Ep. 10.38.1Cūrandum est, ut aqua in Nīcomēdēnsem cīvitātem perdūcātur.Care must be taken that water is brought to the city of Nicomedia. Ep. 10.38.1Vērē crēdō tē eā, quā dēbēbis, dīligentiā hoc opus aggressūrum.I truly believe that you will undertake this work with the diligence you ought. Ep. 10.38.1Sed medius fidius ad eandem dīligentiam tuam pertinet inquīrere, quōrum vitiō ad hoc tempus tantam pecūniam Nīcomēdēnsēs perdiderint, nē, dum inter sē grātificantur, et incohāverint aquae ductūs et relīquerint.But, heaven knows, it belongs to that same diligence of yours to inquire through whose fault the people of Nicomedia have wasted so much money up to this time, lest, while doing one another favours, they have both begun and abandoned aqueducts. Ep. 10.38.1Quid itaque compereris, perfer in nōtitiam meam.So bring to my notice whatever you find out.
Lectitō › Pliny the Younger › Letters, Book 10 › Pliny, Letter 10.38
Pliny · Epistulae X
Pliny, Letter 10.38
Trajan orders an inquiry
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Read in LectitōGrammar in this passage: gerunds and gerundives ×1, purpose clauses ×1
Latin vocabulary for this passage (45 words)
| cūrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | take care of; (+ gerundive) have something done |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| aqua, -ae, f. | water |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| Nīcomēdēnsis, -e | of Nicomedia |
| cīvitās, -tātis, f. | state |
| perdūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductus | lead or bring through, lead, bring |
| vērē (adv.) | truly, really |
| crēdō, -dere, -didī, -ditus | believe |
| tū, tuī, pers. pron. | thou, you |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| dēbeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | owe; with infin., ought |
| dīligentia, -ae, f. | care, diligence, industry |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| opus, operis, n. | work, task |
| aggredior, -ī, aggressus sum | attack |
| sed, conj. | but |
| medius, -a, -um | mid, middle |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| īdem, eadem, idem, dem. pron. | the same; sometimes to be translated likewise, also |
| tuus, -a, -um | thy, thine, your |
| pertineō, -ēre, -uī | extend, reach; tend toward, concern |
| inquīrō, -ere, -quīsīvī, -quīsītum | search into, inquire |
| vitium, -ī n. | fault, vice |
| tempus, temporis, n. | time, season |
| tantus, -a, -um | so great or much |
| pecūnia, -ae, f. | money (the possession of cattle constituting wealth in early times) |
| perdō, -dere, -didī, -ditus | destroy, ruin; lose, waste |
| nē, adv. | not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest |
| dum, conj. | while, as; as long as; until |
| inter, prep, with acc. | among, between |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| grātificor, -ārī, -ātus sum | do a favour, oblige, gratify |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| incohō (inchoō), -āre, -āvī, -ātus | begin, start |
| ductus, -ūs m. | leadership, command |
| relinquō, -linquere, -līquī, -lictus | leave behind, leave |
| quis, quid, interrog. pron. | who? which? what? |
| itaque, adv. | and so, accordingly, therefore |
| comperiō, -īre, comperī, compertum | find out, learn |
| perferō, -ferre, -tulī, -lātus | bear through, bear, endure; weather |
| nōtitia, -ae f. | knowledge, acquaintance |
| meus, -a, -um | my, mine |
Pliny, Epistulae X. 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.