plānē (adv.)	clearly, plainly
apertē (adv.)	openly, plainly
miser, misera, miserum	wretched, unhappy
fortūna, -ae, f.	fortune
vir, virī, m.	man
tālis, -e	such
dignitās, -ātis f.	rank, standing, prestige
inlūdō, -ere, -lūsī, -lūsus	mock, make sport of (+ dat.)
ob, prep. with acc.	on account of, for; in compounds, to, against
nesciō, -scīre, -scīvī	not know, be ignorant; nesciō quis, I know not who, some one or other (nesciō is thus used with other interrogative words also)
prohibeō, -hibēre, -hibuī, -hibitus	hold back, prevent, hinder
nēmō, nēminis, m. and f.	no one, nobody
alius, -a, -ud	another, other; aliī ... aliī, some ... others
iūdicium, -ī n.	trial, court; judgment
lēx, lēgis f.	law
maiestās, -ātis f.	greatness, dignity, majesty
vester, -tra, -trum	your
abūtor, -ūtī, -ūsus sum	use up; abuse, take advantage of (+ abl.)
ad, prep. with acc.	to, toward; at, near; for
quaestus, -ūs m.	gain, profit
libīdō, -inis f.	desire, lust; caprice
nisi, conj.	if not, unless
accūsō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum	blame, accuse
obiciō, -icere, -iēcī, -iectus	throw in the way or to
modo, adv.	only
cōnor, -ārī, -ātus	try, attempt
nōs	plur. of ego
quīn, conj.	so that ... not, but that, but
inimīcitia, -ae f.	enmity (usu. pl.)
cum, prep, with abl.	with
inimīcus, -a, -um	unfriendly, hostile
veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventus	come
pecūnia, -ae, f.	money (the possession of cattle constituting wealth in early times)
addūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus	lead to, bring, take; induce, influence
ita, adv.	in this manner, thus, so; ita ut, as
tamen, adv.	however, yet, nevertheless
cupidus, -a, -um	desirous, eager
exīstimātiō, -ōnis f.	opinion, reputation
Remmius, -a, -um	Remmian; lex Remmia: law against malicious prosecution
valeō, -ēre, -uī, -itūrus	be strong or effectual, have effect, prevail

Cicero, Pro Roscio Amerino. Latin text: A. C. Clark, M. Tulli Ciceronis Orationes I (Oxford, 1908), public domain; digital text from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA. Word analysis: drafted by our own tagger (trained on the hand-checked texts on this site), with every doubtful word checked by hand. English translation and section titles: written for this app, each checked against the Latin by a second reader.