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Pliny · Epistulae I

Pliny, Letter 1.23

Should a tribune plead cases?

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Ep. 1.23.1Cōnsulis an exīstimem tē in tribūnātū causās agere dēbēre.You ask whether I think you ought to plead cases during your tribunate. Ep. 1.23.1Plūrimum refert, quid esse tribūnātum putēs, inānem umbram et sine honōre nōmen an potestātem sacrōsānctam, et quam in ōrdinem cōgī ut ā nūllō ita nē ā sē quidem deceat.It matters very much what you think the tribunate is, an empty shadow and a name without honour, or an inviolable power, which it is fitting should be brought to order by no one, not even by itself. Ep. 1.23.2Ipse cum tribūnus essem, errāverim fortasse quī mē esse aliquid putāvī, sed tamquam essem abstinuī causīs agendīs: prīmum quod dēfōrme arbitrābar, cui assurge cui locō cēdere omnēs oportēret, hunc omnibus sedentibus stāre, et quī iubēre posset tacēre Quemcumque, huic silentium clepsydrā indīcī, et quem interfārī nefās esset, hunc etiam convīcia audīre et sī inulta paterētur inertem, sī ulcīscerētur īnsolentem vidērī.When I myself was tribune, I was perhaps wrong in thinking I was someone, but as if I were, I refrained from pleading cases: first, because I thought it unseemly that the man for whom everyone ought to rise and give way should stand while everyone sat, and that the man who could order anyone to be silent should have silence imposed on him by the water-clock, and that the man whom it was a sin to interrupt should even hear abuse, and seem spineless if he let it go unpunished, arrogant if he avenged it.

Ep. 1.23.3Erat hic quoque aestus ante oculōs, sī forte mē appellāsset vel ille cui adessem, vel ille quem contrā, intercēderem et auxilium ferrem an quiēscerem silēremque, et quasi ēiūrātō magistrātū prīvātum ipse mē facerem.There was this dilemma too before my eyes, whether, if either the man I was appearing for or the man I was appearing against should happen to appeal to me, I should intervene and bring help, or keep quiet and silent, and, as though I had resigned my office, make myself a private citizen. Ep. 1.23.4Hīs ratiōnibus mōtus māluī mē tribūnum omnibus exhibēre quam paucīs advocātum.Moved by these reasons, I preferred to show myself a tribune to all rather than an advocate to a few. Ep. 1.23.5Sed tū - iterum dīcam - plūrimum interest quid esse tribūnātum putēs, quam persōnam tibi impōnās;But as for you (I shall say it again), it matters very much what you think the tribunate is, what role you take upon yourself; Ep. 1.23.5quae sapientī virō ita aptanda est ut perferātur.and a wise man must fit it to himself in such a way that he carries it through.

Ep. 1.23.5Valē.Farewell.

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Grammar in this passage: indirect statement ×8, gerunds and gerundives ×2, ablative absolute ×2

Latin vocabulary for this passage (113 words)
cōnsulō, -ere, -uī, -tusconsult
an, conj.or (in questions)
exīstimō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusconsider, believe, think
tū, tuī, pers. pron.thou, you
in, prep. with acc. and abl.with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
tribūnātus, -ūs m.tribuneship, office of tribune (military or of the people)
causa, -ae, f.cause, reason; abl. causā, for the sake of
agō, agere, ēgī, āctusdrive; do; pass, lead; grātiās agere, see grātia
dēbeō, -ēre, -uī, -itusowe; with infin., ought
plūrimum (adv.)most, very much (plūrimum posse: be most powerful)
referō, referre, rettulī, relātusbring or carry back, return; pedem referre, to draw back, retire, retreat; grātiam referre, see grātia
quis, quid, interrog. pron.who? which? what?
sum, esse, fuī, futūrusbe
putō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusthink
inānis, -eempty
umbra, -ae, f.shadow, shade
et, conj.and; et ... et, both ... and
sine, prep. with abl.without
honor, -ōris, m.honor
nōmen, -minis, n.name (that by which one is known)
potestās, -ātis f.power, authority
sacrōsānctus, -a, -umsacred, inviolable
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.who, which
ōrdō, ōrdinis, m.arrangement, order, rank; ex ōrdine, in order
cōgō, cōgere, coēgī, coāctusdrive together, collect; compel
ut, conj.as; when; that; ita ut, as
ā, ab (prep. + abl.)away from, from; by (ā only before consonants)
nūllus, -a, -umnot any, none, no
ita, adv.in this manner, thus, so; ita ut, as
nē, adv.not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest
suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron.himself, herself, itself, themselves
quidem, adv.in fact, indeed, certainly; nē ... quidem, not ... even
decet, decēre, decuit (impers.)it is fitting, it is proper
ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron.self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very
cum, conj.when, while, after; since; although
tribūnus, -ī m.tribune (tribūnus mīlitum: senior officer of a legion)
errō, -āre, -āvī, -ātuswander, stray; be mistaken
fortasse (adv.)perhaps
ego, meī, pers. pron.I
aliquis, -quid, indef. pron.someone, any one, something, anything, some, any
sed, conj.but
tamquam (adv., conj.)as, just as; as if
abstineō, -ēre, abstinuī, abstentumkeep away, hold back (from)
prīmum, adv.first, in the first place
quod, conj.that, in that, because
dēfōrmis, -emisshapen, ugly
arbitror, -ārī, -ātusconsider, think, judge
assurgō (adsurgō), -ere, -surrēxī, -surrēctumrise up
locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n.place, situation
cēdō, -ere, cessī, cessumgo, withdraw, give way
omnis, -eall, every
oportet, -ēre, oportuit (impersonal)it is right, it is necessary
hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron.this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter
sedeō, sedēre, sēdī, sessussit
stō, stāre, stetī, statusstand
iubeō, iubēre, iussī, iussusbid, order, command
possum, posse, potuībe able, have power, can
taceō, -ēre, -uī, -itusbe silent
quīcumque, quaecumque, quodcumquewhoever, whatever
silentium, -ī n.silence; silentiō: in silence, quietly
clepsydra, -ae f.water-clock; a measured allowance of speaking time in court
indicō, -āre, -āvī, -ātuspoint out, reveal, give information; inform against
interfor, -fārī, -fātus suminterrupt
nefās n. (indecl.)a sin, a wrong; something forbidden by divine law
etiam, adv.and now, also, too, even
convīcium, -ī n.loud noise, wrangling; abuse
audiō, -īre, -īvī, -ītushear; listen or attend to
sī, conj.if
inultus, -a, -umunavenged; unpunished
patior, patī, passus, bearsuffer, allow
iners, -ertissluggish, idle, unmanly
ulcīscor, ulcīscī, ultusavenge
īnsolēns, -entisunaccustomed (to: gen.); excessive, arrogant
videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsussee; pass., seem
quoque, adv.also
aestus, -ūs m.heat; tide
ante, prep, with acc. and adv.before
oculus, -ī, m.eye
forte, adv.by chance, accidentally
appellō, -pellāre, -pellāvī, -pellātuscall, name
velor; vel … vel: either … or
ille, illa, illud, dem. pron.that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc
adsum, adesse, adfuībe present, be at hand
contrā, prep, with acc.against, contrary to
intercēdō, -ere, -cessī, -cessumcome between, pass (of time)
auxilium, -ī, n.help, aid
ferō, ferre, tulī, lātusbear, bring
quiēscō, -ere, quiēvī, quiētusrest, keep quiet
sileō, -ēre, -uībe silent; pass over in silence
que, enclitic conj.and
quasi, conj.as if
ēiūrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusrenounce on oath; magistratum eiurare: resign office
magistrātus, -ūs m.magistrate, official
prīvātus, -a, -umprivate
faciō, facere, fēcī, factusmake, do; iter facere, see iter
ratiō, -ōnis, f.plan, means, method, manner; reason; account
moveō, movēre, mōvī, mōtusmove
mālō, mālle, māluīwish rather, prefer
exhibeō, -ēre, -uī, -itusshow, display, present
quam, adv.how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible
paucī, -ae, -a, plur. adj.few
advocātus, -ī m.supporter in court, legal adviser, counsel; helper, friend called in
iterum, adv.again, a second time
dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictussay, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day
intersum, -esse, -fuī, -futūrusbe or lie between
quī, quae, quod, interrog. pron. adj.what?
persōna, -ae f.mask; character, role; personal standing
impōnō, -pōnere, -posuī, -positusplace or lay upon, impose; embark
sapiēns, -entiswise; as noun, a wise man, a philosopher
vir, virī, m.man
aptō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusfit, adjust, make ready
perferō, -ferre, -tulī, -lātusbear through, bear, endure; weather
valeō, -ēre, -uī, -itūrusbe strong or effectual, have effect, prevail
Pliny, Epistulae I. Latin text: the Perseus digital text of Pliny's Letters, 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.